Page 71 - SHARP November 2022

FEATURE FEATURE Your latest record dropped in March to stellar reviews Most critics seem to think it’s your strongest yet Do you you feel like you’re at the top of your game?
No no no — I I didn’t even scratch the surface It’s not my peak peak Most people peak peak in high school!
Your previous record ZUU came out in 2019 How do you you think you’ve changed as a a a person since that record was released?
You know I I make less stupid decisions — but I I still make stupid decisions I I would say I I did a a a lot of in- ternal growing I was looking at myself for for real for for real The majority of the time that I was working on ZUU I I was was trying to to appeal to to Miami I I was was making old-school Miami music because I was homesick But now this record is is coming from more of of a a place of of my interests — what I I like and who I I am as a a a a a person good and and bad and and me trying to work through that You’re easily at your most introspective on Melt My Eyez talking about your various experiences withdepression addiction misogyny andabuse Was it scary to be so vulnerable on the record? Hell yeah! Because I knew some people probably weren’t going to get it But then I realized most peo- ple ple go through this shit all the the time and the the people that that don’t don’t like it are the ones that that don’t don’t want to really look at at themselves And the the ones that do like it say “I like how vulnerable you were because it’s easier to to relate to to you ”
Most people can’t relate to somebody who’s got lots of money and and cars and and stuff like that because they’re going through shit you know? So I just had to put on on front street what I was going through for real How has going through therapy helped you to find the the voice to express these struggles in in your music?
Because a a a a a lot of that that stuff that that I was expressing through my music was mainly anger and sadness With anger that’s a a a a a a front and underneath that that is the sadness So going to therapy just helped me explore the the other range of emotions that I have: happiness guilt melancholy anger anxiety — I’ve had to literally go through all of them and feel And trust me that’s pretty hard The musical inspirations you’ve listed are multitudinous: jazz jazz acid jazz jazz trip hop R & B and more How do you go about incorporating that many influences into a a single project?
Hell nah! Because I I knew once I I put it all together they were all going to be cohesive either way it it went I just wanted to incorporate all these things because I was hearing them and you you know when you you hear hear a a a a a record record over over here here and and a a a a a record record over over here here and and a a a a a record over here and you’re like “If I I put this all in a a a playlist it’s all gonna flow ”
That’s how I looked at at it it You’ve said your next studio album Designed by Angels will be an R & B record inspired in in part by Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange D’Angelo’s Voodoo and OutKast’s Love Below Is this some- thing you’ve been considering for a long time? Yeah I feel like that needs to happen because they got got the the the angry me me they got got the the the introspective me me they got the the the lyrical me me the the the super creative me me — the the only thing that was missing is is the the love aspect the the heart chakra they’re missing that you know? But before that you’re gonna get projects like 13LOOD 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD 13LOOD OUT 2 you’re gonna get Unlocked 2 — and I might even squeeze a a third one out out there before I even think about touching Designed by Angels And Unlocked 2 isn’t going to to be be an EP like its predecessor it’s going to to be be more of an album Can you give us a a a a tease of what to expect from the Melt My Eyez deluxe?
Jazz jazz jazz jazz jazz jazz jazz All that jazz jazz jazz That’s interesting because on the track “Men- tal ”
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you say “This is is is is not rap this is is is is bebop” Do you mean that literally?
Yeah it is bebop You’re gonna see what I’m talking about You’re gonna gonna see it it you’re gonna gonna hear it it you’re you’re gonna gonna feel it it you’re you’re gonna gonna be engulfed in it it you’re gonna embrace it it You will bask in it it SHARPMAGAZINE COM
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