Since his first project, ‘Tsarina’, Col3trane (born Cole Basta) has been one to keep a close eye on, and with the release of his new EP ‘Heroine’, he has yet to disappoint. Raised in London by Egyptian and American parents, the young artist continues to flow through an amalgamation of RnB, hip hop, trap, pop, and electronic sounds that are both easy to vibe to, and lyrically intriguing.
When listening to his body of work, it’s clear that Col3trane’s musical and cultural influences are broad, and his obvious disinterest in staying in any prescribed lanes is evident. With new jams like “Heroine” and Goldlink-featuring “Superpower”, an FKJ collab, and an album hopefully closely on the horizon, it’s exciting to think of exactly where Col3trane’s development as a musician will take him next.
We caught up with easygoing Cole while he was in London, preparing for his US tour, to chat about handling the hype, the trap that is Reddit, FKJ’s new ‘do, and the big projects he’s currently cooking up.
Best Before: You sound like a busy man. Are you gassed? Your new EP is getting great reception. How have you been dealing with all the hype?
Col3trane: It’s been good — you end up making music and holding onto it for a while, so to have other people be able to listen to it besides me and my people is nice; it’s like a release after holding on to these songs for so long. Yeah, it’s been a good reception and I’m just excited to go and tour the music and play it for people.
You’re about to do a US tour, then head over to do one in Europe, are you amped to start performing it or are you still wanting to relax a little bit and let it soak in?
I definitely, definitely want to start touring it. I really want to start playing it. I’ve played it a couple of times in a couple of different scenarios and situations, but I’ve never done a whole show with it so that’s exciting. I’m excited to play in America, and South America, and I’ve never played in places like Brussels, Norway… To play in places like that is really exciting.
“It’s important to me to be able to have the necessary tools that I need, to be as creative as I can be.”
What would you say is the craziest place you’ve been to as part of this journey, where you like took a step back and kind of said, “I can’t believe I’m here”?
I went to Kazakhstan to shoot a music video, so that was a bit wild.
Kazakhstan? As in Bor…?
Yeah, but it’s a great place you’re not allowed to talk about Borat, ha! It’s very beautiful place, and very different to the way that it’s described in that movie. It’s really, really beautiful.
When you release music it’s almost like you want the visuals to be on a different level to a lot of other artists. You deliver interesting lyrics, the beats are great, the flow’s great and on top of that you also make sure that there’s great visuals to accompany the whole delivery. Is that important to you? Are visuals something that you’ve taking a special interest to and do you have much contribution?
Yeah, of course. I’m in the process of making my next video right now, kind of in the birthing process of it. Over time I’ve been blessed to work with amazing visual artists and see how they work, and you’re able to trace shit that they do to have a better understanding of the vocabulary that you need, to be able to make shit you want. Like, when I’m in the studio, if I spent two years in the studio, I’ll be able to make a song sound the way I want it to sound just by being able to learn the language.
You can really communicate with the sound mixers.
Yeah, the production, the mixing, you know what I mean? I’ve been able to learn that language, but it’s tough with visual art because it’s not something that I’m innately passionate about. With music, it was very easy for me because I just spent all my time doing it. I haven’t done that with visuals, but I’ve started to do that a little bit more now, because I do love making videos — I really enjoy it. The next one I’m making is gonna be really dope.
I think that’s cool being able to vocalise what you want instead of kind of saying something like “I want it to be more…lit?”
Yeah, exactly! It’s important to me to be able to have the necessary tools that I need, to be as creative as I can be.
You sneak a lot of arty references into your lyrics and generally your vibe is somewhat different to what one would expect from an artist in your genres or age. You had an album called ‘Tsarina’ [Empress of Russia], you have “Penelope” with ancient greek mythology references in there [Homer’s Odyssey], Shakespeare in another song. Where do you think that came from?
I think it’s because I like reading and maybe the way I was raised. I like knowing things, I like talking about things and I like being able to put things in my music that maybe not everyone else is putting in — not on an ego level, these are just the things I like talking about. Especially, as you say, the ‘Tsarina’ stuff and the historical references, ancient references — there’s so much weight to those stories. And for me to be able to interpret those and make them my own and backflip them to be on my level, it adds so much texture to the music. I’ve always enjoyed doing that, even with the new shit just kind of sneaking things in there yeah but you know. I appreciate you picking shit up though, no doubt, ha!
Funnily enough, one reference that actually confused me, that I had to look up was the meme reference with the “DESGUSTING” clip in Heroine, I was like “what is this?”
Right, right, right… Yeah, that one’s funny!
Do you have a favourite meme at the moment? I was wondering if that one stood out individually or you’re into the general ‘funny shit on the internet’ culture?
Umm.. ha! A little bit… I seen this one shit my girl showed me yesterday. It was this mad skinny cat with like its hands up in the air it was mad funny. I’m not really one of those guys that are always on the internet though. I find memes funny like everyone else does, but I’m not like, “that’s my favourite meme!”, or something like that. I’m not like one of those guys who are like scrolling down Reddit.
Ha, I’m surprised you even know what Reddit is — that’s already a lot of Internetting right there.
Yeah, that’s the thing, Reddit is great for some things, but I mean I wouldn’t really use it for that. I used to use Reddit to find music, and downloads for when I weren’t buying no music, you know, all that shit. So like, Reddit can run! But obviously I’ve got way more important shit to do right now than fucking patrolling Reddit, ha!
