A hip-hop artist with roots in Bloomington said he wanted to dig into an emotion on his latest EP not often expressed in rap music. Nor by men … at least in public.
Brandon DaZ (aka Beck) previews his new EP "Sad Boy" on Friday, Nov. 16, at Jazz UpFront in downtown Bloomington. He's a guest artist for Street Smart Radio's New Year’s Eve competition.
GLT caught up with DaZ via Skype at his home in Atlanta, Georgia, to talk about ... sadness. He said it came out of dealing with another person’s sadness, and how to reach out to others in need when you’re not feeling up to par.
“So it’s trying to figure out how to give real advice to others and accept that they were sad,” said DaZ. "And that it’s OK to be sad and not give cliché responses so you can really address the problem rather than dress it up."
“Ice Cold” is a song on “Sad Boy” that details the unraveling of a relationship, an often helpless feeling that can induce an extended period of sadness.
Got part of me you know my heart is broken up and begging And I’m focused on my music slowly climbing up that rider You put me through hell and now Now I’m motivated baby to move on from your expectations - counterpoint to DaZ on "Ice Cold" from "Sad Boy"
“Along with addressing me being sad and archetypes of what people should be, it’s really addressing people’s lack of emotion or the training to not feel emotion, and valuing material things. It’s the feeling that nothing can help him love this person better,” said DaZ.
“Stronger” is another song addressing the tension and sadness of trying to keep one’s financial and emotional head above water.
“It’s like, ‘How can I help you when I’m dealing with all this within myself?'" said DaZ.
He sounds like a sounding board or go-to person when others are down.
“It’s hard because I want to be there for everybody, and people will hold it against you … again, it’s hard to (help) people when you’re going through your own struggles,” said DaZ.
The album cover for “Sad Boy” is an image of DaZ crying.
“My friend had a song called ‘Cry Face.’ And he jokingly said a picture of me crying for the cover would be cool. And I thought about it and said, ‘Nobody ever takes pictures of when they cry.' History’s not always happy and smiles. And it’s crazy that we have only been trained to show happiness,” said DaZ.
Got part of me you know my heart is broken up and begging And I’m focused on my music slowly climbing up that rider You put me through hell and now Now I’m motivated baby to move on from your expectations - "Lullaby" from "Sad Boy"
The mention of “Lullaby” elicits a hearty laugh from Daz. He then turned serious and said the song was bittersweet. It was written during the time his wife went into a manic episode.
“And it’s about trying to get through to her,” said DaZ. “It was so hard to communicate. Really, ‘Sad Boy’ is about that time in my life. You want everything to slow down and come into perspective and you can’t. And I say it’s bittersweet because they song was the only thing that could calm her down.”
For a guy who said it’s difficult to express emotions, especially vulnerability, DaZ doesn’t seem constrained.
“This CD was me learning that,” said DaZ. “There was nothing I could do during my wife’s manic, and this was about me trying to be in control over a situation, and realizing that it wasn’t my fault.”
Brandon DaZ performs songs from “Sad Boy” late on Friday, Nov. 16. He's a guest artist for Street Smart Radio's New Year’s Eve competition.
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