G Herbo

G Herbo

Courtesy Photo: Haley Scott

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G Herbo Talks 'PTSD' And The Importance Of Mental Health: "People Need To Treat Mental Health More Seriously"

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The Chicago rapper chats about how he's using his newest album and his platform to de-stigmatize mental health and demystify the commonly misunderstood mental disorder
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Jul 24, 2020 - 6:00 am

On the title track to his newest album, PTSD, Chicago rapper G Herbo enlists his hometown's hip-hop heroes, Chance The Rapper and the late Juice WRLD. (Philadelphia's Lil Uzi Vert is the track's lone guest not hailing from the Windy City.) 

On paper, "PTSD" creates the impression of a heavy-hitting anthem: four of the genre's biggest artists coming together like the rap game's The Avengers. Instead, the song offers an intimate look into the minds and vulnerabilities behind hip-hop's new generation. 

G Herbo raps about the friends he's lost to Chicago's extreme gun violence. Chance talks about how he and his mother avoided talking about the social issues plaguing his community. Lil Uzi sing-raps about the paranoia-induced "war zone laying inside my head." 

Juice WLRD's emotionally charged chorus encapsulates the song's overarching theme: "I got a war zone on inside of my head / I made it on my own, they said I'd be in jail or dead / I've seen my brothers fall over and over again / Don't stand too close to me, I got PTSD."

As the album's poignant centerpiece, the track embodies G Herbo's mission to de-stigmatize mental health and demystify the commonly misunderstood mental disorder, clinically known as post-traumatic stress disorder, across PTSD.

Originally released in February, PTSD is inspired by G Herbo's personal experience with the mental health condition—he was clinically diagnosed with PTSD in 2019—and the therapy treatment he sought to address it. Following a gun-related arrest in 2018, he agreed to enter therapy based on the suggestion of his lawyer. He'd never attended therapy before and, admittedly, he didn't know much about the practice, a likely result of the many barriers preventing people of color from accessing mental healthcare.

"I didn't really think [therapy] was something that I needed or something that was for me, because where I come from, the things that we go through and the things that we experience, we sort of normalize," G Herbo tells GRAMMY.com. "So we don't think that we're crazy. We don't think that we're suffering from mental illness because we're paranoid for our life, because everyone around us is paranoid for their life. So we don't feel like the oddball, and I think that needs to change."

Across PTSD, G Herbo tackles heavy, real-life issues through a personal lens. "Gangstas Cry" dissects toxic masculinity, "Lawyer Fees" chronicles the gun violence that infested his childhood and community, and "Feelings" documents his relationship problems with the mother of his child. 

Despite, or maybe because of, its self-reflective intimacy, the album is resonating with G Herbo fans around the world: PTSD became a Top 10 Billboard hit, while the title track has gone gold in the U.S. (In May, G Herbo released the deluxe version of PTSD, which features 14 new tracks.)

"I never really gave it much thought about [the album] being too heavy for people, because I felt like people may look at my situation and my life like I don't do these things, like I don't have problems, like I don't endure pain or stress. I just wanted the world to know that we all are the same," G Herbo says of PTSD, which he calls his "most complete" project to date. 

Five months after the album's release, G Herbo continues to use PTSD and his platform to effect the change he wants to see in the world. In May, alongside the Alliance For Safety And Justice, he donated 20,000 protective masks to Chicago's Cook County Jail, which was identified as the "largest-known source of coronavirus infections" in the U.S. in April. For National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month this July, he launched Swervin' Through Stress, an initiative providing therapeutic and mental health resources, including a free therapy-intensive program, to Black young adults. 

"I think people need to treat mental health more seriously," G Herbo reflects. "You just have to take these things seriously so more and more people can be aware and more people that could bring change actually want to bring change. That's what PTSD is [about]."

GRAMMY.com spoke with G Herbo about the personal journey behind PTSD, the importance of mental health and the coping mechanisms he's adopting to survive our current volatile world. 

Your latest album, PTSD, is inspired by your experience with therapy. Was that your first time going to therapy?

Yeah. In the process of recording the album, I was going to therapy ... I'd never tried therapy until that period of time of my life.

Your decision to enter therapy came from your lawyer's recommendation after you were arrested in 2018. Looking back at it now, do you think you would have ended up in therapy eventually by your own choice?

I don't think so … But I can't really say that, because as you grow, you experience life more. You never know what your mind may open up to you, but I'm so glad that I did go to therapy. I'm glad that I did take that leap of faith to just go talk to somebody about my situation and just my thoughts, and get 'em to a person with an unbiased opinion.

[The decision to go to therapy] did come from a recommendation from my lawyer because ... as I grew as a man and an artist and having so much going on in my life and so much to lose ... when I got into that situation with the arrest in 2018, I felt like, "What did I do?" Or, "What led me up to this point? What could I be doing wrong? What miscalculated steps did I take, if I thought I was doing all of these things right, to get myself to the next level?"

You could see in life, I'm not in harm's way. I'm not putting myself in danger, but yet I was carrying a gun [that day] because I have post-traumatic stress disorder, because [when] I leave the house every day, I'm paranoid. I'm thinking that my life can be taken from me at any moment, at the drop of a dime, by somebody just making a careless decision or somebody just with nothing to lose, like I once was at a time in my life.

I opened up to my lawyer and told her how I feel and why I carry a gun and why I need to have a guard around me 24/7. She told me to go to therapy, and I felt like it was one step closer to me trying to help myself. So I wanted to speak about it to the world.

You hadn't gone to therapy previously, but you obviously knew what it was before you started your treatment. What was your opinion on or understanding of therapy before you started going?

I honestly didn't know too much about therapy, but that is the point. You're talking to a professional who's supposed to listen to your problems and give you insight on life in a way where you could try to help yourself. I didn't really think that it was something that I needed or something that was for me, because where I come from, the things that we go through and the things that we experience, we sort of normalize.

It's normal, it's everyday life. So we don't think that we're crazy. We don't think that we're suffering from mental illness because we're paranoid for our life, because everyone around us is paranoid for their life. So we don't feel like the oddball, and I think that needs to change.

You then took that whole experience and channeled it into what became PTSD. How did you go about creating an album out of such a personal experience?

I feel like it was only right for me to touch on [the topic] in a way where it could resonate with the entire world, not just my neighborhood. I began rapping and I was talking about the things that I experienced on that four-to-eight-block radius. I'm not really talking about things that the world can relate to; I was talking about things that only my neighborhood could relate to ... It did go head-on directly with PTSD. It is PTSD: losing friends and people dying, and you being close to death and being afraid for your life.

