Second chances are precious and often compel us to catapult further than before.
Thats the case with PlayThatBoiZay, the South Florida rapper who dropped his long-awaitedVIPalbum in September.
The project was meant to be a cathartic expression of pain after dealing with a recent heartbreak.
Aaron Jackson*
Zay says their connection made the recording process pretty simple.
[I] instantly hopped on that beat.
We just wake up, probably smoke, vibe, talk.
Hell start working on the melody; Ill start rapping to the melody.
And by the time we finish the song, I already got a 16 laid down.
Thats how [the majority of] all the songs came.
We talked to Zay aboutVIP, the South Florida rap scene, and his arduous recovery from his accident.
What was it like for you, seeing that original South Florida rap wave?It gave me hope.
Im from Miami Gardens Carol City, thats what we call it.
And being from there, nothing happens.
Nobody makes it out.
A lot of people die.
Ive witnessed murders; Ive seen a lot of crazy stuff.
So its like, you kind of get a feeling of loss, no hope.
Growing up, I thought I was going to die young because thats whats happening now.
My first friend that passed, I think he was 13.
It has ceased to exist ever since X died.
But before, when X was alive, it was a whole bunch of avenues.
When it comes to making music, [the energy is] a little bit off because nobody believes.
Everyone cares about the dollar more than the actual art, and thats where shit fucks up.
And he gave everyone motivation, he motivated people.
He led by example; he showed people that we could do it.
I saw X take it from small crowds at Wynwood to big crowds at Rolling Loud.
I saw the transition.
So it was just like, whoa, theres hope.
Now, ever since then, hasnt been nothing.
But I do know that all comes from my music.
For me, VIP is a foundation and a restart to my career.
I have a heartbreak tattoo on my hand, its the minus, a slash, and a three.
The whole idea forVIPcame back from Rolling Loud; I used to work at Rolling Loud.
Rolling Loud is in the center of Miami Gardens.
So they knew that I started pursuing my music career.
I called a couple of my friends, I was like, Yo, lets go to Rolling Loud.
And I told them to wear clothes that looked like we was working.
And my friends, we from Miami, and the whole culture is flex, everything is luxury.
They shitted on us.
Im just like, Bro, what are you talking about?
We VIP, this is our city.
We aint do nothing to deserve to be VIP, like were VIP.
And thats how the whole VIP agenda even started right then.
Just telling people, you are important.
Go do what you want in life.
Thats how you know youre important.
People die every day.
Where was your head around the creation of VIP?
I released two EPs that was just me and my underground friends.
And thenNocturnal, I had Denzel, my first industry feature.
We watched them perform and we connected.
I showed Kwes my song Swarm and my video, and he was fucking with it.
And thats how it happened.
That was the first time I did something like that.
I feel like thats where his talent really shines.
He knows how to shift emotions, but in a similar world.
You keep that same pocket and make you feel different ways in that same world.
How much creative freedom did you have with this project?
When I originally made it, it was going to be an EP.
I flew out to London with work with Kwes, when I had did the Outbreak Fest in 2023.
Theres another song called Cut Up thats the only song thats not produced by Kwes on the project.
I was talking about the lifestyle that I was living before, just driving fast.
Because thats something in Miami that fast lifestyle, driving fast, fast cars.
When I got into a car accident, it was very bad.
People was recording me laying on the floor and stuff like that.
I fractured my skull; my brain was bleeding.
Going through all that trauma, it was a dark time for me.
Id never been through nothing like that before, so I didnt know what was going on.
[Laughs] I had no memory of what was going on.
What was your support system like during that recovery period?Shout-out to my mom.
It was my mom and my sister: They really stepped up to the table.
I broke a lot of bones, I lost my memory, I couldnt even take a shower.
They was in the hospital with me, sleeping overnight while I didnt know what was going on.
That was the tour I did in 2022.
Because like I said, nine months, and tour was a year after that.
You should go live and talk to the people.
[Laughs]
Thats interesting.
It was like, OK, I can listen to her.
But everybody else, I dont know what was going on.
How did it feel that first time you got back onstage?
They had a festival in Miami.
Before I got into the car accident, it was masks everywhere and everything.
When I left the hospital, Rolling Loud was happening.
I was like, what the fuck?
Before, I had a whole lot of people around me.
A lot of people around me got older and stopped believing in dreams.
A lot of people fizzled out.
So now its like Im doing it by myself.
Thats the main difference.
Im the driving factor.
As for my motivation and everything, its just me against the world.
Before, I had a team, I had VIP.
It was a group of people.
I had a little collective that me and my friends started now VIP is just me.
Its the album.VIPis the album now.
It went from being a collective to an album.
It seems like frustration, betrayal, heartbreak were the driving emotions behindVIP.
For me, I had my worst nightmare sitting in the hospital bed looking at my mom crying.
I never wanted to put her in that position.
And I done lived that.
So its like I done lived my worst nightmares, and I done lived my dreams.
How much new music have you recorded since then?
Ive been just creating little drafts, I guess, just ideas.
I know sonically, the best music comes, for me, [as a] feeling.
I cant predict how Im going to be feelin when Im making these songs.
Artistically, its going to be the exact same thing, but just a little bit bigger.
Everything Ive been doing, Im just going to make it bigger.
Make it appear bigger, more to life, and more relatable.
How involved in the visual creation would you be as far as videos and graphics?
Before I would just make good songs and I would put them out regardless if they mixed or anything.
That was all cohesive.
I learned that from Denzel.
And performing, bro definitely taught me how to perform.
How did Hoodlumz with him and Rocky come together?That came 2020.
And in my head I was like, I feel like Denzel would snap on this.
I had went to the dispensary.
So by the time I got back from the dispensary, Denzels already laid the verse down.
And Im just like, Damn, nigga, this shit hard.
So now, me and Denzel, we just hearing the song over, we vibing, we chilling.
Some guy hopped out with a hoodie, super incognito.
We just like, Who the fuck is this?
And he walked through and it just happened to be Rocky.
He walked through said, Whats up?
Kwes, hes in the background just mixing the song, and Rocky just vibing.
Hes just like, Yo, its fire as fuck.
He like, Yo, this is so fire.
But I have one critique: Yall verses too long.
So me and Denzel, we was literally arguing with Rocky for probably 30 minutes.
[Were like] Yo, the songs good, bro.
I hear what youre saying, but nah.
Then eventually I was just like, This is Rocky.
And I was just like, OK, lets hear you out.
And then Rocky was like, Thats what I was trying to do.
And then thats the song.
MCs Jay Veno and MoCo dropped their first EPs in 2021.
Most of the project carries a similar sonic vibe, though the thematics shift.
On ILY, the two pen odes to love lost over a vocal sample.
EYESPY is the projects most intent lyrical exercise.
Different people are handling the stress in different ways.
The project starts with Peloton, a bold record where John rhymes with a vocoder.
And on Honor My Mans, he cherishes enough time to honor his deceased loved ones.
That last track showcases his knack for catchy, easy-to-recite hooks.
He also has memorable choruses on Keanu Reeves and Trying to Quit.
Its refreshing to hear someone be intentional about hooks a crowd of people can recite in unison.
The reflections are relatable, the production is palpable, and his wit sticks with you.
Messiah!,The Villain Wins
Charlotte rapper Messiah!
If we start off Messiah!
somewhere in the cosmos, he immediately seeps us back to the ground on the everyman offering.
And after the storm comes triumphant album closer Cant Stand It, where Messiah!
