A 27-year-old rapper and singer who hails from Florida. He emerged as a pioneer of what was called the SoundCloud rap genre in the early twenty-tens, synonymous with artists such as XXXTentacion (with which Denzel used to live with), Tekashi 6-9 and Lil Uzi Vert. His mixtapes garnered huge acclaim early on, followed by several critically lauded albums. Now with his 2022 record Melt My Eyez See Your Future firmly in hand for many best of 2022 lists, he takes his very personal brand of rhyming to the next level.

This chat is about two people from very different backgrounds finding common ground and finding a way to speak about pain and catharsis. It took us a while to find our footing, but when we did, some beautiful moments of honesty were shared. Make sure you listen to the end, where I’m privileged enough for him to share his favourite flow with me.

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Points of discussion:

– European culture shock
– His favourite films
– His gnawing motivation to prove himself
– His ego and people doubting him
– Hip-hop’s misogyny & homophobic problem
– How therapy changed his life after dealing with years of anger and depression
– Dealing with gun violence
– The murder of his cousin
– His writing process and the song of his that effects him the most
– Writer’s block & Anxiety

Melt My Eyez See Your Future is out now through Loma Vista

References discussed in the interview below:

I dedicate this to the ones I hurt
It’s time to get my spirit right on earth
Before my sins become an evil curse
Conquer thirst, can’t revert to who I was at first
I channel God through this verse
Accountability, I take responsibility
For all my actions, I packed them in these soliloquies
Just because we’re not friends don’t mean we’re enemies
Thank you all for listening
Sending why all with good energy

From the track Melt My Eyez

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