Underground trailblazer Warlord Colossus has been on the cusp of stardom for far too long. With powerful tracks and a mind to match, Colossus has created an mini empire, and a career that grasps at each of his passions. The Nephilim Gang Patriarch has achieved much in just 2 years of making music; from performing with some of the biggest names in the underground to garnering over one million plays on SoundCloud. Learn why Warlord Colossus is not only one of the most talented, but also one of the most educated coming up in the game.
UU: How did you get your stage name?
Colossus: When I first started, I was still doing a 9-5. A co-worker who was older was also a rapper, and he told me “You really need to start taking this seriously and get a name.” So I went home and started researching Greek Mythology and I came across this big titan looking statue being, and it said “Colossus”, so I was like okay… It was kind of powerful and I think words can be that powerful. Then I changed it to Warlord for copyright purposes because there were a few metal bands with similar names. So I put them together and it became more powerful.
UU: Why did you decide to start wearing masks, and what does that symbolize for you as an artist?
Colossus: I had this one conversation with $uicideboy$ and they told me I needed to work on my image. How can you stand out? Theres hundreds of rappers. I did Brazilian Juiu Jitsu, which comes from the Samurai. I’ve always loved the Samurai, so when I found the mask I thought it fit perfectly. Samurai are peaceful, but they can also be very aggressive; thats how I am.
UU: Where are you from?
Colossus: Technically I am from nowhere. I’ve been on Army bases for about 17 years, in Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Kentucky and South Carolina, till I landed in Florida. So I guess you could say I’m from Broward/Miami.
UU: How has your military family background shaped you as an artist? Do you think it instilled the discipline one needs to succeed in this industry?
Colossus: Definitely. Its absolutely helped me understand people. When you move every 6 months for 3 years as a kid, you have to learn to adapt your personality for different people. Also, my ROTC training helped with that. They teach you how people operate, and that everyone reacts differently. But yes, the military strategy, and the discipline to keep going. I feel like I got a huge advantage over other rappers with my upbringing.
UU: How long have you been creating and has it always been in hip hop?
I’ve been into the rap business / scene for about 2 years now. I’d say where I made my first real song, but in high school I definitely wanted to be in a scream band. I freestyle rapped sometimes, but I wanted to scream. I think I kinda am, in a way, where my rap is designed for the mosh pits, so when I perform I feel like I kinda am.
UU: Were you consciously creating hip hop music, or was that a product of audience perception?
Colossus: I feel like it’s definitely both. When I first started rapping, just free styling at parties, this kid said something to me and it stuck with me. He said that “you should take seriously, because you have this natural talent.” When everyone around you starts telling you the same thing you start to believe them, and it starts to plant the seed. So then I was like, okay, I wanna rap. But I don’t wanna wrap about money, or drugs, or girls, and just have girls twerking on me in videos. I don’t wanna be that type of dude, and I’m not. The first song I did, I just started looking up words from Greek Mythology, and started piecing them together. Later I found witchcraft and magik, and loved the words I found through it. I really liked the imagery it was putting in my head. It can also have a metaphor for healing. It all fits under the beats. I love the moshpit culture too. The first show I performed at, I was watching people hit each other, punch each other, and push each other over. I fell in love with that, too. Thats why I really love the genre, and its ever evolving.
UU: Who are some of your musical influences?
Colossus: Definitely Flatbush Zombies when I first started. When I was younger, I listened to DMX and Onyx, and they were rasping their voice back then even. And definitely $uicideboy$. The engineering, the mixing and mastering.
UU: Do you have a general message that you hope to communicate with your music? Each piece speaks differently, but is there a connecting focus behind all your content?
Colossus: Yes, everything is a metaphor for anxiety. When I was 19 I believe, I tried acid , and it completely expanded my minds in the most complex way both positively and negatively and it developed an anxiety / panic disorder in me that I battle today. So all my lyrics that are references to demons (anxiety) and magic (power of the mind) are metaphors, and I want these thousands of kids bumping my music wherever they are in the world to understand that it can get better, that it does get better. I feel like millions of kids are afraid to speak up when they feel anxious, suicidal, depressed or battling mentally are afraid to be judged or misunderstood or just medicated , so at every event I shout out kids like me who had to fight it everyday. I always post on my social media to meditate, to battle your dark thoughts, and in my lyrics if you really listen you can hear the overall message.
