The Big Hash talks genre-bending with ‘Love Is A Star’.
Image: Instagram
There’s always been something hard to pin down about The Big Hash as an artist. One minute he’s rapping, the next he’s floating over melodies like he’s been making R&B his whole life.
However, with “Love Is A Star”, that versatility feels less like experimentation and more like him fully settling into who he is musically.
Some think he jumps from genre to genre with no loyalty to hip hop, while others feel that they have lost him to amapiano, and some are here for his growth as an artist.
Speaking to “Independent Media Lifestyle”, the “Dandelion” singer cleared the misconception of where he stands when it comes to the music he chooses to make and how the upcoming project with Kabza De Small and Sly first came together.
Like me, many were wondering how De Small and Big Hash linked up to merge their talents and actually make it work. Well, he revealed that Nkosazana Daughter was actually the reason the connection even happened.
“Yeah, I don’t think this project would have happened without Nkosazana Daughter because she had been the one to make the collaboration happen between Kabza and me,” he shared.
He explained that they had gone out to Piano Hub together, where De Small happened to be. After the outing, they headed back to the studio, where De Small was still working on “Bab’Motha”, his recent body of work.
Big Hash mentioned that De Small was focused on other songs at the time and eventually went to sleep, leaving him and Sly behind in the studio. That unexpected session became the beginning of “Company”, the lead single from “Love Is A Star”.
“There I was left to Sly, and that’s when we made the intro to ‘Company’,” he explained.
Months later, the intro had transformed completely after De Small became more involved in shaping the production, eventually leading to all three of them working on what fans now know as “Love Is A Star”.
Big Hash shared that the project feels bigger than just another album rollout. He described it as proof that creativity keeps evolving and finding new forms.
“I’m proud to be part of something as magical as this because it goes to show that the creativity will never die and it’ll always find a way to renew itself or to revive itself in different ways, shapes or forms,” he said.
The artist also spoke about bringing his own sound into a space like amapiano without losing himself in the process. Rather than trying to fit into one genre, he sees the project as a bridge between different audiences and sounds.
“So being able to incorporate my style of music that my fans have known me for and bridge it into a whole new audience … hopefully can be a blueprint for others looking forward,” he added.
One of the biggest talking points around the album has been his vocals. While fans have always known he could sing, “Love Is A Star” leans into that side of him much more heavily. Still, he insists there’s no formula behind when he chooses to rap or sing.
“I see music in colour,” he said. “The thing that always attracts me to a song or a beat would be if it was pink or purple, that would be the colour that I would see that would invoke the best out of me.”
He explained that the music usually tells him what it needs from him creatively.
“The music that I make doesn’t switch. It only manifests itself into what it feels it should be at that point in time. So if I just so happen to sing and I just so happen to rap at the same time… It’s because of what the beat is giving me.”
While listeners may see the album as him pushing his vocal range further than before, Big Hash said the intention was less about showing off and more about opening doors for a new generation of artists blending sounds together.
“I want to be a pioneer. I really genuinely want to be a pioneer of something and one of the first, or maybe if I’m not the first, to be one of the most notable to do such a thing. It would mean the world to me, especially because music is my life,” he said.
He believes “Love Is A Star” will also help people see him beyond the labels often attached to his music.
“I feel like people can actually truly recognise that I don’t just make rap music or R&B music. Even with this new sound, I feel like it will solidify me as somebody who is a jack of all trades, as somebody who is able to step out of their comfort zone and really swing for the fences and not be too afraid of reaching for the stars and trying something new, being something new,” he shared.
The rapper concluded by adding that he hopes his artistry helps younger and upcoming artists feel less afraid of stepping outside traditional genre boxes.
“Love Is A Star” is set to drop on Friday, May 8. Artists like Kelvin Momo and Blxckie are part of the feature list, along with Lia Butler