Inbox Intro: $hake

Editor's Note: The Q&A series Inbox Intro is presented by our friends at Fullsteam Brewery, based out of Durham, NC, but enjoyed all over the state and the South. Arts and culture coverage ain't lucrative on its own, so we appreciate the support of independent, community-minded partners like Fullsteam for helping make it possible.

Fifty years into the genre's existence, there's never been a greater diversity of lanes within hip-hop than there is today, with so many different rap and rap-adjacent sounds having evolved into fully fledged subgenres of their own. And while a handful of highly versatile acts have built careers on shapeshifting from one release to the next, most artists — not unlike savvy branding executives well aware of the products they make best — tend to settle into one style more than any other, whether that be stark, high-intensity street raps; dusty boom-bap; the abrasive, distortion-heavy cacophony of the new underground; or something else. Of those who do switch gears, it's not generally an overnight change, but rather a slow evolution that takes place albums at a time.

And then there's someone like Wilmington-based rapper $hake, who in his 24 years (and 7 albums and EPs) seems to have already tried his hand at a little bit of everything. There's a song like 2019's "Godhelpus," on which whirling, ethereal synths aren't met with percussion of any kind for over a minute, and when they are, it's as the backing for a woozy episode of detached-but-emotive alt rap in the vein of Tyler, The Creator or Kid Cudi. There's an album like the throttling, lean-soaked 2023 collab with WavyMaine Steph & Klay — vaguely Michigan- or Florida-sounding if you ask some people, but just "the internet" if you ask me. And there's last year's cypher-oriented "DOG$HIT," which sees a distinctly 2020s drum pattern paired with a melodic loop that could've been on an episode of BET Backroom in 2013. (One more: the glittering facsimile of Neptunes-era space raps that is "HIDING," also released last year.)

Knowing all this about his previous work, you won't be surprised in the least to hear that $hake's latest album, BUSINESS IS BUSINESS, doesn't sound like almost any of it. From the triumphant horns and jazzy guitar sample in the album's opening seconds, it's clear that producer JESUSMAGAZINES has something different in mind this time around, and $hake takes to the new surroundings in stride — sauntering from the expected to the esoteric, stretching some thoughts out and cutting others short — like an abstract rap vet:

"Did a whole lot just to maintain, got a whole bunch on my mainframe/
Shorty wanna upload data, 'round town she a known chatter/
Fuckin' round with a best friend, boyfriend, I don't even know why/
Men lie, women lie, yes; truth so hard to digest/
I just wanna get a little peek, I just wanna see the inside/
Of all the places we can't go, I'm not your average cup of joe, n*****/
Suitcase, suit and tie, everybody 'round like 'Who arrived?' Bitch it's me/
I'm Mr. Clean, no bald head/ Look at my team, we all fed..."

Elsewhere, the delights for a certain kind of lyrics-forward hip-hop fan abound: the sober reflections that seem to tumble out one after the other on "WORST OF WAYS;" the playfully unbothered, stoner confidence of Curren$y or Sir Michael Rocks on "FIRST OF IT" (including a period-appropriate drop of "Damn, son, where'd you find this?").

Before he switched up and changed styles again, I wanted to ask Mr. $hake a little bit about his music, his influences and more for our latest installment of Inbox Intros. Enjoy!

Quick Hits
Age: 24
Hometown: Boston, MA
Your genre/style, in a couple words: Bipolar
In your headphones right now: Kimbra, Alyx, Choker

Who are you? What's the story behind your name?

I am in fact a human being, my name is Denzel but the origin of $hake comes from it just being my Instagram handle ever since high school and people around me just started calling me that. It made a lot of sense though, considering I played basketball in high school and was considered a “shifty” guard on the court. 

Your most recent full-length release, BUSINESS IS BUSINESS, is one of my favorites from the state so far this year. What was the driving force behind the album?

Life. Everything that has happened in my life, also the certain environment I was in shaped how this album was going to come out. I was stuck for a little — sleeping in my girlfriend's car trying to get by and eating meals wherever I could get it the cheapest. 

Big shoutout to JESUSMAGAZINES, he produced the whole album and helped me shape how it was heard in terms of picking songs. This album was a testament to my mind at that point — I truly believe I make great music, but that’s only 10% of the music business (or so I’ve heard).

You've dabbled in a number of styles over the years, from the laid-back cloud rap of a song like "Gutter" in 2019, to the futuristic trap albums with WavyMaine in '23/'24, and now the warm, soul sample-heavy approach on BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. What made you go in that direction for the new album, and do you think of yourself as a generalist rather than someone with a specific "sound"?

The direction of the album was a collaborative effort. JESUSMAGAZINES and I went on that side of heavy soul samples [with] him being a very boom-bap and sample-inspired producer (not all he does though), and me starting my music career off being a more conscious cloud rapper during that whole era of SoundCloud. I could say that I am a generalist — music to me is a feeling and I’d rather not box myself in to making one specific genre of music, 'cause to me that would mean hiding my emotions. I want to be as vulnerable as I can. 

Wilmington doesn't have a huge reputation for hip-hop, but there's still been a few notable acts over the years from the 910, from the early 2000s crew MindsOne to more recently Trent Josiah. Now you've got Port City Noize doing some great documentation work on the media side, too. What does it feel like making hip-hop in Wilmington right now, and what do you think it'll take for the area to get more shine?

Making music here is fun — lots of people making their presence [felt] and it really brings a warm feeling to my body. Just to see everyone doing what they enjoy and being free to express themselves through this art is crazy to me. But just like any place, I think it takes that one person to make a name for themselves and carry Wilmington on their back. It definitely feels like I'm a part of the start of something great.

What’s a favorite or inspiring piece of art for you that’s not music? Why?

Plato's Allegory of the Cave. During the making of [BUSINESS IS BUSINESS] I felt like I was stuck in a cave just like the allegory, but still slowly progressing and deciphering what I determine as real. The allegory touches on humans being content with surface level perceptions and not striving to see more and become truly knowledgeable. I feel as if my journey and many others living in this world are in the same cave as me, unable to see what’s real or fake.

What should people look out for from you in the weeks/months to come? 

I can say to lookout for some new music definitely — I'm living life, letting it help shape the music with me, but trust there will be albums on albums soon. 

Ryan Cocca is the founder/editor of Super Empty, a former furniture entrepreneur, and a voracious reader of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. He (I) can be reached at ryan@superempty.com.