YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME Featured in Rolling Stone Japan
“I’m honored to be featured in Rolling Stone Japan. Interviewer @cplyosuke and translator @vegashokuda did an incredible job on highlighting my journey from U-N-I, Dre and Snoop, Party In My Living Room to YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME and everything in between.” - Thurz
In a captivating feature by Rolling Stone Japan, Thurz opens up about his incredible journey as an artist, entrepreneur, and cultural innovator leading to the release of his groundbreaking album, YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME. The article highlights Thurz’s evolution, from his early days as part of the acclaimed duo U-N-I to collaborating with legends like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and ultimately establishing himself as an independent artist with a bold vision.
The piece dives deep into Thurz’s creative process and the concept behind YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME, a project that chronicles a 24-hour day in his life through storytelling, cutting-edge production, and immersive narrative elements like the AI companion, Sirihanna. Thurz reflects on the highs and lows of his career, emphasizing his commitment to building a platform that merges music, fashion, and technology while empowering his community.
Read the full article here: Rolling Stone Japan - Thurz Feature
Translation Below
—How did you get started as a rapper?
Thurz: I first started rapping in the first grade. I was a big fan of Kris Kross and MC Hammer but my uncle introduced me to Hip-Hop through Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Ice Cube’s Death Certificate, and De La Soul. Those are some of the first listenings of Hip-Hop.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/2V5rhszUpCudPcb01zevOt?si=XK76ohNPRp-R4XNYFmvNWA
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/062N80S3hs96dOhFzmvfLj?si=8yl16HA4Q8eDCKxM2Ru5Dg
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/34LxHI9x14qXUOS8AWRrYD?si=LDADEkwpR12gO3uoS7gkOw
When I got to first grade, I took a liking to some of the more commercially viable music. My first concert was MC Hammer at the Great Western Forum. After I saw that concert, I was like, “Yo, I gotta rap. I gotta get on that stage, or figure out my path to that stage.” So I started writing raps at six years old at Darby Park and at Kelso Elementary, and I rapped for my friends. And that sent me on the journey [of becoming a rapper]. I went to high school and met some of my friends like Yonas, who was my old partner, and his uncle, who gave us our first real studio experiences where we were able to record our first few songs, learn song structure, and make mixtapes and pass them out.
—I also heard that your step brother played a big role in introducing you to quote-unquote real Hip-Hop. Who were some of the rappers you grew up listening to and were inspired by other than Kris Kross and MC Hammer?
Thurz: It's a lot. My brother came from Belize when I was like 10 years old. We would spend every day watching Rap City and record all the music videos on VHS. Redman was one of my favorite rappers in seventh grade. And we always had favorites from both coasts. We used to love Warren G’s Regulate, and he introduced us to Twinz and Da 5 Footaz and all that. On the East Coast, we loved Lost Boyz. They had a song called “Renee” and “Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz.” We used to love A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang... Man, it was so many influences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrGHujK8rmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1plPyJdXKIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvHXq_dg1lE
And in high school, what really pushed me to dive into my lyrics was Mos Def and Black Star. I loved how all of those artists really put thought into their lyrics, and that pushed me to dive into what I'm really saying and how I can put my lyrics together and really have a message behind it. So Mos Def was very inspirational in my formative years of becoming an MC. Redman, Mos Def, The Roots. Black Though was one of my favorites when I first heard Do You Want More?!!!??! and Illadelph Halflife. Being on the West Coast, those were very important albums for me to understand the perspective of these East Coast MCs and their mastery with storytelling and lyricism. I was always just open to good music, and my brother introduced me to a lot of East Coast Hip-Hop and Rap City.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/6GRzmk9UGL7odxprOPop1Q?si=ojcz5dcuTpOaC7mGVsqOUw
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/3fr53Fq6cElPicmpKz9w1g?si=gwk_qODMT6e42CjCo9dG8A
—Musically, I feel like you, U-N-I, and Mos Def have so much in common. What do you like about Mos Def?
