Conversations with D’Angelo Garza

Today we’d like to introduce you to D’Angelo Garza.

Hi D’Angelo, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started getting into music at a very young age. I was only 7 years old when I started writing down rap lyrics. I used to listen to a bunch of music as a kid and told myself one day I’d become big in the rap game. I’m still keeping that flame going to this day. I would get bullied all the time in school so music was my way of escape. I grew up in an abusive household, my mother wasn’t much of a mother figure, and my father is locked up until I’m 45. So in a way, making music was something that would make me feel like I had a purpose.

At 17 years old I started producing beats in HS back at Greeley Central High School in a small room in the science wing. During my off blocks, I would just make whatever. It felt great but only got better when I started writing to my beats. I used to write down my emotions and feelings all the time. I deal with anxiety and my teachers were my go-to when it came to talking about my mental health. Some days felt like a battle and some other days felt like I owned the world.

My life took a sudden change, but It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 that I dropped a track titled “You Want” with my producer IzzyBelabid from the Netherlands. Since then everything took off, and I was grateful to have been featured on Thisis50, Hype Magazine, XXL Mag, and more! I go by the stage name Sauce.K and I’m only 2 years in and still getting started with live performances. I just performed in Denver on 12/30 & Colorado Springs on 12/31.

They were my 3rd & 4th performances ever since I’ve ever started and it feels like 2023 is the year they’ll multiply! By the age of 21, I was selected as one of the top 30 influencers under 30 in the Northern Colorado area being the youngest influencer ever! 3x Best Musician of My city, 2x best musician of Northern Colorado, I debuted 2 of my songs on 105.5FM which eventually led to me becoming the Listener’s choice award winner with over 1,000 votes in the Sonic Spotlight showcase.

A competition for musicians ages 22 and under who are selected among 20 professional music panelists who select the top 8 of all submissions. I’ve been given over 7 plaques from the Music streaming awards achieving over a quarter million streams on my Bad Habits EP and achieving over 100,000 streams across 6 singles.  My song Envy was also featured in Colorado’s top 100 songs on Apple Music Debuting at #94. And my newest Single Ease the Pain had charted on the UK’s top 30 Itunes charts peaking at #15. For more info about me, my website can be found in my bio on my instagram! @Sauce_k18

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The main struggle along the way is how envious and negative my city is when it comes to the rap community. I don’t bother anyone and stay in my zone and I get people sending me threats and people claiming my stats are fake and whatever nonsense they can think of. I’m from Greeley Colorado, a place where I’ve lived the majority of my life but I don’t claim it. I claim Colorado any day just not Greeley.

There’s no competition here, it’s just straight hate, and nobody wants to see anyone make it out. I feel like I’m doing that and trying to shine a light letting the world know that we have talent, but the Hip Hop/Rap community tends to shut anyone out that tries. But at this point, I just laugh at them and keep surprising them with the amazing opportunities god has blessed me with!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make HipHop/Rap Music! People know me more because of my character outside of music. I’ve been someone you can trust with anything. And when I put my thoughts and emotions in my music people can relate to it or even just vibe with it. I feel like I specialize in story writing, stories about my life. People I’ve lost, struggles I’ve gone through as a kid, and even now as an adult. Music is made for the heart, not just for the ears. People connect with the music and that’s my passion. I wanna connect with people across the world through music.

What I’m most proud of is that despite growing up in a dark world all my life I still found a way to shine. I had it hard growing up and I’m kind of thankful for it because it’s helped build who I am today. What sets me apart from others is that I don’t get in the mix and keep to myself. You never see me or hear me being in some kind of mix or scuffle. I do music because I love it and it’s all for fun if the music doesn’t work out for me. I’m happy I was blessed to even make music.

Who else deserves credit for your story?
Most definitely didn’t do it alone that’s for sure. My producers Izzy and Samuel push me to come back harder on the mic every single time. My teachers pushed me to believe in myself and chase my dreams. Shoutout to Mr.Davis, Mr.Pranke, and my 2 SRP teachers Alex & Maria. They’ve helped me graduate and push me to the limits of what I was capable of. I’m the only male graduate among my cousins and uncles, the majority of them are either gang affiliated or in prison.

So they’ve helped me take a different route in life and break my family’s curse. Last but not least, the fans and haters. The fans I gotta truly thank every one of them. They keep me going every day! The amazing messages and positive support helped make my days a lot easier. It makes me happy knowing that I found a way to connect with someone by doing what I love. As for the haters, it makes me happy knowing that I make them waste their day talking about me every time my name pops up in an article. Either way, I keep winning despite all odds!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/sauce.k
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Sauce_k18
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sauce.K19?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@SauceK18

Image Credits
Jesus Alex Arreola, Golden Destiny Photography, ReefWya, and JoBabbCreates Qoncert