Hip-hop and college education:

Courtesy photo.

By Sal Gutierrez:

Amarillo College is full of talented people wanting to go further away and show the world that the Helium Hollow is more than a bomb fabricator. This is the case with Justin Lazaro, a student in the recording arts program that has taken a step closer to his major goal in life, to be a rapper.

Lazaro’s music was selected to be part of a project called “From New York 2 Texas.” A compilation of twenty hip-hop tracks produced by established unknown artists from Texas and New York. “I got a connection in New York, and this guy was telling me he really liked one of my songs that was really dope and he was doing a mixtape,” Lazaro said.

Darron Charles, also known as Azazel in the hip-hop industry, put the project together. He is a member of Xocial Complex, a hip-hop duo from Austin, TX. Charles is looking to create a new chapter in the music industry with projects like this. “I came across Justin’s Facebook page and I was intrigued by his music; I was feeling his vibes,” Charles replied when asked about Lazaro’s inclusion in the mixtape.

Lazaro showed interest in rap and hip-hop when he was in elementary school. In fifth grade he started writing and singing, making remakes of his favorite songs.

“I wasn’t all that good but I still did it,” Lazaro said. “Since then I kept on and off with it until two years ago when I got in contact with one of my friends, Kili, and I started freestyling with him.”

Lazaro, Kili and Lazaro’s manager, Dominic Real, freestyle and record the songs Justin writes at Kili’s budget studio. “We call it a budget studio because it’s all the basics you need from Guitar Center,” Lazaro said.

Lazaro enrolled in the recording arts program this year to be certified in audio production. “I figured that the best way to go into make my start in the industry was going to college,” Lazaro said. “I came to AC to learn about mastering and recording, it’s gonna help me being a better producer,” he added.

Lazaro goes by the name of Gozz de odd in the music industry and his goal is to be good enough to work with Sony music and PIXAR. The “From Texas 2 New York” mixtape is available on Soundcloud and datpiff.com.

To connect with Justin Lazaro and listen to his tracks visit his social media, he can be found on Instagram and twitter as Godd_De_Odd, as Juicy_just1n97 on Snapchat and as Ozz De Odd on Soundcloud.

For additional information about the new mass media certificate program with an emphasis in the Recording Arts, contact Jill Gibson, associate dean of Liberal Arts, at jlgibson@actx.edu or division adviser Ruth De Anda at r0343730@actx.edu.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.