Get To Know Splash Zanotti, South Florida’s Unrivaled Unifier

Undoubtedly rebellious, yet distinctly soft-spoken, Splash Zanotti hails from South Florida. Spending majority of his early life in between both Broward and Dade counties, the outspoken lyricist is no stranger to systemic destitution. “I’ve seen everything bro, I’m numb to all this shit.” No matter what county he was in, Zanotti was entrenched in extreme poverty. Throughout it all, the only thing that remained constant was his impromptu family.

“We were all fucking outcasts. We started this from the ground up. No one was supporting our wave until we created it.”

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That family Splash found himself growing closer to consisted of other notable artists including Ski Mask, Lil Pump, Smoke Purpp, and the late XXXtentacion. All growing up in similar environments, the camaraderie between the group was bred from a shared distaste for society and the condition they were born into.

Aside from one hilarious story, Splash Zanotti reiterates that their age differences weren’t ever brought up by the group. “We never looked at how old each other were. It was all one age. We were all going through similar shit, sharing similar pains and stories.”

“There was this one time though. I was picking Pump up from his mom’s crib. He hops in the car, and I ask ‘Yo – drive for a minute, I need to roll a blunt.’ Pump looks over at me and says, ‘n**** do you know how old I am?!’ That shit had to of been around 2014. He was like 14. (Laughs)

Growing alongside his talented friends, Splash caught serious momentum in 2018 culminating with his album, Sz Canis Majoris. Distinctly more experimental than his previous more aggressive work, Zanotti makes it clear that the album’s reception – good or bad – wasn’t on his radar. “I made that to try to help heal Florida. There was so much sadness.”

That sadness that Splash Zanotti is referencing is the murder of rapper and close friend, XXXtentacion. “People were in a dark place. The youth were visibly depressed. The cloud that came over Florida in the aftermath of Jahseh’s passing was hurting the people. When I dropped Sz Canis Majoris, I really showed a different side of me, musically speaking. I felt like it was my responsibility to create a new energy and wavelengths to really help heal the community. I couldn’t keep dropping grunge or darker music and expect people to be energetic.”

Alongside the passing of his close friend, Splash Zanotti has been dealing with further personal transformation. I asked him how the influences drugs, more specifically Xanax, played in the role of his development as an artist. “Did you (or Pump) ever feel responsible for the tracks you put out that seemed to ‘glorify’ substance abuse?”

Without hesitation, Zanotti responded, “The wave we were on was a dangerous one. I think we were caught up in it. What made it worse is that fans would try and copy what they thought we were doing. Eventually, people started to lose their life to this shit. It isn’t a game. If you glance through my recent work, I’ve strayed away from that lifestyle. The drugs are a facade, and the high that come with it isn’t real. I hope the youth understands that.”

Understanding the power of his voice and music has been clearly transformative for Zanotti. Alongside his own personal transitions, he’s made a decisive goal to help heal his community. “There’s a cultural division between Broward and Dade. There isn’t any mutual support, and talent is being overlooked. Growing up in both areas, no one can tell me shit. I can truly see how pointless the divide is. I want my legacy to be founded on unity. We should be coming together to support each other creatively,” Splash reiterates passionately.

To further express his goal for cultural unification in South Florida, the rapper has taken it upon himself to continue upon his 2018 concert “Set Day” featuring highly acclaimed and up and coming artists alike. The venue last year was sold out, home to an invigorated youth, ready to celebrate South Florida.

Splash Zanotti expressed his unequivocal excitement for the event, “It’s really an honor to be able to put this shit together. I fund it all on my own, and to see the community together really inspires me.”

Image result for splash zanotti — *Splash Zanotti + Murda Beatz*

Accompanying his upcoming concert, Splash has a full-fledged EP dropping with award-winning producer, Murda Beatz. Connected through mutual collaborator SmokePurpp at SXSW, the two Hip-Hop craftsmen hit it off quickly. “I remember meeting him at SXSW, and the energy was there. I sent him some of my songs and we agreed to put out a project together.” The project, titled Kame 2 Far 2 Give Up Now, is set to release in the upcoming weeks.

The new tape will be arguably the biggest of his career. As we highly anticipate the collaboration between the two hip-hop heavyweights, stream Zanotti’s latest project available for streaming, Feelmywrath.