In this candid and introspective conversation, BLK Odyssy’s frontman bares his soul, revealing the inner workings of an artist in transition. The interview peels back layers of artistic identity, showcasing a musician grappling with the constraints of expectations while passionately pursuing a broader creative vision. From the streets of New Jersey to the backstage corridors of Austin's arenas, we journey through the artist's evolution, witnessing the power of manifestation and the courage to defy musical boundaries.
The dialogue weaves through themes of racial stereotyping in the music industry, the physical and mental demands of reinvention, and the vulnerable connection between artist and audience. What emerges is a portrait of a creator not just making music but reshaping his destiny—transforming personal struggles into sonic innovation and steadfastly believing in a future yet unseen. This interview offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an artist on the cusp of breakthrough, balancing the weight of past influences with the exciting uncertainty of new musical frontiers.
As a Black artist, you’re cautious of stereotypes and limitations placed on you. How do you avoid being placed in a box?
How do you avoid being placed in a box? I think it’s doing what we're doing. On the last couple of records, we would get these comparisons to a good artist, but not what I wanted to model my career after. I’m constantly compared to the Sminos and Savas and things of that nature. Like I said, those are incredible artists, but I saw BLK Odyssey in a different light. I saw this with a wider range of catalogues. So, when I was going into this record, I was pretty much like, I'm not going to lean into that just because we built a good fan base in that world.
I think it was a bit of a scary thing to do, but at the same time, in order to break those boundaries and barriers, I had to take an aggressive step in a different direction to let not only our fans know that we're not to be boxed into a certain sound that they like but also to expand our fan base and the number of people that we can reach. We kept the integrity of the production and the storytelling, of course, but we explored different genres, different tones, and different things.
Talking about not being placed in the box, was it something that prompted this? You said BLK Odyssy is in a transformation phase. What prompted you to want to try something new?
The ceiling of the box that I was put in, I could see it approaching. Not to say that I had reached that ceiling, but I could definitely see it approaching. I had just gone to the Travis Scott show and other arena shows that inspired me. And I thought, I want to have a production on this level. I want to have this many fans show up. I'm listening to the frequencies in the show and just the movement. And I’m thinking, I need something that moves more; I need something that can move a larger crowd.
I also played Diamonds and Freaks [his previous album, released in 2023] on a couple of festivals and noticed that that music wasn’t meant to be played at that level of a stage. And from the beginning, I’ve always wanted to be at that level. That was always a part of our goals. So, this was just one of those necessary steps. It's like, ok, if you guys want to get to this next level and play the riffs that you want to play, then the next thing you have to do is create music that is able to move those riffs in an impactful way.
You’ve mentioned how music brings life to your nerves. The type of music that you’re doing now, do you feel it's giving you life and helps express where you're at?
Yeah, man. I think this music on a couple of different levels prompts a lot of things in me to be better. For instance, it's on a physical and mental level. When I'm on this tour, I know I'm gonna have to be in way better shape than I was on the last one because it helps. It includes a lot of movement and high energy. So that's one of those things where everything in your life is lining up and pushing you to do better.
If I want to do well on this tour, then I got to push my body to move forward. I got to push myself physically. I got to have the discipline to get up every day and get to the gym. That's a mental strength thing. And it was all centred around me wanting to have the best performance and be the best version of me. So that’s why I'm excited about this project because it mentally pushed me to be able to create it. And even on the back end, it's physically pushing me. And that’s what’s important.
What are you looking forward to most when you go on tour? What's your favourite thing about touring?
I'm looking forward to exchanging energy with people, man. Just being able to see the songs resonate with people in a live setting, get that energy from them. And just show everybody a different variation of BLK Odyssy, a higher energy variation. Typically, in our shows before, we vibing out, swaying, and I was just so excited about the shift in demographic that this album is bringing. Because for us, it's an exciting, new, rejuvenated, and youthful kind of crowd that's jumping up and down. So, I'm ready for that.
Looking back at your early days, what is an obstacle you needed to overcome in your music career, and how did you overcome that?
