Meet Aaron Villalobos | Youtuber & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Villalobos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I look at my Youtube channel like a business. Deep down I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Although I have worked at least 7 different jobs “9-5” jobs in my life with a boss giving orders, I was never a fan of it. I’ve always wanted to have multiple sources of income, whether it was creating my own clothing band, writing and publishing my own book, or freelancing. A day without being productive in any type of way always felt like a waste to me. There’s always someone out there grinding while you procrastinate. With that being said, I’ve been making Youtube videos since I was in middle school back in 2007. I was always creating random miscellaneous videos with no niche (usually video game-related though). It wasn’t until I started seeing other “Hip Hop” Youtubers such as BlackySpeakz, imDontai, Yadiiiigg, Helloyassine, and more that I said to myself… I could do this exact same thing, if not better. Nothing against any other Youtuber, but I felt as if I’ve always had that very animated, talkative, down-to-earth personality where I could create some really dope content. I needed a niche though. I figured why not talk about strictly Hip Hop, which I listen to every single day and know a lot about. I could grind every day for years and eventually create a platform and a brand that becomes bigger than me. I love the behind-the-scenes aspect of the hip hop industry as well as the live shows.

At this point, 3 years in, I’m going to continue grinding and create a platform big enough where the people/rappers in the industry recognize and respect my work ethic. Interviews would be something I’d love to do as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Man, I’ve been a creative person my whole life. I was always a good kid in school academically, nothing crazy though. Decent grades throughout, but was never truly book smart like that. One thing I’ve always had a passion for was entertainment. Video games, music, movies, cartoons, all that fun stuff. Graffiti played a huge role in my creative process starting in high school. I’ve been a huge fan of it ever since. I’m so into it, that I can see whenever a tag is new on the street and I can admire each letter. College came and I went to City Tech for Graphic Design. To be honest though I only went to that school because it was free. Shout out financial aid. It just so happened that I chose graphic design because it seemed fun. Boy was I right, and I dont have any regrets. Sure, sometimes I wish I had an engineering degree or something where I KNOW I’d be successful right away. At the same time though, I used those tools and knowledge that I gained from college and brought it to my Youtube career. It all comes full circle and I use those skills in my everyday life now with my editing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Williamsburg baby. Born and raised. Wrote and published a whole photobook about it. “Dear Williamsburg”. The greatest city in the world man. What isn’t there to do here? I have an infinite amount of memories with this place. Sure it’s changed a crap ton since I was a kid and doesn’t have the culture that it once had, *cough* hipsters *cough*. As much as its become over populated with the bikes, and condos on every corner, I’ll always have love for it. There’s so much to do here. I’m not even going to say the names of the spots because I don’t want ya’ll ruining it haha.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Blackyspeakz. Huge shout out to you brother. I’ve told him this and said publicly a bunch of times, that if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today. That boy is the Hip Hop YouTuber GOAT. He’s the reason why my channel is named what it is. Also, big shout out to my boy John over at Everythingcolossal.

He contacted me at the perfect time in my life. Not that I felt like my channel was stagnating or not growing, but he added a new tool to my arsenal. He has a bunch of connections in the industry, lives in New York like me and we bounce off each others ideas every day. I can see us doing some really special things in the future. Shoot, we already have a podcast going up every week. He’s blessed me with being his plus 1 for a few shows already, and I can’t thank him enough for that. Shout out to me as well. I gotta give a pat on my back for my work ethic and the constant self-motivation I give myself every day. If I ever feel like giving up, I remember why I even started in the first place. KEEP GOING. It’s all about consistancy.

Website: https://www.dearwilliamsburg.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsaaronspeaking/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-villalobos/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnvMedia

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/itsAaronSpeaking