Wazi Maret
Issue No. 21 • Spring 2020
“Feel to Believe” is a really special song off the Beats In The Basement album and it is one of the more vulnerable pieces I've written and produced. I wrote this song the night after I had a hurtful experience. I was at the gym working out in one of my favorite shirts, a muscle tank top with the phrase "Trans Is Beautiful" written on it. I noticed a lot of folks, especially other men staring at me more than usual that day and felt frustrated that I couldn’t be in the space without confused, tense stares. I confided in a friend about it but they couldn't really understand why I was upset and responded in an unhelpful way. The whole day brought up a lot of emotions I've had over the years in relation to my journey with my gender, the kinds of violence my community faces daily for wanting to be seen for who we are, and as whole humans. The song started out with just the hook that I wrote on the train on my way to the recording studio-- "Some days I feel like you can't see me." Once I got to the studio, myself and my engineer, Mo Miller, went to work on adding the foundation of the production for the song - drums, percussion and more vocals. The song's production and mixing was then built out by myself and 3 other producers in spontaneous jam sessions over the next month, and soon it was an entire piece with both classical and 90s hip hop undertones. I open the song with a journey through my past, family + societal conflicts, but by the end, I finally release the pain, experience some healing, and arrive at embracing and singing about love.
Wazi Maret is an independent multi-media artist based in Brooklyn, NY with a focus in music/sound design, visual arts, and storytelling. Wazi began singing as a young person in his family church and when he moved to California in 2013, he prioritized growing his skills in song-writing, performance, and production. In 2014, he co-founded an all Black, all queer and trans punk band named AFROFONIX and in 2018, Wazi co-founded Tender Bois Club just before relocating to Brooklyn, NY. Today Wazi is a super producer and songwriter based in New York who builds his beats with synths and melodic chords over hard hitting bass and percussion which, for some of his work, mirrors UK grime and 90s hip-hop/r&b all in one. His debut album “Beats In The Basement” takes listeners on a journey through his mind and musical talent. The project features production and engineering from seasoned musicians Mo Madness and Soular whose styles compliment each other and the range of genres WAZI delivers on the project.
Find more of Wazi’s work here on his website.