Shango $upreme Speaks on SAMURAI STICKS w/ Jaxon Mune
- printedraps
- Mar 7
- 3 min read
Written by Austin B.
If you’ve been keeping up with us on Instagram, you might have come across a track or two by Shango $upreme. He’s been on our radar for a while now and for good reason—he’s been tearing up the underground scene out in Baltimore and is looking to carry that momentum throughout the rest of 2025. In his recently released ‘Samurai Sticks,’ he and the featured Jaxon Mune effortlessly pour rhymes over a jazz-infused beat produced by Elduets. In just a couple weeks, streams for ‘Samurai Sticks’ have already outpaced all of his previous singles.
We recently chopped it up with Shango for an interview where we discussed his artistic influences, the creative process behind ‘Samurai Sticks,’ and what listeners can expect from him in the near future. Peep our full conversation below and don’t say we never put you on.
PR: Walk us through the process of putting ‘Samurai Sticks’ together.
SS: When I first moved to Baltimore, it was like being fresh out the womb. I was trying to find some type of homeostasis within myself and part of that process for me looks like firing up the studio and seeing what I can do. Eludets was a person I was working with for a while. I was working through some shit he sent me, heard the beat for ‘Samurai Sticks,’ and thought I could really do something with it. I sent what I did on it to Jaxon, but it was kind of awkward for him to get on the beat the way I had it—this was on a Monday. I don’t be having time like that during the week but I was not about to waste this feature. I had like four bars done the day prior to when he needed it. There was so much shit going on but I was able to finish that next morning before I went to work. He got back to me on that and yeah, that’s how we made ‘Samurai Sticks.’
I was trying to find some type of homeostasis within myself and part of that process for me looks like firing up the studio and seeing what I can do.
PR: What led you to tapping Jaxon Mune for the feature?
SS: At that time, Elduets was sending me a lot of jazz type beats and Jaxon raps over jazz pretty frequently. He was also one of the first people in my niche to really give me a look. So in my mind I was like “he’s talented, he seems cool, and he already fucks with my shit.” And that’s another thing too. When you’re doing a feature, you want the other dude to really rock with what you put out. It’s weird to be part of some shit that you don't like, even if it's just for money. So, it was all those things. All the boxes were checked.
PR: Those jazz-inspired beats you were getting from Elduets at the time—describe the role they’ve played in helping you develop your style to this point.
SS: So, I really fuck with Conway, Westside, and the Griselda guys. Chance the Rapper, J.Cole, and Smino were rappers I looked up to also. It can be hard to mix those styles with Griselda’s shit but If it’s on a jazz beat, it makes it easier to combine those influences and create something cohesive. The jazz beats allow you to be a lot more melodic than typical boom-bap also. It’s possible to do it, of course. But at that point in time, I didn’t feel like I had the finesse for it. That’s the thing about Jaxon, too. He’s versatile to where he can do it while doing more melodic shit also.
PR: Talk about your creative intentions for 2025 and your approach to music going forward.
SS: A lot more collaboration. Wherever I can find collaboration, I’m doing that shit. I’ve been doing music for 7 years now and it’s been mostly by myself. I honestly don’t have time to do it that way at this point, so I've been bringing people in to help. 2025 has had my strongest emphasis on working with people within the music community out here. My message to everyone is to go stream ‘Samurai Sticks!’ We've been doing numbers and the promo is just getting started.
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