Seven years in the making, Bay Area Rapper Beejus is finally making his official mixtape debut, with “In The Mind Of Beejus,” dropping today, April 13th. Beejus allowed Rawe to take the time to get into his mind, about the Bay Area Hip-Hop Scene, and what he hopes people get from his music. (Download link at bottom)
Bella: What does your name mean?
Beejus: Well, my real name is Brandon and everyone just called me Beejus for short. One of my best friends, whenever he would see me, he’d be like “Beejus,” for no fucking reason. It had taken me a long time to really pick a name, my first artist name that I had went with was B Rob and it was kind of too simple for me so I went with another name and that was Hyph B—but I didn’t really want to be associated with the Hyphy movement and that’s kind of how I spelled it so I just changed it from that. There was a period of time where I didn’t have an artist name at all so I was like fuck it, I’m going to roll with Beejus because it’s random as hell and no one knows what it is, neither do I, so I just rolled with it.
Bella: So since you went through so many names, can you give a background of who you are as an artist and how long you’ve been around and everything?
Beejus: Well I’m 25 now. I’ve been writing and recording since I was 17-18 and in those years I only have a year or two added up time where it was actually recording. From then I’ve come out with two mixtapes basically just teaching myself how to rap which is listening to music and writing trying to formulate my own songs and stuff like that. So, I’d say the type of artist and type of person I am when it comes to my music, I’m very open to different styles and actually being myself when it comes to writing and putting out music because I feel that’s the most important when it comes to actually doing music. I know it actually sounds cliché but a lot of people say it but they don’t mean it, they say that their music is themselves but it just feels like its not them and so that’s basically the basis of me I feel I have a personality and voice of my own that people will like. That’s what I like to put into my music and also, since I love music so much, I feel I can bring good music for people to love where they can get the same feelings I get when I listen to music.
Bella: So, what are you listening to right now who do you listen to that you kind of get inspired in a way?
Beejus: A major influence on my music is Pac of course. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Ludacris, Eminem and then also vocally the Livewires and Textiling. (?) When I was coming up around 17 or 18, when I was teaching myself how to rap, I was listening to them a lot so I followed what they were doing a little bit. All those artists helped in molding how I was going to rap because I would to how they actually put the verses and songs together and like at the beginning stages of me teaching myself how to rap, those were the early stages and the most influential artists.
But right now, I’m listening to Wale, Nio Tha Gift, Erk Tha Jerk. Kings of Leon because lately, I haven’t been listening to too much hip-hop, I’ve been in a rock and roll stage. I’m trying to think of who else has been in heavy rotation on my Ipod, that’s pretty much it that I listen to more then one time a day.
Bella: And do you think working on Streets is Talking Radio do you think it’s helped kind of shape your sound more now?
Beejus: I can’t really say that it’s shaped my sound but, it has definitely helped me shape my industry media personality. It kind of gets me ready to deal with certain things as an artist as far as getting interviewed and being in the public eye. Things like that, it’s really helped because I’ve never really done anything like that before the show and I constantly feel like I’m being watched because the show on the web and also with speaking with the mic. When I know hella people are listening at first, it was scary, but actually doing it every week has got me ready, so yea, I can’t say it’s influenced my sound but it really influenced my personality.
Bella: You know how people say that now there’s a lot of Bay artist that are coming out, that are going to change people’s perception of what’s “bay music.” As an artist, and working on the show, do you actually see this new “movement?”
Beejus: Yea most definitely, I’m super excited and that’s not me talking as an artist myself, but as a music listener. I’m super excited for the shit I’ve been hearing and for the people that are representing us, or that are getting represented in the Bay right now because these mother fuckers are coming out with real ass music, not that gimmick shit that everyone even outside of the bay was coming out with. It feels really good that the artist that are getting pushed are putting out real authentic music and I definitely feel the bay is on it’s way turning shit around.
