Rapper Huzni On His Latest ‘Marvels’ & On His Latest Dropping On World Autism Day

It was a few weeks ago when Lanka heard the radio premiere of ‘Marvels’ on the YES Home Grown Top 15 by rapper Huzni, marking the end of his music hiatus. We caught up with the Wellawatha based lyrical genius for a quick Q & A.

DecibelLK : Why did you write ‘Marvels’ & what does it mean to you?

Huzni : I wrote Marvels about 10 years ago. I actually recorded an alternative version back then but I wasn’t very satisfied with it. It was the first beat I created.

‘Marvels’ was written as a freestyle about being a super hero, I decided to record it this year and I trusted my producers judgment (Nishan Daniel), so I showed him what I had and asked him to come up with something for it. The beat he came up with, had a very sentimental feel to it and when Randhir came into the studio, he was feeling that vibe too so we went with it. It was really nice to work with Randhir and Nishan, They’re both very good at what they do and I definitely learned a lot working with them.

I suppose you can look at the single in different ways, Either as someone comparing themselves to a superhero, for fun, or from the point of view that, people who can go through tough times in their lives and still stand are superheroes themselves. What matters is that you believe you can do it and you have a good support system (friends or family, etc).

DecibelLK : You are back after a lengthy hiatus, what does this year hold for you?

Huzni : Well, I’m planning to migrate to Kenya this November so I decided that I need to publish most of my music before I leave. I probably have about 30 songs I want to put out but I want to put out, at least 8 in Sri Lanka this year and they will all be produced by Nishan Daniel from HitFactory. I might release the rest after I move to Kenya. I love talking about real situations in my music. Things like social causes, etc. There are plenty of causes in Sri Lanka and Kenya that deserve attention, I hope to bring some light to those issues. I’ve always had this frame of mind when it comes to music: I love making music and I actually just make it for myself but I also just happen to release it to the public. I’m really lucky that people are receptive to my music because I’m not that great at creating suspense and marketing my music so I just rely on people who actually like my music to spread the word about it.

DecibelLK : You’ve been a very strong with your message for autism and kids with special needs ..why?

Huzni : I’ve known a lot of people who have worked with Autistic kids and even mothers of Autistic kids. A lot of these kids are non-verbal, as a result of Autism.

I love expressing myself with my rhymes. I can’t imagine not being able to speak, I’d feel so trapped. Just thinking that an Autistic kid has no way to verbally express themselves makes me wish I could do something about it. I figure, they can’t speak but I can, so I will try and speak for them. I plan to do that by bringing more exposure to Autism.

A lot of people think of it as a disease or a defect. I don’t believe that at all. I know a few Autistic adults who have successful lives. Some of these kids are even hyper intelligent. Just because they are socially reserved and mostly non-verbal, they are treated differently but it all boils down to this: they are just kids trying to fit into this world with the added disadvantage of not being able to always express themselves. They shouldn’t be singled out because of that. Hopefully, one day, they will be treated the same as every other kid.

DecibelLK: Finally, about your upcoming single that you plan on releasing on world autism day.

Huzni : I wrote “The Puzzle“, a song on Autism awareness on April 2nd (World Autism Awareness Day) in 2014 after attending an Autism awareness event at Chitra Lane school For Special Children.

I decided I want to release it this year and what better day to do it than on World Autism Awareness Day, 2017?

I’m collaborating with Messmonte. She has this really ambient jazzy voice that I think really suits the song. She has also worked with children with special needs so she does connect with the song.

I’ll be releasing and performing the song for the first time this Sunday at an event organized by the Sri Lanka Association of Child Development in collaboration with Reach Beyond. It’s a walk titled – “‘Yes I CAN’ walking with Autism!” – to raise awareness about Autism, commencing at the Buddha statue at Viharamahadevi Park at 7AM. I’ll probably be performing towards the tail end of the event, around 10:30am.

Click Here For Deets On The Walk