Interview By: Nasa Lamode
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Nasa: $enseiMJ! Good to have you homie.
$enseiMJ: Preciate you having me fam.
Nasa: No doubt. Tell me about “Lonely Nights”
$enseiMJ: Where can I get started my g? This project was such a beautiful experience man. Very much needed. The point of this drop is to introduce niggas to something different. Something to get people out their comfort zone when it comes to listening to $enseiMJ. Niggas know I be rapping, but did they know I truly like singing more? Also, I wanted spice up my beat selection with a more spacious, psychedelic ass sound.
On the other hand, this project was inspired by a lot of things. ALOT. From my environment, to things going in my life, to my niggas from “Bloomxset“. Also, the everyday struggles of relationships and life too. I made songs out of my dreams and ambitions.
I wasn’t tripping [off shrooms or lsd] when I made these songs. I took a tolerance break purposely so I could trip to the fully finished project. I didn’t even export the songs to my phone. I left them hoes on my computer so I could miss them and not overplay the songs, which I feel truly helped me build a better relationship with this project. I like tripping with a purpose now, not just for fun. I wanted this project to be 100% psychedelic friendly though fam. I wanted my listeners to feel every synth, 808, chord progression from a different type of view you feel me?
Nasa: Most def. What’s “BloomxSet”?
$enseiMJ: BloomxSet is a collective of creators bro. I feel like this group is going to make a huge impact on the world when it come to art & music. I don’t like to say “music” that often because this shit bigger than that. Our group consists of 9 members: Tobacco Ryan, GVRDEN, OG Prince, GoldenChild, Axbu JXNE, Big Zay, myself and MackBo. I’m blessed to have met these niggas. They’ve taken my vision and creativity to a whole other level. Without them, I don’t where I would be. We got artists based in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and even Austin, but soon bro we going global; making our music heard around the world not just Texas or the south.
Nasa: Dope! How did yall make that come to be?
$enseiMJ: I was probably the 7th member to join, so we’ve been around for a min. Tobacco Ryan, GVRDEN, OG Prince, GC, and Teruo Rhodes is like the OGs of the group. They started at ‘TSU‘. [Texas Southern University] Niggas used to do cyphers in the apartments on campus. I wasn’t a part of it during that era yet. Fast forward a couple years; I sent Tobacco one of my first EPs ever and he fucked with it. After that, he put me on with “BloomxSet”. Shout out to him because these gotta be some of the coolest niggas I’ve met in my life. I’m the young buck of the group, so I’m always learning new shit fam, but very thankful for the opportunities my gang has put in place for me![Correction, it’s 10 members! Teruo Rhodes.]
Nasa: That’s cool as hell man! Teruo actually produced a few of my own joints. That’s wavy. What’s your favorite cut off the project?
$enseiMJ: Teruo is a genius fam. We still haven’t created any “official songs”, but I know when we do, it’s gone be some heat. My favorite song off that hoe gotta be “Steve Lacy.”
Nasa: Ever get writers block?
$enseiMJ: Hell yeah bro! But them be the times that I know it’s a lot of shit going on in my mind. Ain’t nothing wrong with taking a break. Most of my writers block come from me overworking myself. It’s a lot I be wanting to say and do, but sometimes my brain just be struggling to put that shit into words. I usually take some time away from music and focus on other aspects of my life where I need improvement. When I start feeling a little more relaxed and collected, I go on walks or jam beats & just start writing. Sometimes I hum hooks and melodies out loud. I be feeling reborn or some shit after catching writers block.
Nasa: That’s some beautiful shit. Who on your playlist right now?
$enseiMJ: A$AP Rocky, Kenny Mason, & Zro always getting played everyday bro. I don’t care what’s going on, those my go to artists. Maxo Kream been on repeat lately. His new album go crazy fam. I’m also a big fan of ‘EDM’, so I keep that in my rotation as well.
Nasa: Ever been to “Gravity” here in ‘Midtown Houston’? They take EDM serious.
$enseiMJ: Nah bro, I ain’t never been, but next time I’m the H I’ll have to pull up. I like experiencing new settings. I been really looking for a place that play EDM! Where have I been?!
Nasa: Yeah. Texas heavy with it. So you not in Houston right now? Where you at?
$enseiMJ: Born and raised in Houston, but right now, I’m living in Beaumont, trying to get a degree and shit. Houston is my home though fashitsho. I’m there like every other two weeks.
Nasa: Been to any good concerts lately?
$enseiMJ: I haven’t been to any concerts lately. I’ve been to only two concerts and both of them hoes were Tobacco Ryan. That nigga be rocking out fr.
Nasa: Interesting. What’s next for $enseiMJ?
$enseiMJ: I have so much in store for real. I got all these visions & dreams I’m tryna bring to light. I just need a little more time to see how things work. In the future, I can definitely say it’s gone be some dope ass visuals, live performances, etc. But we gone fasho make that shit different, you feel me?
Shows, animations, EDM, all types of shit fam.
Nasa: You got any other hidden talents playa?
$enseiMJ: Hidden talents. My niggas know I be cooking like a mf; not only in the stu. My pops taught me how to cook when I was younger and I just only gotten better; never missing a meal fasho. I also DJ. I used to go to Stephen F Austin and those was some the most fun times when I would DJ my big brother’s frat parties. I’m also a tech geek, so I know a lot of shit about technology. When we have a “Bloom House”, [function where all ‘Bloom’ artists come together and make music] I be the one making sure the mics are good, etc. So cooking, DJ, photography, & tech geek.
Nasa: Word up. Let’s wrap it up with a fly quote!
$enseiMJ: “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but nonetheless doing it like you love it.” – Mike Tyson
Bad Habit Magazine 