Today we’d like to introduce you to Ru AREYOU.
Ru, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Some kids start watching children’s TV-shows like Barney and Teletubbies. I was a bit different than the rest. I was watching ninja turtles, power rangers, Bruce Lee movies and all kinds of kung-fu movies. At four years old, I began Tae-Kwon-Do. Martial arts was my door to pursuing the world of art. My mom (with the camcorder in hand) and sister would egg me on saying, “Dance Rudy! Dance!” I was the type of kid to start dancing when I hear something I like on the radio. I always had headphones on, listening to music while drawing, watching cartoon network, soaking as much inspiration as much as possible. Dragon Ball Z was my staple of inspiration growing up. I developed a love for hip hop through my older cousin. He had a black-book (graffiti sketchbook), had friends over recording their raps and listening to Wu-Tang Clan & playing Nintendo-64 in between sessions. My older girl cousin had dance crew sessions in the garage. During Filipino family parties, my older cousins would choreograph a dance and have us perform it for the titos and titas at a young age and would throw money at us in return. The culture I grew up in Sacramento, CA developed me into such an “artsy” head.
I had an older friend across the street that would always sit in his 1970’s beat up Buick that had 15’s in the trunk, listening to his beats he freshly burned on CD. He would wave me down to come listen. I was always impressed that he made those beats. One day, I finally had the courage to ask him what he made beats on. He told me the software and the rest was history. By the time I reached middle school, I discovered Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D. They were my biggest inspiration on the scale of hip-hop culture. For my 13th Birthday, my parents bought my first laptop and I saved up my money to buy FL Studio. From that day forward, I tapered off playing video games and got obsessed with making beats. By the time I reached high school, I was a worldwide champion/instructor in sports martial arts. I joined the school dance company to feel “normal” like any other teenager. By 16 years old I started a clothing line called “Fresh X” and a rap group called “Hearing AID”. After I graduated high school, I went to an art school called “Ex’pression College”. A year and a half later I watched Michael Jackson’s “This is It” in theaters. I came home that night and told my parents I want to drop out of college and move to LA. I did exactly that and pursued my career.
Has it been a smooth road?
The journey as a student of many arts is such a beautiful struggle. My parents would always tell me to focus on one thing at a time and I would refuse to do so because of my attention span with wanting to do multiple things. Music was my escape from the other arts. I took music at a serious level when I moved to LA in 2010. When my music wasn’t reaching out how I wanted it to be, I would hide under a rock and work on my craft. I grew up thinking the harder you work, things will come to you. There is definitely some truth to that statement, but in the music industry I soon found out that’s not everything to the recipe to a successful artist. My first “break” was with Chris Brown. I thought I had made it after I got this placement. It was for his mixtape “Boy In Detention” and I’m proud to say I kickstarted his rap career. The song was titled “Real Hip Hop Sh!t #1”, it was recorded after my first big gig in the entertainment industry as a professional martial arts tricker. It was the Grammy’s with Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith in 2010. I remember Chris saying he wanted to shoot a 90’s style video to the song, shot in black and white. By 4AM, we shot the video in the alleyway of the music studio. A week later, it hit World Star Hip Hop. I was in Hawaii with my family for vacation when the news got out. I was getting notification from people in my city, ?uestlove, 9th Wonder and more. I felt so accomplished, but at the same time, a little confused because usually when someone makes it, they’re rich. This wasn’t the case at all. Speaking of 9th Wonder, he jumped on the bandwagon and sent Chris a beat-pack. Chris Brown rapping on Boom-bap beats was a big shift in the music industry at the time.
When the Mixtape released, I was looking forward to seeing my name on the credits. Come to find out, 9th Wonder was put in my place of production credit. At that point, I was lost and didn’t know what to do. I started to question if I really loved making music. As a producer, seeing your name credited to a super-star is huge for a kid coming from a small city. That was just one rock on the road through my beautiful struggle. It has taught me to be very optimistic and be smart with how I go about my music. I’ve built a self-confidence through experience to keep pursuing my vision as an artist. The vision has become quite clear over the years with the power of patience and persistence. Being patient has been a huge role as far as having multiple entities. I always wanted to see results right away. It’s one thing having a great idea, but to put it in fruition you have to let it grow. The nourishment and attention I gave to all of the planted seeds after 15+ years are finally starting to sprout.
