Bassrush

San Antonio native Chris Marshall, better recognized by the masses as the crunkstep king Crizzly, has made quite the name for himself, building one of the largest fan bases in the bass music arena with the help of his hip-hop infused style.

Not only has Crizzly carved his own niche in bass music with his crunkstep vibe, his shows are completely off the chain, no pun intended. Not only has be penned jams like “Ass and Titties,” “The Way We Ball” and the his most recent release “Ima Go Hard,” but the anthem known as “Chain Hang Low” is nothing short of a banger, sure to pop off anywhere it’s played out!

Before he touches down in San Diego to wreak havoc at Bassmnt tonight—info and tickets here—the undisputed king of crunkstep and Pizza Gang leader chats with Team Bassrush about his new music, upcoming shows, and hints of new projects in the works!

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us! How’s life!?
Frickin great! Life is awesome, man. I’m literally doing what I love for a living.

You’ve made appearances at really cool festivals this summer! Any in particular that you’ve enjoyed the most?
Yes, I’ve been to a lot of festivals this summer and still plenty more to go! So far the best would have to have been Middlelands. Completely epic the way it was set up. The medieval theme was perfect. I ate a chicken leg, watched people joust, hung out with all my friends. It was perfect. The whole festival took me back to my rave days when I used to be an attendee. It honestly brought back that spark of going to a festival for me which I hadn’t felt in a long time. It sucks to say it gets old after a while but it’s only because of the constant traveling and lack of sleep. I had the whole weekend off to enjoy everything and it was well worth it.

Speaking of shows, you’re playing at Bassmnt tonight! Are you excited? Anything special you’ve got planned for your set?
Super excited I love Bassmnt including the whole staff. Fogo is my dawg. I’ve been working on a new mix and I ended up making a ton of new edits I’m stoked to play out! Also have a grip of new unreleased stuff I’m ready to drop.

Seems like you’ve been focusing more on producing with some tracks for free download. How have fans been responding to new Crizzly bangers?
I’m very thankful to have one of the sickest fanbases out there. They’ve always been receptive to whatever I put out. From the beginning I’ve always focused on playing whatever I like listening to and I think people have grown to expect that from me when I release a track. I do mostly make bangers but I’m usually not making anything with a specific bpm in mind. Lately I’ve had a bunch of 80 bpm come out, which is random. I have no clue why I even made it because it makes planning a set way more complicated than usual, but at the same time it helps me look for different tracks than what everyone else is playing.

“Ima Go Hard” is your latest release? How have fans liked it? I’m sure it causes chaos at live shows.
The feedback has been dope! It was mostly for live sets and now that it’s out it’s been even more fun to play since people finally get to jam it in their car, gym, or wherever they like to turn up.

Don’t chase Likes. The people who last the longest and really enjoy doing this are the people that don’t care about that stuff.

Can you talk a little bit about how you started your career? Not many people can accomplish what you have in such a short about of time.
It’s always funny to here that but I actually started DJing what feels like forever ago—10 years to be exact—so it definitely wasn’t a short amount of time! I mostly started playing at weddings and school dances but I eventually started making beats on my computer while I was going to college. I started mixing dubstep with a bunch of dirty south / crunk records and that was the key. I just did something no one had really done before and kind of grew a following based off of that. A lot more people today are spinning hip-hop in their sets but it’s crazy to think how hardly anyone was doing it back when I started it. The crowd reactions were the best and honestly still are to this day. I love when everyone gets on that same vibe and then the drop happens and they lose their shit!

You’ve built a loyal fanbase over the years that rep #pizzagang hard! What does #pizzagang mean to you?
Pizza Gang / Slice Gang is a collective of likeminded people. We all have a good time and support each other through everything. It’s all one big family and we’re changing the world one slice at a time.

Any advice you’d want to give to those who are interested in exploring producing?
Get addicted to it. That’s when it’s the most fun. Don’t chase Likes. The people who last the longest and really enjoy doing this are the people that don’t care about that stuff. Who cares if you get more likes on the next track? It’s about making stuff you love and if your happiness relies on what other people think then you’ll surely be doomed to a poor existence. If you fall in love with the process of making beats you’ll be enjoy this forever.

You’ve hinted at an upcoming Crunkstep mix coming soon? It’s been awhile about two years. Anything special you can talk about this?
It’s gonna be awesome! I’m super stoked. There’s so much good new music out that all my friends are making. I’m super excited to show the world. I hope SoundCloud doesn’t take it down right away, though. That would suck.

Anything special you’ve got coming up you can talk about before we go?
The mix will be here soon. More festivals on the horizon, more pizza. Life.

Are there any special shout-outs you want to give before we go?
Shout out everyone who has been supporting me since day one. It’s crazy to still run into people who talk about shows they saw me perform at from when I was just a kid. Brings me back and makes me feel warm inside. Thanks for giving me a chance to do what I love!