Why Music was in 13Stoagie’s Destiny

The South Jersey native knew he was born to make music.

Image Courtesy of American Boy Inc.

For Ricardo Paneque, music has always been his fate. He has been musically inclined since he was a kid. Growing up in South Jersey, Paneque, who goes by the moniker 13Stoagie, gained his passion in the church choir when he was young. By the seventh grade, his best friend Jaden taught him how to play the drums. In less than a year, they won the eighth-grade talent show performing a Led Zeppelin melody, which Paneque labels as a Grammy for a child.

A few years later, Paneque discovered FL Studio, a software program for music production and sequencing. Like any aspiring producer, Paneque embarked on a journey that started from the bottom. His early beats may have sounded amateur, but with each practice session, they evolved, gradually transitioning into the commendable beats that would later define his career as 13Stoagie.

“The beats could be trash, but you're like, ‘I am the greatest,’” he says. “Looking back on that time period, I indeed was not the greatest.”

The alias 13Stoagies is a testament to Paneque’s lucky number, thirteen, despite people telling him that’s an evil number. He also came across an Arnold Schwarzenegger quote from an interview: “I smoke my Stogie anywhere I want. I don’t have to find a hideout place like you.”

In February, Paneque executive-produced Only1Casper’s album, Phlegmatic Ending. “Only1Casper is a really fun artist to work with due to his versatility,” Paneque says. “I had a blast putting this album together. It’s a hard-hitting, melodic album that takes you through the various emotions that come with love. From artwork to song order, tweaks, and changes, Only1Casper and I really made sure we put together a spectacular album.”

A month later, Paneque released his debut instrumental album, Phunk! The eight-track album is an homage to Brazilian Funk blended with Jersey beats and ambient elements. That dynamic can be heard in songs like “La Pistola” and “DOYUHLIKEASEXX??” He also incorporated his early Jersey Club mixes for fun because that’s exactly what he wants this tape to be.

“This project really was me just saying “I make more than just sample beats and type beats,’” Paneque says. “It also helped me visualize Stoagie, the producer, as an independent, away from the producing-for-artist side of things.”

Paneque says being from New Jersey helps him be more versatile than other cities. While many cities and regions have signature sounds, Jersey’s sound is ever-evolving. To Paneque, it’s a blessing to be from New Jersey because he can explore new sounds to keep things fun and exciting. He’s also influenced by his friends, who are also engineers. They help him make strong beats and encourage him to take risks, like mixing beats.

If he could describe his sound, he would say it would be fresh and innovative and constantly push the agenda forward. He soon wants to begin DJing and producing EDM music. Some of his friends play EDM music, and Paneque has become inspired by the euphoria people feel when they dance to the high-BPM sounds.

“I would love to work with any producers and artists who are really making something new and weird,” he says. “I love Working on Dying; FourFive is definitely somebody up and coming that I would love to work with, all the “sexy drill” producers and artists like Cash Cobain and Chow Lee. Honestly, I feel like my list could be infinite. I just love making good music. There have been so many small producers and artists that I've worked with on my journey that really blew me away as well, so I'm not always looking at the big names for collaboration.”

As Paneque finds his own sound, he says he has yet to set a timeline for where music and producing will take him. Meanwhile, he’s made a pact to remain humble and disciplined to continue learning.