Taphari’s Rising
“We know the world is ending, there’s no use in pretending” raps Taphari in his latest record ‘Jet Stream’. So why not embrace it? The Brooklyn artist has found solace and inspiration in poetry, comedy and self-love. And, as a pandemic rages in the background, he makes joyful and uplifting records. Life in New York might be a struggle of “aggression and cynical ambition”, but it’s our “experience on Earth” that counts.
All photos by Jérôme Viger-Kohler
NOUVEAU YORK: Tough times. How have you been?
TAPHARI: I've been mutating. Quarantine provided me with the time and isolation to heal, self actualize, and develop a culture of me. 20/20 cleared my vision of myself and the world.
NY: What did you learn about the world?
T: I learnt to accept the microcosm of my reality. Not every ripple is a wave. Not every problem is the end all be all. Struggle is how I grow and avoiding it will only keep me stuck.
NY: How did the pandemic impact your daily routine?
T: I went from performing almost every weekend to being in my house all the time. But it gave me the time and the initiative to work on self
NY: Do you miss performing live? DJs have been mixing online to compensate. Did you find a way to express yourself in the digital world?
T: I do miss performing live. That was one of my favorite parts about music. It helped me build confidence and find myself. I really don’t think Instagram live or any other live video streaming platforms have been able to replace the feeling of performing for the actual audience. There’s a disconnect.
NY: That said, it seems like 2020 and the pandemic had a good influence on your creativity. It’s the background of your latest record ‘Jet Stream’.
T: A lot my music and creativity is inspired by my struggles and growing pains, a common theme in 2020.
“When you really reflect on how ghetto the experience of existing on Earth is, it’s hard to hold in your laughter. It’s tragically amusing.”
NY: You sing “We know the world is ending, there’s no use in pretending”. Still your music and your universe are the opposite of apocalyptic. It’s fun and light and colorful. Is it your yin and yang?
T: In a way. My life has always seemed to be swinging between extremes. Blessings and suffering; pleasure and pain. When growing up, I found acceptance of change and the ephemerality of reality to be rather difficult for me. I started using humor and comedy to soothe myself through the process. When you reflect on how ghetto the experience of existing on Earth is, it’s hard to hold in your laughter. It’s tragically amusing.
NY: Your first album, released in 2019, is ‘Earth’s No Fun’. Do you think music can be premonitory?
T: The unconscious mind is very powerful. Sometimes, I write a verse or think a thought that I truly don’t grasp or understand until later on in my existence. It’s like some part of me, deep down inside, knows and waits for me to find out. Waiting for me to remember.
NY: Your new label Bayonet writes that you’re “on a mission to understand yourself, find happiness and connect with the world.” Do you feel you’re going in the right direction?
T: I do. The knowledge and experiences I’ve encountered in the last year have evolved my perspectives of both Earth and myself for the better. Bell Hooks is the truth. M. Scott Peck is too. I’m grateful for the blessing of evolution.
NY: Tell us about Bell Hooks and M.Scott Peck.
T: I read a lot of Bell during quarantine. She validated a lot things I felt about the world around me, but did not quite have the words for. Such as Patriarchy. As for M. Scott Peck, his book ‘The Road Less Traveled’ helped me define what self-love really means. A good friend told me that a lot of the conflict and confusion in coexisting with others come from people having different meanings and unclear definitions for words. It causes things to distort according to one’s perspective. ‘The Road Less Traveled’ helps me see my existence and experience on Earth in a different way.
“I’ve always been a weird kid. I’ve always been unconventional. And in a city like New York, they will cut your ass for that.”
NY: In 2018, NY club and label Mister Saturday Night introduced you as “a kid from Brooklyn who surprises with artistic maturity beyond his years, with anything he touches.” How do you feed that artistic maturity?
T: I am inspired by life. I’ve always been a weird kid. I’ve always been an underdog. I’ve always been unconventional. And in a city like New York, they will cut your ass for that. To cope, I’d create little chants, rhymes and poems. I drew inspiration from the struggle, and as Langston Hughes said “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” So I’m always inspired, always maturing artistically and spiritually.
NY: Tell us more about Langston Hughes.
T: I read Hughes ‘Mother to Son’ poem in middle school. My 6th grade English teacher Ms. Saltibus made us remember it and recite it for a class project. This experience was the catalyst that got me into writing poetry. It evolved into song writing.
NY: You’re from Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York City, USA. Would you keep it in that order?
T: When people ask me where I’m from, I say Earth.
NY: Still, being from Brownsville [a neighborhood of eastern Brooklyn] did influence your work.
T: Growing up in Brownsville is a struggle and if you don’t have a dream or something to work towards, you circle the drain. Brownsville inspired a lot of the anger, aggression, and cynical ambition in my music.
“The rhizome of Taphari is vast and ever growing.”
NY: I read you’ve been a big fan of Mary J Blige (from the Bronx) and Lil’ Kim (from Brooklyn). Do you think you have a New York filiation in the way you approach your art?
T: To be honest, no. I mean a lot of my slang, and the way I say certain words is very New York, but I’m an individual when it comes to my artistry. I love Mary J Blige and Lil’ Kim. They remind me of the beautiful black women who raised me here in NYC.
NY: If not New York, what kind of affiliation would make more sense?
T: An affiliation to the eternal present and the evolution of self. An affiliation to Earth itself.
NY: What are your favorite songs by Mary J and Lil’ Kim?
T: I sing Lil’ Kim’s “Big Momma Thang” with my mother all the time... “You Remind Me” by Mary J Blige brings me back to a state of feeling before the veil over reality was lifted. It makes me feel warm.
NY: Are you happy with the NY scene?
T: It is what it is and it’s gonna be what it’s be gonna be. I’m just gonna keep minding my business and living for me.
NY: Vice has called you “Brooklyn’s best rap alien” and you seem fine with that definition. What do you think come after the alien? What’s the mutation?
T: Time will tell. The rhizome of Taphari is vast and ever growing. I’m aligned with what’s meant for me. Whatever that may be.