Now, speaking for myself as an artist, I never saw any of my music as a gimmick. Of course I’m going to say that, but I don’t feel like I’m doing anything different, I’m just making raping music but, it actually is my real thoughts and my real feelings. I’m speaking on shit that’s really relevant to myself you know what I mean? And like for the people that know me personally, they can go through my lyrics and they can pick out little personal things and even with people who don’t know me—they can hear me my authenticity in my voice and in my lyrics. When shit comes fro your hear and from your soul, you can really pick up those feelings.
Bella: So for your project, when was the last time you actually had a mixtape—a couple of years right?
Beejus: It was like five years ago, and it wasn’t anything that I put out like that. It was basically just two mixtapes, they were Volume 1 and Volume 2 and basically, they were me teaching myself how to rap. The last one I put out was Volume 2, and that was released in 2006 and just my close friends and family heard it.
Bella: So then, with the one you have coming out now, The Mind of Beejus “The Formula,” song you had come out, the other author on the site wanted me to ask what do you think the formula is for someone to be a good rapper?
Beejus: Well I mean it’s not really a formula but as long as you speak from your real heart and you are authentic as a person and as an artist, I think you can’t fail. A lot of people in this industry do shit for money, like it’s just a straight hustle; it’s another way as hustlers to make money and that kind of fucks it up for the real artists who are actually doing this shit for music. So, it’s no set formula but, if you want to be an actual musician or an artist, you have to be a musician and not a money maker.
Bella: What are your hopes for this project and what do you want people to get out of it?
Beejus: I’m going to debut it on the show. The only songs people have heard from the mixtape are, “I Invented it,” and “The Formula.” So I’m going to have everybody come and listen to the show and I’m going to debut some songs on the show. I’m going to post the link to my website and make it live around 2:00 P.M on April 13th. But, what I want people to get from this basically is one: I want them to be thoroughly entertained. I try to make fun music so people may actually have fun and laugh and be like, “this nigga’s gassin.” I want them to get some type of reaction or experience just from the mixtape, other then that, I just want to be respected. A lot of people see Beejus, they see my name, but they don’t know who the fuck I am. I just want this to be an introduction to myself, to my lyrics, and I want people to respect me and be like he’s real and he’s really spittin that shit.
Bella: Random question but being that you have a daughter, what do you think about the state of females in hip-hop today?
Beejus: I don’t know. There’s not too many female rappers that I like. I never bought a female rappers album. Well, I can’t say never because I bought Da Brat’s very first album—Funkdafied, back in the day, I was rocking with her and Lil’ Kim. It’s like now, because a lot of singers and rappers, they don’t really do it for me and it’s not because they are female rappers but just because like, when it comes to music for myself, when something catches my ear, then I like it but most female rappers that I’ve heard their songs don’t really catch me. We had some good ones in the past like: Eve, Lil’Kim. I fuck with Nikki Minaj—right now, she’s kind of dope because she’s really spitting that shit and she’s actually making a name and carving out a ditch for herself instead of just trying to fit in with the rest of the industry like a lot of female rappers, I feel they do and that’s why I think they don’t get that successful or whatever.
Bella: Since your project is coming out soon, do you have any upcoming shows that you’re going to be doing?
Beejus: Well, the only thing I have no is the record release party, and it will be at Paradiso on that Wednesday April 14th, it’s a little event put on by Mr. GL and Dnas. For right now, that’s all I have lined up—the Release party the day after it comes out, other then that I don’t have too many shows lined up, you can see me at little shows handing shit out doing me.
Bella: Lastly, where do you see yourself musically in five years?
Beejus: I want to see myself, actually in five years that sounds like a good amount of time, I’d like to see myself, doing music fulltime, replacing my fulltime job with the music so I can have more time and resources and energy to put out more music. I’d like to be doing more shows, I’d like to be recognized as an actually lyricist and emcee in the game.
download mixtape here @beejusmusic.com
