Texas-born hip-hop artist Ajoshd is carving out his own lane in Southern hip-hop, fusing sharp lyricism with Native-inspired instrumentation and cinematic production. His latest single and video 'Y’all Don’t', taken from his new album 'TEJAS', arrives as a visceral, defiant statement of intent, a declaration that Ajoshd is here to stay.
A self-produced artist in the truest sense, Ajoshd controls every detail of his sound, weaving cultural motifs and atmospheric textures into music that feels both grounded and genre-defying. On 'Y’all Don’t', that vision comes into sharp focus, driven by Native flute sounds, the chilling call of a death whistle, and Ajoshd’s commanding delivery. The result is a track as intense as it is unapologetic, what he describes as an introduction message to the world.
With 'TEJAS', Ajoshd doubles down on storytelling and cultural depth, drawing on influences as personal as his family’s love for the film Apocalypto to create an album that is immersive, cinematic, and distinctly his own. We caught up with him to talk about his origins and influences over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I started my musical journey at age 12. My mom took my brother and I to see School of Rock with Jack Black, which prompted my brother to ask for a guitar for his birthday. He received an Alvarez guitar, which led to him convincing me to ask mom to buy me a Fender Bass guitar from a pawn shop. The first song I learned on bass was Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns ’N’ Roses.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
My parents both had extremely differing tastes in music. My father was a huge metal head and loved Metallica, Black Sabbath, and other acts like that, but he also had the Bone Thugz n Harmony CD that he over-played when I was basically a toddler. My mother loved to play 90’s country, R&B, and hip-hop. Looking back, I can see that my mom was balancing our influences and exposed us to everything she could musically. I was a Linkin Park, Daft Punk, Gorillaz type of kid, but I also loved when Eminem, OutKast, Jay-Z, Cam’ron, and guys like that played on the radio. So I truly had a little bit of everything, and I chose hip-hop as my favourite for a reason.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first album I remember buying with my own free will was Chamillionaire - Sound of Revenge. Chamillionaire is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with hip-hop as a young teen, but the entire Houston movement at that time was very impactful on me.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
I wish that I wrote Self Control by Frank Ocean.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Yes. First, I live my life. Second, I process how I feel about it. That leads me to the emotions I feel when I produce my own instrumentals. I create sounds that actually express how I feel in that moment, on that specific that day. Then I record freestyles to the instrumental to start my writing process from there. But by that point, I’m almost done.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Right now, I am loving Tyler’s Don’t Tap The Glass album. J.I.D.’s new album is so unbelievable. He is an alien. I also loved Chance’s STAR LINE, I think he reminded everyone how good he is. Clipse, obviously. Malice is a monster. Also, Mike G’s new album Palladium is some of his best work.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Tyler
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The fact that people are inspired by it. Whether or not they even like it, people tell me over and over again how seeing me sharing my music inspires them to do their thing. What could possibly be better than infecting others with self-confidence?
And what is the most frustrating part?
Press. I am just kidding. There’s nothing frustrating about music. I do it for the love of the sport and it’s my personal outlet. But I will say mixing records to a satisfactory level is the process that requires the most effort in my workflow.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
On the artistic side: “Do your thing, and be yourself.” On the business side, the best advice I ever received was “make really good music and own the rights to it”.
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Ajoshd's new single 'Y'all Don't' is out now. Check it out in the player below.