Written by Amal Murni & a collaboration with Wacko Genius
For the next two weeks of the spotlight segment, we are covering the underrated, independent producers and HipHop rappers in Brunei. The Kepala Seni team has reached out to a fair few and for today's segment, we are introducing to you Wacko Genius through his very words which he kindly shared with us on his journey in finding solitude in music, producing and writing. The following is his contribution that sheds his vulnerability and hope. So, grab a cuppa and enjoy the read!
Wacko Genius
"I was 17, living alone for the first time overseas in Singapore. I had zero friends and zero family members living there. I rushed to school just to rush back to an empty home and microwaved meals. i almost never left my room. Isolated with almost no one to physically talk to, music became a net for me as i was falling. Specifically, J. Cole. His lyrics tell a story and at the time that was what i was drawn to the most. It felt like I had someone to talk to. It felt like someone was talking to me."
Wacko Genius x SketchOne - PAPERMAN Music Video received 4,096views
"I am a believer of vision boards and so one day i decided to make one. I had some sort of epiphany that made me get off my ass and start to actually work for the things i wanted in life. My major was in Product Design and so naturally i put up large pictures of established and well known Product Designers. Something in my heart though wanted me to put up pictures of my favourite rappers at the time on my vision board as well. So I listened to my heart and put up tiny pictures of J. Cole, Tyler the Creator, Logic and more. The idea of the vision board was to motivate me and help me focus on the things i wanted in life as i would look at it everyday. But every morning when my eyes would trail the cut up pictures on my wall, i realised that my eyes were drawn more towards the smaller pictures. The pictures of rappers. Right then and there, I found out that I had a passion for music. I realised that that is what and who i wanted to become. However, it wasn't enough to make me start."
Wacko Genius' first performance at The Big Jam in 2017
"I started to write. I criticised not just the local scene but the global hip hop's quality of writing. I felt like I myself could do so much better and I wanted to prove that. I started writing everyday for 4 months until i finally was satisfied with my own quality of writing. In those 4 months, I analysed my favourite verses to understand songwriting techniques like rhyme schemes and story telling. In this Internet driven era, knowledge is literally in your fingertips. There is no excuse for not being able to learn. I am very much an advocate for self-education."
"When I realised that I wanted to make music for a living, I felt like I finally had a dream and a purpose."
"I never was really into the instrumental side of music. In the core i am a writer. But to put it simply, using ready made beats online just fucking sucked. Mainly because its pre-arranged and being a fan of Earl Sweatshirt, i appreciated songs that had an unorthodox arrangement. I wanted freedom. So i decided to learn how to make beats and instrumentals. It was fucking tough. With zero experience and knowledge of music theory beforehand, it was like learning a whole new language. However, perseverance is vital. Right now as I am writing this, in 3 years I have made a little over 200 beats. That does not mean I have 200 beats that are good. I probably only have 30 beats that are actually usable. It is true what they say, if theres a will theres a way."
For more Wacko Genius:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wackogenius
Instagram: @_wackogenius
Email: wacko.geniusbn@gmail.com
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