Interview: Emzeezy Talks About His Newly Released EP "WHERE I'M AT"
/
“I wanted to focus on the introspection, which has always been a part of my music, while still keeping the lyrical aspect alive which includes the various punchlines and flows.”
How did you get started as a music creator, and who have been some of your influences in terms of producers and artists?
Well it kind of came gradually. When I was about 11 or 12, I started getting into hip-hop, listening to a lot of old school and early 2000s hip-hop on YouTube. This included artists such as Lil Wayne, Eminem, 50 Cent, Tupac etc. You know, all the usual suspects. As I got older I started getting into newer stuff and into alternative hip-hop.
At about 14 I started writing raps, I was listening to hip-hop basically 24/7. I wasn't thinking of ever really making songs, It was just sort of something that I enjoyed doing. I mention it all the time, writing songs always felt very therapeutic for me and it still does. Not long after, I started recording music and releasing it on Soundcloud and YouTube. I started out rapping on free beats and doing remixes. At the time, I didn't even think about making beats because, to be honest, I was rapping because I loved doing it. It was only a couple of years ago when I really started getting good at producing, mixing, mastering etc. I guess that's where I kind of began "doing it seriously" haha.
In terms of influences, there's a lot. I listen to all kinds of different genres. Some of my main influences would be The Notorious BIG, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, MF DOOM, Jay-Z, Three 6 Mafia, 50 Cent, Madlib, Kanye. Again, I listen to a lot of music, so don't take this as a top 10 or anything like that.
Congratulations on the completion and release of your new EP, "WHERE I'M AT". Tell us about your creative process as a rapper and producer for its three tracks.
Thank you! Well, with this EP, I wouldn't say I had an exact idea of what it should be or what it would sound like when I started making it. However, in the process of making it, I realised that most of the songs didn't really tackle how I was feeling at the time. It felt like I was avoiding something. And after a while, I kind of just decided to say to myself "Hey, let me make a shorter project where I can express exactly how I'm feeling right now". This is where the title track "Where I'm At" came from.
I didn't want to sugar-coat anything, whether I was expressing how I felt about myself or how I felt about other things, like the creative process and how for a while, I felt a bit bored and maybe even uninspired or discouraged with how everything was going. I took the same approach when making the other two songs on the project. I wanted to focus on the introspection, which has always been a part of my music, while still keeping the lyrical aspect alive which includes the various punchlines and flows.
How would you say that your latest EP differs conceptually and musically from your first, "EMPTY"?
I think they're similar in many ways but the main difference, in my opinion, was the fact that I took the more introspective approach on "WHERE I'M AT". I think "EMPTY" has that aspect to it as well but most of the focus on that project was on being lyrical and just making dope tracks.
Tell us about the hip-hop music scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina; is it easy to build a fanbase there and are there a lot of venues to perform?
Well the hip-hop scene here is pretty interesting to say the least. To elaborate, hip-hop as a genre isn't the most popular genre in Bosnia and Herzegovina but it is still popular, particularly amongst my generation and younger people in general. However, there aren't really many venues to perform at, especially when you're just starting out so I would say that it's a challenge to grow a fanbase.
With 2024 winding down, what are some of your goals musically for the next year?
My main goal is to try and release more music consistently in 2025. That's always the main goal, to release as much quality as possible. However, I don't think I'm fully done with 2024 just yet. I might drop a few more songs before the year ends, fingers crossed.
Stream and Share “WHERE I’M AT” on Spotify
Connect with Emzeezy: Instagram