UU: When did you first start gaining attention? Was it from a specific song?
Colossus: Basically, my first major song “WORSHIP,” got promoted by a big artist named Black Smurf, and I never saw anything like it coming from the beginning, ya know. That song hit like 20,000 plays (back then that was a pretty big deal considering my other track had like 300 plays on it ), and that’s when I knew that this was gonna be my career: that I had a shot at this game. The real real change was when I toured with G59 and Buffet Boys. Talk about a psychological shift *laughs*. Everyone wanted to fuck with me: I signed my first autograph on that tour, must’ve given out 100 hand shakes and dap ups, my page blew up in activity, and I made hundreds and hundreds of people mosh to my music for 5 days straight. I got some major advice from Andrew Pouya (Pouya’s Older Brother / team management). It was eye opener as fuck to how many people will try to leech off success, how I should be moving, what I’ve been doing wrong what I’ve been doing right, how to move crowds that don’t know you. I learned a lot.
Colossus: Nephilim started as a collective just between me and my graphic designer / brother named Kevin. We sat together for hours a day configuring ideas on how to move forward, and I wanted to even make my fans feel a part of the team. So if you support us at all, you are a part of Nephilim Gang. We wanted to create a family and household name like Team Sesh, G59 and Buffet Boys, but in our own way. There’s so many kids struggling with mental disorders that reach out to me. You have no idea the impact is so powerful. Even only having a million plays; to my mentors isn’t a a big deal, but I have kids across the globe repping Nephilim Gang because they know that I’m there for them and, we going through it together.
As far as artists I just have to really, really like your sound. They have to be on my frequency, any bad energies in Nephilim get thrown out fast. I mean fast. I don’t play around with negativity. I feel like my knowledge can help artists grow, and fast, so I just have to deem them worthy; and they gotta be genuinely a good person. And I’ve ran into so many bad people this last year, I think I’m done recruiting for a while. If you made the cut so far you made it *laughs*.
UU: How has it been assuming the leader role? Has it been difficult?
Colossus: It’s got it ups and downs being a leader, honestly. This is gonna sound corny, but I’m grateful for 4 years of ROTC leadership training. I almost joined the Army myself, but that’s another story. I learned how to react and lead differently to different types of people, because everyone responds differently to leadership. The military background in my family with moving a lot helped me understand people better. But running a business always gets complicated when money and some fame is involved. It’s stressful when I am nervous for a show, and not everyone is doing what they need to be doing, but I am always watching. This is gonna sound mean, but everyone is replaceable, in the business aspect. I need a machine running smooth for this to work, and I have to make sure everyone is doing their part. I’ve had to kick members and assistants out for being disrespectful, being lazy, and simply just trying to use me. I am kind, but I am fair. I don’t let anyone take advantage of my kindness. Also, Brazilian jiu jitsu taught me how to stay calm under pressure. It’s like, when someone is trying to hurt me over and over in a fight situation, it teaches you to stay calm because there is always a way out, and every action always has a counter reaction. When music starts to get disastrous I just gotta stay calm and react as it comes, and lead the way with my team and never watch from behind. I always remember that no one wants my dream as bad as it comes.
UU: Do you have any personal rituals to combat the performance nerves?
Colossus: For my mind, I accept the nerves. Honestly, the more scared I am, the better I perform. I feed of energy and adrenaline, like a warlock. When I perform I honestly astral project out my body and just go, it’s like the adrenaline gives me powers, and people cannot deny the level of spiritual energy I build. I learned to harness fear into a force of energy by it. The more people giving me energy, the more energy I get, and I try to coach myself subconsciously as I watch myself perform and give power to my voice in the mic to get into the psychology of the crowd. But, before the show, I always always do my vocal warm ups taught to me by Melissa Cross. She saved my life. She’s one of Slipknot’s and a ton of other huge names’ [vocal] coach. I always have water, pineapple juice, and honey to loosen the vocal chords and throat, can’t afford to lose my voice ever in this job. Especially when I’m training now to tour 1 month straight months from now.
