An Interview With Yusef Slim
By April Izzard (@april.izzxrd)
yusef slim’s upcoming EP ‘Mania’ will be released on August 28th
This week, lo-fi rapper and poet, yusef slim, speaks to MNRCHY ahead of the release of his upcoming ‘Mania’ EP.
At university, slim studied English as a major and often wrote poetry that explored his mental health and the issues surrounding that.
In his final year, slim sent a collection of his work to his English professor. This professor encouraged and supported his poetry and highlighted that its rhythmic qualities might be better enhanced with music. This sparked yusef slim's passion, as he bought a microphone and a Macbook off the back of this conversation and began recording on Garageband.
"It was pretty much all from him," he says in our interview. "He was a great man. I had him as a professor for two years, and he was super supportive of me, but sadly passed away before I could really show him much."
He explained that during those years, a lot of his early work was quite dark and self-deprecating as a result of his self-exploration. Then, as his mental health improved, he got into a better headspace where he began to explore more varied topics. "Sometimes, I just rap. Like, it's not even really about anything specific, I'm just doing lyrical gymnastics, so to speak." When I asked about these lyrical gymnastics, slim said, "I'm just trying to use really intricate rhyme patterns, say slick lines or double entendres. Things of that nature."
“I’m just trying to use really intricate rhyme patterns, say slick lines or double entendres. Things of that nature.”
This kind of written confidence is evident in a recent track release that will be on his upcoming ‘Mania’ EP, 'I Just Ghost', produced by x10. "Trust me, I'm no talker / straight Skywalker / I just float." His effortlessly fresh baritone voice punctuates a warbling trap beat.
In our conversation, I wondered if this playfulness ever becomes freestyle raps. "I very rarely freestyle. I'm not really a rapper's rapper in that sense. I might record myself mumbling a melody or something for a chorus, and see if any lines come to me, but then I go and write around those lines and re-record."
yusef slim also explained that he works around sounds, which often lean towards a more lo-fi beat, before writing out his bars. And that, although lo-fi hip-hop is his staple sound, he doesn't want to limit himself and likes to be versatile. "I literally make whatever I feel at that moment and then just try and group similar emotions to make projects. If I’m in the right headspace, with the right beat, then I’m inspired and I can work. Otherwise, it’s not that forthcoming. I think everything I’m feeling is kind of already in a lyric in my head. So, it’s just about how I connect to the beat, and if I can correctly deliver the thoughts I have."
“I think everything I’m feeling is kind of already in a lyric in my head. So, it’s just about how I connect to the beat, and if I can correctly deliver the thoughts I have.”
Although yusef slim is a super talented songwriter with an equally amazing ear for complementary beats, music is not his day-to-day. So, during our interview, we discussed how a full-time job could interfere with his creative processes.
“I go through phases where I’m making so much music and getting ideas down, then ages where I just can’t get into the groove of it. But, to be honest, my job hasn’t really impacted that. I still get stuck and get writers block randomly. Sometimes, I’ll write a whole song on my commute home, so it’s about timing and getting the right beat in my headphones at the right time. You can’t force art and all that jazz.” He laughs.
“Sometimes, I’ll write a whole song on my commute home, so it’s about timing and getting the right beat in my headphones at the right time. You can’t force art and all that jazz.”
Then, obviously, there is lockdown. Many artists and musicians have been able to harness this time of inactivity without their live shows or even studio access to create more from home. As a result, we have had some sick projects come out in the past few months from the likes of Jords, Kojey Radical, partynextdoor, Mahalia, and more. I asked slim if lockdown has given him a chance to listen more music.
“At the very start, I was listening to way more music but now I’ve moved onto podcasts (‘The Receipts’, ‘Dissect’, and Joe Budden), so not as much. I used to find new artists and songs every week but that’s slowed, seeing as I’m not in the routine of listen on my commute to work.”
Soon, yusef slim will be added to the list of fresh new sounds to bless our ears. His exciting upcoming project ‘Mania’ is set to be released on August 28th. For now though, everyone should go and check out ‘Kaká’ and ‘I Just Ghost’ on Spotify and Soundcloud!