We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zan Dretti a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Zan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?
As an artist, your craft is generally misunderstood or mischaracterized. Most of the time, others may see it as a “thing” you do, a hobby, or something in your spare time. The truth of the matter is, nobody can see your vision quite like you can. That’s the lesson-it’s your journey and yours alone and you keep chipping away IF it’s fulfilling for you. Hip Hop artists are especially misunderstood and sometimes even comes with a stigma.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Zan Dretti. Zan derives from my middle name Alexander and Dretti is a way to pay homage to my favorite artist and one of my biggest influences, Curren$y. ‘Zan’ has nothing to do with drugs (lol). Hip Hop has my heart and always will. I’ve been recording music since 2008 – my first song was a freestyle to “I Got 5 On It” and I’ve loved it ever since. I’m a producer, a visionary, and a podcaster also (Don’t Even Worry About It Podcast). I’ve always loved music since I was young but didn’t realize I wanted to create it until I was 13.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Freedom of expression. There’s nothing like using your art as a vessel to drive yourself where you’re trying to go.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** and No More Mr. Nice Guy. These two books taught me how to relinquish control of things that I can’t control – additionally they taught me how to be confident in my all of my pursuits.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/diamondsmakegold?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zdretti?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: twitter.com/zan_dretti
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zandretti
Image Credits
Treal McCoy (instagram @trealmccoy)