“When I started out, I would literally put out a song and everyone would be like “Frank Ocean, Frank Ocean, Frank Ocean”. It used to always get to me.”
You seem to be doing more collabs, as of late, like the sick Goldlink link-up, RAYE, who I love as well, FKJ — which is like, woo — I love the jazzy vibes and that guy, great, great, great, collab.
Thank you, thank you.
So how do you pick who-
-Did you see he cut off all his hair?
Pardon?
FKJ cut all his dreads off, like a bit ago! Yeah, it looks crazy!
No, he didn’t?! What if that’s like the source of 20% of his talent? In the dreads, you can’t cut off the dreads!
Ha, yeah like he has got superpowers, crazy!
What makes you know who you want to work with?
I performed with him a bunch of times because we were in America at the same time. I also performed with him in San Francisco, at Coachella a couple of times. I came out at his show in LA. I got to be around him and his team quite a lot, and the way that guy operates he is, it’s just like crazy...The guy is an alien. I’ve never seen anyone play like that. I remember the first time I met him, he came to the studio and, obviously, I’d heard his music and I’d seen him a couple of videos on Youtube, but I wasn’t like a crazy fan before I met him. I’d heard of him then we met, we kicked it, played shit together, and after that I was a fan — a big fan. Really, like, he’s an alien.
Yeah I’ve seen him perform and the amount of instruments he just jumped on with no hesitation is just…
Yeah he’s amazing!
You can’t really look up Col3trane online without seeing a lot of references and comparisons to Frank Ocean. You know “the English version of Frank Ocean”, a comparison of your vocals, flow and things like that. Do you think that’s been more of a blessing or a curse?
To be honest, I don’t really care. It used to really, I won’t lie. When I started out, I would literally put out a song and everyone would be like “Frank Ocean, Frank Ocean, Frank Ocean”. It used to always get to me. I used to be like “What the fuck, you’re a fuckwit.” Go listen to Frank Ocean. No disrespect to Frank Ocean, he’s amazing and he makes amazing music, I love all of his albums, really. But it would be like, come on, man. It would really get to me.
Then I realised, after having a couple of conversations with a few people close to me it was like, yo, I do the same shit. If a new artist comes out that I don’t really know or quite understand, or I haven’t paid too much attention to and kind of get them on the fly, I’ve compared them to someone. I’ll be like, “He sounds like a mix between Tyler, the Creator and Playboi Carti, or some shit,” And people would be like, okay, and it’ll make them more comfortable to listen. I think comparisons make people more comfortable. They make it easier to listen to the music, and that’s ok. It really doesn’t get to me anymore because I understand that everyone’s gonna do it, and if it allows people to feel more at home or more at ease, more comfortable when they’re listening to my music, then I’m very with it.
“All the decisions that I’m making now are very purposeful and direct.”
You said recently on twitter that you think the ‘Heroine’ is the best music you’ve ever made. What makes you say that?
Yeah I think so, because I think like when I made…now I’ve got to try not to sound super arrogant when I say this…
Nah do it, go ahead!
Ha… when I made ‘Tsarina’ it was very much like I didn’t really know how to make what I wanted to make, and it all came from my heart, and they were all songs that I needed to make. I felt like I’d spent my whole life making it, even if I only recorded it in about a year. But sonically, and in terms of sound design and how I wanted to make the sound that I want, it was a really great way for me to learn. Making that, I learned so much.
Then, over the next year I had a lot of stuff happen where I just kept learning. I’ve only been doing this shit for maybe like three to four years, so I’m still learning how to make shit sound the way I want it to sound — how to use my voice the way I want it to be heard, and how to use the instrument that is myself. This project, to me, was like, “I understand what I want to make, and I understand how I want it to sound, and this is how I’m going to make it.” All the decisions that I’m making now are very purposeful and direct, which I think is really exciting.
Have you heard any interpretations of a song of yours — let’s say “Heroine” — by people constructing their own meaning of the song lyrics, or what you mean by “Heroine”?
I had a lot of people think that the whole thing was about me being a smackhead, ha! That was the whole thing. They didn’t quite get it. Actually, I think I need to hop online – I think I’m gonna do that today – I’m gonna go online and be like “Yo, I’m good.”
Nah, give me that exclusive! Can you confirm here that you’re not a smackhead?
HA! Yeah, I’m good, I’m straight, I’m straight.
What does success look like to you?
As you’re getting more music out, you’re getting different magazine features, you’re seeing your streaming numbers, touring.
Is it money, is it getting that 90210 postcode [reference to his “Penelope” lyrics], is it awards, is it selling out shows?
Yeah, all of that fam, ha! To be honest, I never really like to think about that stuff. I like to just stay in the moment and trust my instinct, trust my guts ,and whatever happens with all of that shit down the line, I’m good with that. I just need to stay focused on what I’m doing right now and everything will fall into place. I mean, please don’t get me wrong, I’d love to tour the world, I’d love to sell out shows, I’d love to do all of that, and it will come. It’s coming, but right now it’s about staying with my feet on the ground and just making moves.
Looking into the future, are there any genres that you think you’d like to touch on in the future that maybe you haven’t yet? Your taste seems really wide, so is there anything that maybe you’d like sampling a little bit?
Hell yeah! Yes is the answer. I don’t want to say too much about it because I’m checking it out, but most definitely I’m gonna be expanding and trying new things.
Everyone’s really excited, congratulations again on ‘Heroine’. You’ve worked really hard and you can tell on the EP. It’s a great body of work.
Thank you so much.
Listen to ‘Heroine’ here: