THE WAIT IS OVER: PYRO DA ARSONIST
NEW YORK, NEW YORK | PYRO DA ARSONIST
INTERVIEW KIM “GOODLOOK” SEABROOK PHOTOGRAPH KATIE KAY PHOTOGRAPHY
“A LOT OF MY MUSIC IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND LOVE SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO RELATE TO WHAT I'M SAYING AND PUT A SMILE ON THEIR FACE FROM THINKING ABOUT SOMEONE THEY LOVE.” - PYRO DA ARSONIST
VALIDATED: WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF HIP HOP?
PYRO: I WAS RAISED BY MY CHRISTIAN GRANDMOTHER FROM 8 YEARS OLD TO 13 YEARS OLD SO I WAS SHELTERED FROM WORLDLY MUSIC BY HER. MY FIRST MEMORY OF HIP HIP WASN'T UNTIL I MOVED BACK WITH MY MOTHER, SHE WOULD TAKE ME TO MY COUSIN JIMMY'S HOUSE TO WATCH WWE PAY PER VIEWS AND HE WOULD PLAY HIS HIP HOP TAPES WHILE WE WAITED FOR THE EVENT TO START.
VALIDATED: YOU STARTED WRITING POETRY AT 13, HOW DID YOU TRANSFORM THAT INTO HIP HOP?
PYRO: I REALIZED THAT HIP HOP WAS POETRY ON A BEAT SO I WOULD PUT ON INSTRUMENTALS AND START WRITING WHILE I LISTENED TO THE BEAT AND THEN I WOULD RECORD THEM ON A DUAL CASSETTE DECK.
VALIDATED: HOW DID WRITING BECOME THERAPY FOR YOU AND HOW DO YOU USE THAT IN YOUR MUSIC NOW TO HELP OTHERS?
PYRO: I WAS BULLIED IN SCHOOL BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS A CHUBBY KID SO MY GRANDMOTHER GAVE ME A COMPOSITION NOTEBOOK AND TOLD ME TO USE IT AS A JOURNAL TO WRITE MY FEELINGS DOWN. I MAKE MUSIC THAT PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO, ABOUT STUFF WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCED ESPECIALLY IN RELATIONSHIPS. IN MY FIRST PROJECT IN 2016 I HAD A RECORD ON THAT TITLED "CAN YOU FEEL IT" WHICH SPOKE ABOUT NOT GIVING UP ON LIFE NO MATTER HOW DEPRESSED YOU ARE OR HARD IT GETS.
VALIDATED: WHAT AWARD DID YOU GET FOR YOUR SONG "SHAWTY" AND WHY WERE YOU SELECTED TO RECEIVE IT?
PYRO: MY SONG "SHAWTY" WON THE MOST REQUESTED ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD AT THE 2010 ELEGANT HOODNESS MUSIC AWARDS. I RECEIVED IT BECAUSE I WAS REQUESTED 14 WEEKS IN A ROW ON THE RADIO SHOW "MEMOIRS WITH A.D. THE GENERAL". SALUTE AND R.I.P TO A.D. THE GENERAL.
VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU START A CAREER IN HOSTING RADIO AND WRITING FOR A MAGAZINE? WHICH ONE DO YOU LIKE BEST?
PYRO: I WAS INVITED TO A RADIO SHOW TO PROMOTE MY SINGLE "CRUSH" AND I KNEW THE HOST FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE RADIO SO SHE TOLD ME SHE NEEDED HELP WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA PROMO WHILE THE SHOW AIRED AND ASKED ME TO HELP HER OUT WITH THAT TASK WHICH THEN TURNED INTO A CO-HOSTING SPOT. NOW I HOST THE OFF DA RIP SHOW is ALONGSIDE JESHAZE, DJ DROOP AND HOTWATERZ WHICH AIRS EVERY FRIDAY FROM 7PM TO 9PM ON DTF RADIO. AS FAR AS WRITING FOR THE MAGAZINE, MY CO-HOST JESHAZE RUNS THE NEW YORK TEAM FOR THE MAGAZINE AND SHE ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO HELP HER DO INTERVIEWS FOR THE MAGAZINE AND I WAS HONORED TO HELP. I'VE BEEN DOING RADIO FOR A LOT LONGER THAN WRITING FOR THE MAGAZINE BUT I LIKE THEM BOTH EQUALLY BECAUSE THEY BOTH GIVE ME A PLATFORM FOR MY PASSIONS OF MUSIC AND WRITING.
VALIDATED: WAS THERE EVER A TIME WHERE YOU WANTED TO QUIT? WHAT KEPT YOU GOING?
PYRO: YES IN 2010 I WAS AT MY BIGGEST IN WEIGHT AT 497 POUNDS AND I MISSED OUT ON A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO PERFORM BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID TO HIT THE STAGE. I WAS NEARLY 500 POUNDS AND ASTHMATIC SO MY BREATH CONTROL WAS NOT GOOD AT ALL. AT THAT POINT I WAS READY TO QUIT BECAUSE I FELT LIKE IF I COULDN'T PERFORM THEN WHY AM I EVEN DOING MUSIC. IN 2011 I MET MY WIFE LUCY AND HER WILLINGNESS TO HELP ME LOSE THE WEIGHT IS WHAT KEPT ME GOING. I EVENTUALLY LOST ENOUGH WEIGHT TO DO THE GASTRIC SLEEVE SURGERY. I'M STILL DOING WHAT I LOVE TO DO TODAY BECAUSE I HAVE A STRONG WOMAN BEHIND ME.
VALIDATED: WHO INFLUENCED YOU MOST IN MUSIC?
PYRO: EARLY ON IT WAS RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE, GANGSTARR, EPMD AND NAUGHTY BY NATURE AND LATER ON IT WAS THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., BIG PUN, WU-TANG AND NAS.
VALIDATED: OUT OF ALL OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE WAS THE MOST REWARDING?
PYRO: RELEASING MY FIRST ALBUM "THE WAIT IS OVER" IN 2016 BECAUSE AFTER NEARLY QUITTING MUSIC AND TAKING A 4 YEAR HIATUS I HAD FINALLY RELEASED A FULL PROJECT.
VALIDATED: YOU JUST RELEASED A NEW SINGLE IN DECEMBER, WHEN CAN WE EXPECT YOUR NEXT PROJECT?
PYRO: YES I JUST RELEASED MY NEW SINGLE "SHE'S BAD" PRODUCED BY ROBIN WESLEY. I'M STILL IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING SONGS FOR THE NEW ALBUM SO I STILL HAVE NO RELEASE DATE FOR THE PROJECT.
VALIDATED: IF YOU COULD DO ONE THING IN LIFE WHAT WOULD IT BE?
PYRO: IT WOULD BE TO MAKE SURE MY FAMILY IS LIVING GOOD EVEN AFTER I'M GONE.
VALIDATED: WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO GET FROM LISTENING TO YOUR MUSIC?
PYRO: A LOT OF MY MUSIC IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND LOVE SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO RELATE TO WHAT I'M SAYING AND PUT A SMILE ON THEIR FACE FROM THINKING ABOUT SOMEONE THEY LOVE.
VALIDATED: WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU?
PYRO: YOU CAN FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM @PYRO_DA_ARSONIST ON TWITTER @PYRO713, FACEBOOK.COM/PYRO713 OR BY SEARCHING PYRO DA ARSONIST ON GOOGLE.