19 year-old Northampton rapper Hamzysho presents his debut EP ‘State Of Mind’. New Boots said: look, you’re darn good, we need to talk.
Who are you, and what’s your NN story?
I am hamzysho, aka Young Genius. “Born and raised in the NN” I said in my first single ‘I Ain’t Slept’, and on my upcoming EP if you want to know me I’d advise you to listen to that song, and the intro.
How did you start out on this journey?
I was good at poetry in primary school; I had one published but I don’t even know in what book, haha. I’ll find it one day. But I just carried it on, did a little bit of battle rap in secondary, and then ended up freestyling, I started producing beats in 2018, and I’ve been working with many others and it’s helped me improve with time.
How would you describe your sound? Who are your main influences/inspirations?
I’d say I’m versatile and innovative, sometimes unorthodox but overall I’d say interesting. Influences: Meek Mill in the US, and J Hus in the UK.
Tell us everything about this EP, ‘State of Mind’.
It’s what it says on the tin, my different states of mind. It’s a journey into the inside of my mind, and I highlight how I think, reminisce of the past, talking about my lessons, and what I hope to see in the future.
The people involved in the project are amazingly talented and are the reason why the EP is such a beautiful piece of art. Five tracks mixed and mastered by mars. ‘Fake Love’ was done by myself and my guy Tommy. My guy Joey Rebz is one of the best artists in the country; everyone that sees this check him out, he’s on the hook to my song ‘Tetley’. We’re always exchanging ideas with each other on how we can improve our work. On the beats I had sakezmusic and JB Productions, who are prominent names in the industry working with chart regulars such as Fredo and Cadet [RIP]. I produced two songs myself. And my favourite producer in the country Itsyng produced two songs for me.
Will you be doing live appearances in the future?
Possibly
Do you feel there’s a proper rap scene in Northamptonshire?
I think the Northampton scene can be slow, because we depend on friends to share our work and common people often underestimate homegrown talent. That’s only because many of us are still in our experimental and developing stages, but this year many artists are taking steps and pushing themselves. I do see something happening.
Why do you rate Tetley so high when Yorkshire Tea is clearly the king of the brew?
Honestly I prefer Yorkshire tea too, hahaha.
What was the last album you bought/streamed?
Jadakiss Kiss Tha Game Goodbye. I like the grittiness in his voice and the lessons he shares.
What is your burning desire to do in 2020? What plans do you have after the EP?
I’d like be able to help as many people as I can, and to be heard. Thank you very much for the opportunity, I appreciate it and I hope you enjoy the EP
State Of Mind is out now via the usual digital platforms
