Clattermouuuth’s Music of The Week: Q&A with Bundy Santana

Welcome back to Clattermouuuth’s Music of the Week, curating Rockaway’s music taste one week at a time. Underground rapper Bundy Santana just released one of the greatest rap albums of the year (in my opinion), “Marquito Duppy.” It’s a really great listen, and I thought I’d share the interview I had with him earlier this year with you all. Enjoy!

Q: Describe the sound of your music for unfamiliar listeners.

A: The best way I’ve heard someone describe my music is “mystic street poetry,” which feels pretty fitting, but I simply like to call it “warlock rap.” Alternative and traditional hip hop elements blended with lyrical themes of spirituality and brujeria.

Q: How’d you get into making music?

A: I started writing songs when I was seven because my parents used to manage a close family friend who made music. I never really planned to do anything with the songs I was writing until one day, I was about 13, and I downloaded Rapchat to see what recording a song was like. From there, I got immediately hooked, and I eventually moved on to GarageBand, and then went to an actual studio.

Q: Your latest single, “Steamy Windows,” was a song that I was really excited about being released. How was that song created?

A: It’s a song about a girl I was involved with two years ago. I was working at a Pet Supplies Plus, and a girl I recognized from back in high school came in and we caught up. We continued talking for a few more weeks after that, and I can vividly remember her being the only thing I thought about all day long. When we finally got the chance to spend some time together, my stomach was full of butterflies. I wanted to make a song that described exactly what I was feeling during those times.

Q: Where do you find the inspiration to create art?

A: For me, inspiration can come from anything. I’ve got a list of song titles/concepts in my notes that I add to periodically, so that’s where I go whenever I quickly wanna start working on a song.

Q: Describe the average creative process that goes into making a song.

A: I go through my list and see if any of the concepts jump out at me while I go through beats. Depending on the subject of the song and the specific emotion I’m trying to convey, the writing process can take anywhere from an hour to six. Admittedly, sometimes I don’t even wanna stop writing.

Q: What song/project would you recommend for unfamiliar listeners?

A: I feel like “Heddhunnerz” and “Duppymon*” are staple tracks in understanding exactly what “warlock rap” really means and how diverse I can be with it. some clever wordplay, spiritual reflection, and of course, brujeria and ghost imagery making their way in too.

Q: What’s next for Bundy Santana? Any new projects soon?

A: I’ve got two new singles dropping this month (“Pardon My Slime” and “Island”). I’m also working on a project that’ll be dropping before the end of the year called “BRUJO.” It’s a deeply reflective piece about my spiritual journey and how my upbringing and environment influenced said journey. To summarize it as simply as possible, this album is all about growth and development not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. One of the biggest questions I asked myself when I first started writing for the album was: “Is growth something that I truly desire for myself? And if so, what would I be willing to do to achieve it?”