FAIYA IS….. A man with a message. My music is both commercial and conscious, and when I get myself where I need to be, this balance will elevate rap music to new heights !!!How did you get that name?: One of my closest friends actually thought up my name in high school. We were drawing up tags that we could use to spray paint on houses and stuff (teens and vandalism…smh), and he decided to rearrange the spelling of my real name ‘Faizal’ to make it sound like ‘fire’…and Faiya was born.
What has been your biggest accomplishment?: There have been many standout accomplishments in my life: from being on the cover of NY Magazine, to performing at a young age for the Queen and King of Norway, to having poetry published in an anthology…but at this point in my life my biggest accomplishment is being able to say that I’ve done this much already, and I AINT DONE YET !
What has been your most difficult challenge?: Transitioning music from a hobby to a career has proved to be very difficult, but I’m at a turning point now. I’ve spent the past couple of years really honing my time management skills…and am at a place in my life now where I can work 2 full-time jobs and push my music 24/7 with relative ease.
What makes you different?: My work ethic. How my music will affect someone depends on the ears that are listening…so it is completely subjective. But how many artists do you know that can honestly say they wear ALL the hats in their business ???
From promotion to mixing/mastering; directing photoshoots to web designing; booking shows to getting press; editing pictures to burning and printing cds…to actually packaging each individual album !!!
What projects are you working on?: I have just released my new album ‘Welcome to the FAIYA’. With production out of the way, my team is looking to select a single to push now, then shoot a video for it and continue to Spread the Faiya.
Where are you from originally? : Born and raised in Flatbush….BROOOOOOOOKLYN !!!
How Long have you been making music? : Writing has gone back as long as I can remember. Poetry was my expression of choice for a long time, even though I’ve been rapping since elementary school. In late 2006, however, I decided to turn rap into a career choice…so it’s officially going on 4 years.
What artists inspire you? : Life. Space. Nature. Music. Movies. Paintings. Photos. Art.
Any form of expression that comes from a perspective outside of my own usually leaves me with some piece of inspiration.
How would you define your style of music? : Eclectic. My musical influences come from every genre, so I want my music to reflect that. My goal is to have at least one classic song for each genre….so if you haven’t heard a country song from Faiya yet, that doesn’t mean I wont make one !
What teams are you affiliated with? : I work closely with Liquidfire Entertainment, but other than that I’m pretty much a floater. I dont like sitting in one place too long, so even though I DO have a dedicated team of producers, photographers, promoters, etc., I constantly search for new additions to keep myself sharp and my music fresh.
Who are some artists that you have worked with? : Olawa Gibson (she did her thing in the 80s and 90s in freestyle music). Brooklyn singers Ice and Swag are good friends of mine and have worked with me on more than one occasion. I’m more inclined to collab with producers though…now that list long: A-One, Izeburg, YounG RydA, Free P, Auditory, Royal Audio Tunes, Halfbreed, Sean Demeo, Scott Holt, Proz, Artixx, MindMic productions, and still counting…
Who would you like to collab with? : Eminem, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Lady Gaga…too many to mention
Where do you see the future of music? : In the palm of my hands.
Where do you see yourself in 1 year? : I see myself touring like a maniac, and I hear DJs bumping my hits all over the radiowaves.
Describe yourself in one sentence : I’m an eye opener…come see for yourself.
Any shout outs? : I have to shout out Pure Cash Magazine for showcasing raw talent….you just don’t get that from radio anymore.
Email: [email protected]
Web Site URL (if applicable): http://www.FAIYA.net
MySpace URL (if applicable): Facebook.com/Faiyazhot; Twitter.com/Faiyazhot; Myspace.com/Faiyazhot
Management Contact Info: [email protected] (Emanuel)
Where can we hear your stuff?: Visit my official page to sample every song on the album as well as get updates on where I’m headed in 2010. There’s also a bunch of free music to be downloaded for those who sign up to the page.
You can also listen to different songs across the other pages:
ReverbNation.com/Faiya, Myspace.com/FaiyazHot, Facebook.com/Faiyazhot