Bay Area rapper IamSu! dropped his debut album, Sincerely Yours, back in May. Although it sold a little under 6,000 units its first week,Ā Sincerely Yours did prove that the 25-year-old artist isn't one-dimensional. Rather than making a bunch of hyphy, party songs, his specialty,Ā IamSu! presented a body of work that also displayed his integrity and his intellect. The songs "Problems" and "Ascension" broach topics like African history as well as spirituality, and his beat selection was far more eccentric here than on any of his previous mixtapes.
Back in November, IamSu! re-released the project with three additional songs, calling itĀ Sincerely Yours 1.5.Ā In anticipation of the re-release we spoke with IamSu! about Sincerely Yours 1.5,Ā experimenting with some more serious topics in his music,Ā and negative album reviews.Ā
What was the initial goal with Sincerely Yours?
A lot of people just wanted to know what my mindset was in my music and why I made the decisions that Iāve made. I feel like with Sincerely Yours I kind of put a time capsule on it and described it to the best of my ability. Thatās what I really wanted to do with that album, just kind of make a synopsis on my whole perspective of the rap game and what itās like to be a young independent artist trying to navigate in this world with all of these sharks. You got to swim with these people.
Most of the stuff you dropped prior to the album was party music, but you show a slightly more serious side on āProblems" and "Ascension." What made you take that route?
Thatās kind of like the conversations you have with your friends in the living room while youāre smoking. People start to become philosophical or just have a bunch of high thoughts and shit. Thatās where I was like, āWhy am I smoking? What is this taking me to?ā So, in the mix of that, itās kind of just me describing that situation.
I get super active because my family is on some black power shit. My name [Sudan] actually means black in Arabic, you feel me? My momās like a hippy. We went to Africa and hella shit.
Do you want to start touching on serious issues more often in your music?
Itās just a slow, gradual introduction. Iām a fan ofĀ AlchemistĀ beats andĀ MobbĀ DeepĀ shit. Iām a fan of real rap because I can really rap. But at the same time I can make party songs. Itās just a balance. I want to be like aĀ Jay ZĀ at the end of the day where I can just do what the fuck I want to and just put it out.
Do you feel that releasingĀ SincerelyĀ YoursĀ independently hurt or helped the album?
It didnāt hurt it, it just meant I could take my time with it. Iām not on nobody elseās schedule but my own. Thatās why I decided to put the album out again, just to reiterate how important it was, add some bonus material, and catch that wave on Black Friday when people are in a buying mood. And itās still new to a lot of people.Ā Iām on this tour with G-Eazy, so all the stars kind of aligned for this shit.Ā
Have you noticed more people getting hip to your shit more because of the From the Bay to the Universe tour?
Hell yeah. Once they get turned on to that shit, they fuck with it. G-Eazy is a good representation of my music. Heās from the Bay also.
Energy, a lot of performance songs. I'm about to head out on a solo tour when this one ends. I'm excited to showcase my style, I got a unique style. Iām coming out with a band, thereās going to be a lot of visual things weāre going to add to the show. Itās just going to be a cool experience.Ā
I want to be like aĀ Jay ZĀ at the end of the day where I can just do what the f*** I want to and just put it out.
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When the original album dropped it didn't get the most positive reviews. Do you look at that stuff?
Hell yeah I look at that shit. I was hot as fuck. Especially that HipHopDX one. I was just, I donāt know man. I put a lot of fucking work into that album. So for somebody to review it and start talking about my character or start saying what Iām about or what Iām not about or what sounds forced, you donāt fucking know that shit. This is my shit, you know what Iām saying? I took that real serious, like someone was disrespecting my child. So I donāt fuck with that shit.
I feel like writers kind of get a pass because theyāll listen to an album for a hour and then give a review, without knowing the back story, doing any further research or their due diligence as a writer to give the fans the best perspective and an honest review. I donāt take that shit too serious, but it definitely made me hella mad.
Well, what are you about then?
Iām about positivity. Iām about making music. And Iām about showing people a different side of the Bay Area. Iām like a young, hungry, just entrepreneurial person, and I want to be a face of a new generation of creative people out of the Bay Area. A new scene is bubblingĀ and I feel like Iām one of the faces of that.
Your crew, HBK, the Heartbreak Gang, is at the forefront of that scene. How do you view your role within the group?
I feel like Iām the leader: a producer, a writer a lot of the time, and just a friendāa voice of reason. Somebody thatās been a couple of places and seen some things that my homies havenāt. When they get to a certain position I can tell them maybe you should do this or do that. It's just about being a good friend and not turning my back when I get a little attention. Thatās the biggest thing, itās about the reach back.
What do you want to bring to the Bay that goes beyond music?
I want to do a lot of stuff for the kids. A few months ago I did a backpack drive. We filled backpacks up with school supplies, I want to say we did a hundred. It was really small, but itās something to get started. I just want to keep doing shit like that, just continue to give back and get the kids involved so they donāt have to go the same route as some of our brothers, cousins, and big homies had to.Ā