We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Whyz Easley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Whyz below.

Whyz, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project is the one I am currently working on right now. It’s called, “The Middle of Nowhere”. It’s a subtle elaboration of the idea that while everything that matters to you is validated, at the end of the day this is all pointless! I have evolved in my craft in ways I couldn’t imagine. I have been able to simultaneously say things that are meaningful to me while also having fun. As I continue to grow and develop as a human being, I have started to solidify what matters to me most. On this project I was able to address my skepticism, curiosity, love, and even moments where I cower from my responsibilities of being a black artist. In a nutshell, I fell in love with music again, but in a more personal and realistic way. Since I let go of the major craving to be the “rock star”, I have been able to 100% be my weird self.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’ve been into music my whole life. I sang in the choir at church and some in of grade school. I grew up hearing Al Green, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill and just about any Blues or RnB you could imagine. Eventually I would hear songs like “So Fresh So Clean”, and “Soul Food” and fall in love with just the sound of rap music. Albums like “Late Registration”, “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Cool” gave me vision. Albums like “Stankonia” and “808’s and Heartbreak” showed me how fluid creativity could be. These processes and details are so necessary because they shed light on my flexible talent which is story telling. Everything requires a story and as my story is still being written, I want to help others tell a story of their own. This goes for music, visuals, writing, drawing anything art related I’m all for it. Currently, I have the ideas, the vision and the team, and I plan on using my next piece as an example. In this world of social media, I to represent for the authentic artist who wants the world to love their music, but not praise them or place them on this ridiculous pedestal. I truly desire to make music and visuals that make you feel something.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m somewhere in between wanting to be an E.G.O.T. (Emmy, Grammy Oscar, Tony) award winner and wanting to do smaller gigs at Apache Cafe for the rest of my life. (haha). My mission is to put emphasis on how great the “content”, is over myself. Most people don’t know what Andy Warhol or Pablo Picasso even look like! Yet, their art will be loved and respected for centuries to come. That’s the conflict I am dealing in this current climate. Everything is about being seen and having brand deals. If you want to eat as an artist people have to be more invested in, you as a person over the music. I represent the creator that is recluse and trying to make their own way into the industry.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

The idea of essentially having to live a double life as a creative is underrated. There are so many musicians, photographers, graphic designers, and dancers working a 9-5 and then spending another 5 to 6 hours working on their craft for FREE. From a business standpoint most artists especially, rappers are in the red. In most cases artists will have a job that supports them that has nothing to do with what they really want to do. Most are thriving for something that represents .05% of the population. I don’t know if it’s love, insanity or both. Either way the passion and dedication can resemble being an athlete for many. Even the last person of the bench still gets a check, but here are so many artists struggling financially. It’s the art, the creations and the love of it, that keeps them going. So, whether you are a fan of the work, or not there is a lot of respect do for all creatives. P.S. non-creatives support your artist friends, so we don’t have to be a salty about not attending each other’s events!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://instabio.cc/4061913B9LJPX
• Instagram: Iamwhyz
• Twitter: Iamthewhyz

Image Credits
Images were shot by Vitor Pinheiro and Reginald Duncan