The Puddcast Episodes 9 & 10: Arkh Zeus

By Harry Gustafson
 
puddcast

Artwork by Cat Elia

 

When you’re a teenager and you first start making music – maybe by picking up a guitar in a garage band, fiddling with some torrented DAWs on your first home computer, rapping over beats you ripped from Soundcloud, pick your poison – it can be hard to see the larger vision, to remind yourself that this is something you’re going to have to stick with, hone, and commit to if you really want to get good at it. Our expectation is immediate, that we’ll be as good as our idols right out of the gate. Many are disheartened to find that this music shit takes dedication. 

Arkh Zeus

BUTTERFLYTRAP Album Art

Enter Arkh Zeus, who started rapping on beats when he was just 15. Fast forward six years later to the point where he’s producing his own material (with assists from longtime friend and collaborator Owen) and you can see an example of the progress he’s made, a progress that you can easily track since all his albums, even those early teenage efforts, remain streamable. 

Back in 2020, we covered Tensai IV, another entry in Zeus’s album series that follows the saga of an anime-influenced hero that serves as a stand-in for the rapper, one honing his own craft. I was pretty hooked to his sound from the jump. For the latest episode of The Puddcast, I sat down with Zeus. In the episode, Zeus walks me through the larger story arc at play across the multiple albums in the Tensai series, plus his progression as an artist, the honor he would take in going toe-to-toe with some of his biggest influences in the rap game, and our mutual love for Kid Cudi. 

Since recording the episode, Zeus released a new project called BUTTERFLYTRAP in September, a temporary departure from the Tensai storyline. 

Listen to The Puddcast wherever you access your favorite podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to the show and share with your friends, too. Plus, stream Arkh Zeus’s music on the streaming service of your choice. Also, be sure to check out the accompanying playlist on Spotify, which features Zeus’s tunes as well as some of the artists who get shoutouts on the episode.