Schadenfroyd – Somebody

Fusion of many genres makes for original sound
from new artist Schadenfroyd

GREELEY, CO – A hot new artist from an unlikely locale in Greeley, Colorado is making a splash in the hip hop industry after only a few months on the scene. Adopting the name Schadenfroyd – an Americanized version of a German word that means “satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else’s misfortune” – this artist pushes the boundaries of traditional hip hop and infuses old-school styles with new school sounds in a way that is truly original.

To hear him describe it, Schadenfroyd’s music is a blending together of all genres in a way that will make listeners “nod their head, break their neck, and tell a friend.” Through that ear-grabbing music is some deep lyrical content that cannot be ignored. He calls it intellectual lyricism, and that style is passionately penetrating the music scene.

“Music is aesthetic beauty, and that beauty comes in many forms,” Schadenfroyd said. “Sometimes it’s rage, sometimes it’s love. But no matter what, it is always passion. I drip with passion – from soul-singing staccato rhymes to shredding metal vocals and everything in between. I make love out of hurt.”

This Colorado artist has been a music lover and creator for many years. He began singing at age 3 and by age 12 was adept at the guitar. He played in garage bands through his teenage years but then was pulled away from music after high school when he dove into the corporate world to make money. He has found success in the world of IT and is now using that strong financial foundation to invest in his life-long love of music.

His newest EP, “The Resume,” is slated to drop on June 22. The seven-song project is new-school trap and rap with influences of classic hip hop, metal, and EDM throughout. Early feedback on the project is encouraging, he said, with comments that include “it’s the sound that music needs to be.”

“It’s my resume to the music industry,” he said. “It’s me saying, ‘Here’s what I can do.’ It’s melodic and pretty and heavy and intelligent. It’s such an abstract project because I want to show people I can do a song like this or lyrics like that, and I can sing and produce at a level that makes people say, ‘Who the hell is that?’”

The debut single from the project is a song called “Somebody.” He said it was inspired by his struggles to find someone in the industry with which to collaborate.

“Any time I would try to work with someone, I’d get positive feedback, but then they’d never reciprocate,” he said. “As a producer and lyricist, I know how to have people moving and feeling a song, and I tend to move quickly in the production process. The lyrical delivery is sharp and smooth with complex rhyme schemes that should keep my academics happy. It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to a club song, and the lyrics talk about some of the ups and down that come with a social life.”

Schadenfroyd said he hopes listeners appreciate how he’s trying to fuse different sounds and create something original and important. He said he feels like hip hop and EDM need some innovation because it has gotten to a point where there’s a “lyrical void.” His respect for the lyricists through the years is high, and he hopes to put his name in line with them as he continues to build his career.