The Playground Meets: Ashoka
By: Zahir Byam
Hailing from Rockland County NY, Ashoka is a rapper and singer-songwriter that makes music he insists people could relate to, live, party, and cry to. He began making music in his junior year of university by toying around with the idea of it. Ashoka began creating voice notes, practicing the craft, and always being involved with it during his high school years. He soon realized that music was a gift that he should hone in on after some of his friends gave their stamp of approval.
Last year, Ashoka released an album titled ‘Through the Fire’ which contained standout tracks like “Somebody’s Daughter”, “Waved”, and “what’s the vibes?”. Since then, he’s dropped a slew of singles including “40/60” and most recently, “Triggers” - a song that uses a rhythmic melody inspired by an annoying encounter with someone on the phone. He believes that this record was a message that would be true to himself and that would be relatable to everyone. This song was released on April 16, 2021 and so far boasts over 10k streams on Spotify. Ashoka states that the video is coming soon. He’s become prominent enough with his music and social media presence to attract the attention of DJ Mustard and was signed to his record label before parting ways citing creative differences. “He saw my potential and believed in me. It was a developmental situation that didn’t work out at the time.”
For the rest of the year, Ashoka has many plans up his sleeve. He is currently working on a project, which he considers a “level up” from his last work. He plans on giving people the best music they could ever have! Ashoka is a firm believer in fate which is why he’s adopted the saying “This kingdom is yours”. This is a saying that has resonated with him and his friends. It pretty much sums up his journey through life. “It doesn’t matter where you start, you can always achieve whatever you put your mind to.”