News Posted October 18, 2018 Posted October 18, 2018 “I don’t really like doing interviews,” says rapper deM atlaS on the phone after his performance at House of Blues last Sunday. But he definitely has “plenty to say.” Josh Turner grew up in Minneapolis with music and maps. He goes by the name deM atlaS and is signed with Indie hip-hop label Rhymesayers, which allows him to work with hip-hop duo Atmosphere–“a real honor.” The rapper has his own creative style, and his myriad influences show in his work. From Louis Armstrong to Nas, “those influences come out organically… it’s subconscious really.” The music has become a part of him, and now his music reflects that artistic complexity. What does deM atlaS mean? This is probably one of the most common questions the artist is asked. And yet he is happy to answer because the meaning is constantly changing. The term “atlas” originated from his love of maps, which he loves to draw. It definitely carries a heavy symbolism, how a map can transport you to new places. He then “got really into mythology and found out that Atlas was this guy who was forced to hold up the world on his back,” a feeling that many of us can relate to on some level. He’s played with the stylization of his name, too. “I used to spell it ‘dim,’ as a play on enlightenment. We’re not light, we’re not dark, we’re in the middle.” Through the changes, though, he wants fans to know that the name is not singular; “anyone can be deM atlaS.” His stage name shows how music has been a uniting force in his life and how he carries that into his work. Follow him on Instagram and you’ll immediately see that cinematic influence is huge for deM atlaS. When I asked him about it, he talked about seeing himself in film. “Film mirrors life. Art mirrors life… I find that I live my life every day; film gives me a window into other peoples’ expression.” And it shows in his music. His EP Chrle Brwn was conceptualized around placing himself in the shoes of classic Peanuts character Charlie Brown. deM atlaS is definitely an artist to watch, and his new album Bad Actress is available for pre-order now and releases officially on October 19, 2018. The post deM atlaS Back From Hiatus Interview: Listen appeared first on Verge Campus. Source Quote
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