Confidence comes naturally for Los Angeles rapper D Savage. Standing six feet, three inches, it feels as if Savage towers over a majority of the game. His presence is reflected in his speech, coming across as self-assured as he bounces from topic-to-topic, catching tangents and marveling at the little details. His energy intensifies when describing his origin story, growing up in a household in which Afrika Bambaataa was a mainstay. Despite being nursed on one of the game's foundational artists, Savage is quick to shed the lyrical label. "I more make, like, sounds," he explains. "My mom always had good music, and different sounds going through my ear."
Like many young artists, Savage listens to a variety of genres, naming bands like Tame Impala, Mac DeMarco, and MGMT as some of his favorites. "When I was starting to rap, I couldn't really make that type of music," he says. "Growing up, I been banging only Chief Keef, Tame Impala, that's all I can really think of. I taught myself how to play the piano when I was young so I kinda got a grasp. I'ma tell you some weird shit. Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody," I can play that on piano. I'm pretty weird. I can do some pretty weird shit."
Let the self-professed "weirdness" unfold on the latest episode of On The Come Up.
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Speaking about his experience hanging out with Tyler, The Creator, Savage is quick to dole out the praise. "He taught me a lot," explains Savage. "Facts. He a real music head, bro. He really studies music, real shit. I had to sit back and kind of study. Music goes a long way." Though he understands the importance of mastering one's craft at a deeper level, he also shows love to "SoundCloud rap," doing his due dilly in shaking negative perceptions. "I really don't give a fuck," he grins. "I get money. I don't care what the next person say. I'm trying to be the best at this music shit, and if you ain't with me you against me....I'm trying to be a goat in this shit."
He proceeds to shoutout Ty Dolla $ign, who he dubs his brother. "I never been in the studio with him," reveals Savage. Upon actually crossing paths with Ty Dolla, Savage proposed a song concoction, which went on to be garner the Ty seal of approval. "I recorded that, and a couple days pass by, I'm really sitting listening to that song, and I think I could hear this on the radio...I ain't never made a song like...I seen a kid dancing to it, I seen an old lady dancing to it," he explains. Upon sending it to Ty, the rest was history.
Upon reflecting on his five-year plan, Savage cites one of the greats. "I like the approach Pharrell took," says Savage. "When you look a Pharrell, you think of someone that can drop consistent hits. But he also don't give a fuck at the same time, cause knows he can do this shit effortless. I want to be like that...I might fuck around and do some more drawing.... I just want to be the best at what I do, and have fun though. At the end of the day, it's all about having fun. "