In conversation with .. 6!

“... shade is only cute
a place of intelligence
when it’s rooted in
So you’re still going to hear the same
hip-hop lyricism and flow but sonically
more of a Deee-Lite type sound and
a different type of producers like
Cashmere and The Basement Boys.
Things that I listen to more on the dayto-day.
To me, Muvaland is giving y’all
my taste in a more full picture.
Totally. But why make that switch
now?
I think after I filmed that reality show,
[Netflix’s] Rhythm + Flow, I realized
that, even though I’ve always been
myself, there have been things in my
career that I was putting through a filter
for certain people. After the show, I
realized that those certain people just
aren’t going to like what I do. So why try
and market it and make it something
that people can consume? It’s best to
just do what you want because that’s
how I came in, just doing what I want.
I just have to be true to myself, you
know?
We all really just need to be ourselves
these days or mass media and
consumer culture are going to swallow
up true creativity. So what’s the idea
behind Muvaland?
The EP started as a one-off I was going
to drop with Proper Villains. I decided
to put out an entire body of work since
what we did sounded so good. The
pandemic was just starting and I wanted
to put out something that documented
what I was dealing with at the time in
my own way. That was months ago and a
lot has transpired since then. I still love
the music! I believe releasing it now is
even more essential considering how
chaotic the times have become. We all
need a little escapism.
Fully agreed! You’ve mentioned Funeral Parade of Roses as being
an influence on past work. What were the major influences for the
“Don Dada” video? What’s the concept/message? How was it filming
during the pandemic?
Some of the major influences were a few different films like Mahogany
starring Diana Ross, blaxploitation films like Cleopatra Jones and
Catwalk, a documentary starring Christy Turlington and other 90s
supermodels. The song as a track was more about me reestablishing
myself and my confidence as a lyricist. Hyping myself up as I
reintroduce myself to the music scene. With the visual, I wanted to
expand that to include all black people, specifically dark skin black
women who face a lot of negative drama based on colorism. Filming
was very simple considering I have a roof. It was really, really hot! The
hottest day of the summer it felt like.
Well you looked great in that tennis skirt. I’ve also really been feeling
your homemade “Don Dada” videos on IG. What’s the story behind
those? Are you just giving your fans what they want or are you
trying to say something more? Are you trying to emulate your live
performances?
I’m just trying to give the gays exactly what they want. It’s all about the
content.
Do you feel that you’ve lyrically changed with Muvaland? Did you
spice it up or spice it down?
I don’t think so. I think as a writer I’ve evolved because I’m not the
same person I was when I was 21. Granted, I still rap about blowjobs,
it’s just in a more sophisticated way. And I think with me developing as
an artist I’ve experienced more things so I have more to write about.
I also feel that I get better with time. It’s not anything I’m trying to do
strategically, you know? This is where I’m at very genuinely.
Speaking of you as a writer, you’ve got a volume of short stories
coming out?
Right! I’ve fucking working on this shit since I was like 16! I wanted to
have 100 pages done by my 30th birthday and I completely missed that
deadline. But I’m still staying optimistic about it because all the gays
are putting out all their books and I think it’s great. When I was
coming up there wasn’t a ton of Queer, Black reads. Especially
if you wanted a more modern voice. People would always
reference older generations, which I still think you need,
but I think we need that modern take on the Gay and
Queer expierence. So stay tuned, my shit is coming
out too.
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