Ahmad Anonimis Interview

Photos by Jaxon Buzzell

modrNation: Where are you originally from?

Ahmad Anonimis: Nawf side Atlanta.

modrNation: How did growing up there push you into making music?

Ahmad Anonimis: Well my mom is from East Atlanta and she listened to a lot of gospel and R&B, so she would always play that, and my dad is fromBessemer Alabama so he listened to a lot of old soul and old school hip hop from the 80s and 90s. My hiphop side also came from school mainly, Soulja Boy was one of the first rappers I heard growing up, TI, Outkast, Big Boy, Andre 3000, all of them too.

modrNation: You dropped your debut project Dancing With My Feet Up later last year, how has that project aged for you?

Ahmad Anonimis: It’s aging pretty well, the other day I was walking by the beach and I looked at my Apple Music and it said it added a few tracks to some big playlists so it’s cool that people are still finding it. WIth a single you get some momentum after it drops and you gotta push it with a lot of content, but with an album it has more longevity and it’s cool to see it still sticking around. 

modrNation: What was the creative process like behind it?

Ahmad Anonimis: That’s when I lived in my old apartment in Downtown Atlanta. I’d lived there for like four years, but I grew up on the outskirts of Atlanta, so living downtown and just seeing a lot of the stuff my family had told me about and seeing it first hand to connect back to my roots really inspired me. For a lot of people coming from outside the city, Atlanta is like the Mecca to us, so just being in the city and trying to find myself was really the process behind that project, just that whole period of my life. 

modrNation: How has it felt to get such a strong reception from that project?

Ahmad Anonimis: I’m grateful for it, I really am, but this is real life so I can’t take the hype too seriously. I got a good foundation, so we’ll just ride it out and I’m looking forward to what’s next because I know what’s next gonna be big.

modrNation: You got a new single that just came out March 2nd, how would you compare it to some of your past drops?

Ahmad Anonimis: It’s the evolution of my past drops, the shit in the past had a lot of rapping and a lot of melodies, but I always try to keep Atlanta in there somewhere. So this one really rocks, people can rock with the beat, but still pay attention to what I’m saying because I’m saying some real shit on my state of mind and emotion. 

modrNation: What would you say is the intention behind your music?

Ahmad Anonimis: To leave a mark, time is moving by extra fast and I just want to document the life of a young black teen trying to find his way through America during all this crisis. 

modrNation: What would you say is the importance of finding your own identity and individuality as an artist in a time when making music is so popular?

Ahmad Anonimis: That means everything to me, that’s where my name stems from. Breaking out of being unknown because Atlanta’s a city of stars. It’s a mecca of culture, so I just want to push boundaries within that.

modrNation: Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Ahmad Anonimis: Very successful, still passionate about music and art. Probably into shows, cartoons, and anime. Really just bridging gaps.