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Florida native Fuzhjin has been making steady waves in underground hip hop all year, in this exclusive Music Mondays interview we sit down and discuss early beginnings, battle rap along with what's coming next for this talented creative.
5/26/23
Blank: How’s it going?
Fuzhjin: I’m doing pretty well, I’m starting to get back into a routine. I fell a bit under the weather recently so I’m just getting back to exercising and getting my artistic process back in order.
Blank: Other than our project, are you working on anything else right now?
Fuzhjin: Right now, I’m mostly working on our project. After that though, I have an artist on God Sun Generational I'm introducing, probably about mid summer, that'll be the main focus after that.
Blank: Speaking of, this is something I wanted to touch on, what is God Sun Generational and what’s your role in it?
Fuzhjin: God Sun Generational is an independent record label, the basis really just came from making music with the homies. We had been working together for about 4 years. It includes Drill, another artist on the label Don Da Menace, and BearVan, and me. It was a group before it was coined as something, but I wanted to make it official. The purpose is really to manufacture and distribute music. I really wanted the label to serve as a tool for the artists, a new frontier of artist rights. We make sure they get the majority percentage, their share of everything. And, the small split the label does have is directly invested into their growth.
Blank: What got you into music?
Fuzhjin: Believe it or not, before I got into hip hop, I really wasn’t that into music. My aunt plays piano and my uncle plays trumpet, but other than that my musical background was really limited. At the time it just wasn't one of my interests. It all really started when my pops played the Kanye West song Mercy for me in the car. That definitely got the passion going. I started rapping along to songs. Then I found a Youtube channel that had cartoon characters that were battle rapping, and I'd be imitating their flow and cadence. One day, I thought that I should start writing my own raps. So I’ve started writing in middle school. But it really flourished for me in High School. Since then, I became a producer and started rapping and eventually releasing it.
Blank: Looking back, I was in music classes and didn't really give it my full interest. Now I really wish I had paid more attention because that would have saved me a lot of time, is that the same feeling for you?
Fuzhjin: I think about that all the time, I used to be in music class and I didn’t give it my full attention. I was distracted when we learned music theory and now I wish I would have paid attention. It would have saved me a ton of time in the future because I'm still learning it to this day.
Blank: You mentioned battle rap, which I honestly have a very limited understanding of. How did battle rap help you get into music and what kind of role does that play in your music now?
Fuzhjin: Battle rap is what got me writing, I genuinely didn't know how to write about anything unless it was with someone for about 2 years when I started rapping. I gradually learned to rap about what was happening in the moment, what's happening to me at the time or just something that made me feel a certain way. I'm in love with battle rap, it's really a mental sport, and I definitely attribute some of my writing style now to that. It was the origin. Now, I'm trying to rap about more introspective subject matters.If one was to listen to flow state pt 2 or supreme being off GODKI!, they’re very punchline heavy and then there's that battle rap influence. I’m recently trying to shift into expanding on my writing with other things. Music lives forever, so the goal is trying to make my content timeless. You can put an expiration date on certain content, but if you wanna relate to a large mass, the interpersonal subject is the real key to making your art infinite.
Blank: Something I am very impressed with, and something I personally take a lot of pride in given our work history, is that you have a great ear for production, what are you looking for when you listen to a beat?
Fuzhjin: It depends a lot on the vibe or the mood, but for a general road map I look for something that induces a feeling. I used to just go find stuff on youtube, but the production game in the mainstream sense is lacking that emotion. How many are gonna create that spark and automatically start thinking and brainstorming? That's the key. Finding something that sparks you emotionally and it creates that want to create some art.
It's all about painting the picture and being descriptive without using words.
Blank: For me, I love movies, tv shows and visual art to really inspire and influence me. Is there any outside media you feel influences your music?
Fuzhjin: I would absolutely say music, but when I'm lacking inspiration I'll watch a movie that sets a tone. Relaxing, easing your mind lets the inspiration flow. You have the idea, but you block it by overthinking. When you can get rid of conscious thought and let the subconscious flow. The second thing is living life. The more I live life and feel positive, negative and everything in between it helps me find inspiration in places I didn't have it before.There are certain places that trigger that inspiration. I find it a lot walking through nature, being outside and just allowing it to wash over me. That's where the title for my ep Flow State came from. Sitting by the water and realizing its infinite, its boundless, its flawless, its formless. It really inspires something in you.
