After more than a decade spent at what he calls an amateur level––releasing mixtapes and delivering his music from one hand to another and relying on word of mouth––West Coast rap artist Regal Rapstar is now taking the first professional steps of his care
The Pasadena-based artist dropped his first official EP this year, F the Coronavirus, and is quickly earning new plays and enjoying the newfound attention.
“I try to be different,” says Rod Ruiz, the brains behind Regal Rapstar. “I try to come at it and create a unique picture but also throw elements in there the general crowd is going to relate to. As a Latino/Hispanic American, I try to put those flavors into it, too. I’m just being who I am and that makes me different from other people out there making music.”
The lead single from the project, which shares the same title, has already earned 40,000 streams on Spotify. Regal Rapstar chose the topic because of his love of science, and science fiction.
“It could have come out on the Sci Fi channel,” he says.
He references everything from Evander Holyfield versus Mike Tyson to the Street Fighter video game and even Dyson vacuum cleaners in the lyrics about “the Crown Virus.”
I want to let the whole world know I want to disinfect you and kill you / I’ve got the touch like Midas / it’s Regal Rapstar, minus / the coronavirus
The EP opens with “Sci Fi Sur Ga” which showcases Regal Rapstar’s West Coast roots and even samples Cypress Hill, and he follows it up with a slower, trippier remix of the track before offering his own unique take on “Doggystyle.”
“I worked on my style for a long time,” he says, noting that tracks like “Sci Fi Sur Ga” are something like hip hop pop. “It’s something that can reach everybody, a wide audience. Just be popular culture, be hip hop and you can get accepted by a general crowd. That’s kind of the emphasis of my style, while always staying true to where I’m from, the West Coast and LA area. And I want to stay true to the genre and rap music so other people say, ‘Hey, that guy’s a rapper. He represents a genre in a respectful and cool way.’”
Regal Rapstar hopes there’s a day when people are still listening to his music, even if he’s not putting out new releases.
“Because you’re a name people hear about,” he says. “I want to become a name as a musician. I want them to say this guy’s cool, he’s alright and I’ll listen to his music again.”
While Regal Rapstar is still very much focused on the pandemic topic as he promotes the EP, he says he’ll move into new territory for his next release. Live shows are a part of his future, he hopes.
“I’m taking it step by step,” he says. “For people who love rap and hip hop, know this guy’s authentic in that genre. I’m genuine.”
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