I've been following Ryan Boot aka Ryan HC for a couple of years now and have heard his songs and videos go from strength to strength. So I hit him up for an interview to share him with the world. Meet Ryan HC.

Who is Ryan Boot as a Hip-Hop artist?

I go by the stage name of Ryan HC and just so everyone knows, the H and C are just the first letters of my middle names. No real hard out meaning but I did that because my last name never really felt like it was mine since my dad left at quite a young age and my step father has been there for me. Ryan HC as a hip-hop artist, well I want to make music that people like generally and I want to make my friends and family proud of me as well as give advice and tell stories in a catchy way and I think people will start to see more of this when Diary Of Alcohol is released.

When did you start and what inspired you to make music?

I first started making music only in October, 2013 and by that I mean when I really first started, like the first musically inclined not even a track I ever made, I just rapped over an old freshman XXL cypher beat and just did it for fun and to challenge myself. When I first started I didn’t aspire to be much, I use to sing along and rap to other songs, memorise all the lyrics etc. and I thought ‘I can do this’ turns out it was a lot harder than I thought, but I stuck to it and I believe I'm getting better everyday and always learning. You never stop learning. My friends and family now inspire me to make music and I draw from them for inspiration write and create my songs.

How would you describe your music in one sentence?

Stories about my life and a journey.

What sets you apart from other acts/groups?

I think what sets me apart is that the people that listen to my music really appreciate it and the messages and stories I tell people can really relate too which is getting harder to find in Hip Hop type of music these days. I don’t talk about guns etc. I keep it real.

Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?

I’d have to say my latest song Lay You Down, it’s realistically my first song that I have released. The others have been stepping stones on the journey to the mixtape Diary Of Alcohol. Lay You Down is currently Number 7 on The Audience Wildcard Chart and the response from fans and friends is just amazing and the support I get because of that one song is truly amazing, my whole group of friends changed their cover photos on Facebook to support me and that means the world to me. Whether it’s 1 person sharing my song or 1000’s I'm grateful for everyone of them and I got a taste of that with Lay You Down.

Where do you come from or what part of NZ do you represent?

That’s a tricky question for me. I was born in Hamilton but went to boarding school in New Plymouth. New Plymouth is home for me though and everyone who knows me well, knows this and I recently moved back to New Plymouth from Wellington where I was previously living. Half my family lives in Christchurch too so all around New Zealand but to some it up I’m from Hamilton technically but in my eyes I'm from New Plymouth and that’s what I represent.

Do you produce your own beats or do you use any particular beat maker?

I now produce all my own beats by myself.

What's your favourite and least favourite thing about Hip-Hop culture?

My favourite thing about Hip-Hop culture in New Zealand is how kind of tight the music community is, like if someone is really trying to make music most people know about it and support it which is great. My least favourite thing would have to be the persona people give and this isn’t really common in New Zealand but worldwide international artists mainly act almost as if they’re not normal people anymore. It surprises me when artist show that they are normal people and that shouldn’t surprise me. I’m not sure if many people will understand that but the people who do will agree.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is Lay You Down from my up and coming mixtape Diary of Alcohol. The song is really raw, like I don’t hold back on giving details about my life that others hide and this is going to be a common theme throughout the mixtape. Also its the first time I sang the chorus. A common question I get asked is who it’s about and that’s a hard question for me to answer. I basically based the song on meeting a girl and falling for her. Only part that people don’t know is that it’s about more than 1 person, it’s parts of different relationships mixed into 1 song to tell the story of falling for someone.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring rappers/producers?

If you want to do something, you can. The only thing stopping you is yourself and I say this a lot when people tell me they want to start up making music. It’s the same as wanting to be a painter, you don’t start off good, you practise and get better till eventually people want to buy your art work from you because they like it. People say ‘aw I want to make music because I really enjoy it but I'm no good at it’ but it’s progress, you don’t wake up one day and magically be good at something. If anyone want to be a rapper, singer or producer or anything I highly suggest trying because you will never know unless you try and that’s exactly what I thought when I started and that’s what I did.

What can we expect to see from you over the next year?

Over the next year you guys are going to be seeing a lot. Diary of Alcohol will be released as well as a few high quality music video for a couple of the songs off the mixtape. Nothing like I have released so far. Basically this mixtape is going to be the start of the artist I am and hopefully when people listen to it they can relate to it and enjoy it and that is all I want. 

Check out Lay You Down By Ryan HC 

Connect with Ryan HC on Soundcloud Facebook Twitter and Youtube

• 1
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• 2
  Take Hold
• 3
  Coridian
• 4
  Devilskin
• 5
  Skinny Hobos
• 6
  L.A.B.
• 7
  Head Like A Hole
• 8
  Shihad
• 9
  Katchafire
• 10
  Written By Wolves

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• 1
  TOO SWEET
  Hozier
• 2
  BEAUTIFUL THINGS
  Benson Boone
• 3
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 4
  I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME
  Artemas
• 5
  SATURN
  SZA
• 6
  STICK SEASON
  Noah Kahan
• 7
  END OF BEGINNING
  Djo
• 8
  LIKE THAT
  Future And Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
• 9
  ESPRESSO
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• 10
  WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
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