Squalla

Describing himself as “an alien from outer space,” Squalla is known for his catchy lyrics over the hardest-hitting beats, paired with an out-of-this-world personality that fans can’t get enough of. Born in New York but moving to Houston at age 4, the rapper was heavily influenced by his older brothers: growing up on the likes of Method Man, old 50 Cent, Biggie, The Lox, all the OG New York rappers.

Squalla always knew he’d do music, from the time he started writing raps at 11 years old. Writing endless bars and realizing he was nice with it until age 18, it was until a few years ago he started recording songs in the studio. Before that, he was “wasting time, petty trapping just to get by,” he states with a laugh.

With songs like “Floating,” he flexes braggadocious bars and matches it with the utmost energy — a banger for the clubs and functions all around the world. He spits, “I ain’t living for the Gram, I’m trying to make millions.” Boasting 21K followers on Instagram alone, the rising star pushes motivation and inspiration to all his fans, reminding them to follow your dreams and get to the money.

Now, Squalla is excited as ever to be releasing his newest single titled “Robert Horry,” featuring Houston legend Lil Keke. Faunt caught up with Squalla in downtown Los Angeles to discuss his Houston influences, how he got his name, creating “Floating,” getting Lil Keke on board, goals, and more!

Houston has so much culture, how was it growing up there?

Honestly, I really love being from Houston. I didn’t really appreciate it as much until I moved. Started moving around going to different places, I realized there’s no place like it. Even still when I go home, damn this is crazy. It’s a different type of place, we live by our own rules.

When I think of Houston, I think of chopped and screwed.

I honestly didn’t even like Houston music because I had that same mentality of how New York thought it was slow and dumb. My brothers had me thinking like that but by the time I got to middle school, I’m like “this is cool.” I started bumping Big Moe, Lil Keke, Slim Thug, Lil’ Flip, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, all them since the age of 12. The culture is very strong so being out there, you’re going to get that. I didn’t even know I was country until I came out here [LA]. [laughs] We have a lot of culture, the chopped and screwed is still definitely very alive. As you can see, other places have picked that up. It’s big in hip-hop. Even outside of hip-hop, people are using the sound.

What was the inspiration behind your name?

I played basketball growing up, my old AAU coach gave me that name. He was extra country, he always gave everybody a nickname. He used to call me Pop Squalla, I don’t know why. Shout out to him, he kind of saved my life.

How did he save your life?

Playing AAU basketball, that was during the summer. One certain summer if I wasn’t playing, I probably would’ve been in some shit. That’s when I was thinking I was hard, getting into stupid shit. I was 15 or 16 playing AAU, I didn’t have time to be anywhere else.

Are you nice?

I’m cool. I ain’t no All American, but I have a little something. I ain’t no scrub. Looking back especially with the music now, seeing how much you have to really put into something to be great at it, I didn’t put nowhere near as much. I was doing it just because. My brothers played for real, went to college and all that shit. As far as myself, I was playing and ended up being good at it. - Flaunt Magazine

Don Juligans just shared their debut music, “Kreayshawn.” Consisting of multi-platinum producer/rapper Mike Zombie, charismatic, Sengalese rapper, Squalla and Houston’s FRE$H (formerly went by the pseudonym “Short Dawg” as a Young Money recording artist), each member of Don Juligans have their own unique story, flow and style. However, their respective differences arguably make Don Juligans one of the more intriguing groups that you should watch in 2022.

The track is a party-ready single, named after viral Oakland rapper Kreayshawn. Moreover, it finds the trio spitting boastful, yet nostalgic, lyrical rhymes that subtly pay homage to Texas rappers and culture. “Play dumb/Got my check right, I can make bond/ (Aye, Aye) Double cups white like Kreayshawn,” FRE$H raps on the chorus.

In the new 4-minute long, AROD2UP-directed clip, Don Juligans jig and perform their catchy Mike Zombie-produced record at a variety of locations such as the mall, a private landing strip, a parking lot, and a Crown Fried Chicken. It doesn’t take long to realize the newly-formed group has a strong chemistry. This easily explains why their energy is so contagious.

Lastly, watch the official “Kreayshawn” music video below, and save the single on your preferred streaming platform here. - Kazi Magazine