What else should our readers know about you and your work?
I am a professional martial arts tricker/dancer, producer/artist, clothing brand owner/designer & leader of an entertainment collective driven by music. Ultimately, I’d like to say I’m a ‘pluralist’. Just as Pharrell says in CliqueTV’s interview, a pluralist is “when someone is passionate about a dozen other things and really good at it”. As a creative, I was always against the fact that society puts people in boxes. They do that in order to try and keep track of what the human race is capable of doing. I am the type of human being to go against the grain and fulfill my life as much as possible. If you put me in a box, I’ll definitely will want to break through.
Martial arts tricking/performance/dance is my first love. I’ve bred champions and taught all over the world. I’m known for my style, power, speed and the weapons called the kama. Over the years, I’ve created intricate spins with the kamas that is still used in the sport martial arts world. I’m most proud of the legacy I built within my champion students and the knowledge that I’ve learned will live through their students. Being from Sacramento, we dance a little different. I’d say I’m the perfect mix of the suburban and urban culture. It’s just how I was raised. You can see it in my movement with martial arts and how I fuse it with dancing. Especially dancing with the Jabbawockeez and being a member of Quest Crew, it shaped me into an incredible creative. That led me to being one of the first professional martial arts trickers in the entertainment industry for Justin Bieber’s “Purpose World Tour”. I’m known as one of the very few martial arts trickers in the industry that can pick up choreography and can do it at a high level.
I am most passionate at being a producer/artist. My dedication has made me a better musician and an even better listener. I’m most proud of my recent production credits I have with artist/good friend, Duckwrth. He’s a great example for our next generation. He too is a pluralist, an artist in the Hip-Hop culture that brings his flavor of funk, jazz, alternative/punkrock & R&B to the table. I’ve written raps in my early days of making music, but Duckwrth definitely inspired me to get out of my own skin and own up to my artistry and express myself to the fullest. When people see me perform my music, they say things like “you have a strong presence when you perform!” or “You got me hype af!” Or I’ve heard “you either make me want to rage really hard or make me want to cry cuz of your really really sweet lovey music”. From all the comments I get after performances, it’s safe to say versatility is my strong point. All of the knowledge I’ve learned from Martial arts and dance, I’ve applied to my music. I know I have something unique to offer to the hip hop culture.
This next entity is my most prized creation out of all of them because this speaks to the human race. I own a brand called REALIZEYOU which stands for ‘infinite recreation of self’. Meaning to be better than your yesterday’s self. I believe REALIZEYOU can change the world by helping others to deprogram themselves of self-doubt. A self-help reminder when wearing these garments to become who you want to be and never letting others tarnish the strength of your mental health. The mission is ongoing and it has slowly been spreading worldwide. It’s so heartfelt to hear people from India back down to Brazil say their likeminded belief in REALIZEYOU and what it stands for.
Lastly, I am the leader of an entertainment collective called Awesome AWESOME S.H.X.T. (Souls Here eXtending Thanks). I make sure that our vision will be projected as a whole. Conducting a group of the multi-talented artist is a big responsibility, but I believe in each and every one of them representing this collective. I am most proud of us as a collective because we are all down to develop and grow for the culture we share. By doing so, we believe it will set a great example of what we represent. We believe in the human soul, therefore we represent individuality. We are here to change the now for the future by extending our potential in art. We are beyond thankful for the gift of curiosity with the power of creating. What sets us apart is that we have a wide range of services we offer to the world. Again, we are the first entertain collective driven by music. We provide: shows/events/music-production/film production/dance choreography/live painting/magic & more! It’s best to say you’d have to come to one of our parties and experience the type of entertainment and crowd we bring. It’s one awesome AWESOME CULTURE.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Los Angeles is a perfect place for all creatives alike. I recommend all creatives to find out what their hometown has to offer first, then branch out. It’s important to get rooted with where you come from. I can see it becoming an overwhelming place for someone that isn’t ready to jump into an ocean full of creatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: RUAREYOU.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/Ru_AREYOU
- Facebook: facebook.com/beatsbyruareyou
- Twitter: twitter.com/ru_areyou
- Other: AwesomeAWESOMESHXT.com
Image Credit:
Kanya Iwana, Christian Fy, Kyle Cordova, Gestoni Ramagoza
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
