Tap In With: Undrgrnd SuperFan Chrystian Sanchez
By Andrew Mason | March 24, 2020 | Undrgrnd Magazine
He claims Pofsky (@trappofsky) and KollegeKado (@kollegekado) were his favorite live performers from the first Undrgrnd magazine release party back in January, while “lil vudu” (@lil.vudu) has more recently caught his eye.
If you’ve been hanging around the Ventura County rap scene lately, you might’ve run into Chrystian Sanchez (@csanchhh). The Mexican-born, Newbury Park-raised 22-year-old is one of the biggest supporters of local hip-hop who I’ve noticed since I began Undrgrnd and my dive into “The 805’s” music world.
Sanchez, in my eyes, is a fan. An objective, third-party fan with no music of his own. He frequents shows, knows his fair share of artists on a first-name basis, and streams their music regularly. And for that, his thoughts on the matter carry weight.
Not surprisingly, Sanchez has been a supporter of Undrgrnd since its inception. So I sent him a message and later that night we met up to discuss the current state of Ventura County underground hip-hop music.
The 2016 Newbury Park High School graduate says he chooses to follow the local rap game because he finds inspiration in seeing others in his own community strive to become clouted artists.
“You went to school with these people,” Sanchez says. “[They’re] down for this...they might have side jobs, but they’re down to rap.”
“I love how Undrgrnd magazine has brought so many artists to my attention,” Sanchez says. “lil vudu reminds me of Tay-K 47. It seems like he’s gonna blow up.”
Sanchez specifically points out Pofsky and Tuesdayys (@tuesdayys) as two of Ventura County’s artists who he believes are building a solid enough Instagram and Twitter following to promote themselves and their music.
“A lot of people know what [Pofsky] does everyday, which is like workout and then make music, which is pretty dope,” Sanchez says. “Honestly, everyone’s pretty active [online] right now.”
Scheduling more shows and collaborating with artists outside “The 805” are two ways in which Sanchez wants to see local rappers grow in 2020.
It’s admittedly refreshing to see Sanchez show interest in these rappers' lives and careers. “The Five”’s musicians can get as talented as they want, but the music scene out here will not grow until more residents give local artists a chance.
“I feel like a lot of these artists are getting popular by the day,” Sanchez says. “I’m hoping one of them gets famous.”
Sanchez (red hoodie) enjoying an artist performance at the UNDRGRND Magazine Issue #1 release event on Jan. 17, 2020. Photo by @luizzy_g.