We recently had the chance to connect with Hasani Byas and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hasani, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Yes, I have shifted most of my focus on writing and recording music. I have always had a passion for creative writing and rhyming. It brings me joy to know there are words in the English language that I haven’t been introduced to yet that I can utilize through my creative writing.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
First of all my name is Hasani Byas and I was born and raised in San Diego California. I have always been a writer ever since elementary school and have continued to practice this art today. I have a book out right now called A Timeline of Rhymes that was published in 2023 I believe and I am currently working on a music project titled Mental Asylum. I plan on having that music project completed before the end of this year and I am more than anxious to have it completed.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I had to be I was just a young man trying to figure out why the world was telling me this. At one point in my life I believed I was supposed to look and act a certain way to please others until I realized the charade I was performing was becoming a false identity of what I assumed others wanted me to be. It didn’t feel natural until I stopped caring about how others thought of me and learned to be comfortable with who I really wanted to be.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me more about patience than success ever could. The feeling of success doesn’t feel deserved unless a tough lesson of suffering has been understood and learned along the process. I’m not the type of person who is accepting of handouts or things being done for me. I would rather understand how to get to that level of success rather than being carried to the finish line by someone or something else. When I understand suffering and how to deal with that, then I’m also teaching myself how to be patient and face challenges that may seem hard to those who refuse to take the extra step.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
A project that I have committed to would be making music. It had a very slow and rough beginning because I was still trying to find my voice. This commitment was almost short lived after I heard my own recorded voice for the first time. I thought I sounded awful, I criticized myself a lot and I thought I was never going to get the hang of rhyming on beat so I gave it a break. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood and I started seeing a therapist about some personal issues I was dealing with. My therapist at the time recommend that I record myself talking whether it was just a monologue, spoken word poetry, or a rap song to help assist with my personal issues. I thought she was talking crazy at first when she suggested I make rap music as a part of self healing. It wasn’t long until I took her advise and picked up making music again but this time, the songs were more creative than what I was doing previously. These weren’t just poems or songs, this was me finally activating my potential of creative thinking.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely. What I do is not for the approval of others. If I strictly did things just to get praised by others, then all I’m doing is being fake with myself and everyone else. The craft that I have created is no longer genuine and I’ve just become the main character for a TV show I don’t want to be a part of that nobody asked for. I do what I do for myself first and if other like it, then that’s great. And if others don’t like it, then that’s also great. People have the right to like and dislike things and I’m not to tell anyone how to appreciate or depreciate anything.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mynameisikill?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mynameisikill732?si=5NUpcq5_S5QSycuH
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/tKshJd1JoTPLXr3Zpk
