Panther City’s Playboi Carti: AquaaStarr
“Yeah I quit smoking cigarettes a while back man, I got off nicotine.”
I’m sitting in AquaaStarr’s (pronounced A-Star) car, listening to playboi Carti, outside our studio on the West Side of Fort Worth. He’s smoking a CBD cigarette, holding it out the window. AquaaStarr (Eric Schulz) comes across as a hardened underground artist. He’s got some crazy ideas, a lofi-indie sound, and the most beautiful nails I’ve ever seen on a man. I’ve spent the last couple months getting to know him and his sound. He’s definitely nothing like what I expected.
AquaaStarr, at first, comes off like most underground indie/hiphop artists. He’s relaxed and doesn’t seem to give a damn. Underneath the grunge, he’s a big fan of Charlie XCX, and Playboi Carti. “Put those two together and that’s basically my sound” he’s said on several occasions. What sets AquaaStarr apart from the typical indie/hiphop artist is that he’s a MAJOR planner. He’s poised and he thinks about what he’s going to do. Honestly, that’s what set’s him apart from a large amount of artists I’ve seen throughout the years.
When talking about his first release with TRND MUSIC “1 trillion”, he already had a 6 month calendar put out for it. I asked AquaaStarr “Why did you write 1 trillion? Tell us more about the content”.
He replied “thought I’d make a song about what’s already going right in my life. I been w/ bad bitches, they’ve thrown their ass back at me while I’ve smoked gas, etc.. but I also thought I’d talk about my ambitions, I really want platinum plaques. I really do wanna be a trillionaire, God willing. The song is about wealth and the wealth to come.”
Several weeks ago, we went on a trip as a Label called “TRND CAMP” (you can find the article here). This trip was our team’s first time spending some extended time with AquaaStarr. On the second night of TRND CAMP I walked into a night session with JaeBoy and AquaaStarr. Aquaastarr comes in wearing a bathrobe, undone at the chest, where a large inked owl is stretched out. He’s got a drink in hand, totally at ease and obviously in his element —- and that’s AquaaStarr. He can slide into any space and be at ease. While 1 trillion may be an underground RnB banger, AquaaStarr really can do anything, and here at TRND MUSIC , we are expecting nothing but big things from him.
