H.E.Z.Y Interview

Photos by Jaxon Buzzell

modrNation: Where are you originally from?

H.E.Z.Y:  I’m from Mid City Los Angeles, right off 12th St. down by where the Roscoe’s and what used to be World on Wheels. It’s funny, people often ask “where’s Mid City?” I mean, where else could it be… it’s the middle of Los Angeles. Recognize.

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

H.E.Z.Y: I wouldn't realize it until very recently in my life, but talented musicians and singers were all around my neighborhood. It’s singers like We Are King and Leanard Cohen that were in my neighborhood, as well as other rappers and artists. I must have absorbed some of that energy. Also, growing up in LA, one of the biggest influences of not only music but the culture as a whole was Odd Future. If you were in LA from 2011 to 2015, you know how much of a hold Tyler and the rest of OF had on the city. With so much culture to draw from around my neighborhood, let alone my own family, I had no choice but to be an artist. 

modrNation: Who have been some of your biggest musical influences?

H.E.Z.Y:  One of my biggest influences is Sage Elsesser/Navy Blue. Him and his family were really close to mine growing up, like real close, and seeing where he is now is crazy. I didn’t even know he made music till late 2020, but now he’s one of my favorite artists. His vulnerability and connection to spirit are things I really relate to. Most of all, his understanding of ancestry and the Orichas are something that I believe to be incredibly important in the landscape of music today. Other artists like Kendrick, Tyler, and Earl heavily influence a lot of my musical taste. In highschool it was Chance the Rapper and Asap Rocky. Even outside of rap, my parents raised me and my siblings on 60s, 70s and 80s music, Bob Marley, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Rage Against the Machine, The Beatles… My influences are all over the place. 

modrNation: Take me through your writing process, do you seek out inspiration or wait for it to hit?

H.E.Z.Y: I definitely wait for it to hit. I tend to have long stretches of time where I'm not writing anything at all, I'm just absorbing life and gathering experiences so when that sudden urge to just write comes, I'm flowing. Once it comes, I gotta respect it, no matter where I’m at. There’s been times where I’m at the movies and I end up writing a verse, or I’ll be driving and I have to pull over cuz a 16 bar needs to get written down. 

modrNation: You got a new single that came out February 25th, how would you compare it to some of your past drops?

H.E.Z.Y: It had been some time since the last drop I had put out, and in between I have gotten the chance to really cultivate my sound and delivery, which I’m sure can be felt on this track. Because of the time I’ve put in, there is a little bit more of a boldness that I hope comes out on the song. My confidence is higher and every line is a bar. I don’t waste any words. Some of the schemes in the song are crazy, the you know if you know type of deal.

modrNation: How would you say your sound has developed since you first started?

H.E.Z.Y: I remember I made my first song after I graduated highschool in 2018. It was with my brother and the producer homie Taj. It was just some ignorant ass shit. But since then, I’ve had a world of life experiences, and a newfound desire to really convey important messages, and express who I am as an individual.

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

H.E.Z.Y: It’s “for the neighbors.” I make music so that the people that listen to it can have something to relate to. All the music I’ve ever loved always gave me flashes of realization; “Oh, I’m not the only one that had this experience.” Songs like that are what made me fall in love with the music and with those artists, so now I do my best to translate that same feeling to my audience.

modrNation: Take me through your creative process when piecing together a project?

H.E.Z.Y: Well with this first project I intend to release, I want to create an experience, a storyline for the listener to follow. I like for my work to have an arc, like a movie. There’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. But it’s like Pulp Fiction. The story isn’t necessarily in chronological order. Because to me, time is nonexistent. It is a part of our reality, but our understanding of it is minimal. So I lace my projects with all types of different motifs, and themes, to hopefully create a very immersive and interesting experience. 

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?

H.E.Z.Y: Identity in my opinion is the most important thing when it comes to music. With so much music being made by so many people, it’s easy to fall into these comparisons. The way I try to avoid it is to speak specifically to my own experience and my heritage. That makes it very easy to be original. How many Afro-Cuban rappers from Mid City with Jamaican and Chinese heritage and that talk about what I talk about do you know? Hopefully only one.

modrNation: What are your plans coming into this year to take your sound to the next level?

H.E.Z.Y: More releases and more performances. And above all else, the release of my first project. Got a lot of things to say.

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

H.E.Z.Y: If we’re all still here, I just hope to be more at peace. Everything else is a bonus.