Diandra Interviews Fyahbwoy: How Music Gets You Through Poverty

Fyahbwoy has, undeniably, created a career of self-healing. You can, literally, hear his growth as a person throughout his music. While he has always been socially conscious, his recent entrance into fatherhood has made him self-conscious: pushing to him analyze how he has gotten better as a man and artist. In a time when we question if a person is born good or grows to become it, I sat down with Fyahbwoy to discuss how it is a mixture of both, especially when a person is surviving poverty.

Diandra: How do you think your music has brought a sense of vision or light to social issues like, poverty?

Fyahbwoy: It is something I have always tried to reflect upon even if not explicitly. I always try to say in every song, even if in one phrase, that we are being dominated by forces beyond our knowledge like, rich families. They escape our control, and I want the people to, not necessarily riot, but think about the extremes we are living in for a few to run everything. This type of living has an expiration date, and I want to tell people not to play into corporate tropes. Do not buy from brands that give such low wages to then overcharge you in buying absurd products. We have to reconnect with nature, our emotions, and disconnect with so much television that tells us what our life is. This is not life.

Diandra: So how do imagine the day when everyone says no to corporate living or allowing the wealthy to run the world?

Fyahbwoy: To be honest, I don’t know. When I think of the future, I am really catastrophic. I look back on Egypt, Rome, and all these other empires that fell, and it is already known that capitalism cannot be sustained. We even produce more trash than any other empire that fell before us. We make things to purposefully break and then throw them away so that we can kill ourselves to replace it. We are, literally, being eaten by our trash. Perhaps, the earth will get rid of us to sustain itself. (he laughs) Yet, I think of those things, which is why I can be so catastrophic in my thinking. Yet, I sincerely hope that people wake up, and we start to say I do not want such poor living. I do not want your low wages, gasoline, useless products, etc. It is complicated though.

Diandra: Yet, you do have songs that are all about having a good time. How do you balance this “wake the people up” motivation with just trying to make them dance?

Fyahbwoy: (He laughs) It really is about mood. I work with Daddy Cobra, who has done most of my beats, and, sometimes, I come in and he has a sad rhythm, and I am like take that out I want to party. It really is about your mood that day. You hear an intense beat and you might want to write about partying and the normal stuff for people to have a good time. Yet, 99% of the time, when I go to the studio, it is because I need to vent about personal stuff about society. I feel it is my responsibility. I could not do a 100 records on women, sex, and partying. Maybe, I can do one or a few songs so the people could party, but if I did more I would feel stupid. Yet, I feel it is my responsibility to give the people something positive and, in turn, give it to myself.

Diandra: So you find music healing?

Fyahbwoy: Definitely! Ever since I was little music was able to bring me to other parts of my imagination. And I imagine others are feeling like that with my music.

Diandra: Imagine?

Fyahbwoy: Yeah, I do not listen to my music. Once, I finish a song. I do not listen to it again. I only hear the last song I made because of the performance. If I truly listen to my music I end up criticizing it, and say how this should have been this way and that was wrong. I am too perfectionist.

Diandra: Why do you think music is so alleviating to the poverty and its stresses?

Fyahbwoy: Honestly, when you are poor you only have two things to do: have sex or dance. They are both free. In poor countries, like in the Caribbean or Africa, all you have to do is enjoy people and figure out how to make a living that helps you survive. It explains why so many kids want to be entertainers because, if you make it, it can take you out of poverty. And, at least, it makes you happy. There is a supernatural magic to music and how it makes you feel good. That is why I always say that I do not understand people who say they do not like music. I feel like I have to reach into your heart to see if you have one. (He laughs) You are not human! What the f**k!

Diandra: You have said that life is a series of small, happy moments. What has been your most recent, happy moment?

Fyahbwoy: My most recent, happy moment was seeing my son be born. Usually, most of my happy moments are when I am alone. When I go to see a sunset or when I walk around, in another country, where I am a stranger.

Diandra: How do you think fatherhood has changed you as an artist?

Fyahbwoy: You know I have been thinking about that a lot. Perhaps, if I thought music was a responsibility before, now, that feels double.

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