Blank: As someone who listens to your music, you're known to do some of your own production, what inspired you to start doing that on top of already writing?
Fuzhjin: I really think I just saw a producer making a beat live type video.When I saw that when I was 15, I bothered my parents to get the Akai beatpad. I got a demo version of FL Studio, slowly having fun and teaching myself how to do it and I loved it. It was another moment, it really helped me see that I can express myself in other ways than writing. I'm always looking to express thoughts. I love the feeling of evoking emotion with production. If you can be descriptive without your words and instead in your soundscape, it's a great feeling. I think I produce more than I write now, it used to be 60/40 in favor of rapping, but it went from that to 50/50 and then 60/40 on the production side.
Blank: Breaking an artist is a new and interesting challenge, what's it like to be involved in music in a more executive producer manner rather than being the artist?
Fuzhjin: It's been different for sure. I’ve really been researching a lot on the business side. My biggest thing is always trying to create what the artist's vision is in its most complete form. That comes with its challenges. I've had to learn other peoples processes, though it hasn't been super different workload wise given I've been producing and managing BearVan for a bit. It's not something super new but the process of new other creatives has really been the biggest adjustment to find that perfect project.
Blank: What are your plans in the new future besides some of the things we've already discussed?
Fuzhjin: I’ll mention our project that’s coming soon. I’m really happy with that batch of tracks we got here. Fuzhjin x blank thought coming in June. On my end, me and my bro Intarsia that produced Aura with me, we may have a sequel coming this fall. We’re working on the conceptual phase of that right now. There may also be a physical release of those. Other than Drill, BearFuz and that’s really all I got right now for the rest of the year. I may get inspired and do a short project.
Blank: Who are some of the artists that inspire you in the underground right now?
Fuzhjin: Obviously BearVan, another homie I met through battle rap that was working on something right now. I forgot to say me and Just Thoughts. We have some stuff coming out on Web3. Probably about 75% of the
stuff getting put out over the next month is produced by me. He’s a big inspiration for sure. My brother Rari Lauren, he’s a part of Crowd which is the league that I'm in. I’m repping their stuff all the time in a shoutout Crowd. My brother Snip Drago, also in Crowd. He's got some really dope music and we're trying to get him to release it. These aren't necessarily musical influences but my homie YG who’s also in Crowd. He's a big inspiration. He pushes me to be a purist, because he saw where I was when I first got to the battle rap scene. He tells me all the time to “be like that, it'll get you places, you’re different”. He keeps me true to myself all the time. My guy Bueno who’s co CEO’s of Crowd with YG, he pushes me to take things seriously and be better. Other than those, I really mess with Unruly, Zim, Knowitall, Blaq Chidori, Patty Honcho. They make me stay on my toes and make sure I go crazy to match the energy. Shoutout Crowd
Blank: Who else that you haven’t worked with do you definitely want to collaborate with in the future?
Fuzhjin: Off Rip, I definitely want to make a song with my brother Snip Drago. My guy Big Chief Smash for sure, Unruly for sure. We accidentally worked together on 73 Dinner Date, produced by Parth for Movies at Midnight but I’d like to do a more proper collaboration. I definitely want to eventually get on some Klwn Cat productions. I would love to work with Sovren as well, she’s a beast. Otherwise, Knowitall, Blaq Chidori and Patty Honcho. They’ve been homies since I actually started on twitter.
Blank: This question is more I guess a personal thing, but which of our tracks that have been released is your favorite and why?
Fuzhjin: It’s a toss up for me between Reset and Gun Violence produced by Mashoni. Reset is the beginning of this year for me artistry wise. I try to reinvent every year, so my first track every year is a statement and is a preview of what I’m going to do in that year. I’m here and I'm ready to execute. Reset did that. Gun Violence because the beat is insane, and its probably my best verse of the year so far. Purely from scratch, it inspired me a lot. Honorable mention is 73 Dinner Date produced by Parth. I love that track a lot and I think I did well on it.
Blank:Any final comments or words?
Fuzhjin: Follow me on all platforms as @Fuzhjin. Shoutout BearVan, Drill, BearFuz, the Crowd (@crowdshyt on twitter) God Sun Generational.
Fuzhjin x Blank Thought coming soon. Stay infinite
Follow Fuzhjin: linktr.ee/Fuzhjin
Written By Blank Thought: linktr.ee/b1ankthought
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