THE NIGHT RAPPER: KASTRO ZAYTANA

STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK | KASTRO ZAYTANA

INTERVIEW TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK PHOTOGRAPH KASTRO ZAYTANA

VALIDATED: BEING FROM STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP HOP CULTURE?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF HIP HOP CULTURE STARTED WITH MY STEP DAD DERRICK TEACHING ME AND MY BROTHER HOW TO RAP. HE USE TO SIT US IN FRONT OF THE TV AND MAKE US WATCH VIDEO MUSIC BOX WITH RALPH MCCDANIELS ALL DAY LIKE 4 HOURS A DAY. THAT’S WHEN I HEARD KRISS KROSS. ME AND MY BROTHER WOULD IMITATE THEM AND PERFORM FOR MOTHER’S FRIENDS IN THE LIVING ROOM. WE USE TO GO TO CHURCH, I USE TO PLAY THE DRUMS, PIANO AND CONGA AND BE IN THE CHOIR. WHEN I GOT OLDER I STARTED LISTENING TO SHYHIEM THE RUGGED CHILD ‘CAUSE HE REPRESENTED THE LITTLE NIGGA ERA. LOL THEN LATER ON IN LIFE WE STARTED DOING MUSIC TOGETHER. HE’S ACTUALLY MY GOOD FRIEND ‘TIL THIS DAY. I REMEMBER THE SONG WHEN I WAS YOUNG ON VIDEO MUSIC BOX "ALL I WANNA DO IS A ZOOM ZOOM BOOM. LOL HIP HOP IS ALL I KNOW AND A PART OF MY UPBRINGING.

VALIDATED: KASTRO ZAYTANA, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT RAP NAME?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: KASTRO CAME ABOUT WHEN I WAS IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY JAILS LIKE ELLA MCQUEEN IN BEDSTUY, BROOKLYN BETWEEN PUTNAM AND HOWARD. THERE WAS A KID NAMED CASINO, A CRIP KID FROM THE BRONX. HE WAS THE NICEST RAPPER I KNEW AT THE TIME. HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO FORMULATE MY BARS AND DELIVERY USING YOUR FINGERS WHEN I RAP IN BATTLES. BUT HE GAVE ME THE NAME CASTRO WITH A “C” AND LATER I THREW FIDEL AT THE END ‘CAUSE I’M BLACK, CUBAN AND PUERTO RICON. NOW KASTRO WITH A “K” CAME LATER WHEN I STARTED GANG BANGING AND ZAYTANA CAME LATER ON IN LIFE AFTER I DID 9 YEARS IN PRISON. IT WAS THE EVOLUTION OF KASTRO ‘CAUSE I STOPPED GANG BANGING AND GAVE MY LIFE TO ALLAH. SINCE I’M HALF SPANISH EVERYONE WAS USING SANTANA, I WANTED TO BE DIFFERENT THOUGH AND USED ZAYTANA.

VALIDATED: WHICH EMCEES INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE AND WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU “BORROW” FROM THEM?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: WHO INFLUENCED ME WAS BIG PUN, BUSTA RHYMES, DMX, NAS EMINEM, PUBLIC ENEMY, BIG L, NOREAGA N CAPONE, WU TANG, SHYHEIM, KRISS KROSS, GURU, BONE THUGS, KOOL G RAP, LL COOL J, KRS-1, OUTKAST, LUDACRIS, REDMAN AND THEN THERE’S RAPPERS THE WORLD DOESN'T KNOW THAT HELPED ME WITH MY STYLE. NOW I’M A SUPER RAP GOD. LOL

VALIDATED: YOUR FATHER FORMED A GROUP WITH YOU AND YOUR BROTHER CALLED “RECORD DEVILS”, WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THAT?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: "WE SICK, WE SICK, WE SICK FOR YOUR CLICK I JUMP IN THE AIR AND DO A BRUCE LEE KARATE KICK”... MY FIRST RAP. LOL THE EXPERIENCE WAS UNFORGETTABLE.

VALIDATED: IN 1999 WHILE INCARNATED YOU PICKED UP HOW TO BEAT ON THE TABLE WHILE RAPPING, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS COMBINATION THAT FASCINATED YOU? 

KASTRO ZAYTANA: WHAT FASCINATED ME WAS THAT THE FACT WAS THAT I NEVER SEEN NO ONE RAP BEAT ON THE WALL OR TABLE. I THOUGHT THAT WAS DOPE. LEARNING THAT ART FORM MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY. THANK YOU CORY MCINTYRE FOR TEACHING ME THAT IN TRYON JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER.

VALIDATED: YOU’VE BEEN FEATURED ON NUMEROUS RAP DVDS INCLUDING “LIVE BAIT” AND “FIGHT KLUB” AND FEATURED IN THE “RIKERS HIGH” DOCUMENTARY CURRENTLY ON PRIME. WHAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK DID YOU GET FROM THE FEATURES?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: DVDS GOT ME NOTICED BY THE WORLD. FIGHT KLUB I BATTLED MANY SPITTERS LIKE CORTEZ BEFORE HE BLEW IN URL. I LOST TO HIM THOUGH... SHOUT OUT CORTEZ MURDER AVE. THEM DVDS AND PLATFORMS CATAPULTED ME IN A MUSICAL DIRECTION. LIVE BAIT DVD WAS THE SMACK OF STATEN ISLAND AND I WAS IN ALL 7 VOLUMES.

