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1. 18/02/2016 – Pezan Mohammad – Diverse King
s I walk into our studios,I hear the lowvoice of Hashim ‘Hash Browns’ rappingslowly to the beat he
has put up on the computer: “…all the way from A to Z…” Even while he’s alonein the room waitingfor
the interview, he cannot stop himself from slowly noddinghis head to the sound of the beat he has
created. Sittinglow in one of the armchairs,helooks up at me as I enter the room and he stops the
beat with a swifttap of the keyboard. Perhaps he should look intimidating,alonein the dimly litstudio,
his creamhoodie draped around his head, yet his brightfaceshines from under the hood and I cannot help but
smileat him. This is the person that everyone’s talkingabout, I say insidemy head, and I walk over to shakehis
hand…
Sittingthere oppositehim, you do not know what to expect. The hyped up attitude you see in his music videos
shows in his eyes, yet he looks comfortably calm,takingthe coffee I offer him with a gracious nod of the head.
Brought up in the busy parts of Moseley, Birmingham,Browns doesn’t seem likethe other rappers I’ve
interviewed. It’s as though the rapper we all hear was hidden behind a curtain and in front of me was the
person behind the music; in some sense, the creator. Slowly sippinghis coffee, he talks aboutlifebefore he
made itbig. With every word he speaks,my respect for him increases;the more lively verses he flowed to in
famous tracks such as ‘Revamp’ and ‘bLUrreD ouT’ are his life’s story.Even though he did not perhaps grow up
in the friendliestenvironments, he waves off the idea that his lifewas very hard:“Come on,” he laughs.“What
I went through is nothingcompared to what a lot of people go through.” His genuine, humble attitude that he
presents is quiteimpressive.In one of his older,yet most popular songs “That Hash”we hear him boastabout
his sales and wealth,yet the man sittingin front of me shows no signs of the, perhaps slightly egotistical,
rapper we hear in some of his music.
I ask him which artists helooked up to when he was younger, and how he was inspired to join the music
industry himself.“Tupac!” he blurts out without a second’s hesitation.He carries on confidently,“There’s no
doubt that he is perhaps the one rapper that I would consider a legend.” he continues to tell me about his
inspirations;other notablerappers he mentions areKid Cudi and Eminem.
He continues his story from the start, talkingabouthow he got into rapping.“Well there was always thatone
friend who was beatboxing and stampingsome beats with his feet,” he laughs,recallinghis younger years.
“We would always rap and singaround each other; at the time itwas nothing serious of course, we were just
kids messingaround,”he continues, “but then towards the later years of our teens, me and some friends
began experimenting with some real instrumentals,someclassical beats. Eventually we got around to making
our own stuff and I started to enjoy it, it was pretty natural to me.” Browns talks abouthow, by startingto
make beats with his friends in his house,he was convinced that this was what he wanted to do, and how by
continuingthis,he eventually got his record deal.
I mention this to him, and his faceinstantly lights up and he pulls back his hood.His neatblack hair sits back on
his head. It strikes me how he looks more or less the same as his concerts - no crazy costumes on stage, justhis
plain,simplelook.“That was probably the best night of my life!”One night, after walkinghome from the
studios after a full day of recording, Browns received a call,informinghimthat the dream he had been chasing
his whole lifecould now be a reality.He continues to laugh,“I was so excited I couldn’t even get to sleep that
night. I lay awakein bed for hours justreplayingthe conversation over and over in my head, wondering if I was
about to wake up.”
It’s clear that Hash Browns is doingsomething right. After only one year of becoming a noted rapper, he has
already gained himself the title of the ‘Underground Legend’. Not only that, but he has also had 3 number one
singles.What’s next? Well,accordingto Browns, he is still chasinghisdreams.Askinghimwhat his future
A

2. aspirations are,heresponds excitedly. “Well,to me there would be nothing better than to be ableto
collaboratewith someone who I’ve always looked up to as a kid.I mean, a track with Eminem would be
amazing.I could learn so much from someone who’s inspired me sincea young age, and to be ableto collab’
with him, I guess itjustshows me that I’ve come far.”
Whatever his next move is,whether itwill be another more number ones off the highly anticipated album
“Rap Revolution: Vol1” or collaboratingwith someone he considers a legend, he appears to be doing
everything right.