Thurz: Man, I've never heard anybody make a song like “New World Water.” That melody, similes, his rhymes and his storytelling. It's a lot of knowledge in what he's talking about. I felt like there's a worldly knowledge that's outside of the Western world, and that sent me on a journey to discover myself, the dynamics of history and civilization, and even more. He has a lot of those variables in his music that makes you want to search and become better for yourself. One of, if not the most, important artists that push perspective on me as a listener. So that's why I love him so much.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/5gK2l2LgWY0BA4p9uy27z6?si=wcJafZSSQMSSDv2RVXwo5g
He can make a great record like “Ms. Fat Booty” and still give you “New World Water” and The New Danger. And he pushed these elements that wasn't just straight boom bap. He had rock elements, it was just so many facets of Black music that he would incorporate. I was like, “Yo, this is limitless.” On “Umi Says,” he sings like a jazz style record, and it's just all so authentic, you know? I love his authenticity and knowledge in his music.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/6W05fmxrjjEy6BflrPbzej?si=d2hHVMvxRWWvjGs7uq6BBA
—When U-N-I started to garner attention back in the latter 2000s, I was feeling like you guys were part of this new generation, new wave, with dudes like Kid Cudi and The Cool Kids. Were there any rappers you were close with or inspired by of your generation at the time?
Thurz: I really appreciated Blu for Below the Heavens. That was one of the top tier releases of that era.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/5svD0PDZ12uj3wTKkdBFMd?si=W4GC60_2S3eVxeJIfSx4-w
He was probably the top MC and he's dropped great projects after that. I've been able to grow a relationship with Blu. I've done a lot of records with him. Between him and even Pac Div, we were competitive with them, but they were still our homies. They helped us to better our art through that competition. What Exile did on the production of Below the Heavens, the samples and the cuts, his presentation... it was just top tier. You don't really get that every day. I feel like we still haven't had a release that really matches that effort. It was just Blu and Exile, and they had Aloe Blacc and Miguel for features. I was close to a lot of those cats. I was also close to Fashawn, DJ Khalil, Chace Infinite, Strong Arm Steady, and El Prez. Oh, we had records with Evidence from Dilated Peoples. Those are a few that I could think of from that era that we were close to and collaborating with.
—Your story really brings us back to the latter 2000s.
Thurz: That was a golden era for us. MySpace was new, YouTube was new, so we had a direct connection to the consumers. You know, we don't need a label. It was almost directly to your fans. When we got into the streaming area, I felt like there's a barrier of being able to connect to the fans. You could drop something and then go do a show the next day, and most of those people would have heard your record already.
—That was around the time when U-N-I appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s "I Do This (Remix)," right?
Thurz: I first met Kendrick through Dave Free. Yonas and I would host a few parties at the Standard in Downtown LA, and Dave was always pulling up. We'd get him in. He'd have Jay Rock and Kendrick with him. They'd come chill and do some networking there. We loved what they was doing. It was like grinding and getting their mixtapes out and pushing their art. Dave gave me Kendrick Lamar EP and told me to check it out before it even came out. I loved all the records on there, and I loved his approach. And then we started developing a relationship with Kendrick. We'd pull up to Carson at Top Dawgs House Studio and cut a few records with Kendrick, one of which was that "B*tch I Do This" remix. I cut a few more records with Kendrick. too. I don't know if they'll ever come out, but there are some bangers on there.
And we started bringing Kendrick on stage with us. Every show that U-N-I was doing, we would bring Kendrick with us and we'd have him pop out to do "I Do This (Remix)." One of the most notable times was at the Roxy. We did a show with J*Davey, and we brought Kendrick out. We had a band, and we played "Bitch I Do This" live with them. The crowd went crazy. We also did a lot of shows with Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, DJ Quik, and all them. We even introduced him to Talib Kweli. So, yeah, we were one of the groups that really embraced him early on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsXBeIaDAEE
And we see what he is now—the biggest rap artist in the world. I'm glad that we were able to see what he was going to become early on, and we’re proud of what he's doing now. He even influences my art because he's such a great writer. Shout out to Kendrick, man.
—I really hope that the songs you did with Kendrick will someday see the light of day.
Thurz: Man, it'd be great. I'm sure we can do something even better now. We've all gotten better and better over time, so I would like to see [it] now.