I think as a producer and songwriter, just to speak on it from a musical level, my biggest obstacle was being able to create things in an upbeat fashion because I had spent so much time in this low tempo, sub, mid-tempo kind of head nods sway, kind of funk stuff. I had grown so addicted to that sound, I was so happy that people also took a liking to it as well. So, it was really tough for me to break out of that and say, ok, I'm going to abandon everything that I ever did and learned as a producer, songwriter, and vocalist and embark on this new journey. But I think overcoming that has helped us grow mentally.
You’ve mentioned Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimple Butterfly was a big inspiration. Is there anything that you're drawing inspiration from now?
Kendrick’s To Pimple Butterfly was a sobering moment of taking in music, where I was blown away by it. I was in high school when I heard it. There are so many different things that I'm taking inspiration from now; I think it's a combination of all of it. Kendrick’s album sort of helped me to get started. I still think that there are elements of that in this album, like on Last Resort: you got these punk drums going, this heavy guitar riffing while I’m sporadically rapping over this beat. To me, that's something Kendrick would have done. He had the people around him to push him in that direction.
In the midst of all this heavy, punk stuff with distorted guitar, you have this crazy psychedellic jazz saxophone that's sort of doubling the emotion that's going on, which is very, I would say, Terrace Martin-ish. That's from To Pimp a Butterfly. It has elements and jazz in it. This record is also very inspired by OutKast; it's almost as if Blink-182 and OutKast or Paramour and Outkast got to the studio together.
Now that you're in the music industry, you're rubbing shoulders with people like Jay-Z and Benny the Butcher. Is there any moment where you take a look at yourself and you think, I can't believe I'm here?
Yeah. I spent so, so, so much time before these moments envisioning them—or manifesting them, if you will. Closing my eyes or with my eyes open; it didn't matter where I was. When it's here, it feels like I've been doing it for the last ten years, to be honest. So, it's hard for me to react to it like damn, I'm really here. Just because in order for me to get to this moment, I have to constantly tell myself, you're already there, you're already there. It's just not in front of you yet. That's the sort of inspiration I needed to get through the day-to-day thing.
When I was working a security job at an arena stadium here in Austin, I used to switch my name on the shift sheets so I could work backstage. They usually had me at the front of the house wanding people before they got in. But I would switch my name so I could work backstage. I would always make sure that I stood by the artist’s dressing room so when they were walking to the stage, I would be the person to escort them along with their own personal security.
That sounds thrilling!
I specifically remember the moments you see the lights go off and hear all the people screaming. I would walk side by side with the artist and be pretending that it was me walking on stage. I would do that every weekend when there was a concert. That arena moment hasn't manifested yet but I know it's going to be special when I actually hear those screams and then walk onto the stage.
Growing up in Jersey, you witnessed a lot of gang culture. Did that motivate you to go into music as a means to get away from that environment?
I just wanted better for myself and for my family. I lost a brother and I was scared to lose another one. So I got anxiety. I thought, I have to do something else; I got to go. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem, you know?
In your music, you share a lot of personal details. Do you ever feel like you may share too much with your fans? Where do you draw the line?
I don't think so because I have to have a relationship with these people for the rest of my career. I have to have an element of vulnerability with them in order for them to consider me, someone that they trust or that they're willing to let influence them. So, I think in a scenario like that, you just got to be honest with people and show them that vulnerability. In turn, they'll give you their time and attention. It's a blessing to have anybody take time to listen to an album I made, you know what I’m saying? It's not a privilege for them; it's a privilege for me to have them listen to something I create.
Besides the new sound, what else can we expect? Are there any surprises on the tour?
Definitely hoping that Joey comes out in New York and Wiz comes out. I think that would be tight. I think the whole tour is going to be a surprise because a lot of people listen to this album and think, what happened to the funk? What happened to the nasty shit that BLK Odyssy gives? The thing about it is, when we play this live, I have some of the Blackest musicians. My band is from Dallas, which is known to produce insane musicians. I’m excited to show people how this show has developed and how it translates. I feel like this is the show where people are going to be having a hard time walking out after. I’m excited about it, man.