The Ronshach Interview

Ronshach was about to post a snippet for his (now released with a Worldstar video) song, Santa Boy,

"This gon' be a moment, I feel great." He had spent the last few days sick but now felt better and ready to go, "On bro, I'm back."

Ronshach first appeared on my and many people's radar around November, 2024 with his song Hot, Hot, Hot. The music video shows him and his friends dancing in a burned down house, this house actually turned out to be Ron's home that had caught on fire.

The comments are quick to point out how much the video and song remind them of 2010s rap, saying things like, "Thug in '14. All it takes is one year, don't stop G." Since then, his rise in popularity has not slowed and I was eager to have a conversation with him.

We talked a little about the snippet and the blessings of good health before I asked him about his upbringing.

"My childhood was basically just me by myself, I never really was a social kid, I just so happened to know people because of the stuff I did and my talents [...] Growing up, I was always different in many ways, not even on no corny shit. I used to get talked about a lot though [...] I was always to myself and doing shi' you wouldn' catch a nigga like me doing where I use to live at."

Growing up feeling like an outcast or different was something which I know myself and many readers can relate. I wanted to go deeper into that later. Ron told me about the type of music he listened to while growing up, "I listened to like every genre of music 'cause of my household, my house was always playing different genres, I never (stuck) to one [...] I used to be a dancer."

He evidently has a great appreciation for music whether it's rap or not, telling me he mainly listened to rock, with groups such as Limp Bizkit, Get Scared, Disturbed, System of a Down, Kom, and more. Ron was also eager to tell me about his love for RnB and, of course, rap, citing people from Jhené Aiko and Bryson Tiller to even NBA Youngboy, Nicki Minaj, and Gucci Mane.

Ronshach was proud to say that Limp Bizkit is from Jacksonville, Florida, the same place as him. Although he has talked about his distaste for Jacksonville as a place, Ron knows it has shaped him as an artist.

"I think (Jacksonville) being ass shaped me into the person I am "cause it gives me the drive to get out and be known from where I got out [...] It's not a lot of niggas like me that make it out of Jax... Shit, quite frankly it's not a lot of people that even make it our Jax in general."

How does it make you feel that you have the potential to make it out of Jacksonville and how does it feel to think that many don't make it out?

"Shit feel scary sometimes, 'cause I know it's a lot of pressure on me to make it. Got a lot of people depending on me you know what I mean? But that shit don't stop me, shi keep me going. And people that don't make it out, they ain't want it for real. I want it for real so imma make it out, if it's not this it's nothing."

Can't have a backup plan.

"Yeah, fuck allat, this it right here?"

I first heard of Ronshach a few months ago when Tino put me onto Hot, Hot, Hot back in November of 2024; ironically, I was in Jacksonville myself at the time. When listening to his older music however, I found that Ron opts for a slower and more melancholy sort of sound. I asked him how that sound helps mold the style of his newer songs like that or Road Rage.

"Shi, I still do both till this day. I'm just getting people hype right now, making people hear me and imma fade back into that shit very soon. You gotta stay tuned for the EP. I make like a album like every week man, I got so much shit just sitting here."

While we're on the subject of your music itself, when I listen to it, I feel like it has an emotional intensity that is more genuine than a lot of the "sad" rap you hear now. Why do you think that is [..I?

"I think it's because I understand music enough to know how to structure my shit, [...] a nigga listened to so. many genres it's just what comes with combining all those sounds into one."

l asked Ronshach about who his inspirations may be, in or outside of music.

"Shi, to be honest, (1) inspired myself with the shit I went through, going through being bullied, not being heard, looking different and being the main topic 24/7 made me just wanna be heard and just show people I'm more than just what they think. I'm my biggest inspiration seeing how far I improve every month."

Besides himself, Ron is also inspired by people like Erykah Badu, Lil Uzi Vert, and Young Thug.

"Lil Uzi and Young Thug both looked different in the hood, makes me more motivated thinking about "they did it, why can't I?' [...] I know it's possible."

I asked him more about growing up feeling like an outcast.

"[...] I played sports so people knew me around my hood as just 'the rockstar nigga that played basketball.' I used to hate that shit cause it sounded lame but I just took it and ran with it to get by. But before all this, I met my brother and [...] he changed everything, [..] like he taught me how to actually not give a fuck 'bout what niggas think of me."

"His name's Keen, he taught (me) how to say anything that's on my mind [...]"

How do you think being that different, "rockstar" kid shaped how you see others or the world now?

"I just see everybody else as equal. I don't look up or down at anybody 'cause I know how it feel to be less and I don't want nobody else feeling like that, so I just treat everybody with respect until you give me a reason not to." I told Ron that his words were very valid and I warned him for the tonal shift that was to come with my next question.

On Mail Man you say you wish you never hit it raw. Does this mean you are a big advocate for condoms?

"Hell nah I just be freestyling (laughing) but nah, I said that because sometimes fucking a girl brings heavy emotional attachments you didn't expect to happen before you put it in."

We talked more about this but it's not exactly essential reading.

Any last things you wanna say to the readers or any projects you wanna announce? Feel free to say whatever you want.

"Lookout for this EP( shi gon be legendary, and don't ever stop being yourself because of what other niggas think, FUCK EM!"