—What about other TDE cats like Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q?
Thurz: They're all homies. I didn't get to do any work or record songs with ScHoolboy Q or Ab-Soul, but whenever I was in Carson, they'd be present. They were always cool to be around. They some good dudes. I'm happy for all their success.
—Tell us about the vision y'all had at the time.
Thurz: The vision was to be heard. Me and my boy Yonas started recording our first few songs in high school in Inglewood, on 81st and 5th Avenue at [Unjust] Ant’s house. He had a studio in his house. So the goal at that point was just to get better and to be heard.
When we got to this blog era, we refined our skills a little bit. We were getting more and more practice, getting more notoriety, more visibility and more recognition with what we were doing. So the goal was to be the best that we could be—to make the best music, to have the coolest videos through this DIY approach where we just invest in ourselves— and create this presentation by which we want to blow up, or at least reach as many people as possible. We was willing to repeat that over and over until we're able to tour the world and make a living off of our art. U-N-I was short lived and we only had like three years of functionality or activity. But I learned so much, and that helped me propel into going into my solo career. And oh, we also wanted to have the best live show. We wanted to be exciting on stage and pull out a lot of wild moments, coming with a lot of surprises, a lot of things you wouldn't expect, like Yonas getting his hair cut on stage, me bringing the Duck Hunt gun, throwing Nike SBs or T-shirts into the crowd. We were trying to make it like something that you would see in the early days of Yo! MTV Raps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgSz7NV59P8
—When do you think was the turning point in your career where you felt like, “Okay, I stepped my game up”?
Thurz: I think [it was] when I created L.A. Riot. I didn't want U-N-I to end, I wanted us to be one of the premier groups in Hip-Hop history. And departing from that group, I took on that weight and was like, "Alright, I need to make sure I have a project that is historically profound and has a message to it." So I started researching the LA riots and how all those factors played a role into life in Los Angeles, economically and culturally, and how they affected the art. I felt like the riots helped portray a lot of things with how the current layout of LA is. I felt like that was the best route to differentiate myself from that happy music that U-N-I was known for—to be a more prolific storyteller. That's where that shift started to happen. That was a great path for me to build up my story even more, and to get to a point where I could do an album like YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/6SDJIHjwBFReHaiXCGhK4Q?si=0EaqCFOTRg65s9-oxf6VDg
—How old were you when the riots broke out?
Thurz: I was six years old. My grandma lived in South Central, and she lived off 55th and Central. We lived in Inglewood, so part of our route to get home [from my grandma’s house] was take Normandie down to Florence all the way to Inglewood. When we left my grandma's house, we ran right into the riots, literally the day that it was popping off. I saw the police in the streets and some buildings burning. That was my first memory of the riots, and then I started to see the ashes from all the burning buildings falling on our cars.
—How did you do the research of the riots for the project?
Thurz: Mr. Tomas Whitmore had started researching it, and we started having discussions about it, and then we started interviewing people. We would put ads on Craigslist for people to tell us their stories and put up numbers for people to call. We got so much feedback. So many people were calling in and giving us voice memos about their stories about the riots. We even spoke with one of the LA Four, who threw the brick at Reginald Denny. We got a chance to chop it up with Craig and he is actually featured on the album, doing some voiceovers and all that. We were really hands on. We were on the ground talking to people in South Central, on 74th and Budlong, which is right by Florence and Normandie. We were in the streets, and then we were also taking calls from people who experienced it. So it was like a hands on approach with getting a lot of data.
—What was your musical inspiration for L.A. Riot? I definitely hear some rock elements like Mos Def in it.
Thurz: My guy Aaron Harris provided a lot of production that felt very aligned with the message, what we were trying to convey in that project. There's some inspiration from Rage Against the Machine, some of Mos Def's The New Danger. But we were really just carving our own lane. Oh, I also gave a nod to Death Certificate by Ice Cube. You know, that's one of the most important albums in West Coast history. That was very influential with the messaging. So we wanted to carve our own lane through my lens and with the production that Aaron was providing. We also had some producers like Ro Blvd and THX, who helped craft that project.
—Am I right in saying that you referred to Death Certificate because that’s an album that was released around that time when LA riots happened?
Thurz: That's correct. I wanted to make sure that I put out a body of work that had meaning to it, that wasn't just just cool. I wanted to add depth to the art and have something that's going to be timeless, not just that blog era.
—In 2014 you released Designer EP, and you got more into G funk with DJ Battlecat. What made you want to dive into West Coast Gangsta Rap?
Thurz: I wanted to get back to the fun because L.A. Riot was kind of dark. We started on this project where we have all these funk elements. And we were researching Parliament and a lot of the LA music that was happening in the early 80s, late 70s—Uncle Jam's Army, Egyptian Lover, and Rose Royce. I wanted to just really push LA culture with this opportunity. Because I partnered with Red Bull Sound Select to do this project, I was working with producers like Marlon "Chordz" Barrow, Aaron Harris, Rahki, and DJ Dahi, and we cracked it together. That became a really funky EP. The lead single was called "21" and it sounded like a funky disco type record with some West Coast raps on it. And then we had "The Big Bang" on there. We had Overdoz, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Clyde Carson on it. That was some of the greatest music that I felt was coming out in that era. I know a lot of the musicians were inspired to play on that project, and it inspired a lot of other artists around that time too, to get into that funky sound that we were cooking up. It was a very creative time. All the sessions were like parties.
https://soundcloud.com/thurz/sets/designer-ep
—For a while after Designer EP, you focused more on dropping singles and hopping on somebody's records rather than certain albums or EPs. During that time what stood out was your contributions to Dr Dre's projects. How did you get to connect with him?
Thurz: Before I got to Dre, after Designer EP, I started Party In My Living Room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzFXNLvAd_Q
I had these house parties where I was bringing this production value. I would have artists like Tiffany Gouché, SiR from TDE, and a lot of different artists. They would come and perform at my parties. I would also be performing Designer EP, and then one of the A&Rs from Aftermath would come to my parties. His name was Tyhiem. The person that I was collaborating with at these parties and let me use his house for them was J.LBS, who lived blocks away from me. So I threw the first party at his house, and then Tyhiem would come to these parties. They were big events in the city, like 600 people would come out into this small house where there was a band inside of a living room, playing all this music. It started growing. I took it to Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Colorado, and Coachella.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9Oe44E_Vwo
When I met Dre, it was during this phase of doing these events. I was leaving a studio session, when Tyhiem asked me to come up to Record One, where I was able to meet Dr. Dre. As J.LBS was signed to Dre as a producer, they both were responsible for me meeting him.
I went and sat down with him, and he told me that he was trying to work on music with a lot of cool people who had good perspectives to add to the room. And literally, we sat down and he started playing some beats and we literally freestyled the song. We went into the studio and made a song right on the spot. That kind of etched me into being part of the Aftermath family. We worked over there for years, I still work with Dre to this day. We went in and made hundreds of songs, so many great records. The latest thing that we were working on was Missionary for Snoop Dogg.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/6KmW2oHAkhnBQKUtVxatR4?si=0ad014b48f1448c0
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/2GiJpAxK7T6JddAmEVreKT?si=6007e494ecca41e7
—What did you learn from working with Dre? Did you give me any advice?
Thurz: I learned a lot from working with Dre. What I mostly learned from Dre is how to operate the room. You know, he doesn't lead with ego. He's a conductor and he uses everyone as an instrument. He knows what everyone's strong suit is, and he's able to place everybody's capabilities to work well together in the room. I learned how to let ideas develop and to let people do what they're best at in the room, and take the best elements and create a great song. We all know how to make songs, but he's an expert at taking the best parts and getting the best performance out of everyone, putting it together, getting the best production, best quality, and making it sound bigger than life. When you hear YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME, you can tell that we put a lot of work into the songwriting and production. Those are what we learned at Aftermath and applied.
— In 2020, you worked with Hit-Boy on his album The Chauncy Hollis Project. How was that experience?
Thurz: I love Hit, man. We worked on a few records together. He had me come in to him and Jansport J when they were chopping up a sample, and Hit asked me if I had any ideas for it. I was like, "Yeah, give me like five minutes," and started putting some ideas in my notepad on my phone. And then I came up with 12 bars in a few minutes, and he had me rap it on his mic. He was like, "Alright, I'm gonna jump in right after you," and then he used part of my verse as the chorus. I also had different other segments that I would jump in on. He was acting like Dre, conducting the session. He’s a genius. He's tapped into the culture, so to work with him on "Mood Change" was a special experience. It's one of my favorite records that I've done, and he killed it on the verse. He's a smooth guy, always calm, and he controls the room and brings a lot of value and knowledge into the room. So, yeah, it's good to work with him. We did a few other records that hopefully will come out. I love what he's doing. Free Big Hit! And shout out to Chauncey.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/1JCrr1zhhmi5rLyI7yet7k?si=22f8074793514d22
—Speaking of Jansport J, you also took part in "21 'til" of the album BudaSport by Budamunk and Jansport J, which was released in 2022. How did that song come together?
Thurz: I have a whole album with Jansport J. While we were completing that album, he had me jump on the BudaSport project and drop a verse with Kojoe on it. I was happy to jump on anything that Jansport was doing, and that's how that happened. We were working on our project called Sunday Out The Way Vol. 1, which is gonna come out in 2025.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/11QiOFTCLFRk6eoB6ndTMZ?si=2ff44a2f463e4a71
—Let’s talk about your latest album YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME, your first album since L.A. Riot. When did you start recording for that latest project?
Thurz: The oldest song is from 2013. It's "JUST A DREAMER" produced by THX.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/74Q4T8NjT8fscs9DVLwq9c?si=a7c4a56731d54ca2
We started [recording] that [song] in 2013 and SZA was originally on it. And then I re-recorded the lyrics, or we recorded the vocals, and I needed a new idea, so I wanted to get Tiffany Gouché on that song. You know, she's part of Party In My Living Room, she's from Inglewood, and we have a story that's very similar. So I felt like her energy on that song was needed. Oh, "SALT WATER" is another older record that's from 2017.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/2y0h9Rd8cmwi4XUJL2eqlL?si=98f14cf836104610
That's from a project that I'm doing with 14KT, which we want to make the follow-up to YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME, so we wanted to have that song as the outro. We're mixing and mastering the project now. But the bulk of everything was probably recorded in 2022 and 2023.
—Yannick Koffi is your real name, right? What made you use your real name for your album title?
Thurz: Because I wear so many hats as an independent artist, I wanted to have a project title that really represents everything that I do. I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a father, I'm an event producer, I do consulting for different corporations. I throw festivals. I do all these different things. I was like, "Yo, I want to be able to showcase me not just as an artist because I have to include everything into this art." So everything is Yannick Koffi, and these are all different moments in time I tried to put into the concept of the project. That's why I titled it that. I'm not just Thurzday. I'm also a soccer dad, I do everything. I'm trying to franchise a scalable service with Party In My Living Room and everything I'm doing, just reminding myself as this multiple-hat-wearing artist.
—If you had to pick one song off of your new album that you think determines the vibe of the whole project, which one would that be?
Thurz: It's a good question. I'm gonna say, "LOOKIN BACK" produced by J.LBS and Mell Beets.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/2y0h9Rd8cmwi4XUJL2eqlL?si=98f14cf836104610
That song is unapologetic. It is a song about looking back on the people that did not understand your value. On your journey, you're gonna have people that don't get your vision, and it's on you to take the steps and continue to move forward. You can't get caught up in anybody's perception of you because that's their problem. So you can only worry about your perception or your perspective of yourself. When I look back, I didn't care about anybody that didn't understand what I was doing. I always knew what I was doing, and I'm taking it personal for anybody that didn't believe in me. So that's what the song is about. You know, looking back and telling people like, "Yo, I told you so."
—Mez is on "LOOKIN BACK," and besides him, Snoop and Dem Jointz are also on this project. They're all Dre affiliates. What do you admire about these artists?