Therapy is not going to solve your problems, but it will help you think about life in a better way to just move towards where you want to be and just get through the toughest situations. That's why therapy is important to me …

Where we come from, we're not able to vent, we're not able to grieve because so many people around us are grieving and going through the same thing. Who can you vent to? Who can you grieve to?

When you went in to write PTSD at the beginning stage, did you already know you were going to theme it around your mental health and your own experience with PTSD? Or did the idea come to you later when you started working on the project?

The idea came naturally. I just wanted to talk about something that was near and dear to me, talk about my life and everything I've been through from a grown man's perspective. My music, if you go back to even my old catalog ... my first albums, Ballin Like I'm Kobe [2015] and Welcome To Fazoland [2014]—all of these projects, I'm speaking on these same subjects, just from a 16-, 17-year-old perspective.

It was always in a way to help people get through it, to help people better understand me and understand themselves and know that life isn't a coincidence. You're going through these things for a reason. They may be tough, but it's always a way to get through it. It's always a way to find inspiration and motivation in these negative things to change your situation, to turn your situation around. I think it came naturally. I didn't have intentions of creating PTSD the way I did. I think that's what's so special about it.

The album covers a lot of heavy issues. "Gangstas Cry" tackles toxic masculinity, for example. Were you ever concerned that your fans would not accept the album and what it was trying to dissect?

No, not at all. Because for one, no matter how tough your situation is, there's always somebody that's going through something 10 times as hard. So I'm not afraid to open up. I'm not afraid to be vulnerable in my music. I think that's what the fans connected to the most, because we all cry. Every man in the world has cried before. Whether you want to do it in private, whether you feel it's masculine, [unmasculine] or not, you still have shed tears for something in your life.

So I'm just saying it's OK to do that. I'm just saying it's a right to let it out; you have to do that sometimes. I'm not a crier, but I do cry. I have cried on many occasions for many things. And I'm completely, 100 percent secure in my masculinity. I know that I'm a man, I'm aggressive. I know that there's nothing wrong with crying. I just wanted to give a piece of me to the world that I thought that they would appreciate.

So no, I never really gave it much thought about [the album] being too heavy for people, because I felt like people may look at my situation and my life like I don't do these things, like I don't have problems, like I don't endure pain or stress. I just wanted the world to know that we all are the same.

You dropped PTSD back in February. The world has basically changed since then. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world. Protestors have taken to the streets demanding racial justice. A lot of Black citizens have been killed by police in that three-month window. How are you coping with everything now? What are you doing to keep your own mental health in balance?

Now, I feel I'm just trying to pour resources into myself, into my people, and just share resources to make things better. I've been speaking on these exact same things since I was 17 years old. I've always experienced racial injustice, police brutality and police injustice. I have friends who were killed by police when I was in eighth grade ... I'm no stranger to these things.

Now, I think with me just having my platform and me being who I am, I'm able to talk about it in a way where I can bring change to the situation in any way possible. I feel during these times, that's what I'm trying to do the most, just try to be strong for myself and my family through these tough times … [I] try to use my platform to speak on it, where people understand that, "Hey, it's no coincidence we're going through these things; we've been going through these [things]."

To bring change, you have to change. We have to pour resources into each other and start to move one step closer towards making sure that these things never happen again, because they shouldn't.

Read: Coping For The Best: How To Manage Mental Health During Social Unrest & A Global Pandemic

You mentioned the normalization of traumatic experiences in your neighborhood. I come from a similar cultural background as you, so I'm highly aware of the stigmas around mental health within ethnic minority communities. As a Latino man, I've heard people in my own community make jokes against therapy. What do you think needs to change in order for minority groups to get over that stigma and embrace resources like mental health and therapy?

I wouldn't say therapy is for absolutely everybody. So many different things can be therapeutic for a person. I feel just us being resourceful to one another, where people can understand that you can treat yourself in a way where you can ... do certain things where people who go to therapy can be resourceful. Certain things may work for certain people. So I feel that's important to just touch on these subjects … whether it's through therapy, whether it's through just talking to a friend, talking to your children or whatever the case may be. We just need to take one step closer towards telling each other.

This month marks National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. What would you want people of color and communities of color to learn about mental health?

That mental health is a state. That mental health is real. That anxiety is real. I think people need to treat mental health more seriously ... There's so much pressure right now where a lot of people don't know how to deal with it. I think that the people who do and the people who are in a better mind state, in a better position to survive mentally, physically, economically, financially, [who are] able to help others get through these situations ... I'm not saying you're going to be able to change the world with a blink of a finger. It's not an overnight process. You just have to take these things seriously so more and more people can be aware and more people that could bring change actually want to bring change. That's what PTSD is [about].

Do you feel PTSD accomplished what you wanted it to accomplish?

Yeah, I do. I don't have any regrets about the album, no ill thoughts about anything that it should have did that it didn't do. I felt like I was able to get my story out to the world, and they heard it and they appreciated it. Personally, I felt like it was a complete body of work. The album was my most complete, thought-out, well-put-together project that I've ever done; I know that from experience. I've never put this much time, this much effort—blood, sweat, tears—into my craft the way that I did with PTSD. I feel like the response it's getting is a direct result from that.

Do you think you'll continue to explore heavy issues and personal traumas, like you did on PTSD, in your future music?

Yeah, I do, because I feel there's always that one fan that you may have to speak to. But I think the more I experience life, it's not going to be the same. But people still experience trauma. We still experience pain. We still suffer, regardless of what level you're on. So I think me just being who I am, I'll always be able to speak on that. I'll always have a platform for people to listen because they want me to speak on it; they appreciate it. It helps them the same way it's helpful to me.

My music is therapeutic to me ... The things that I say are hand-in-hand with my life. It's 100 percent real, it's natural, it's organic. So it helps me the same way that it helps my fans. The response that I get from my fans I feel is only going to drive me to go harder with my craft, with my music and with the message that I'm trying to put out.

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Grammys Newsletter

Hit-Boy attends the 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Hit-Boy attends the 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

 
News

Hit-Boy On Producing Big Sean's 'Detroit 2' And Nas' 'King's Disease,' Carving His Own Path As An Artist

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The two-time GRAMMY-winning superproducer tells GRAMMY.com about his creative process behind some of the biggest hip-hop albums of 2020 and how he's paving a path as a rapper in his own right
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 5, 2020 - 5:19 pm

Hit-Boy might be music's busiest person in 2020. Across a four-month timespan, the two-time GRAMMY-winning superproducer quarterbacked four of the biggest projects in rap this year. In May, he dropped the fourth and final installment of his The Chauncey Hollis Project solo series, followed by Also Known As Courtesy Of Half-A-Mil, his collaborative album with Dom Kennedy, in July. He followed up with King's Disease, the 13th album from rap icon Nas, in August, and Big Sean's fresh-out-the-oven Detroit 2, released Friday (Sept. 4)—both of which he executive-produced. 

But for Hit-Boy, it's just another day in the office.

"It's too many artists trying to tap in for me to just work on one thing at a time, but I still am able to give my focus," he tells GRAMMY.com on the eve of the release of Detroit 2. "It's like quantity and quality. I don't know how to explain it right now."

With his mind on his music and his music on his mind, Hit-Boy is used to juggling a packed calendar in the studio. He's kept a 24/7-schedule since first breaking into the industry in the late 2000s. He's since become one of the go-to producers in the game, creating hits for everyone from Kanye West to Beyoncé to Mariah Carey. The versatile creative sees genre-hopping as a learning experience.

"I just get to learn more about different ways people make music," he says of his broad production style. "People in the pop world are totally different from people who make beats for Big Sean and JAY-Z … I honestly just like to learn, no matter what type of music it is."

Hit-Boy, who started off rapping before transitioning to making beats, is also busy carving his own lane as an artist. His new solo album, The Chauncey Hollis Project, and his team-up with Dom Kennedy, Also Known As, see him switching from behind the board as a producer to in front of the mic as a rapper. It's the latest progression in Hit-Boy's ever-evolving creative journey.

"I'm gonna just keep developing, just keep working, man," he says of his next steps. "It's a never-ending process for me."

GRAMMY.com caught up with Hit-Boy to talk about his creative process behind Big Sean's Detroit 2 and Nas' King's Disease, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his artistic approach and how he's paving a path as a rapper in his own right.

You've worked with just about everyone in music, from Kanye West to Jennifer Lopez to Beyoncé. Do you ever get nervous or anxious when you work with a huge superstar?

Earlier in my career, yeah. I definitely used to get a little nervous, but I always just believed I had something, even if all of it wasn't great. I know I have something in the batch that was going to catch people's attention. That's the same method I take on now, but I've just advanced so much at just being a musician and locking in on making beats ... Now that I got that science figured out, I'm just on damn near autopilot right now. I'm just getting placement after placement.

It sounds like you're in high demand. How do you juggle it all? Are you working on multiple projects at once? Or do you stay exclusively focused on one album or one project from beginning to end?

It's too many artists trying to tap in for me to just work on one thing at a time, but I still am able to give my focus. Like with Nas' album, King's Disease, we made time for our sessions, made sure there wasn't too many people around and locked in. My relationship with [Big] Sean—I've got a bunch of stuff on Detroit 2. I was able to still be in the zone, working on his sh*t, then also do a Nas album in the middle of that, and then work on Polo G's album and work on all this other sh*t I got going.

I feel like my method is like: Get to the studio before people show up, make as many tight beats as I can, all type of styles. Then whoever comes through that day, I'm going to have at least one or two that's going to catch your ear ...

It comes from me having my label deal and more so trying to focus on, I feel like, what was too many things at one time, which was trying to be an artist myself, signing a bunch of artists, trying to be a hot producer, trying to produce for everybody at once. That was too much, but now ... I work with whoever comes in my realm and respects what I do ... It's like quantity and quality. I don't know how to explain it right now.

Read: Lil Mosey On The Staying Power of "Blueberry Faygo," Life As A Teen Rap Sensation And Getting The Co-Sign From President Barack Obama 

You recently executive-produced Nas' latest album, King's Disease. Can you talk about the creative and production process behind that album?

I mean, obviously he's Nas. You know what I'm saying? Certain people know me—I'm Hit-Boy. But it's like, let's remove that and let's just try to make songs, let's just try to make records ... You could still pop your sh*t and talk about what you want to, but at the same time, let's just make this as enjoyable as possible. When we was going in, we just was letting the room lead the way and the energy was taking us to every next piece of the puzzle.

I just knew that it was a high standard with this project. People was going to really click play on this, and if it was whack, they was gonna let me know. So for so many people I respect, like younger producers like Metro [Boomin], like Pi'erre [Bourne], Tay Keith, and then I got people like Timbaland, Swizz [Beatz] and all these OGs also reaching out [and] just showing respect—that just shows me [that] this hit the core of music lovers. People who really listening, they understanding this is really quality sh*t.

You also executive-produced the new Big Sean album, Detroit 2. What sort of vibe or sound did you try to create on that album?

I just wanted everything to sound modern, even like some of the soulful [songs]. The song we dropped with [Nipsey Hussle], rest in peace, "Deep Reverence"—it's like a real throwback, Roc-A-Fella-ish sample vibe, but then the drums sound modern; they sound new. So I kinda kept that through the whole project. It's just remnants of music we enjoyed, but it's placed in a modern way, so definitely just trying to make sure it was just a fresh sound.

You mentioned a bunch of artists coming into your studio. Are you currently producing with artists in-person? Or are you working mostly virtually and remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

We started the Nas album before the pandemic hit. That's what's crazy: We named it King's Disease before we even knew about the corona. Giving us that time during the pandemic when it was super shut down, we got to really sit and just really produce the record like how we wanted to. That was a good thing.

I'm kinda doing it both ways. People been hitting me [up] crazy. I've been emailing stuff out, but we always get the better connection when it's in-person. Me and [Big] Sean, we worked on all our stuff just face-to-face. I'm cooking beats from scratch. We really just building it from the ground up, so it's always good to do it that way. But if you do have to email, there's nothing wrong with that either.

Read: DaBaby Talks 'BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE),' Black Lives Matter Remix Of "ROCKSTAR" And Rap's Obsession With Deluxe Albums

What do you lose and what do you gain from producing virtually and working remotely compared to working with someone in-person?

You just get more of a connection when you work in-person. You're able to get that instant feedback ... It just makes it easier to navigate. When you [send it], you're just kind of shooting blind and just hoping that the person connects with the beat you sent. It's just two different things. They both worked out for me, personally, I have to say. I feel like my best beats come when I'm just dolo, just vibing out, zoning out and just letting whatever come to me. But I also been tapping into just making a lot more beats with people, too. It's just all music at the end of the day.

Behind The Board: Hit-Boy 

Speaking of the pandemic, we've been in quarantine for a long time now. You're in and out of it in your studio. How has this pandemic and quarantine era impacted your creativity?

I honestly feel like I'm more creative than ever ... My son was born right when we went into quarantine, within a day or two. It's just been good for me to have his energy and be able to spend more time with him and not have to fly out [to] no places and doing even more than I'm already doing. I feel like it's just been a blessing for me, for real. It's just looking good, so I'm trying to keep the energy up.

In addition to your production work, you're also an artist. You're able to switch from behind the board as a producer to in front of the mic as a rapper. What kind of challenges come with that creative duality?

Man, it's kind of all just music to me ... Like sometimes, I might not even rap on my own beat; I get beats from other people. I'm able to just separate it that way. I'm not looking at it like, "Oh, I'm Hit-Boy. I'm about to make a song." I'm just like, "I'm about to say what needs to be said on [this beat]." Then when I make the beat, it kinda make me even more tapped in because I can get into the Hit-Boy bag and then just still give it that honest perspective.

What are you developing to carve a lane for yourself as Hit-Boy, the artist?

I'm just recording ... I put out The Chauncey Hollis Project. I did that in installments. I put out three songs at a time until it equaled 12 songs. That was just a moment for me, just being honest, just talking about my life, where I've been, where I'm going, what I'm on now. Just more of that, you know what I'm saying? More projects, more and more people featuring on my music now because I'm working with so many artists. They be hearing my sh*t. They like, "OK, I want to hop on this." I'm gonna just keep developing, just keep working, man. It's a never-ending process for me.

As a producer, you're switching from producing harder rappers like Travis Scott and Clipse to pop stars like Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez. Creatively, what do you gain from jumping around genres like that?

I just get to learn more about different ways people make music. People in the pop world are totally different from people who make beats for Big Sean and JAY-Z and stuff like that, for the most part. There are some people that can hop in multiple lanes, but not everybody can do that. I honestly just like to learn, no matter what type of music it is.

What are some other genres that you are curious to explore that you haven't explored yet?

Like some hardcore rock 'n' roll sh*t. Who knows, man? Country, I haven't done no serious country records. I'm down to just try whatever, as long as it makes sense and I could still really feel the music.

We're almost at the end of the year, which is crazy to think about. What do you have left in the pipeline for 2020?

We've got, obviously tonight, that Big Sean, Detroit 2. Then I got an album with Benny The Butcher that's dropping; we got some dope features on that, some dope, soulful production. I feel like that was the thing with the Nas album. People saw I was producing that, they was like, "He known for club records and 'N****s in Paris.' But what can he give Nas?" 

And then once people heard it, it was like, "OK, we get it now." I feel like with the Benny project, it's going to be [an] even deeper thing. He's a new artist, so it's just a blank canvas to be able to paint something that could be something crazy.

Read: Aminé Talks New Album 'Limbo,' Portland Protests And Black Lives Matter

How do you compare working with newer artists like Benny The Butcher and superstars like Beyoncé and Kanye West?

They both hungry for this sh*t. Beyoncé, she work like a new artist, too. But Benny, he got some crazy, hungry—just really coming from the streets and coming from his background. For him, coming to the studio, he be like, "Man, this sh*t fly that we in the studio together." I feel the same way. He really taking advantage of the moment. When we in there, when I'm playing some sh*t, he understands what's going on. He just attacking everything with the highest intensity.

So we should keep an eye on Benny The Butcher is what you're saying.

One-thousand percent.

You released the fourth and final installment of your The Chauncey Hollis Project solo series in May, followed by Also Known As Courtesy Of Half-A-Mil, your collab album with Dom Kennedy, in July. What do those two albums offer as separate entities?

The music I make with Dom has just got its own specific feeling. And I went for just soulful, just giving people an honest me on my project. That's what I always try to do on every song. But with [Also Known As], we always just kind of create a vibe, something that females can mess with, and then you can just ride to it ... We always just creating music. We always just recording ...

Those two albums put you directly in the artist seat. Where can we expect those two artist projects to go next?

Honestly, I can't even call it, bro, because I was just moving off instinct. When I decided to drop the first installment [of The Chauncey Hollis Project], the first three songs, it was the night before. I just had recorded the songs, started mixing them, and I was like, "Man, I want to drop this sh*t." I made the decision [to drop it] Wednesday, [then] dropped it Thursday ... 

I still got people hitting me, people DMing me daily, listening to The Chauncey Hollis Project, listening to [Also Known As], people in they ride playing it. It's like, "OK, we headed in the right direction." So I can't even call it, man. You never know how this thing is going to go. But I'm just going to continue to make the music that I feel, and hopefully people connect with it.

Go with the flow.

Yup. We one song, one project at a time.

Are you always thinking about music, 24/7?

I am, man. That goes back to when I said I had my artist [deal] and I was working with Kanye and I was working with Beyoncé and JAY-Z. I had a point where I was like, "Man, I'm definitely not even taking no sessions if it's not Kanye, JAY-Z or Beyoncé." That's a crazy thing to be able to say within your lifetime. I'm not going to say it hurt me, but I feel like I should have been spreading my sound out a little bit more, especially with not having a tag and not having my brand all the way up where I needed it to be.

Now I feel like I've been playing catch-up. That's why I was able to do a bunch of songs on [Big] Sean's sh*t, do a bunch of sh*t on [Nas'] King's Disease, because I'm seeing the field different now. Once I catch that connection with an artist, it's over—we just tapping in. It's something about the type of grooves and the type of beats I'm making right now that makes people want to make songs, so [I'm] really trying to take this sh*t to a different level.

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Lil Mosey

Lil Mosey

Photo: Jeremy Deputat

News

Lil Mosey On The Staying Power of "Blueberry Faygo," Life As A Teen Rap Sensation And Getting The Co-Sign From President Barack Obama

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The breakout rapper tells GRAMMY.com about the life lessons he's learned since dropping out of high school to chase his hip-hop dreams
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Sep 3, 2020 - 10:30 am

Lil Mosey lives the type of high life most 18-year-olds can only daydream about. At the tender age of 15, the Seattle-bred rapper garnered worldwide internet acclaim with his 2017 debut single, "Pull Up." The track, which has since accumulated more than 33 million YouTube views for its official music video, went gold this past May. Not bad for a teenager.

But in Lil Mosey's eyes, living life in the fast lane at such a young age wasn't a choice—it was his only reality. 

"I feel like growing up, struggling and surviving at a young age, I realized, 'Well, I don't have it like other people do, so I got to figure it out. I got to do something so my mom, my family don't got to worry about nothing," he tells GRAMMY.com. "So at a young age, I started realizing some stuff that other people don't realize … My mind's a lot older than 18.

Propelled by the success of "Pull Up," Lil Mosey dropped out of high school while in the 10th grade and relocated to Los Angeles to chase his music dreams. Things started to move quickly: He was handling "real-life business things" at 15 and taking major label meetings on his 16th birthday. 

Fast-forward to 2018: Lil Mosey's debut album, Northsbest, officially introduced the then-16-year-old sensation to the world. The gold-certified album spawned the platinum single "Noticed." Lil Mosey had arrived.

The fast-rising rapper, who just hit legal age of majority in January, returns in 2020 with Certified Hitmaker (AVA Leak), an expanded version of his 2019 sophomore album, Certified Hitmaker. Released last month, AVA Leak is fueled by breakout single and song-of-the-summer contender "Blueberry Faygo," a platinum-selling Top 10 U.S. hit; "Top Gone" with Lunay; and "Back At It" featuring Lil Baby, the latter of which earned an official shout-out from former President Barack Obama on his 2020 summer playlist. 

"I'm just a little-ass kid, and a grown-ass president know about me. That's crazy," Lil Mosey exclaimed. 

GRAMMY.com checked in with Lil Mosey to talk about the staying power of "Blueberry Faygo," his experience as a teenage rap sensation and the life lessons he's learned along the way. 

What's it like growing up so fast and blowing up so big at such a young age?

I feel like growing up, struggling and surviving at a young age, I realized, "Well, I don't have it like other people do, so I got to figure it out. I got to do something so my mom, my family don't got to worry about nothing."

So at a young age, I started realizing some stuff that other people don't realize. And then sh*t happened when I was like 15. I moved out to L.A. by myself and I started dealing with ... real-life business things that grown-ups did at 15. My mind's a lot older than 18.

Do you ever feel like you're missing out on "normal teenager stuff"? Like prom, bullsh*tting with your high school homies, getting in trouble in school?

No, I ain't even going to lie. I stopped going to school and stuff. I never even went to the school dance or nothing like that. I ain't even miss it.

You're not in school?

No. I'm tired of going to school. I plan on going back to school ... Once my music career started blowing when I was 15 years old, I said, "F**k it, I'm going to L.A." I dropped out, but I was doing online school for a little. I started touring, I started losing focus on that sh*t, but I'm definitely gonna go back and get my diploma.

When did you realize you wanted to be a rapper?

Probably when I was like 13.

How did you get to that decision?

When I got into music, I just started watching how [people] were really living. I started falling in love with that high life, what the lifestyle could be like. It's legal, so I was like, "This is a good way for me to live my dreams." So I was like, "If they could do it, I could do it, too."

So I just did it. Started getting better. Everything you do, you got to put 100 percent into it. If you don't put 100 percent into it, it's not going to work out like you want it to. I did that every day at home ... Woke up, went to school late, left school early and just went home, started working. If I wasn't working, then I wasn't making money.

Was your family supportive of your decision to follow that path? What did your mom think when you told her you were going to quit school and follow your rap career?

She didn't want me to. It took me a minute to convince her. I was telling her, "Trust me, it's going to work out." I started to convince her. Really, I just had to just tell her, "I know you don't want me to go, but I'mma just go, because I got you. I'mma let you know, it's going to work out. I know it's going to work out."

And then she let me go, and I just left ... She started to come around with me, taking label meetings. She's like "Yeah, you did it."

What does she think of your career choice now?

She just wants me to be the best person I can be. If I'm happy, she's gonna be happy.

Read: Aminé Talks New Album 'Limbo,' Portland Protests And Black Lives Matter

Your career took off in 2018 when you were around 16.

Yeah, it really took off right when I was like 15, just 'bout to turn 16. I was in New York taking label meetings on my birthday ... It was like a good-ass birthday present for me.

So you're 15 going on 16 when things started popping off for you. When was the moment when you realized you had "made it"?

I mean, there's been times where I've said, "I made it." But at the end of the day, I know I'm not where I want to be. I know I can do better. I can be bigger than this. I can make more money than this. So once I'm to the point where I'm really, like, I'm doing this for fun, it's not even because I'm worried about, "I need to get here." It's just more fun, because I'm already where I want to be. That's when I'mma be like, "Alright, I'm where I wanna be."

What does success look like to you? Is it money? Streams? Touring?

I already realized money don't buy happiness. If people say that, then they lost; they don't know what they're talking about. Money can help you and your family, which will make you happy. But at the end of the day, there's always something that can actually make you real happy inside ... Yeah it feels good, but with money, there comes a lot of problems that make you unhappy, so you got to find other things that make you happy.

Music, that's probably the biggest thing that makes me happy. Once I found music, I got addicted to music, like it was a drug or something. Music—that's all I do. If I'm not recording, I'm making beats. If I'm not making beats, then I'm probably worried about some money situation, like, "How can I get my money?"

In between when things started to pop off for you in 2018 to now in 2020, what have been some of the life lessons you've learned in those two years?

Stack your money and flip your money. It's always been, like, flip your money back. Once I got my first check, I was like, "Damn, I'm up right now." But then I realized, you can't really have too much stuff, but you can. It gets to a point where it's like, if you don't wear that jacket, what's the point of having that jacket? So if I know I'm not going to even wear that sh*t more than a couple of times, then I'm not even going to buy that. I just started moving smarter ... with my money. I started thinking, "This n***a got a billion dollars. He's moving like this? Alright, well I need to start moving a little different."

I'm a rapper, it's sort of different because I gotta be an influence to everybody ... At the end of the day, if you got money and you're going to keep growing and get more money, that's not a good thing to worry about. The clothes, that sh*t's cool. But a billion dollars, that sounds a lot better. What are you going to do with a billion dollars? Make more money, and you got money to just buy whatever the hell you want to get, until you get to the point where you're like, "I'll buy whatever I feel like and it won't even pain me." 'Cause money goes fast. You start spending and it goes fast.

People are calling your track, "Blueberry Faygo," one of the unofficial songs of the summer, which is hitting a little different this year since we're in a pandemic. Do you think we're going to get an official song of the summer this year?

Fo' sho', 'cause people still care about summer. Regardless, people still going to be sharing with their friends, even if they inside. Summer's almost over, though. You right, actually; you speaking some facts right now. I don't even know if there is a song of the summer ...

Do you think "Blueberry Faygo" will take the song of the summer throne?

Sh*t, hopefully. That's for the people to decide. Definitely it hit ... At the end of the summer, it might get that title.

