We spoke with the talented rapper from Washington, D.C., Moeazy, and he gave us some insight into his musical influences and his advice for steady growth and success in the music industry and life in general.
Where are you from?
I'm originally from Washington, DC.
How did your environment growing up affect who you are as an artist today?
It showed me that I had to work to get the things that I wanted. So, it just made me really work harder. It really opened my eyes to understand how life works and society in certain places, and all different aspects like race and stuff like that.
Who were your musical influences growing up?
I'd say Mos Def, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Eminem, Jay Z, and DMX. DMX is the sole reason why I started rapping. I got a DMX CD "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot", and that album was the album that made me be like "okay, I'm going to start rapping". I was maybe like eleven or twelve years old, and my mom took the CD, broke it, and threw it away. I went to a bootlegger and just bought another copy.
At what age did you start making music?
When I was like eight years old, I knew it. I knew that I wanted to make music. Then, I started writing seriously when I was twelve or thirteen. But at eight, me and my cousin would like sit around and be singing all the songs on The Box Network, and just trying to emulate that, and remake into our own thing. So I was really passionate early on, and I knew for sure, like, okay, music is definitely something that I'm more than interested in, and it is something that I want to implement in my life. I knew early that I wanted to practice it and start doing it.
What is the biggest lesson you have learned during your music career?
Nobody else is going to make your dreams, goals, and visions come to life but yourself. It always starts with you first. It always starts with your individual self, and it might take a long time for others to catch on, but it always starts with you, and nobody is going to believe it unless you fully believe it. You have to put in the actions behind your vision, first and foremost. Consistently, also. That was such a huge lesson because I just always thought that somebody was going to do it for me, and then when I put in the actions myself, it brought me to where I am now.
Talk about the importance of making sure your environment stays fresh and creative.
If you're not surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals, who are on a similar path as you, and have similar goals, it won't work. There's no way. Oh man, I've had this issue so many times, where it's just like you're around unlike-minded people. It may be people who say they're on the same page, like "yeah, yeah, I want to do this", but you know inside that it's truly your passion and your calling, and you're truly doing it, there's a difference. Certain obstacles will come your way, and those unlike-minded people won't know how to maneuver around the obstacles, and they will get discouraged. So, it's so important to surround yourself with like-minded individuals and build the team. You have to build a super solid and like-minded team, for sure.
Who are some of your favorite artists that you have worked with?
I've been blessed to work with people like FKi 1st, he's the producer of Post Malone's "White Iverson". I didn't really get to work with Post, but I've gotten beats from him that he produced. I've made song with those beats that I haven't released. I've worked with Iggy Azalea, Trinidad James, and most importantly, the people that I'm working with now, these are the people that I've been soul searching for. We manifested one another and we are now in each other's lives. We created our own thing.
What do you do to maintain your unique sound and stay true to yourself in such a dynamic industry?
It's literally just being true to yourself and knowing what you love. Don't stray away from the things you love. Like, be experimental, but don't leave what you truly enjoy. Make a vision board, and have those things that you truly enjoy in your face, so you can see them. Remind yourself of what you love on your phone too. Like, my passwords are all things that resonate with me. So, every time I type in a password, it's just like straight-up manifestation. I think the main key is just love. Like, if you love a type of music, create off of that, and also surround yourself with people and things that you love. Do a bunch of what you love constantly, that's what I believe.
When can we expect new music?
We're releasing a new song on the 21st, and it's a really really special record too.
Listen to some of his music below.
Moeazy's Social Media:
Instagram: @Fuxwag