Thurz: Earlier, I mentioned that Death Certificate was one of the most important albums in West Coast history. And next to that is Doggystyle, one of if not the most important West Coast albums. It's in the top three.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/album/5IFOummNcGXY3qCBWRchqP?si=eje92DTvQgi24hD1hyBT1g
I took a lot of inspiration from that album—how I want my music to feel, the sequencing, the rapping, the vibe and the production. So having Snoop on the second song on this album after "ADVISORY," which has Mike & Keys production and is West Coast to the fullest, means a lot. I'm like, "Pay attention to what I'm doing, guys. If you're not, if it's your first listen to what I'm doing, I got that most iconic West Coast rapper to stamp what I'm doing," you know? So to have him on the project is a big blessing. I respect Snoop so much.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/2odqmPJYZiuybnxRpaSltQ?si=df26c6af6eb84900
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/3kUzMSPt7tEm2e5plaixtu?si=e5f3b12e9e5b4b7d
And being able to work on Missionary with Dem Jointz [was great]. He is having a great moment in music. Just to have them both together means a lot. It means that they believe in what I'm doing, and that this project is to be valued in high regard.
—What did you learn from working with Snoop?
Thurz: Similar to Dre, he came in with no ego. Snoop allowed Dre to produce them on Missionary. So I learned that sometimes you gotta let go of the will and let your homies help you out. With YANNICK KOFFI IN TIME, Ro Blvd was like my Dre, helping to produce the project and making it greater, or taking my idea and enhancing itself. Snoop does that as a very successful entrepreneur, very successful artist. So I know that, when you have people in your corner who have your best interests, sometimes you can let your hands off the wheel and collaborate with the people that have love for you.
—I felt like some tracks off of this project had that G-funk or even P-funk vibe in them. What inspired you to lean into that sound?
Thurz: It's an important factor for the West Coast to keep that funk into the musicality, the music landscape. If you go to any party in LA, you're gonna to hear those elements. So I wanted to make sure that my music has utility to be played at the backyard function, to be played at a Party In My Living Room event. By having that G-funk, I'm catering to a lot of West Coast audiences, but I feel like the West Coast touches a lot of the world. Those elements are very important to the culture, so having that integrated into the sound is very important to me.
—"OUTSIDE / 13 EVENTS" is produced by the one and only DJ Battlecat. We saw his name on Kamasi Washington’s album this year, and some of D Smoke’s projects in the past, too. What does DJ Battlecat mean to artists in LA?
Thurz: There's no West Coast sound without DJ Battlecat. I think he embodies the West Coast sound more than any artist, more than any other producer. I think it's probably him and DJ Quik that are really contributing to the sonics and the notoriety of what the West Coast is known for. So Battlecat is like a pioneer, and one of the most incredible DJs. I took him out to Coachella with me for the past two years. Every Festival at Juneteenth that I produce, I'm booking DJ Battlecat to DJ, because he has the knowledge and catalog to rock the party. His music is key to having a real West Coast party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ1PmtxFb6c
—What would you say is the best beat DJ Battlecat has ever produced?
Thurz: Boom, boo-boom... That Eastsidaz record. Hold on, let me pull it out real quick [laughs]. Every party that I go to, [I hear this record]. It’s not "G’d Up." I mean, I like "G'd Up" a lot. That’s one of the best ones but it is... "I Luv It"! That’s my favorite Battlecat beat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng9XmV_SXQ8
—“WHERE DO I GO” features GLC, and “FEEL ME” sounds like a nod to Do Or Die. You’re an LA guy, but do you have a connection to Chicago?
Thurz: Yeah, yeah. That was the second location I took Party In My Living Room to, and GLC came out and performed there. GLC is my homie, man. I first met him through Coodie & Chike in LA. This is during my U-N-I days, and they just showed some love. I've been locked in with GLC since like 2009, 2010, and he came through Record One to drop that verse for “WHERE DO I GO.” So I rock with Chicago tough. Every party that I've thrown out there, I had like 800 people come to the party. So I really love Chicago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbWdFGQ3J2Y
"FEEL ME" is absolutely an homage to Do Or Die. I love "Po Pimp." Me and my cousin Kamali would play that song driving around Compton in his Celica. We'd play a lot of Do Or Die, Tela, Suga Free, and Devin the Dude. It was always this playa kind of music.
