Navigating the Nap: Rapper Drayco McCoy reflects on his time as an artist in Indianapolis

Words by Seth Johnson
Photography by Polina Osherov
Assisted by Anastasia Glenn
Videography by Leo Soyfer
Style by Katie Marple
Grooming by Jon Gregory for Aesthetic Agency
Set by Erica Parker & Baylee Shuman
Props provided by Tim & Company’s Another Fine Mess
Special thanks to Jpaul Atelier

In recent years, few Indianapolis musicians have found as much success as rapper Drayco McCoy.

While performing on some of the city’s biggest stages, both as a solo artist and as the frontman of Indy hardcore band Inner Peace, McCoy has also grown a strong online presence, with hundreds of thousands of streams across YouTube, Spotify and more.

In order to reach this point, however, McCoy had to navigate the local Indianapolis scene, just like anybody else. With this in mind, we had Seth Johnson catch up with Drayco for the cover story of our issue focusing on the Industry of Music.

Seth Johnson: What was your relationship with music as a child, and what are some of your earliest memories of music growing up?

Drayco McCoy: I have an aunt and an uncle who used to just blast music all the time. You’d get in my uncle’s car, and he’d just turn that shit all the way up until you could feel the entire car shaking.

I grew an attachment to music and art around the same time. I’d hear songs in Disney movies, and I’d really want to remember the words to them. I didn’t realize how many other people didn’t care about that. [laughs] I didn’t really want to make music until middle school. That’s when my life changed.

SJ: When did you begin to plug into the Indianapolis hip-hop community, and what were some steps you took to do that?

DM: First, I made a mental list of everybody that was around. I remember talking to a couple people after I went to one or two shows. I didn’t connect with people like John Stamps and Oreo Jones until I first started coming around with Indiana Chief. He introduced me to Sirius Blvck, and we made a mixtape together. All of these people would be like, “Bro, just keep coming around. You’ll meet everybody if you just come around and show love.”

I also think my internet presence helped a lot. People were able to see my face, and then be like, “Oh, I just saw you dropped something.” Or, “Bro, you’re funny on Twitter.” [laughs] All of that helped a lot. It was just a mixture of footwork and hard work, but those two have to go together.

SJ: What are some of the advantages to being an artist from a smaller town like Indianapolis?

DM: I look at Indianapolis as a sandbox. There are a lot of things here that are actively being built, but there are also a lot of things that are still nonexistent, like a major rap record label or a bunch of famous rappers that are here overcrowding us all. That gives us a really good opportunity to be able to be known here, instead of being in a place where there are so many famous people and no one cares who you are.

SJ: On the flip side, what would you say are some disadvantages to being an artist from Indianapolis?

DM: You get complacent here sometimes. You kind of get satisfied with the level you’ve reached. Some people are like, “This is it — I’ve won.” And some people can’t figure out how to get through to anything higher because there’s nothing else to pull you up. Then, you think, “Maybe I need to leave because there’s nothing here for me anymore.” Maybe you stop at some point, or maybe you just do the same thing forever. It just feels like there’s limited growth sometimes.

SJ: How has living in Indianapolis had an impact on your sound as an artist?

DM: The rappers here have had a big impact on my sound. Artists like Maxie, Sirius Blvck and Flaco really inspired me to step it up lyrically and with my consistency, while also representing where we’re from.

One thing I wouldn’t have learned unless I was from here is how to perform. Like, performing my songs without the lyrics playing. That was a big thing, and it really turned me into a better performer. If I wouldn’t have seen people around here do it like that, I probably would’ve never thought about it. It just encouraged me to be a better artist.

SJ: How have you gone about reaching people outside of Indianapolis with your music?

DM: The internet has always been a huge tool of mine. It’s really hard to understand sometimes, especially since things come in waves. Back in the day, people on popular blogs and YouTube pages were posting about me, and my music was going up that way. These blog posts and video hostings would turn into traffic towards my SoundCloud, and then the numbers on SoundCloud would turn into people making anime and gameplay videos with my songs in them. Essentially, they’re all co-signs.

Working with other artists and big producers also helped me a lot on the internet, but I never tried to do those things for attention. I really just admired these artists and producers, so I’d reach out. A lot of those relationships haven’t died too, which feels great as well.

SJ: What excites you about Indianapolis hip-hop right now?

DM: What excites me the most about Indianapolis hip-hop is I don’t know too many people who have quit, and I’ve been doing this for 10 years. The people I came up seeing have been doing it for longer than me, and I really haven’t seen anybody quit. I feel like people are still very hopeful. I’ve also seen a few people from Indiana blow up, like Midwxst and Omar Apollo. There are a lot of people from here who are killing it, and I think it’s keeping hope alive. Everybody realizes they’re just one song away. I love the excitement in the air.

SJ: What advice would you have for a newer artist in Indy who’s trying to find success in the local scene?

DM: Don’t be afraid to explore different avenues — you’ll never know what you could be best at. I’m going to use myself as an example. I started doing interviews, which led to my podcast, Bleedin’ Out with Drayco McCoy. I wanted to get into graphic design, so I started drawing the cover art for that show. Now I have something else that I can do whenever I feel like it, and that’s how I can find my importance whenever I feel like something else isn’t working. Another example would be to switch genres. I started my hardcore band, Inner Peace, and I’ve found a lot of success in it so far. I’m exploring another culture here that’s thriving through that.

You can always do something else or try something new. You never know where life will take you here. Indianapolis is a place where you can do and be whatever you want. Just get out there and do it.

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This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our friends at Life in Indy.