You released "Blueberry Faygo" in February. It hit top 10 in the U.S., and it keeps sneaking back up in the charts a few months after its release. What is it about "Blueberry Faygo" that resonates so much with rap fans?

I honestly think it's just a feel-good song. It's something fresh, some sh*t nobody heard before ...

I feel like that's what people need right now.

Yeah, in these times, that's what I be trying to spread a lot. I've got some songs that I haven't put out yet that I'm speaking on how my life has been. I like having fun with my music, so if it's not talking about having fun … then it's going to be about something real.

The 2020 XXL Freshman Class dropped last month. You were featured in the 2019 XXL Freshman Class. What do you think about this year's group of artists?

There's a lot of artists on the list. I f**k with Fivio [Foreign]. Polo G, he's hard as f**k, too. I really didn't pay attention too much. I only seen a couple of freestyles and stuff, but I seen a few of them, definitely. Polo G, he definitely going to be a big-ass artist soon; he already a big artist. There's a bunch of artists on there I actually don't know. They picked a pretty good list.

When you were growing up, did you look up to the XXL Freshman Class?

I watched YG on XXL when he was coming up, and now he's who he is now. Mac Miller, he was on XXL ... Being on XXL is ... it's crazy. Seeing me, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion—we all went up. There was a lot of people on that list that went up. It goes to show.

Read: G Herbo Talks 'PTSD' And The Importance Of Mental Health: "People Need To Treat Mental Health More Seriously"

You've worked with a lot of other big artists like Lil Baby, Gunna, Trippie Redd. What's the first thing you look for when you're picking your collaborators?

Do I genuinely like the music? If I don't really genuinely like the music, then I wouldn't even probably work with the person. It's really just about the music for me—if I like the song, I like the person's music. After that, do I like them as a person? Are they cool? They can be the biggest person in the world, [but] if I don't fuck with who they are and I don't like they music, then I won't even want to make a song with them.

While we're on that topic, who are some of the next-wave rappers on your radar right now? Who are some other artists you want to work with in the future?

BandKidjay, he's definitely one of 'em, rising artist. Jae Lynx, he's from Rhode Island; he's fire ... I wanna work with Drake; that'd be crazy. We would make a hit together, I already know we would. And Ariana Grande; that'd be lit.

Did you see that former President Barack Obama plugged your song, "Back At It," on his 2020 summer playlist?

Yeah, that was crazy, man! Shout out Barack Obama, man!

First of all, who knew Barack Obama was up on the rap game like that, right? That is probably the biggest co-sign of all time. What did that moment mean to you?

Yeah, I'm just a little-ass kid, and a grown-ass president know about me. That's crazy.

What do you have on deck for the rest of 2020 and beyond?

I'm working on my next project … a mixtape. You'll probably be seeing some singles from me coming soon.

DaBaby Talks 'BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE),' Black Lives Matter Remix Of "ROCKSTAR" And Rap's Obsession With Deluxe Albums

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DaBaby

DaBaby

Photo: Jackie Dimailig

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DaBaby Talks 'BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE),' Black Lives Matter Remix Of "ROCKSTAR" And Rap's Obsession With Deluxe Albums

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The chart-topping, GRAMMY-nominated rapper checks in with GRAMMY.com to discuss the unplanned vision behind his newest album and his next steps toward "mega-stardom"
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Aug 10, 2020 - 4:00 am

DaBaby opens his newest album, BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), on some realness. 

"I said I really ain't wanna do the deluxe thing, man, but you know … / I'm ready to put out some new-new / Show these n****s what I do-do," he quips on album opener "BILLBOARD BABY."

The deluxe version, released last week (Aug. 4), is an extension of the North Carolina-based rapper's chart-topping album, BLAME IT ON BABY, which he originally dropped in April. Still, the 10 fresh tracks featured on the newly released package are enough to stack up a standalone album on their own merit. 

For DaBaby, who was initially reluctant to create the extended version, the idea for the deluxe album came after he saw his fans engaging with the original during the earlier stages of the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent quarantine episode. 

"I wasn't busy on tour performing the music that I just put out on the original BLAME IT ON BABY," he tells GRAMMY.com. "I wasn't busy, and I ain't feel like the world was busy. And I just felt like the world needs more music, 'cause music consuming everything a whole lot more because we don't got nothing else to do."

With BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), DaBaby now joins a long line of fellow rappers and artists dropping souped-up deluxe albums during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the way he sees it, the deluxe package is more than an addendum to the original—it's a "step up."

"I feel like anything I put out, if it's new, it has to be better than what I put out previously," he says. "I want to always get better, always progress. So I definitely felt like what I put out on the deluxe was a step up from what I put out on the original, even though I put out a No. 1 song on the original one."

BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE) is the latest victory lap in DaBaby's long-running winning streak. The album follows his debut LP, Baby On Baby, and follow-up, KIRK, both of which he dropped in 2019. The former featured the rapper's breakthrough hit "Suge," which garnered him his first-ever GRAMMY nominations (Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song) at the 2020 GRAMMYs. Last October, KIRK became his first album to top the charts in the U.S.; six months later, he repeated the feat with BLAME IT ON BABY.

While his relentless work ethic has taken him to the top of the charts and rightfully earned his place atop the rap throne, he's (secretly) taking his steps toward the "next level" in his career.

"The next level would be mega-stardom, you know what I mean? And something will take place that'll take it to the next level. I just don't want to reveal it yet, but just know it's a super-big thing on the way—super-big thing," he teases.

GRAMMY.com spoke with DaBaby about the unplanned vision of BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), the inspiration behind the Black Lives Matter Remix of his breakout song, "ROCKSTAR," and rap's current obsession with deluxe drops.

You open your new album, BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE), joking about how you didn't want to "do the deluxe thing" and instead put out some "new-new."

Show people what I do-do.

Exactly. When you originally wrote the original version of BLAME IT ON BABY, did you have a plan or an idea to do the deluxe version?

Oh nah, I didn't … What I was saying at the beginning of that, I was serious. I never really did like the idea of a deluxe. I looked at it as like a bailout, really. I felt like people drop a deluxe when ... they weren't satisfied with the original album. That's how I always looked at a deluxe.

But even when the pandemic hit and everybody started doing a deluxe, I made the point, like, "Nah, I won't do one of those. I'll just drop a new album." But then I dropped [BLAME IT ON BABY] and then I see the way people are receiving music right now, I see the way everything is going on with the whole COVID thing. And I wanted to put out more music. 