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/4O7TCtmeFrjlTnHMLTzibl?si=5594720029b045ef
https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/66AMCAjrOk7c957i3ej06f?si=13575d0069b547c3
—Were there any artists that you studied for this project?
Thurz: I just studied myself, just trying to be the best version of myself and trying to make sure I articulate every idea the best way I could and perform it the best way. So I wasn't really studying anybody. You'll hear some influences like Do Or Die, or you might hear some Outkast reference on "GO TOGETHER." Outkast is my favorite group. But I was really just making sure I sounded the best and that I sounded authentically like myself. Even if you hear an influence, it is still me.
—On “ADVISORY,” you are using two different vocal tones, and on “BITCH I’M ME,” you're playing with your voice—I mean, modulating your own voice to make yourself sound like a robot. What inspired you to do that?
Thurz: On "ADVISORY" I wanted to incorporate Creole because my mom is from Belize, and my stepdad is from Belize. I wanted to play around with some of that Creole on the performance of the vocal so people know that I'm a second generation Belizean American in America. I want to always incorporate my history into the art. So that was the reason that I'm using those two different vocal performances on there—to let people know that I'm multidimensional.
And "BITCH I’M ME," that song is like a dive into self. You have these ups and downs and these kinds of polarities that are speaking to you or pushing you to make different decisions on how you proceed or walk in life. So those two different voices represent the polarities of being human.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqju4dRgh7I
I wouldn't say that nobody inspired me to do that. We're always experimenting, and we like the way it should sound. I haven't heard anybody do anything like that on "ADVISORY." Maybe Black Moon or some of those Duck Down guys have done that, but I would say that's just me studying myself and trying to push the bar artistically.
—You’ve got those SIRIHANNA interludes sprinkled throughout the album. And the interactions between you and her were funny. Who the hell is SIRIHANNA? What does SIRIHANNA represent?
Thurz: SIRIHANNA represents where we are in society with AI. One of my favorite movies is Her with Joaquin Phoenix, where AI becomes so real that he ends up having a relationship with his AI. SIRIHANNA is a play on Rihanna and Siri, and she has a South Central aesthetic to her voice. So she's a black Siri from South Central. She's trying to help me keep my shit together and oversteps.
—This year feels like a huge win for the West Coast. You did it, Kendrick did it, and so many other rappers from the West Coast did an incredible job. Where do you see the West Coast in the future?
Thurz: Oh, man, it's a West Coast avalanche right now. The fact that Kendrick dropped GNX and him being at the height of the game, he's opening the doorways for so much West Coast music to come out. Everybody's looking at what we're about to be doing, and you're gonna hear so much diversity coming out from the West Coast. So I think it's gonna be an avalanche. I'm gonna constantly be dropping music next year. I got like four albums in the tank that I'm ready to drop. And I'm going to be pushing a lot of new artists through Party In My Living Room. Shout out to the guys like Fat Ron, V.C.R, Sham1016, Airplane James—you know, these are all artists that are part of Party In My Living Room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwEMfsjKmac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea8VtQ-vGA8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F97mNqGEZb8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liv6KGWzldI
—What can we expect from you next?
Thurz: Like I said, 4 to 6 albums next year with 14KT, Jansport J, Ro Blvd, Shafiq from Sa-Ra. DJ Battlecat, DJ Khalil. I literally have all these albums in my catalog, and I'm going to start rolling them out. I have a new documentary showcasing my family in Belize and an online new PIMLR game. You know, we're trying to create an IRL 2 URL experience of Party In My Living Room. And I have a service where artists can monetize their IP. We're going to be putting out the best music and then helping artists create sustainable living wages through their IP. And [we’ll] push that festival next year, and we're going to be back at Coachella. It's going to be a full 2025, so I'm excited. I finally have music or bodies of work to put out, and a lot of events to follow.
—We can't not be excited! Any plans of coming to Japan?
Thurz: I'm definitely trying to make that happen next year, because we're going to have Fat Beats do the distribution of the vinyls. So I definitely have to get out to Japan. I'd love to do some shows out there.