Name: Selassie
Nationality: Ghanaian
Occupation: Rapper
Current release: Selassie teams up with composer Ralph Heidel for the single “All The Seasons,“ taken off Heidel's new album anyways. onto better things, out via Friends with Oranges.

[Read our Ralph Heidel interview]

If you enjoyed this Selassie interview and would like to know more about his music, visit him on Instagram.



What were some of the musical experiences which planted a seed for your interest in hip hop?

I think since a child I always liked dancing. I also played a lot of basketball since forever. So naturally I feel like these two aspects are heavily connected to hiphop.

Or at least, they bring you close to hiphop.
 
What does the term hip hop mean and stand for today, would you say?

I think everybody gotta make their own sense of it. But for me it stands for unity and collaborations.

Hip hop has always been about a lot more than just music. For you personally, is hip hop a way of life – and if so, in which way?  

I think it's a situation of: either you're living it or you're watching it.  

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to creativity?

I feel like I'm approaching it like a painting!

There are many different layers to every human story for me. My approach consists of peeling off the layers!

Where do most of your inspirations to create come from – rather from internal  impulses or external ones? Which current social / political / ecological or other developments make you feel like you need to respond as an artist?  

I think somehow from everywhere! I feel like I try to keep a 360 degrees view on things because I feel like everything affects everything else in some way.

I believe I try to not take things too personal. I believe all these are human problems - and love is higher than them!

Hip hop has always had an interesting relationship between honouring its roots and pushing the music forward. What does the balance between these two poles look like in your music?

I honours its roots and try to stay true to myself

What role do electronic tools and instruments, including AI, play for your creative process?

I have never used AI in music honestly. But at the same time, I also believe that, really, every DAW is already a kind of AI.

I think the best approach is to mix the “real” and turn it into something new.

How do you see the role of sampling in hip hop today?

I think it has always played a huge part in the music and it stillplays a huge part today!

I believe innovation still comes by revisiting the past.

There has always been a close connection between hip hop and jazz. What role does improvisation play in your current creative process?

It's the only way to make music. Let intuition lead and guide you.

It can sometimes seem as though, in hip hop, production is the main force of progress. Do you feel like there is still space for genuinely new ideas for lyrics and vocals as well? If so, what could these look like?

What I am doing!

For many artists, life-changing musical experiences take place live. How do you see that yourself?

Playing live is what I live for.

How, would you say are your live performances and your recording projects connected at the moment? How do they mutually influence and feed off each other?

When it comes to performing on stage, I think I am not close to playing how I really feel like yet.

I would say it's a steady process.

Are there approaches, artists, festivals, labels, spaces or anyone/-thing else out there who you feel deserve a shout out for taking hip hop into the future?
 
95 anthony
Super jazz club
Glowry boyz