Following the launch of his compelling new album Necromancy: Back From the Dead, we caught up with the boldly unique rapper and artist Jose Homicide, to find out more about the creative process, his journey to this point, his plans for the future, and plenty more. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Jose – hope all’s well, huge congrats for the new album. To introduce things, who or what first sparked your passion for making music?
Hey Rebecca, Thank you so much, I appreciate that!
If I’m being totally honest I have absolutely no clue what gave me the idea to start making music. When I was about 10 years old, I thought I had purchased the album 2001 by Dr.Dre on iTunes, but it turns out I had only bought the instrumentals, So I ended up writing my own songs over them. They were awful, but at least I tried, ya know?
I think what really got me into the act of recording music was Donald Glover, seeing his music video for Sweatpants when I was 13 really showed me like “yeah, this guy’s awesome, if he can do it, so can I” and I started making songs on my iPod Touch on GarageBand.
Why the name Jose Homicide?
I was 16 and really stupid, I wanted a cool rapper name to give me some kind of shock factor. One time I looked up my name (Jose) and the word ‘Homicide’ and it gave me the idea, its really not that crazy of a story, I almost kind of hate it now which is why I’m rebranding to my actual name in January haha.
Necromancy is the latest project, fourteen original tracks that utilise the darker themes and tones of the current season. What was the underlying concept for this Back From the Dead collection?
Halloween’s always been my favorite holiday. I think music can set the tone for anything really, walks, going to the gym, driving, hanging out with friends, so I wanted to make an album that would set the tone perfectly for the season.
I touch on topics such as demons, rituals, sacrifices, cannibalism, but I also touched on things that can be scary in your mind such as, drug addiction, grief and the terror of just aching in one place alone. At the end of the day, it manifested itself into a beautiful yet unsettling project, and I am so proud of how it turned out.
How did the Swedish rhapsody come to be, and why did you choose to open with this track?
I was doing a lot of research on really strange things for inspiration. Some more frightening than others such as: demons, rituals, and just random occurrences and one thing I stumbled on were these things called number stations. During the cold war, they were used to transmit messages to the Soviet Army, and they were usually just recordings of a woman saying numbers or strange jingles. So, I did what any sensible musician making a spooky album would do and I sampled it. It was so much fun..
Your voice is brilliantly distinct, a huge selling point throughout but well supported by these minimal yet interesting productions. When did you first realise you had a great voice for performance and rap?
First, thank you, that’s so sweet. Second, I’ve really struggled with my voice for a long time, believe it or not. When I was a kid, I had a pretty weird lisp and I’d get made fun of for it, so it made it really difficult to finally start recording my own voice and be confident with it. I really appreciate the fact that it’s even decent enough to be on a recording and the fact that a few people enjoy it brings me enough comfort and confidence to keep on using it.
Do you produce your own music, or play any instruments? If yes, what are your go-to software and hardware choices?
I do actually! I’ve been producing my own work for a couple of years now. I attended the Los Angeles Recording School, and they got me set up with Logic Pro after years of making beats on GarageBand.
Your bio describes you as having a passion from everything from jazz to alt-rock and trap. What’s the creative process like then, from the beginning, when you’re crafting a new track?
My creative process can really go any which way. Lately, I’ve been trying to read more to try to sharpen my lyricism. I read anything from poetry to science-fiction. When it comes to crafting a full song, I just try to keep my antennae to the universe as sharp as possible. Being open to new ideas I may have never even considered before is a huge part of that. I can make a rap song about eating tacos and immediately move on to a slow jazz ballad about being in love with a ghost directly after, I don’t think I have a ceiling when it comes to the type of music I like to make.
How did you write cover me moondust – does the beat come first then you adlib, or do you write the bars in private then add music?
That song is so funny to me. I wrote it specifically for a friend who listened to the demos of the album at its earliest stages, and he mentioned there wasn’t enough “scary raps” on it. So, in a nutshell, that song is kind of like an inside joke between him and I. I sat in front of my computer and said “okay…let’s write an edgy rap song about demons or something”.
How easy or difficult is it to break into the LA rap scene right now, and is there much opportunity to perform live?
Fortunately enough for me, there really isn’t a real rap scene I need to break into. No disrespect to the artists coming from LA, but a lot of the underground rappers here all sort of have the same sound with an exception of maybe a handful of guys. I consider my music to be unique in a sense where there’s something in there for everyone to like, even if you don’t listen to rap much.
As far as performing goes, there’s rap shows 4 nights a week at any given venue really open to any musicians.
“It’s honestly beautiful seeing so many artists, who you probably never would have heard of, being given so many opportunities to showcase their talent. Los Angeles is quite amazing sometimes.”
What’s your single biggest ambition at present?
I consider myself a pretty ambitious guy, but when it comes to my music, if I can even get a few people to listen, then my job is done.
I think nowadays with social media, we tend to get so wrapped up in numbers that we forget that every single one of those numbers is a human being with a heart and soul. If I could give even one person the gift of simply enjoying a few good songs for a few minutes to forget their problems and remember that art is eternal and can heal the world if we let it, then I’ve succeeded immensely in my career.
Is there anything else we should know?
I am releasing a new album titled Incendium which will be dropping December 20th, 2024. It will be my final record under the name Jose Homicide, and it is so exciting and groovy and just all out a really fun time. Until then, please feel free to listen to any of my other projects, no matter what kind of music you enjoy there is something in there for you!!!!
Thank you, Rebecca. Thank you to anyone who reads this, check in on your friends, check in on yourself, and may you have a beautiful rest of your day.
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A massive thank you to Jose Homicide for his time & insight. Find all links here.
