Interview: Doctor Yizzle’s Latest Single, Inspirations, & more.
Doctor Yizzle is the stage name of Michael Yi, a 23 year old Korean-American rapper born and raised in Los Angeles’ Koreatown. The independent talent taught himself how to make beats and engineer music in the living room of his one-bedroom apartment. Cross-pollinating genres such as hip-hop, alternative rock, lo-fi, and many more, Doctor Yizzle continues to pursue breaking genres and shattering the borders of music. The up-and-coming artist has accumulated over a million streams and was featured on Rolling Stone India, EnVi Media, Earmilk, Bridge Music Magazine, etc.
Recently, Doctor Yizzle joined HALSUG’s music network. With the release of his new song, “OH NO!” on August 6th, we spoke with the Doctor himself to gain more insight into his inspirations, aspirations, and personality.
Q: Who/what inspired you to make music?
DY: A plethora of artists and life experiences inspired me to make music. The clutter I always had in my mind needed a home to be in. Therefore, I decided to put them onto paper, where I always saw writing lyrics as a puzzle. And growing up, I always loved puzzles, so it was such a perfect activity for me to do in my downtime away from school. Then I quickly fell in love with music and started heavily studying all genres.
Q: What song would you recommend for first-time listeners to listen to and why?
DY: Depending on what genre they heavily listen to, I would recommend a song accordingly. For example, if you’re into all types of music, I would recommend “M.O.B.” which has a bouncy backtrack instrumental with hard-hitting 808s and strong vocal presence. If you enjoy rock, then I would recommend “Strangers” or “Guilt.” For hip-hop, “98 to Infinity” or “Dark Knight.” If you are more on the softer lovey-dovey side then “comfort.” My next song is my greatest song, and I would recommend that to anyone who just loves music.
Q: Which music genres and artists influence your musical style?
DY: If you go through my discography, you can hear every single genre infused in my songs. I grew up listening to genres ranging from rock to EDM. But if I were to pick the artists/bands that influenced my style, the list would be Kanye West, XXXTENTACION, The Beatles, Tupac, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drake, Brent Faiyaz, The Kid Laroi, etc.
Q: Do you have any goals or achievements you hope to fulfill in the future?
DY: I hope to sell out venues across the entire world and have a positive impact on people’s mind and spirit. I want to be able to be a catalyst of people’s hopes and dreams. I am going to change people’s lives through my music, my energy, and my spirit. I will do all of these things because I know if I put my mind set on something, I will achieve it.
Q: What is next for you and your music?
DY: To go on tour. To continue building a catalog of music that I am extremely proud of. To work with a variety of talented people on creative projects.
Q: What is the story behind your stage name?
DY: It was Christmas time and my brother and I were about to get our Xbox 360, so we were extremely ecstatic. We needed to think of our “Gamertag” (username) that we were going to share. My brother decided it would be a good idea that we write down ideas and put it into this box in which we were going to randomly draw from when it was time to create the Gamertag. So we did just that and that’s when we picked Doctor Yizzle, which my brother originally created. However, I embraced that nickname since I was a little kid and was called Doctor Yizzle by my friends throughout my childhood.
Q: The title of your new song, “OH NO!” is very eye-catching. Can you describe the songwriting process behind it and why you chose that title?
DY: This song was created from personal events. I knew people who were praying for my downfall, and I felt that energy, so I wanted to release it by creating this song. It has a comical tone to it, thus the reason for the title. “Oh no, I'm thriving right in front of you in Slo-Mo/ That’s not what you wished for, hm oh no….” It has a sarcastic tone to it, and that’s me basically saying, “Oh, that’s too bad. I am going to continue winning right in front of your face”. This song is about empowering yourself regardless of the distraction imposed on you by others and doing exactly the opposite of what “haters” want you to do.
Doctor Yizzle’s new song, “OH NO!” is available for streaming on various platforms.
You can also find Doctor Yizzle’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.
Interested in learning more about Doctor Yizzle? Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.