Seph Raeshan, also know as Joseph Mosi is a talented artist from London. He comes to us with a fresh and funky sound and impressive ideas. He took some of his inspirations like J. Cole, Loyle Carner, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar and put a twist on his alternative version of hip-hop. Seph Raeshan released his debut album in 2016 called “Scrapbook Experiment”, which included the track “Summertime”, a fan favorite. Seph has been continuing to create a modern and alternative vibe since then.
His latest release “Track 47” is creative perfection. It starts with a heavy and echoing bass, smooth horns, and mysterious narration. When the rhythm starts and Seph drops his first verse I was blown away! The poetic skill in his words are intoxicating and meaningful, and the catchy beat has me dancing in my seat. “Pray it all it gets better” is repeated throughout the chorus, keeping up with the heavy and important theme of the song. Through each verse, Seph Raeshan delivers flawless bars, addicting lyrics, and hypnotizing sound. This song is going straight on my Summer 2019 playlist and I can’t wait to keep up with Seph Raeshan to see what he’s going to do next.
Check out "Track 47" here. Read more with Seph Raeshan below!
Tell us more about your background and upbringing?
For the most part, my life has been centered around London. I was born in Nigeria and did move to Manchester at 5, but most of my memories from those places have long since faded. Growing up in South East London, specifically in an African household with strict parents, has really shaped my views on life, music and morals. I feel like the blending of cultures in my life has definitely allowed me to be more open towards new people, ideas and experiences. My Parents are very religious too, devout Christians if you will, and while my music doesn't necessarily reflect that, my behavior for sure is very telling in that I don't really drink, smoke or partake in anything that would upset my faith. I remember one time I came back from a party really late, I think it was 12 ish, and they must have thought I was drunk so they made me pray for an hour and read I around seven scriptures, I really was just tired. All in all, I am more than thankful for the kind of environment I was raised in, it's shaped and built the better parts of me, so I feel lucky that God placed me in this exact place.
What got you started in creating music?
As a kid, I wasn't really social so I spent a lot of my time on the internet. I had a lot of free time so I just decided to explore whatever I could get my hands on. One time, when I was around 11 years old, I discovered this online music creation platform on my family computer, audiotool. You could basically play around with pre-installed loops and build drums, and that was It. Still, making the music, I kinda had like an "o sh*t" moment where I was like "yooo this is something". I kept working on my beats recklessly, and I played them to everyone and anyone I could find. It got to a point where my beats made it into church and the choir director heard one and told me I had a gift. He owned a studio outside of church and told me to swing by one time, and that I could maybe try a little bit of recording. I was like 13 at the time and very nervous so I VERY MUCH coerced 3 other guys into coming with me to the studio so we could make "a band". It didn't work out, at all. But that didn't deter me in the slightest If anything I think it pushed me to work even harder towards attaining a career in music. Coming to the age of 15, my parents recognised the hard work I was putting into creating music and they got me my own Ipad mini with GarageBand on it. That's kinda when my seriousness in music took off, and since then each year has just been a race to get to a new level.
What is the meaning behind the title “Track 47”?
It's really simple, to be honest. I make music a lot and while I scrolling through my projects I came to the 47th one and it was that song. I kinda hadn't figured out what I wanted the track to be about yet so I just left the name Track 47 in there as a filler. When I finished the song, I just felt like the name track 47 has a certain ring to it. So I just left it, and I still feel like there is a certain charm to it.
What is the meaning behind the lyrics?
I like to make lyrics personal, I feel like it's the only way to ensure your music is always original and it also helps listeners connect with you more so that's the direction I took on Track 47. In the first half of the song, my focus is on how I feel in social settings. I'm one of those people who likes to stay by themselves and not have people constantly interrupt their flow, yet all the same can still feel massively out of touch with people. It's weird to grasp, but it's a genuine feeling. The second half, is me reflecting on my aspirations and how distant I feel when it comes to achieving them. I'm making steps but Its really going to take me a while and I recognize that now. The chorus "pray it all gets better" pretty much ties up the whole song, I just want to one day feel better out all my issues and insecurities.
If you had to choose to collaborate with one of your inspirations, who would you choose and why?
I have been asked this question before by friends and there are just too many names. I love and respect a huge amount of artists, all from different genres, not just hip-hop. Like, I really like the 1975, their music really resonates with how I feel on teenage issues right now. Bon Iver is also an artist I love listening too, regardless of whether or not I gain the messages in his music, the way he structures and chooses instrumentation on his songs just makes them all so beautiful. Kanye West is, to me, the greatest hip-hop artist to ever walk this earth and I know so very well that I studio session with him would hit so hard, just because we are really similar in the sense that we both love to constantly experiment with and reinvent our music. However, just to answer your question, J. Cole would be the artist I would most love to work with. I say this for two simple reasons. One is that I feel like his music is so relatable; that's why so many people love his music, It's just so easy to understand what he's saying. Lastly, as a person, his personality is just unmatched. J. Cole is so genuine, insightful and endearing, it's hard not to love him or his music.
Connect with Seph Raeshan on social media!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamrealjo
Facebook: www.twitter.com/iamrealjo