I wasn't busy on tour performing the music that I just put out on the original BLAME IT ON BABY. I wasn't busy, and I ain't feel like the world was busy. And I just felt like the world needs more music, 'cause music consuming everything a whole lot more because we don't got nothing else to do.

Did you write the 10 new tracks featured on the deluxe after the original one dropped? Did you record them at home in quarantine?

I did some records at home. One of them, I put a blog on my Instagram of me recording it. I only did like two of those at home. I did "TROUBLE" at home, I did "GO" at home. And the rest of them I did in the studio.

Speaking of that new-new, the deluxe features 10 new tracks. That's basically a whole new album right there. How do you decide what goes on a new album versus what goes on a deluxe album? Where do you draw the line?

That's the thing, I didn't. I ain't draw it. I feel like anything I put out, if it's new, it has to be better than what I put out previously. And that's just the way I rock. I want to always get better, always progress. So I definitely felt like what I put out on the deluxe was a step up from what I put out on the original, even though I put out a No. 1 song on the original one. But I just felt like putting out a new wave of music, though. It was so much going on around the time that I dropped the original one that I felt like I wanted to hit 'em again. That's what we did with the deluxe.

In the last few months, artists like Gunna, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert and others have dropped deluxe versions of their albums. Now we got BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE). Why is the rap game so obsessed with deluxe albums right now?

I think it's because people consuming everything a whole lot more now. People really don't got nothing to do; everybody trapped in the house somewhere. So I feel like it's the perfect opportunity to be putting more music out for anybody—just give people something to do. You at least want to listen to some music.

Speaking about being trapped in the house, on your track "GO," you rap, "I ain't mad at the corona, I've been chillin' at the crib." How have you spent your time in quarantine? Have you had any positive outcomes out of this quarantine era?

You have more time around family members and loved ones, more time around the kids. Just more time to do other things creatively than I didn't have the time to do before the coronavirus hit.

The original BLAME IT ON BABY was, at one point, the No. 1 album in America. Do you think the deluxe album has the potential to take back the throne?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it'd definitely end up back on No. 1 again, before it's good and done. Definitely think it'll beat that.

The deluxe album features a Black Lives Matter remix of your breakout song, "ROCKSTAR." Tell me why you felt it was important to release this version.

Mainly, just everything that was going on in the world and all that going on while I had the No. 1 song on Billboard. I felt like I had to address it, especially with me being a victim of racism and police brutality. That was only right for me to use my platform, use the platform that my song had at the time to touch on what was going on.

What kind of impact do you think the remix made on your fans and your followers?

I definitely think it touched a lot of people—a lot of people told me—especially with the performance that I did at the [2020] BET Awards when I did a video for it. I think it touched a whole lot of people, and just gave a different outlook on everything that was going on.

We're living in a challenging era: Protests are happening around the world, we're in a pandemic. A lot of artists are stepping up to use their platform the way you did on your Black Lives Matter Remix. Do you think it's important for artists to use their platform to speak on what's happening in the world?

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like rappers are some of the most influential people in the world. So I feel if there's anything going on, it's almost like a responsibility [for us].

I gotta talk about your work ethic a little bit. You dropped your debut album, Baby On Baby, in March 2019; six months later, you dropped your follow-up album, KIRK, and seven months after that, you dropped BLAME IT ON BABY. Now, four months later, we got BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE). How much new music are you sitting on any given time? How do you space out your music?

I really just go with the flow. Whenever I feel like it's new and something fresh, that's when I really turn my creative switch on and do what I do. I'm going to bring my element to the game.

Read: G Herbo Talks 'PTSD' And The Importance Of Mental Health: "People Need To Treat Mental Health More Seriously"

You've had two No. 1 albums, you had a No. 1 song, you have a couple of GRAMMY nominations. What needs to happen this year or in the near future to take your career to the next level? And what does that next level look like for you?

The next level would be mega-stardom, you know what I mean? And something will take place that'll take it to the next level. I just don't want to reveal it yet, but just know it's a super-big thing on the way—super-big thing.

And I will be at the GRAMMYs every single year that I'm a recording artist.

I know you move really fast with your music. You just dropped BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE). But what can we look out for from you in 2020 or 2021?

I got a lot of big features that I've done; those are going to drop whenever those people, the artists on the song, are ready to drop. So I got a lot of big features that should be popping up here and there and coming out for the rest of the year.

The people want to know: Any features you can tease out?

No, I can't. I can't do it without the consent of the person on the song; they may or may not want that revealed.

While we're on the topic, features are a big platform where up-and-coming rappers can pop off. Are there any emerging artists you have your eyes on for future features?

Stunna 4 Vegas, Rich Dunk. Stunna 4 Vegas—he'll be at the GRAMMYs next year, fo sho.

Behind The Board: Jetsonmade On Producing "Suge" With Dababy, What Makes A Great Record & More

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Kiana V

Kiana V

Photo Courtesy of 88rising

 
 
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PARADISE RISING: How 88rising's New Label Is Pushing Filipino Music And Culture To The Forefront

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GRAMMY.com caught up with 88rising founder Sean Miyashiro and Filipino artists Kiana V and Leila Alcasid to talk about how PARADISE RISING is spotlighting the blossoming music scene in the Philippines
Anjana Pawa
GRAMMYs
Aug 30, 2020 - 7:00 am

From the start, 88rising was always a passion project, with founder Sean Miyashiro at the forefront of a dream. In 2015, he started the company, which takes its name from the Chinese symbol for "double luck and fortune," hoping to create a label that could represent and showcase the talent of underground Asian artists. Fast-forward five years later, and 88rising has become a global brand, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western pop culture and representing some of the most fervent Asian acts in the music industry. But was it really "double luck" that propelled them to the top?

 

Regularly collecting millions of views per video on their YouTube channel, 88rising has launched multiple newcomers into superstardom, in turn creating a space for Asian rappers, singers and artists to thrive in music. The company's roster includes Rich Brian, the Indonesian-Chinese rapper/singer behind the 2016 viral song and video "Dat $tick"; Chinese hip-hop quartet Higher Brothers, who have been revered for bypassing several censorship regulations in their homeland with their lyrics; and Indonesian R&B songbird NIKI, who, at 21, has opened for Taylor Swift, Halsey and other major stars on tour. 

88rising artists have also secured high-profile collaborations with some of the biggest names from the East and West, including Hong Kong-native rapper and K-pop idol Jackson Wang, Korean rock/pop group DAY6 and former EXO member Kris Wu as well as rap giants likes 21 Savage, Playboi Carti and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah.

