How koda is dedicated to documenting

By Matthew Becerra

Photo courtesy of Tré

Koda's approach to creativity starts with the world around him, the people he spends time with and the experiences he collects throughout his life influence his music and videos.

He started writing songs in notebooks when he was young, mostly to pass the time. His first serious step into recording came when his older cousin booked a studio session

One of the songs made during the session was released under the name “KODA” and  surpassed a million streams, bringing him attention before he had fully figured out who he wanted to be as an artist.. 

Koda drew from the sounds of other rappers, using their music as a blueprint while learning how to make his own. 

His inspiration comes from his everyday life and the people around him. He wants his music to reflect both the good and bad experiences that shape it. 

More recently, he began moving away from that approach, developing a style that felt more natural to him. 

“I strive to make something different,” he said.

That new pursuit has led to a new difficulty  creating music. Koda said he rarely runs out of ideas when filming, but music sometimes leaves him with writer's block he hasn’t experience before. 

Rather than forcing himself to keep recording, he steps away and waits until he has something worth saying.

This is when videography gives Koda another way to keep creating. His relationship with filmmaking began through skateboarding, which his father introduced him to when he was 7. By middle school, he was learning tricks and spending time skating with his friends. When he started filming their sessions, he realized he enjoyed documenting skateboarding as much as participating in it.

Koda bought a camcorder from Amazon and spent years making skate videos before expanding into music videos and other projects. His work with Neighbors Skate Shop has continued that connection to skateboarding, giving him opportunities to document the people and sessions surrounding the shop.

Both music and videography are pursuits he wants to develop without sacrificing one for the other.

“I hear people tell me that I got to pick one all the time because you got to give 100%, but I don't know,” he said. “I want to pick both of them.”

Rather than forcing himself into one lane, Koda continues to build on the two crafts that have shaped his creative life. Whether he is documenting a skate session or working toward his next song, he is learning to let each process develop at its own pace.