Earlier this week, I was put onto one of the most promising young talents in the entire music industry, and he has barely even put his mark on the scene yet. Spazi is a 17-year-old kid from Rochester, New York, and he is making some of the most incredible Hip-Hop and Rap music in the entire genre, which is high praise considering all of the unbelievable, world-renown talents that are recognized all across the board. There isn’t much information on the young artist, but he is already signed to a small label called Analogy Records, and the potential they see in him is obvious once you listen to his music.
Although I might not know a ton about Spazi considering he is relatively new to making music in general, I can say with the utmost confidence that considering how strong his early offerings have been, it’s almost unfathomable to think about where he’s going to be in a year or two if he continues to keep up the good work. My introduction to the New Yorker was his brand-new full-length album BROKEN, and although I had pretty much zero expectations going in, I left the project with an unbelievable new perspective and respect for the rising teenage star.
While it’s hard to pinpoint an actual specific sound or style that Spazi is going for, this haziness makes his music even better, in my opinion, because that means it is extremely unique and doesn’t quite copy any other artist’s sound whatsoever. This individuality is definitely notable and recognizable from the moment you press play on the first track, but the diversity and dexterity only grow as you make your way throughout the album. Although there are various different vibes brought to life as you progress through the project, it seems to flow fairly easily and give listeners a taste of all the skills that Spazi can bring to the table. While I’m definitely a fan of the samples of his skills he gifts us, I’m obviously looking forward to seeing him double down on these things and dive deeper into each aspect of his craft to truly perfect it more than ever before.
There is a melancholic feeling on various songs while other cuts give off a rebellious, care-free, “stick it to the man” kind of impression, but these two approaches seem to work well together and go hand in hand with one another. Whether there are moving piano chords, evocative guitar strums, or a mixture of both, the crisp, clean percussion and Rap-inspired drums keep things up-tempo even when the lyricism could come off as slightly depressed or dejected. I haven’t had the chance to run through this album too many times (although I definitely can’t wait to revisit it), but some of my early favorites were songs like “Silly Thot” and “So Fucked Up”. While these might not sound like the most mature or incredible songs based on the names themselves, trust me when I tell you that they’re super catchy and just all around well put together.
Spazi had supposedly only gotten into music back in 2018 when he first heard Juice WRLD’s music, and while this is definitely not the first time Juice has been cited as an influence, his inspiration is fairly obvious throughout this project. I get hints of Juice mixed in with some Lil Uzi or even Lil Peep at times because even if Spazi doesn’t necessarily sound exactly like these artists, his flows, disposition, and charisma seem to somewhat mirror these icons at various points throughout. Spazi might be a new name to me and the rest of the people reading this, but the 12 songs on his brand-new album BROKEN are a wonderful introduction to the young Rochester talent, so make sure you get in tune early on so you don’t miss out when he’s catapulted into the spotlight.