Drifting Deeper- Musical detour to under the SUNDER.

A thinker. A teamer. A drifter. A dreamer. NobodyButSunder is the epitome of a “free artist”. Unboxed and Unorthodox. His music can sway to and from any direction, delivering his truth in waves of wordplay. Energetic and eager to borrow our ears, connecting with our heart space along the way. Chatting with the Ferguson/Dellwood native at south city’s The Kre8 Place was an encounter of intrigue.

Sunder Sattlefield Jr., aka “NobodyButSunder”, came into the game of life on a musical note. “Fun fact, the “Temptations” movie came out on my birthday. My mom and dad were watching it in the hospital when I was born.”, he shares. A mark of destiny for the melodies, it’s safe to say that Sunder surrendered with both hands up…but kicking and screaming.

“My mom’s side of the family always did music, my grandmother used to do Black History programs.” Sunder’s surroundings eventually cultivated an organic love for oral storytelling and the performance arts. “Growing up, I always loved Eddie Murphy.”, says the artist. The 25 yr. old also admires “outspoken artists”, such as Andre 3000, Childish Gambino, and the late and great “king of pop”, Michael Jackson. “I loved how diverse he was and how he wasn’t afraid to stand out. Even with what he was going through.“ He also shares that he admires the “technical skills” of rappers Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, and late British-American rapper, MF Doom.

Sattlefield’s style can be described as “alternative, low-fi, EDM, pop, soul.” “Like one side is tame, the other is really loud and expressive. I’m so balanced that I can pretty much do and say whatever I feel like.”, he elaborates. “That’s my favorite thing about art, you don’t have to be inside a box. When people ask, “so you rap?”, I’m like “eh…kinda do. I dabble a bit.” NobodyButSunder’s first project was “My Lost Drift” in 2017, along with his single, “Rainy Days”. “Rainy Days” became a crowd favorite. Other artists and I had a group called “Playback Gang”. We would perform our catalogs at local open mics. That was one of the first songs I felt comfortable releasing.”

“I Don’t Know Y’all!” and “Bruce” were released in August of 2018 on streaming services under his label, Dreamer’s Bound. “When I first started out, it was like a really dark place in my life. So, it was expressing how I feel. Now the recent work that I’ve put out is about finding myself and sharing how you should make sure you know who you are, and not letting anyone else tell you that. Be more comfortable with you.”, Sunder explains.

Sunder’s debut album, “The Fall of Sunder” was released in April 2020. Collectively, NobodyButSunder has released 3 studio albums, and over 20 singles. His latest album “Finding My Drift”, was dropped in February 2024. “It’s the flipside of my first project “My Lost Drift”. The goal with this album is to make a 360 from my first project. This time, I’m like “I’m tired of going through the same depression and stuff and not doing anything about it.” Let’s flip things. I had to release and let things go.”

Currently, NobodyButSunder is gearing up to perform more, stand out, and collaborate. “I think the goal for right now is to explore more of the sides of music that I haven’t tried before.” The further this artist ventures; it will always come back to his passion…finding his LIGHT and shining it bright. Drift on.

“Don’t go for the popular. Be YOU and stand out.” -NobodyButSunder

IG: @nobodybutsunder