After an incredible performance at Escape to Coconino in Arizona, we sat down with Jantsen to pick his brain about music and life in general. From late nights on the road to fully embracing dad mode, Jantsen’s energy is truly contagious. Known for his popular Gutter Music mixtapes and his energetic live shows that keep the party going, it’s no wonder those white tees read “Jantsen F**K’s” across the front — perfectly capturing his bold, hood-soaked ill behavior.
So, recently, you dropped a collab with Hairtage, “ Gettin’ Money,” out now on Wakaan. How did that come about, and what was the inspiration behind the track?
“ I’ve been boys with Hairtage for a while now, he’s blossomed into one of my favorite producers to work with. He started the song about two years ago and sent over a sketch, and we began working on it. Originally, I had added a Lil’ Kim vocal to it, but it got held up during the clearance process. But yeah, we replaced the vocals, and then we released it on Wakaan. It’s a banger; I’ve been playing it for a long time, and so has he, and now it’s finally available to everyone.”
So I know you’re a Colorado native, but I feel like Jantsen’s song choices and flips have a lot of Southern flair to them. What’s the story behind that?
“ It’s kind of hard to explain; I’m not from ATL or have roots in the South. That was kind of the first style of rap music that I was drawn to as a producer. Originally, I grew up on 90s hip-hop—A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang, and KRS-One. That was my intro into hip-hop, then I got into EDM. And a producer named Edit made a mix called ‘Heafty,’ I believe. It was all IDM beats set to a lot of southern rap. I think that was the first time it made me think differently and changed my perspective. It was around ’07 or so when I started digging into that culture, especially Texas rap. Slim Thug, Paul Wall, etc. “
I noticed you have a Dead Kennedys and a Misfits tattoo. Other than the world of Bass music, what other genres or artists inspire you?
“ Anything and everything, really. Those Dead Kennedys and Misfits tattoos are more like a nod to my past, honoring my teenage punk rock roots. It’s super important to me; that’s where I came from, and it’s made me who I am today. It’s important I represent that culture no matter what avenue I choose. Other than that, there’s no limit to what I can vibe with. When I’m at home, it’s Latin music, dancehall, old Italian music, etc”
A few months ago, you released Gutter Edits. Does this mean there will be no Gutter Music Vol. 8 this year?
“ No, absolutely not! I’ve been doing these mixes for a long time, and people always ask me for the songs on those mixes. I have so many edits, remixes, and flips that I figured I should start giving them out. Gutter Edits Volume One is the first in the series. That one included about 8 tracks, and there are probably around 80 songs or so in the vault. It was meant to be its own series; in no way will it replace Gutter Music. Gutter Music Vol. 8 will definitely come out sometime in early fall.”
With festival season at its peak and a tour in the middle, when do you get time to rest? And what are you doing when you’re not creating music or performing?
“ I mean every Monday:: chuckles:: Now I don’t advertise this much, because I like to keep a little bit of a private life, but I have a twelve-year-old daughter. So yeah, when I go home on Monday after playing shows over the weekend, I’m right back in full swing Dad-mode. I go hiking sometimes, we like to play tennis, and recently my daughter go into skateboarding…Last night we were at the skate park till like 10 pm, it was inspiring. I love stuff like that; it keeps me normal. Credit to my daughter, she always keeps me grounded.“
We gotta know, how did the whole “ Jantsen F**ks “ moniker come about?
“ That was totally fan-made. I can’t recall specific names… it was around the time of Electric Forest in 2019. I had a Facebook group (Jantsent Fam), and they made it. They saw I was always in white tees and then started writing it on shirts and making bootleg merch. I was so hyped, I was like “Run that sh*t!” It was incredible, it was completely homegrown, fan-based sh*t. They just came up with it, and it stuck. “
I notice two dates on your tour list that are blurred out… Do you have something special scheduled for Wakaan this year?!
“:: laughs:: Well, without saying too much, it has to do with Paul, who played after me tonight. You can put the pieces together after that. There’s a lot more to it — that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Lastly, being a heavily tattooed man myself, I have to ask: why the blackout sleeve over a cover-up?
“ People always ask me if it’s a cover-up. There were things that got covered up, but it wasn’t necessarily a whole sleeve I wanted to get covered. I honestly wanted to black it out before I started anything…Initially, I had it blacked out by an artist who had no experience with blackout. It took like five different sessions and didn’t look the greatest. Then I went to my boy, the OG master (Hood215) from Philly… I mean, he did Kate Von D, that’s how legit he is. He took me and made everything smooth and perfect.”
