Junoflo interview
Junoflo has been one of our favorite rappers ever since we first saw him on the Korean hip hop show Show Me The Money. After being featured on the show, he signed with legendary Korean hip hop label Feel Ghood Music, which was founded by Tiger JK. During his time with Feel Ghood, Junoflo dropped an album (Statues), EP (Only Human), and had a cameo on the K-drama My ID is Gangnam Beauty. Also, Junoflo went to school in San Diego, and we’re based in San Diego, so you know we had to feature him on the K-Snax blog!
Now, Junoflo is back in the states and he just wrapped up a massive 2024. We sat down with him to talk about his evolution as a rapper and his recent . Let’s jump in and get to know Junoflo!
Your newest album JUST JUNØ was a big departure sonically from your past albums. What was your creative process like for the album, and what/who were your biggest influences for the album?
JUST JUNØ was definitely my most experimental and daring album so far. I wanted to blend various genres of music that I love, like UK Garage, House, Hip Hop, and R&B, to create something unique and cohesive. The creative process was all over the place haha. It was a lot of throwing ideas at the wall and seeing if it'll stick. I was trying to put songs together in a way that I've never done before-- to have them constantly progress to new sections and evolve all the way through.
I was fortunate to have Doomsday co-produce most of the album with me because he understands me on a musical level. When I'm like, "yo let's try something crazy and different here" he'd be all for it. We just wanted to make a type of music people might have not heard before. Most of the songs went through like 10+ iterations just because we were having so much fun seeing what would be possible to make it interesting, instead of me rapping over an 8-bar loop for the whole song.
Ultimately, my goal was to have the album sound like an interesting and cohesive experience from top to bottom, and make it seem like a DJ set, which is why a lot of the songs have long musical sections without my vocals taking the driver's seat. I was influenced by so many different artists and sounds for this project, so it's hard to pinpoint them all, but I definitely had my few favorites (stated down below).
You've been booking some big gigs as your producer/DJ alias .DETAIL. What drove you to get into DJing?
I've always wanted to DJ, but felt like I was primarily focusing on the artist/songwriting side most of my career. The last couple of years, I dove pretty deep into underground electronic music, and that kinda started it all. And my roommate (and tour DJ, DWOO) got me a DJ controller a few years ago as a birthday present! I love the journey of any type of performative set. Bringing people into your world sonically and just being like hey, trust me, let me take you somewhere interesting.
What are the biggest differences when it comes to rapping at a live show vs. DJing a live set?
I've always only performed live with a mic in my hand, running around stage, so transitioning into DJing live sets was really fun. I'm a pretty introverted person overall, so I think I might enjoy being behind the decks a little more than being the front man. But because I can spin my own music, I've been fusing in live rap performances with my DJ set when I want to. It's been a lot of fun.
What moments throughout your career have had the biggest impact on you as an artist?
I feel like I've had a lot of pivotal moments so far, but the biggest one was definitely when I decided to move to Korea to sign with a label back in 2016. That opened up a lot of doors for me and I really built my foundation in Korea as an artist. Got to release several projects, tour nationally and internationally, booked some pretty big commercial gigs, and met a ton of cool and talented people (like Doomsday). I've been independent now for about 6 years, and hoping to have even bigger and more impactful moments real soon!
Who are your favorite artists right now?
I'm really into producers from the UK right now, such as Joy Orbison, Main Phase, Overmono, and Hessle Audio (Pangaea, Pearson Sound, Ben UFO). As for rappers: Damzz, Capo Lee, ScHoolboy Q, and Kendrick Lamar, just to name a few.
What are your favorite Asian snacks?
I love Banana Kick, those Turtle Chips and Choco pies!
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