UU: You sit on a few different vocal techniques, but they’re so immediately identifiable to you. What was the process of finding unique vocal styles that worked for you?
Colossus: A huge part of that was honestly when I fucked my throat up. I was improperly screaming for a year, I’d say before it became a problem. I would study people like Meechy Darko, old school Eminem, DMX and all these screamo bands like of Mice and Men and Bring Me the Horizon, and I really wanted to come off as raspy and grungy but with a clear crisp sound. Once I started having issues I went to Melissa Cross. She taught me how to project myself with my voice, and how to scream without damaging anything. And my voice changed into this Cypress Hill-screamo combination which is basically my own now. I don’t know who else sounds like me. The more I’m learning about vocal technique and health, the more voices I can pull off. I just wanna be as unique as possible.
UU: You talk a lot about spirituality and energies. How did you get into that, and how has it reflected into your music?
Colossus: I was introduced to witchcraft a while ago, when I first started simple meditation to combat my anxiety. Then I started trying to do spells for things like intuition, and luck with music, or to explore the universe. I did a shaman initiation, and that’s a very long story. I did meet a spirit guide, and it started to make my sound better. I’d say just the vocabulary alone I learned from magik, studying energy, and feeling closer to the universe had improved the substance of my sound I’d say. But also I just wana say whoever reads this be careful, I have seen dark things and very good things happen. Beware what you wish for, you do start seeing spirits in your sleep and even things when you’re awake. I don’t recommend it for everyone – just protect yourself.
UU: How do your songs come to you? Tell me about your writing process.
Colossus: I feel like I’m allowed to write, you know? The universe always sends me the right beat at the perfect time, and it feeds me these ideas for catchy things. I always see crowds of thousands in my head as I’m writing the lyrics down but it doesn’t feel like me; it feels like the universe allowed me to receive them. I’m so grateful, honestly, because I’ve been given some hits, I’d say. Like when I was battling suicidal thoughts, and depression; one wrong click, and I found the beat to “Warlord Tomahawk Gorilla”, and because I felt that way I was allowed to write down those words that day. I feel blessed everytime a new song comes to me, like I’m allowed to write it down at that moment only by something bigger than me.
UU: Who is your dream collaboration? Who would you like to work with?
Colossus: Anyone from G59 or Buffet Boys. I’ve loved watching them as I’ve come up, and taking their advice. Absolutely $uicideboy$, but I want it to happen organically. I don’t wanna pay for something like that.
UU: Whats next? What are you currently working on, and what can we expect?
Colossus: I’m currently sitting on two songs. I’m really trying to develop my visuals. I’ve started studying cinematography to try to make my visuals more interesting. What I’m working on now is improving my visuals so it can be more like a short movie. I’ve got two really good songs that I’m dying to drop, but I need to make sure the video is perfect and the marketing strategy is ready so it gets the exposure it deserves.
UU: What do we need to know about Warlord Colossus?
Colossus: A lot of people don’t understand the image or message. Everything is a big metaphor for anxiety, depression, deeper thoughts. I kinda want to be different, in that I want to help you get through it. A lot of people will talk about it now, but I want to help you through it. Even at my shows, in between songs I’ll shout out the kids who are going through mental health issues, and I’ll tell them to open that fucking pit again. I don’t want to be different, I want to stand out. I want people to realize they can talk about it, they can meditate, find their balance, and live a better life.
Shout out Nephilim Gang, shout out all the rappers that I’ve been working with, all the fans who’ve been messaging me telling me I’ve helped them. You’ve helped me. Those messages, that support; thats everything. And all those rappers who’ve messaged me saying I inspire them or they look up to me, I wanna see you all surpass me, and then we can all support each other.
