“I told you motherfuckers it was more than the music,” proclaims Kanye West on 2012’s “Cold.” He’s referring to his side ventures in fashion and design, and he’s not the first, nor the last musician to crave more than hit records.
This desire makes sense. To make it big in a creative field like music, coloring outside the lines is basically part of the job description. Musicians are some of the lucky few who have the platform and resources to pursue wild passions outside standard music production. And now, with ever-evolving media and technology, they’ve hit the sweet spot for artistic gold.
Many musicians use their downtime to support causes and foundations that could be highlighted here, but listing a bunch of charities would get dull fast. So, instead, here are some of the coolest artistic “side projects” (the hobby kind, not the offshoot solo act kind) by musicians whose creative talent is well spent offstage and outside the studio, too.
– Danielle Janota
Staff Writer
