Born in Atlanta and raised in Sparta, GA, Ezey Da General began his pursuit of a music career at the age of nine.
Through the various trials and tribulations that Ezey Da General has experienced, a life of experience in the music industry, and a pursuit for his true passion has led him to pursue his music career in a fortified fashion. Creating a record label under the name Ezey Da General, he pays homage to his childhood nickname Eazy E. Here to tell his story through his debut album 'PTSD,' we get to pick up on a side of the artist that was waiting to be discovered.
This 11-track compilation of songs seems to get the quintessence of Ezey Da General across in a fluent fashion that has you wanting more. Telling his life story in a way that allows us to tap into the vulnerability he portrays, there’s a profound rush of honesty that connects us with him in a remarkable manner. Being one for collaborations, we get to feel the artistic virtuoso of Kern Deuce, MachoBeats, and Jett Grimes, as these emerging talents accompany Ezey Da General on the intimate messaging, and impeccable rhyme schemes disbursed through 'PTSD.'
From opening with the title track, and the captivating allure of "PTSD," you find yourself weaved into the effervescent rhythms that sweep the speakers as we hear Ezey Da General’s lyrical finesses taking control of this soundscape. This isn’t the only time that you get to fall into the overflowing passion and realism that’s held in the vessel of Ezey Da General’s headspace and heart. On songs like “Dollar & a Dream,” “Please Forgive Me,” and “Ain’t Supposed To Be,” this foundation of truth makes it so that when he takes the tempo down, we get lost in the soothing righteousness of traumatic childhood memories, dreams being within reach, and the ebb and flow of love.
Holding onto a fortified comprehension of what he longs to reiterate to his audience there’s a cognizant blend of lyrical motifs that push to the surface in the records, “Astigmatism,” “The Pursuit,” “Please Forgive Me,” and “Cracklanta.” As each track mentioned encapsulates a unique flair in how the conscious wording of Ezey Da General is performed, the common denominator is his noteworthy storytelling techniques, as he immerses you in a sea of verses that are more prominent than the last.
Allowing us to embrace his artistic versatility, the consistency that remains mesmerizing throughout this album is the traditional elements of Hip-hop that Ezey Da General continues to carry forth as he raps with a therapeutic bellow in his tonal distinction. The words that he carefully curates compliment the bolstered intoxication of his witty bars that lure you into the impactful masterpieces at hand. Propelling a buoyant swing to songs like, “Don’t Mind Me,” and “Pick N Roll,” Ezey Da General displays a well-rounded wheelhouse of all that he can conjure up and convey with such ease and grace. This includes the more melodic approach that has us feeling the instrumentation of records like “P.E.M.D.A.S,” as the universe cast out touches on themes of lust and love, further enhanced by how he utilizes mathematical principles to describe his infatuation with a potential love interest.
As he kicks off the project in a way that has us delving into a force field of emotions, the raw delivery accentuates the tone that we leave this project off on with “G.O.A.T,” as Ezey Da General exclaims the importance of taking heed to advise and learning from the experiences of oneself and others. Using the familiarized acronym in a way that makes him stand out from the rest, he pauses the greatest of all time route and takes one that is less traveled with “G.O.A.T,” reiterating Game Over All Things. Embracing the body of work that we graciously got to experience, the brilliance of each track placed on this album has us feasting on a smorgasbord of sounds that burst with an ingenious contrast.
Thank you for joining us at BuzzMusic Ezey De General, and congratulations on the profound body of work that you’ve released with 'PTSD.' Bringing light to events that have shaped you to be who you are today is no easy feat, so we commend you on taking that leap. What inspired you to bring these topics to the spotlight versus shying away from difficult subject matter to address?
I wanted to highlight issues that I have personally struggled with those everyday people like you and I battle to overcome. Growing up in the environment that I was raised in resulted in a lot of trauma. These traumatic experiences are difficult to overcome at times, especially when people feel they’re dealing with them alone. I want people to know that we share these experiences. I also wanted to tell my story and talk about how I have coped with mental health through creativity, but also with other methods that aren’t productive. Sex, alcohol, and drugs have all been a part of my journey as self-medication. But the one thing that has always worked for me has been telling my story through my music.
Your lyrics are so witty, and you have a true knack for wordplay as an emcee. Who are your musical inspirations that have contributed to your writing process?
I’m truly inspired by a lot of past and present greats. I have taken bits and pieces from many artists along the way. Some of my biggest influences are Nas, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, the late great Biggie Smalls, OutKast, Project Pat, and T.I. My style was developed from not only listening to but also studying these artists and their styles. There are so many others I can name as well.
Out of the 11-tracks that we’re offered upon 'PTSD,' do you happen to have a record that resonates with you more than the others? Why? The title track '"PTSD" is the one that I think resonates with me the most because it truly tells the story of my life and my journey from an emotional, psychological, mental, and physical perspective. It truly gives the listener an inside look at me. I talked through my journey. When you listen to the song you will metaphorically walk in my shoes. Another track that resonates a lot with me is “The Pursuit.” I have been pursuing this dream for a very long time, and I’m still chasing it. I’ve been rapping since I was a young child, and was even signed to a label at age 15. Twenty-two years later I finally released my debut album. That’s crazy to think about! I almost gave it up, but a close friend gave me the best advice in 2019! He told me, “you’re never too old if you can still do it.” Those words stick with me to this day! But I also know that when you dream big you have to be willing to put in that work to accomplish your dreams! How long did it take you to put together this project? In terms of it being your debut album, were there any songs that didn’t make the cut, or you would have liked to? It took me about 6 months to physically write and record the album, but it’s been about a year through the creative process of developing the project. The album was originally supposed to be titled “Smoke & Mirrors,” but as I was writing it took on a different direction than I originally wanted. I think that worked out for the best though. There were supposed to be several more tracks on the album, but I cut some off for different reasons. Some of the songs didn’t fit the theme, so I kept those in the vault for now. Some I released independently as singles because I wanted people to hear them. Other songs were left out because samples weren’t cleared in time for release. There were a couple that I wanted to include that had features on them, but the features weren’t submitted in time so I decided to go on without them. Overall though, I believe the 11 songs that made the project create a perfect collective balance, so I’m very happy with the final result. What has been your biggest takeaway from the creation and release process of this album? My biggest takeaway from the creative process is to be present. Be in the moment and let what you’re inspired to write take over. Sometimes as artists we try to force a topic or concept to come together and it doesn’t work. The other thing was to just tell my story. That’s what people want to hear, especially when they can relate to it. From the release side of things, there is a lot to actually getting an album released and it takes a lot of patience. After the final mixing and mastering process was done, I was so eager to put it out the next day, lol. But you have to be patient because there are so many things that go into that process, plus promoting your music and getting people to buy into you as an artist take time. I released a couple of singles to get people prepped for the album.