Rap is deeper than just a genre of music. It is the feel and emotion behind the music that keeps it going. Anybody can be a rapper nowadays, it is openly accessible to pursue especially with the internet at everyone’s hands. Yet only some really hold the ability to rap and articulate their thoughts through the art. Charlotte native Mavi is more than capable of this and truly is dropping some of the best bars right now with a predominantly unmatched flow. He is effortlessly one of the more proficient lyricists and knows how to attack with his versatility at all times. We spoke over the phone discussing extensively about his life and who the man behind the mic really is.
At just the age of 19 his wisdom and awareness speak far beyond his years, especially when it comes to his music. This was not a hobby he just started getting familiar with either, he has been practicing the art for some time. “I started rapping about 4 years ago, when I was 14. The first thing I ever wrote was over the beat to ‘Menthol’ by Isaiah Rashad, it was about this girl. I called it ‘California Housing’. I was recording on to this call center headset on my Dad’s computer for the longest.” Over time he’s come a long way as last year he released his two projects “Beacon” in January and “No Roses” in October.
At a young age he began listening to rap, his earliest recollections are listening to “Dead Prez and a lot of Nas”. That cycled into him going through these phases of different styles of rap and artists. One period that stuck out significantly was his MF Doom phase. “I used to sit and watch MF Doom rap all day. I learned how to rap and put words on to beat with his beat tapes, The Special Herbs Series. I used to play those and just rap for hours, it was wake up and watch Doom all day. The amount of stuff he needs to know to write his raps is mind boggling.” Mavi is well aware that he has a natural gift putting his intellect and consciousness into his raps. Yet he remains extremely humble and grateful of the craft itself. After being asked what type of rapper he would say he is he replied, “I’m not any kind of rapper and I don’t even like putting it into categories like that. I think if you strip away all the imaginary protocols of rap, in terms of mechanically what art is meant to do. There’s people who can spit crazy bars and those who can’t, but there’s music with no words that is still great music.” “It’s all about the perception of the audience?”, I ask. “It’s about the feel.”
When it comes to the production of his profound music he’s working consistently with Overkast and Nephew Hesh. He’s also connected with a few other producers including Wiardon, a skilled rapper and producer from Austin, Texas. Within his lyrics and approach, he’s “progressed a lot and got way better. I found a strong identity sonically. I’m not afraid to say something or do something that’s never been done before.” The music is really affected by his surroundings, they have changed frequently for him. He has a sound for everywhere he’s been moving around; Charlotte, D.C, and New York City. The talented lyricist knows how to portray his feelings and thoughts into his work almost too well. This is what makes his art so special, it is coming from a genuine standpoint and in a straightforward manner.
Two songs that were made in correlation with each other are “Sunset” and “Sunrise”. “’Sunset’ was written when I found out my grandmother had cancer and was terminal at the same time. I was doing xans and just fucked up, depressed. ‘Sunrise’ is the aftermath of my grandmother’s passing and how new relationships formed replacing that huge one. The best part is that they can be listened to interchangeably.” While making his last project “No Roses” he realized that he was being irresponsible in the sense of acknowledging his emotions. He was releasing them through his lyrics and didn’t realize the way it could be affecting listeners. His mindset while creating the project was “angsty and depressed”. This reflected in the music as it was heavily emotionally charged. “The whole last mixtape was literally made by me having an anxiety attack and then writing for 40 minutes, then there was a song.”
Recently he has been working vigorously at his artistry and becoming more understanding of his influence within his lyrics. “I’ve been trying to empower in my music, so you’ll learn something. I want to fill ears. I’m trying to push the message that all black people should be free. We need to love one another and live past the imaginary boundaries that are focused on us. I want to get through to people really doing for self, loving yourself. Being able to be down and get right back on your shit.” Now writing is like a therapeutic and meditative experience for him. He has more control over his space and he can really frame everything how he wants it to be. “The writing is really gratifying with the recent music.”
There’s an immense amount of upcoming content from Mavi. Visuals and singles are set to be on the way soon. The next project he’s working on is titled “Let the Sun Talk”, and it is supposed to feature multiple tracks. “Long and short songs just know it’s a lot. My music has carried me far enough to this point to where the resources I was trying to get, have become available to me. While I have the resources, I’m going to take my time and put in my best effort. I’m just trying to make this my step into the light.” That is exactly what is on track to happen too, Mavi is moving towards his sunrise. His music is shifting from a glimpse of hope or smile in the dark, to more empowering developments. Although it will always be empowering there’s no guarantee that it will always be happy by any means.
A weight is being lifted from the adept emcee’s shoulders, he feels that his creative process is much easier now. His head space is much clearer, and he is ready to take on everything that comes his way. The creativeness flows more naturally and freely than ever before. “Do your best and God will do the rest. We trying to do as much good as we can while we can. If we can’t then fuck it somebody will do the good.”