Gotti Maras is making waves at the moment in Europe by bringing the genre of Drill to Belgium. We sat down with him to discuss his career so far, how his past has shaped him, and his plans for the future.
For those who might not be too familiar with you in the UK How would you describe your sound?
Energy. I like to take energy from lived experiences, and the other side of my music is fun. I like to have fun with it.
What is the Drill scene like in Belgium and how are you planning to grow it?
It’s not really developed here yet but there are a few artists that are popping here and there, you know. There’s a start of a scene here in Brussels. It’s coming.
Who would you recommend coming out of Belgium right now?
(Chuckles) Gotti Maras
You’ve recently done a Plugged In with Fumez, how big a moment was that for you in your career?
It was a great experience for me. I learnt a lot with Fumez because over in Belgium, the Drill scene is not as big as over there, so I picked up some stuff just being around this environment.
We’ve seen a lot of pockets of drill culture pop up around Europe in the last year. Do you see Italian Drill, Portuguese Drill, and others across Europe as competition for you?
I don’t see it as competition. Artists help the movement get bigger, you know? So if the movement gets bigger, then original artists in all of these cultures get bigger. If we all succeed, we can build something great across Europe.
Do you see the language barrier between you and UK/US music as something to overcome?
I don’t see this as a barrier, and I think it actually helps me as an artist. I listen to a lot of UK Rap and I don’t understand English that well. It’s more about the energies that get communicated, and that is what I am trying to do in my music.
You’ve also played football professionally in the Belgian League. Was it a difficult decision to focus on music rather than football?
It was not hard for me because in football and in music you have that rigour, that work ethic, you know? Athletes and musicians have that same level of expectations put upon them, so there are a lot of similarities between high level sport and music. I guess the thing I have taken away from football the most is that work ethic.
Do you have any favourite artists coming out of the UK right now?
Dave, M24, Central Cee, and RussMillions. Those are the artists I listen to the most. I’ve started some relationships with UK producers now so hopefully I can get a UK artist to collaborate soon.
What are you planning going into the new year?
There will be a project dropping around March, and then hopefully some collaborations and songs dropping every few months, just so people know thar I’m active and I occupy the fields.
It is clear that Gotti Maras feels as if no barriers will stop him from achieving success. With Drill being exported across Europe, there is a growing worldwide culture and the Belgian rapper will do everything he can to be at the forefront of it.