Both the artists and the mass media company itself have grown cult-like followings via their groundbreaking music and the globally inclusive multimedia world they've created, which collectively celebrate Asian and Asian-American culture and identity. 88rising's annual Head In The Clouds Festival, dubbed the "Asian Coachella" by Rolling Stone, emphasizes the importance of representation, one of Miyashiro's main goals behind the label. (Head In The Clouds was due to debut in Jakarta, Indonesia, this past March before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 88rising was scheduled to host its Double Happiness event series at this year's Coachella before the festival was postponed in June.)

"88rising is a culture that people want to get behind," Miyashiro explains to GRAMMY.com via email. "It's the type of movement that makes people wanna get tattoos of the logo on their bodies. That doesn't just happen to any media company or record label. We mean something intangible to people."

Now, the collective is expanding into Southeast Asia with the launch of its new sister label, PARADISE RISING. 

In July 2020, 88rising partnered with Globe Telecom, the Philippines' biggest telecommunications company, to create PARADISE RISING, a label focused on highlighting Filipino artists and culture. The imprint's inaugural mixtape, semilucent, released last month (July 31), spotlights the rising artists putting the island country on the music map, including Jason Dhakal, Leila Alcasid, Massiah, Fern., and Kiana V. Collectively, semilucent embodies the individual artists' Filipino heritage and culture.

GRAMMY.com caught up with 88rising founder Sean Miyashiro and Filipino artists Kiana V and Leila Alcasid to talk about how PARADISE RISING is spotlighting the blossoming music scene in the Philippines, the rising influence of Asian artists in R&B and hip-hop, and the ongoing journey toward "true Asian representation in pop culture."

How did 88rising start?

Sean Miyashiro: 88rising started with a small dream in a parking lot in the Bronx. That's what makes it so crazy. We had no idea what we would become. We're still a small team, and it's always been DIY for us. Being small and scrappy has allowed us holistic creative control of our brand, our vision and our future. We put out things into the world that we believe in. 

You have a very wide array of artists who are given the freedom to express themselves as they see fit. Has this always been your vision with the label?

Miyashiro: We're all family. We provide our artists the space and creative freedom to do what they want. At the end of the day, what we want is the same: to make dope music while trailblazing the way towards a future with true Asian representation in pop culture. 

88rising has collaborated with many artists who are already so successful in the East, including Jackson Wang and Kang Daniel. How do these collaborations come to fruition? Do you think this helps blur the lines that might exist between artists from the West and the East?

Miyashiro: Everything that happens has been serendipitous and natural. We never force anything, but when we see an opportunity, we put our whole hearts behind it. And in the process, if it brings more people together, then we've done our job—and more.

Read: K-Pop Phenom Eric Nam Talks New Mini-Album 'The Other Side' And Life As One Of Korea's Biggest Stars

What prompted the creation of PARADISE RISING? 

Miyashiro: It really just made sense for us. The synergy with Globe was there. With their local expertise paired with 88rising's global infrastructure, PARADISE RISING brings talented emerging Asian artists to the forefront of global youth culture. We're just continuing to do what we do best. 

The label's debut EP, semilucent, highlights the broad diversity of Filipino artists and styles. Is there something about the Philippines, in particular, that led you to explore the artists and music from there? 

Miyashiro: The Philippines has such a vibrant music culture, and there are so many young talented artists who are emerging. We want to amplify this on a global scale. 

What parts of your Filipino culture and heritage do you bring into your music, lyrics and songwriting?

Kiana V: I'd say being a Filipino, we're very passionate people, and you hear that in our music; [whether it's] songs that are lively, our ballads or in our folk music, the vulnerability stands out. That's something I definitely bring into my music. 

Leila Alcasid: I always pay attention to my process; Filipinos always want to give every part of themselves. The way that this translates in music is that we're very vulnerable. If you look at the music that we listen to, it's really all to do with digging deep and having music that relates to the human condition ... I guess I'm trying to be as vulnerable as possible, trying to open myself up. 

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Kiana V: I was always drawn to Solange. When she was able to break away and do her own thing, I followed her immediately. I'm a huge fan of her storytelling and her way of writing. I grew up listening to a lot of Brandy, JoJo and Aaliyah, too. [Laughs.] Oh my God, I'm such a millennial. A lot of R&B and jazz artists. I'd say those are my main musical influences. 

Alcasid: Different aspects of my music are informed by different artists. Norah Jones, a lot of Nelly Furtado, that's an example of who I look to on how to approach my vocals. I'm not a belter, I'm a lot more relaxed when I sing, and I think that was heavily influenced by those artists. From 88rising, I am so inspired by NIKI. I think she is such a talented writer. Her lyrics are so witty, but they're also incredibly poetic; I'm a huge fan. 

Between 2017 to now, which is the bulk of when I started learning how to write songs and figuring out what my sound was, I started listening to a lot of Korean music. There was a point when I was obsessed with BTS, and I feel like my love for BTS was a big part of why I attempted to string a narrative through everything in my first EP. A lot of their work is very narrative-heavy, and I was inspired by that. I wanted to do that for my EP, and it kind of even happened and continued in "Clouds," my song on semilucent.

Read: BTS Talk Inspiration Behind "Dynamite," New Album, Gratitude For ARMY & More

The sounds on semilucent are mainly R&B and hip-hop. Can you speak a bit on the rising influence of Asian artists in this space? 

Kiana V: R&B and hip-hop has been a growing sound in the Asian community. I believe it's always been there. With technology and social media, people have been given a space to grow their own platforms, and these talented artists are finally being able to shine in their own space. As far as evolution is concerned, I think there's just room for so much growth and a burst of more and more artists.

Alcasid: There's such a huge collective of people here [in the Philippines] that focus on those sounds. I wasn't very aware of the hip-hop scene here, but as I've been here longer, I'm noticing that the one thing they're really informed by is politics. I feel like on one end, it can be a bit risky. But on the other, it's a way to express yourself in a way that's very honest and runs historical. 

I learned a lot about how Filipinos are approaching hip-hop through my boyfriend, who's a rapper here. It's been interesting to see what inspires hip-hop and how they're influenced by the West. They're tying in the sounds of the West, but it's still authentically them as possible ... In all different parts of Asia, we're influenced by the West and what's already been done, but you can identify the styles and the way in which they're transformed to become inherently Asian. 

What does the future look like for 88rising and PARADISE RISING? 

Miyashiro: We have a few super-exciting [artist] signings on the way and more mixtape drops incoming. 

Naeem Talks New Album 'Startisha,' Creativity In Quarantine And The Need For Change In America

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