SEN THE KING
PHOENIX, ARIZONA HIP HOP ARTIST
VALIDATED: Where are you from and what's the story behind your rap name?
SEN THE KING: I am from one of the smallest cities in AZ, Sierra Vista. But I've been residing in Phoenix, AZ for the past 10 years now. And as far as Sen the King, well my real name is Arsenio, yeah, yeah like Arsenio Hall. Lol My moms actually named me after my grandfather who's middle name is Arsenio he's almost 90. As I got older a lot of my friends would call me "Senio" or "Sen" so Sen comes from my real name, and I just added "the king" part.
VALIDATED: Growing up, what kind of music was played in your household?
SEN THE KING: Growing up I was lucky to be surrounded by such timeless music. I Grew up in that golden age of hip hop so I got to experience all the hip hop greats. But even before that, my moms liked to party with her friends and my uncles so I remember hearinga lot of Marvin Gaye, Temptations, The Chi-Lites, Luther Vandross, Otis Redding, etc. Legends. I was listening to legends before I could even talk.
VALIDATED: Name the hip-hop artists that have influenced your flow?
SEN THE KING: Well again I was raised in that golden age of hip hop so I got to hear all the greats in their prime. Outkast, UGK, Scarface, Snoop, BIG, Dr. Dre , Eminme, Nas, Mac Dre, Crooked I, DMX, I could go forever. But I would say the two that had the biggest influence on meis Pac and Hov.
VALIDATED: What can fans expect from your latest project?
SEN THE KING: Fans can except nothing but originality. Original productions and original flows. I pride myself on being original. So expect a lot of that on my project entitled, "Life Of Sen".
VALIDATED: Which mixtapes have you been featured on?
SEN THE KING: My latest feature was on the "Unsigned Talent Search" mixtape hosted my DJ Envy and Dj Ryke track #7 "Fast Money". Available on Spinrilla and I've been so focused on getting my project completed lately I only got a couple other features with some dope local artist out here in Phoenix.
VALIDATED: What's your earliest memory of hip-hop, the culture?
SEN THE KING: My earliest memory of hip hop the culture was when I was about 5. I remember my older cousin dressing like Shock G from Digital Underground and used to always play that "Humpty Dance" song. He used to have these VHS's of these break dancers and he used to always put them on when I came over.
VALIDATED: Can you recall the moment you fell in love with hip-hop and what inspired you to pursue it professionally?
SEN THE KING: The moment I fell in love with hip hop was December 15th, 1992. I was 6 yrs old and Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" album just dropped. I remember all my older cousins listening to that album every day. As I got older I used to write all the lyrics down and rap them to my lil' sister. Lol That chronic album did it for me real early. And what's made me want to pursue it professionally would have to be the passion I have for creating music which really started in high school with my homies. After high school when I realized the NBA wasn't going to happen. Lol I knew I couldn't work a normal 9 to 5 for the rest of my life, I started taking my music more seriously.
VALIDATED: How difficult is it creating your own lane while trying to stay true to you and your brand of hip-hip?
SEN THE KING: I think it's difficult for any new artist to create a new lane or their own lane, just because there's so much pressure to do what everyone else does and make the same type of records that are popular right now. For me though, I have such a huge amount of respect for hip hop I could never try to be or sound like anyone else. So staying true for me is the easy part but trying to create my own lane can be challenging. I feel it's all about staying consistent and making dope records.
VALIDATED: Tell us about other ventures you're currently working on.
SEN THE KING: My main focus is on completing my first solo project entitled "Life of Sen." Also dropping the first volume to a series of mixtapes entitled "The Wave Files" featuring my bro Young Seph, who also produced all the tracks for the series. Expect both around September and October. Got two new videos dropping in the coming few weeks. I got a lot of dope music I am anxious for the people to hear.
VALIDATED: Where can the fans support you online and social media?
SEN THE KING: Fans can go to my website lifeofsen.com to hear all new my music, videos, and upcoming events. All my social links are also available on my website.
Instagram: @_sentheking_
VALIDATED: Finally, what can we expect from your label, "Paint A Picture Music Group" in the near future?
SEN THE KING: The fans can expect tons ofall original music from myself and members of my camp.