Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Rutledge.
Patrick, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started off as a visual artist. Being black and raised in the South, I was in church a lot in my youth. That’s where I learned musical skills like harmonizing and playing instruments. I started producing for local artists and eventually began to create my own songs. I take all of the genres that influence me and fuse them with Hip-Hop. I went to school and got my MA in film-making, as I am equally as passionate about that as I am in music. The two worlds blend together very well, as I use my knowledge of film to maintain my aesthetic and produce visuals to accompany the music.
To get where I am now took (and is still taking) a lot of trial and error. I’ve spent a lot of days and a lot of money finding out what doesn’t work for me personally. In that, I hope to create a “blueprint” for myself and get to where I feel I need to be.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For me, the road has been rough. I have so many stories about the naive things I’ve done that brought very little return and even set me back. My biggest struggle is the business side of things: marketing, promotion, all of the things necessary to get heard and legitimize/monetize your passion. There’s no linear way of achieving it, and in a market like this, there’s a lot of false prophets and wolves in sheep’s clothing. Within music itself, learning the craft presents difficulties. I’ve taught myself to engineer, to produce, to sing, to rap, to play piano, to play guitar, to scream (Metal music and heavy-vocals). Some of those skills took a LONG time to acquire.
Nonetheless, I think all of these things, (as well as the amount of time it takes to achieve them) all play a role in betterment of self. Although it has been extremely stressful and a rough road, I’m grateful for it.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m PATx. I’m a music artist and filmmaker. I specialize in cinematography, and specifically, Hip-Hop in terms of music genre. I’m known for my energy. I think the way I speak on tracks and address topics really resonates with people. I’ve also made myself notorious for my visuals. Each music video I release, I attempt to top the previous one. I haven’t failed yet. Usually, my visuals follow a narrative and are pretty unorthodox compared to the traditional Hip-Hop music video.
I think I’m most proud of being a grass-root. We hear artists say all the time that they “came from the bottom,” or “did it on their own.” Not to discredit any of them, nor imply people didn’t help me on the way thus far, but I really have created this for myself. I didn’t have the resources to go to a studio, or hire someone to shoot a music video for me, or whatever… so I found a way to do it myself. I don’t have anyone funding me or a “bank.” I raise the money or crowd-fund or something of that nature. I’m really a normal dude producing cool stuff.
I think the biggest thing that has set me apart (aside from being so self-sufficient) is my aesthetic and sound. My image is in the realm of grunge, techwear, cyberpunk, streetwear. I often wear masks and tactical vests to shows. My music is Alternative and has a lot of Metal-style vocals in it. In the underground, the sub-genre is sometimes referred to as. “Rage, Trap-Metal, Scream Rap, etc. etc.”
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I actually don’t believe in luck. I think everything happens for a reason, and everything doesn’t happen for a reason. One of my teachers once said, “you never know when it’s going to rain Bourbon, but bless the man who carries a bucket every day.” I also believe the Universe works in your favor. Therefore there’s things you bring to fruition (I can take credit for), and other things the Universe takes over and does for you (I cannot take full credit for).
Contact Info:
- Phone: 8034277512
- Email: pcrstarpat@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/iampatx
- Other: http://linktr.ee/iampatx
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