The atmosphere at Rolling Loud India earlier this month was electric, and we managed to catch hold of an exciting new artist that has been making waves in the industry.
From Young Thug and Nav cosigns at only 19 years of age to performing a second time at Rolling Loud, Yung Fazo has been a bit of an anomaly in the music landscape. We chatted backstage about the artist’s music, his career ambitions and remarkable reflections on authenticity, innovation and fame.
HHNM: Okay, okay. Check one, two. We got Yung Fazo performing live at Rolling Loud Mumbai, Rolling Loud India.
Yung Fazo: What’s going on? What’s going on, India?
HHNM: A few questions for you. First one is about your Anti Social 2 project, which blew up huge in 2021. One of the biggest projects on SoundCloud back then.Ā How was it dealing with all that success so young?
Yung Fazo: Uh, honestly, that’s a question I don’t really get a lot too. It’s like, it was pretty tough, I’m not gonna lie, being, like, a young kid just getting exposed to, like, everyone’s opinion, you know, at such a young age, and, like, having to adapt to deal with that and still grow as a person. That took a lot of courage and me, like, hardening my heart, ’cause my heart can’t be soft or else I lose myself in this shit. So, yeah, that was a really big moment for me and, like, I’m super thankful, you know. I’m blessed. I don’t regret anything, I don’t look at it no way. I just- I’m blessed. That’s how I feel about it.
HHNM: That’s a much deeper answer than I expected. (laughs) You’ve received co-signs from NAV and Young Thug and all these guys. How do you feel about that? Does that add pressure when you’re releasing music now or do you feel encouraged? Like, what is your true sentiment about all these co-signs?
Yung Fazo: I don’t think it adds pressure. If anything,Ā I think it gives me confidence knowing that people that I looked up to growing up or I f*cked with growing up listening to f*ck with me. You know what I’m saying? They f*ck with what I’m doing, and what my agenda is. So shout out to anyone that’s ever co-signed me. love everybody that’s shown me love, you know. I reciprocate that every time.
HHNM: Nice. Is this your second Rolling Loud performance? And the first one was New York. So, how do you plan on turning up, performing for the Indian crowd, considering that you have some Indian in you?
Yung Fazo: I don’t look at it as, like, I’m turning up for an Indian crowd. I just look at it like I’m turning up for a crowd, you know. I do that every time I get on stage and I give my all every time I get on stage, I scream my heart out. You know what I’m saying? So, you gonna see tomorrow, I’ma really just pop it. Everybody in front of me look like me so I feel like that’s fire. Like that shit is inspiring to me.
HHNM: That’s so true. I’m really looking forward to seeing you. It’ll be my first time watching you as well. And NAV mentioned that he inspired you. And he also mentioned like, you know, it’s tough being brown sometimes in the culture. What are your thoughts on the Desi hip hop culture, if you’re familiar with at all? What do you feel about today’s artists in brown culture doing it so well internationally?
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Yung Fazo: Um, I think it’s a round of applause to all brown people, bro. Like this shit is not easy, breaking into American culture and Western culture, you know. And just like, now we’re bridging the gap, now we’re making it easier for more kids to want to do what they want to do and be confident in themselves. So that’s all I’m about, bro. It doesn’t have to be somebody that look like me to just understand that like you could do anything you want to as long as you just put your mind to it, bro. Like, I say some shit a lot, you beat the battle in your mind, you’ll get everything you desire. So that’s what I live my life by. You just got to beat the own internal battle and you will flourish. Brown artists, it’s a new wave now. I’m glad I could be a part of that and somewhat lead that, you know, like other brown people realize this is it.
You just got to beat the own internal battle and you will flourish. Brown artists, itās a new wave now. Iām glad I could be a part of that and somewhat lead that, you know, like other brown people realize like is it.
HHNM: Yeah, it’s doable. It encourages the next wave and, you know, the artists around you, the young artists around you who are looking to do the same thing. You do different kinds of hip hop, hyper pop and trap and melodic rap and all those, as we say, new school genres. Are you looking to experiment even more beyond this? Go into other sub-genres of hip hop..
Yung Fazo: Hell yeah. I want to change music, bro. I don’t want to be just another artist. I don’t want to be just another artist that be doing shit. Like, I want to change sound, bro. That’s why I use beats that are like so different. I got to feel something. When I listen to a beat, I’m listening to what I feel. Like I’m tracking how I feel. So if I feel like this is the one, that’s when I record on it. So like when I do hear a beat that I know is going to go crazy, I know it’s going to go crazy. It takes a lot to make me feel something from an instrumental bro. So I applaud all my producers, like they just go so crazy. The best of the best, swear to God.
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HHNM: Okay, one last question. Who are your top three favorite artists of all time? Three or five, whatever you’re comfortable with naming.
Yung Fazo: Prince, Michael Jackson, Chief Keef.
HHNM: Wow. Prince and Michael Jackson are in my top three too – that’s amazing.
Yung Fazo: Goats, bro. They’re Goats. The GOATs. (laughs)
HHNM: Thank you, Yung Fazo!
