What is your name and what city do you rep?

Malik English & Brooklyn, NY

Tell us about your latest releases, what inspired you to create them?

“Only Me” is an embodiment of joy, an invitation to escape the pressures of life, and to encourage others to feel comfortable being themselves. No matter if you’re alone or in a group of people it’s important to maintain your sense of self and have fun being who you are. We wanted to motivate people to wild out in whatever way’s cool for them. Another crucial theme of the song is to not take things seriously. The record itself is whimsical while the accompanying music video features us running around NYC pretending to be bad detectives. The song was an opportunity for everyone that worked on it to take a break from life and play around.  We want listeners to walk away with a sense of wonder and urge to have themselves. 

Only Me’s importance lies in just how fun it is. The record feels like an injection of sugary and bubbly energy  that makes you want to jump around. With how stressful life can be sometimes, this song offered a deeply needed sense of escapism for Izumii and I while we were making it. The blend of these genres creates a mesmerizing sonic experience that pushes the boundaries and opens doors to a new realm of musical possibilities. It’s a breath of fresh air, a genre-bending creation that stands out as something truly unique and needed.

What is unique about you and your music?

There aren’t any artists that look & sound like me. My music is super transparent & emotionally undefended in a way I don’t think a lot of artists tap into today. Musically I’m at a point where I’m post-genre and I’ve grown really comfortable with that. I’m skirting the lines of something between Rap, RNB, & Rock and creating something truly my own. Adding in my production and technical skills I have a musical arsenal that puts me in my own lane. Also I don’t look like most rappers especially out of NYC, and it wouldn’t look natural if I tried to. I think being someone who realizes and is comfortable with who he is lines me up to make the best music I can and be one of the best acts of my generation. 

What shaped your music? 

My experiences and my upbringing. I grew up here in Brooklyn, Trinidad & Brampton, ON so was exposed to a lot of different cultures and styles of music that helped me make my own style. All my songs are screenshots of some point in my life or someone’s situation close to me that I wanted to tell a story about. I think my music is extremely human as it all comes from real life experiences

When did you realize you were going to make music professionally? 

Towards the end of high school. I knew I didn’t want to do anything else and didn’t even want to go to college originally. Taking a step back then to see what it was I actually wanted to do helped me realize tit was music. 

What type of music do you listen to? 

Rap, Rnb, rock, pop and afrobeats mostly. Some of my favorite artists right now are Jean Dawson, Burna Boy, KennyHoopla, Jordan Ward, & Metro Boomin

What inspires you to write music? 

Life experiences. I’m not really good at speaking normally and a lot of the times when things happen I rather just keep my thoughts & feelings to myself. Music is the outlet that gives me the space to express myself. It’s cool too cause I can help other people in similar positions to me and that ability to connect to people is what keeps me going. 

What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about? 

Hmmm, probably watching anime, playing video games or going out. Right now I’m really into Jujutsu Kaisen, Black Clover, & Blue Lock. I’ve also been playing a lot of tears of the kingdom. Going a lot is a lot of fun too cause i get to see what type of music people are into, it’s like research purposes. Seeing what elements of songs gets certain reactions out of people and thinking about how to replicate that

Happiness to you is… 

Freedom. I think I’ll reach a point of happiness when I’m free to do what I want, when I feel it. 

What do you wish you were told when you first started making music that you think would help artists just starting out? 

It’s okay to just be yourself. There’s over seven billion people on the planet. You’ll find some people that rock with you.

Tell us about your upcoming projects…

After Only ME, I have 2-3 (depending on my mood) singles coming before my first project. Working hard to make sure it’s something special as it’s been a long time coming 

Where do we find you music / music projects?  

All DSPs & social media platforms ( Threads & Spill included)

Any last words for the readers?

Hope yall love yourself as much as I love yall