VALIDATED: YOU’VE ALSO COLLABORATED WITH WU TANG AFFILIATE SHYHEIM, HOW DID THE COLLABORATION COME ABOUT? 

KASTRO ZAYTANA: SHYHEIM JUST CAME HOME AT THE TIME AND HE HEARD ABOUT ME KILLING THESE DVDS. WE CHOPPED IT UP AND THE REST WAS HISTORY. HE PUT ME ON BOTTOM UP RECORDS AND I WAS ON HIS ALBUM TITLED “DISRESPECTFULLY SPEAKING”. SHOUT OUT SHYHEIM AND BOTTOM UP.

VALIDATED: YOU’VE DONE MUSIC FOR “DRUGS INC NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THESE COLLABORATIONS?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: THAT SHIT GOT ME DIFFERENT MONEY. LOL IT WAS FUN ‘CAUSE I PRODUCED THE WHOLE TRACK FROM BEAT TO LYRICS. SHOUT VICTOR BUHLER.

VALIDATED: AT WHAT POINT DID YOU DECIDE TO FOCUS ON MUSIC?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: I STARTED FOCUSING ON MUSIC WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND I JUST KEPT AT IT. MUSIC IS MY COUNSELING BECAUSE I HAVE BAD ANXIETY. IT’S MY ANXIETY BLOCKER BUT 2020 I’M ON SOME OTHER SHIT.

VALIDATED: WHAT ROLE HAS SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYED IN YOUR PURSUIT OF MUSIC?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: SOCIAL MEDIA HELPED ME MEET “VALIDATED MAGAZINE”, DA INPHAMUS AMADEUZ AND BOOMBAP NATION. AND SINCE I LEARNED THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHMS THAT’S WHEN I DOMINATED MY COMPETITION. BUT I THANK INSTAGRAMS PLATFORM ‘CAUSE YOU REACH A MILLION PEOPLE WITH THE CLICK OF A BUTTON BUT YO, IT WASN’T EASY AND IT TAKES TIME AND DEDICATION.

VALIDATED: YOU RECENTLY COMPETED IN DA INPHAMUS AMADEUZ’S “THE PUNCHLINE ACADEMY” AND WON A SPOT TO RAP FOR LEGENDARY HIP HOP ARTIST. HOW IMPORTANT TO HIP HOP CULTURE ARE OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THIS FOR INDIE ARTIST? 

KASTRO ZAYTANA: SHIT, I RAPPED FOR ONYX’S FREDRO AND CASSIDY. THAT WAS DOPE ‘CAUSE THEY GAVE ME PROPS AND THAT WAS A DREAM OF MINE ON GOD. IT GAVE ME EVEN MORE CONFIDENCE TO GO HARDER AND FARTHER. I THANK INPH, ON GOD, MY BROTHER FOR LIFE FOR HELPING ME AND PUTTING ME IN THE RIGHT SITUATIONS AT THE RIGHT TIME. AND MY SUCCESS GOES TO VALIDATED MAGAZINE AS WELL. THANK YOU BRO AND THE VALIDATED MAGAZINE STAFF.

VALIDATED: YOUR GEORGE FLOYD FREESTYLE WENT VIRAL, AS A RESULT YOU’RE NOW WORKING ON A EP CALLED “BLACK LIVES RAPPER”, HAS A RELEASE DATE BEEN DETERMINED AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE PROJECT? 

KASTRO ZAYTANA: “BLACK LIVES RAPPER” IS A TOPIC ALBUM, ALL GREAT DEEP TOPICS TO BUILD DISCUSSIONS. IT WILL BE DROPPING MID OCTOBER. JUST EXPECT SOME TOPICS THAT WILL MAKE YOU THINK AND UPSET THE GOVERNMENT AT THE SAME TIME. LOL

VALIDATED: YOU’RE ALSO WORKING ON A SHORT FILM CALLED “NIGHT RAPPER”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: MY “NIGHT RAPPER” SERIES IS A GANGSTER COMEDY HIP HOP SUPERHERO MOVIE. HE HUNTS DOWN WACK MUMBLE RAPPERS AND KILLS THEM FOR HIRE. THE MASK HE WEARS GIVES HIM POWERS TO RAP BETTER AS WELL. DON’T WANNA GIVE YOU TOO MUCH BUT GO WATCH ON YOUTUBE. JUST TYPE IN “NIGHT RAPPER EPISODE 1”.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS?

KASTRO ZAYTANA: FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM KASTRO_ZAYTANA AND GO WATCH “RIKERS HIGH” ON PRIME TV. THANK YOU VALIDATED FOR HAVING ME BUT I GOTTA GET BACK IN THE BOOTH, PEACE.