Listening Inward: DatkidRex and the Art of Honest Production

Written by Alexandria Anglade

It did not happen overnight for DatkidRex. Before music became professional, it was deeply personal. Some of his earliest memories are rooted in his grandma singing in church. Watching her pour emotion into her voice taught him that music was not just sound, it was feeling, faith, and connection. After church, he would sit at her house and play the piano with no pressure and no expectations. It was just him, the keys, and curiosity. That was where music first became a safe place.

Growing up, the sound of 90s R and B filled the room. Those records carried soul, pain, love, and honesty. They showed him how melodies could hold emotion and how silence could speak just as loudly as sound. That era shaped the way he hears music to this day. As he got older, music shifted from comfort to escape. Anime became a major influence, not only visually but emotionally. The storytelling, the character growth through struggle, and the way soundtracks elevated emotion pushed him to create worlds of his own through sound.

He started making beats around 14 with no rules, only chasing a feeling. At 18, he sold his first beat, a moment that made everything feel real. At 21, he landed his first placement, and that was when he knew this was no longer just a hobby. It was a calling. Every step, from his grandma’s house to late nights alone with his thoughts to small wins that felt massive, shaped who he became. He did not wake up a producer. He grew into one, piece by piece and memory by memory.

The SoundCloud era played a huge role in that growth. It felt like the Wild West of creativity. There were no gatekeepers and no rules. Just people in their rooms uploading raw ideas at two in the morning and chasing a feeling. That era showed him that permission was not required to create. Heart and consistency mattered more. The music was imperfect, emotional, experimental, and honest. Vibe mattered more than polish. Community mattered too. Reposts, comments, collaborations, and messages made it feel like everyone was building together. Seeing producers grow in real time made him believe that if they could do it from a bedroom, so could he.

When DatkidRex sits down to create, he does not think about charts, placements, or algorithms. He listens inward first. Most sessions begin with a feeling, not a sound. He asks himself what the day feels like. Sometimes it is heavy. Sometimes nostalgic. Sometimes hopeful but tired. That emotion becomes the compass. Melody usually comes first because that is where emotion lives for him. He lets it loop and listens closely. If it makes him pause or feel something in his chest, he knows he is on the right path.

From there, instinct takes over. He trusts his ear. If something feels too clean, he roughs it up. If it feels crowded, he removes pieces. Silence is intentional. He constantly asks if the music breathes and if it feels honest. To him, a beat is not just a loop. It is a scene. He imagines late nights, empty streets, memories, and feelings people struggle to say out loud. That is where the anime influence shows up, as the music has to feel like it belongs to a moment in a story.

His personal story lives between the notes. Themes of nostalgia, longing, and quiet resilience return often. Even when a beat sounds smooth, there is usually reflection underneath it. That comes from growing up fast, holding onto memories, and learning how to sit with emotion instead of running from it. Late nights and solitude are real elements in his sound. Much of his growth happened alone with headphones on and lights low while the world slept.

Loss and faith appear subtly. Sometimes a melody never fully resolves because real life does not always offer closure. Wonder and imagination are always present too, even in darker tracks. That is the inner child who once played piano at his grandma’s house with no limits. Projects like Angel captured that honesty and vulnerability. Those kinds of projects do not age. They live.

After finding God, everything connected again. His bond with his grandma and with music deepened. He realized those early moments were never random. They were shaping his spirit long before he understood it. God is everything to him, and every note now comes from that understanding. His creativity feels guided, not forced. Faith taught him to trust the unseen and to keep moving even without all the answers. That belief mirrors how he creates, led by intuition rather than control.

When working with artists, DatkidRex listens before leading. He focuses on who they are, what they carry, and what they are trying to express. His role is to create a space where that truth can surface. He brings mood and storytelling, but leaves room for the artist to live inside the sound. Balance comes from selflessness. Sometimes that means pulling back so the artist can shine. Other times it means pushing gently so they can reach emotional places they did not expect. He sees himself as a caretaker of their voice, paying attention to tone, breath, and the power of silence.

Instagram: @datkidrex

https://www.bandlab.com/datkidr3x