When Rilla Force imagines his fans tuning in to his latest work, he wants the process to be as simple as pressing play. No logins, no seven-day free trials, and definitely no credit cards — just a pair of headphones and the music, like when he used to listen to mixtapes by Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne in the 2000s and 2010s.
So when the Boston producer and DJ mulled over how to release his new project, KAWAII GIANT, only one option truly aligned with his goals: Dodging any platform that forced listeners to break out their cash, or tried to screw him out of it.
“Throughout the process of creating this mixtape, the main mission was to allow my audience to have a piece of work that truly doesn’t burden them with having a subscription service accompanied to my art,” he tells Vanyaland. “Music should be inspirational, art should be celebrated and not be trapped behind a price tag.”
Released earlier this month (May 3), Rilla Force’s eight-track vortex of drum & bass is only available on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. The omission of bigger streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music, presents a deliberate rejection of new clauses and rules created to limit artists’ already-paltry payouts.
“It seems like it’s moving in a direction where if you aren’t hitting basic metrics, [such] as receiving at least 1,000 plays on a record, they won’t even consider it monetizable,” he notes, referring a new Spotify policy regarding royalties that went to effect last month. “One of the streaming giants, Spotify, is adding more and more rules to their operations where it solely benefits the shareholders and labels that invest into the platform. As an entrepreneur and full-time artist, I can respect the hustle, but one thing that rubs me the wrong way is these companies are trying to get their bread at EOD and the culture of music shifts heavily as a result.”
Through his new mixtape, Rilla Force hopes to return “the power to the artist” by sharing his story and vulnerabilities in a way that only serves his listeners and himself, literally swapping “streaming giants” for his own creativity and autonomy — that is, KAWAII GIANT.
“KAWAII GIANT itself is a reflection on my past experiences dealing with relationships and views on success,” he concludes. “My journey as an independent artist has been painful when it comes to people understanding who I am, but recently I told myself I’m the author of my story, and I will do my best to tell my tale with integrity and grace while also keeping in mind that my supporters can’t also buy every LP or single.”
Tune in below.