Harlem Sekani
Harlem Sekani, left of hair & makeup artist Chantal Jo; press photo courtesy of the artists.
In recent years since we’ve been conversing with NYC artist Harlem Sekani, we observed a DIY producer growing further into his own zone of comfort to command the mic along with the role of mixing and mastering the track as well. Harlem based and born Sekani Hakim Bell-Jenkins turned heads with his production on the title track found off the 05 Fuck Em mixtape (sporting some 101 cuts) and continued to work off this experience and inspiration to embrace his own inner solo artist. Further developing his style to encompass styles heard from Harlem to Oakland, with eastern leans to basement trap beats and vibes that rise like the steam that ghosts up from the metal grates and plate of the streets.
Delivering his first proper solo release to date, Harlem Sekani presents his self-titled EP that opens up with the previously heard single “Who Are You”, dealing in syrupy spectral specter-sound-waves and his own idiosyncratic delivery. Sekani’s bars run like a sprinter stating attributes of the self while spitting scales like mountains and valleys. After “I do it for my kin” recitations, “Again” takes a Chinatown like cultural character that mulls over romantic musings, while “Loner” finds Harlem joined by Nitty Scott to count blessings and hold tight to values from family to Hennessy. Rolling confident with a self-conscious smile and humor all the while, Sekani keeps the boss wheels turning with “Distant” that continues trade in tales to spell out the reasons and character components behind his aloof demeanor. The production gets pointed toward a shining bouquet of synths and swell living styles on “Bueno” that features hedonistic contributions from Ken Rebel, while Sekani keeps the never looking back volition in top gear turning it down for something from the heart dropping some PMA wisdom like “don’t play games, no hide and seek, I know who I’m going to be, take all those feelings put them on the shelf, peace of mind is wealth, you have no body if you lose yourself,” featuring further bars from longtime collaborator Black Dave that closes out a song about both moving on and moving forward. Right after the following listen to his debut EP, read our most recent interview with Harlem Sekani where we caught up with the rising artist a couple of days after his new released dropped.
Tell us about how you felt in making your own self-produced/mixed/mastered/written & recorded solo EP.
Frustrated but nobody is going to stop me from living my dream. The only reason why I started writing is because in the four years prior to my first recorded song, the only established artist that would work with me and stay in contact was Lil B. Now I have people asking me for features/beats. The only reason why I started mixing/mastering my songs is because nobody wanted to help me. Now I have people offering me money to mix/master their songs. If you can do something on your own then you should do it on your own. If you don’t know how to do it, learn how. It took me 20 years to figure that out but I’m glad I finally did.
What kind of challenges did you run into in the process, and how did you find ways to overcome them?
Everything from figuring out the perfect mic placement to learning how to write an actual song. The short answer to the second part is trial and error. The artists that I know didn’t have the time to answer my questions and work with me so learning from my own mistakes and being honest with myself helped me grow. YouTube videos definitely helped as well.
Tell us about what it was like working with folks like Nitty Scott, Ken Rebel, and Black Dave.
They’re all very talented artists with extremely bright futures so I really appreciate their involvement in my project. They were all really down to earth when we met too. Black Dave has a really dope and interesting sound right now with the new song he just dropped ( check out “Black Punk – Squad” on YouTube), Ken Rebel just had a video hit 2 million, and Nitty Scott just got a placement in the new Zoolander movie so everybody is doing great right now. I like to see other artists from NYC making big moves.
What else are you working on right now, and who are you working with right now?
The project just dropped two days ago so I’m forcing myself to take a break, It’s pretty hard though because whenever there’s any silence I keep coming up with songs in my head and it won’t stop. I can’t even go to bed when I want because I have to keep getting up to write the lines I just thought of. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts though, I hear rappers/singers/poets complain about writers block and I don’t even understand how that happens. There’s inspiration everywhere. Even if you honestly feel like you have nothing to talk about you can just make a song about how you haven’t felt inspired in a while. As for the artists that I’m working now, it’ll just be whoever responds to the press release I sent out. I want to make as much music as possible with as many people as possible. Besides those artists, I’m working with Big Jig aka Jigme aka we haven’t established a name yet. He’s a future star even though he hasn’t written his first verse yet. Only Us Records 2016 and forever.
What are you listening to and watching a lot of right now?
I cycle through 1 month phases where I pretty much listen to the same thing everyday. I just got out of my “Songs About Jane” Maroon 5 phase. I’m in my Lil Wayne mixtape phase now. As for what I’m watching, just a lot of youtube. Mainly Peanut Live 215 and the “No Jumper” podcast interviews.
What can we expect next from Harlem Sekani?
Nobody knows.
