5EB.
PHOTOGRAPHER: DAVID SIMS
Last September, 19-year-old multidisciplinary musician and rapper 5EB released his first mixtape, FENDI5IVE. Two years in the making, it’s a tour de force lauded by GRM Daily for being ‘filled to the brim with that infectious energy he brings to any number’. 5EB speaks to Deba Hekmat about FENDI5IVE’s creation, the future of music and how the loss of his friend Kip affected his writing
It’s a gloomy December evening and I’m heading to 5EB’s studio in north London for a catch-up. I’ve known 5EB for around four years now; like all my good friends, I met him through Famous Roman (aka Nathan Rosen). When I first met 5EB he was young, energetic and full of life; his earlier music definitely reflected a very adolescent period of all of our lives. Over the years it’s safe to say that 5eb’s sound has continuously progressed as he has become the young man he is today. 5EB’s studio is nestled in a warehouse park near Green Lanes in Haringey, surrounded by all sorts of artists and other residents. I find an older woman outside star-gazing with a glass of red in one hand and spliff in the other. She points me in the direction of 5EB’s studio after we have a brief conversation about how beautiful the community is that they’ve built up in the warehouses. 5EB’s studio is very small: a box room, surrounded by endless other box rooms, all filled with young musicians with the same dream of making it out and making it big.
Deba How did you find your studio that we’re in right now?
5EB I used to work with Yung Fume and his room was here. I’d come here often and eventually when I was looking for a space, this was the perfect place. My goal is to own a warehouse of studios in a few years that a lot of us can create from.
Deba What does having your own studio mean to you?
5EB It gives me a lot of freedom. I have no one to ask for anything, and I can create however and whenever I want. Oftentimes having management means you have to ask for permission to use studios, and after a while I would feel guilty for asking to create. You should never feel constricted in creating. Having our own space, there are no outsiders and I can feel as comfortable as possible; this feels more home than my actual house.
Deba What does a creative day in the studio look like for you?
5EB I come into the studio and begin working and engineering on projects that I’m a ghostwriter on. I’ll work on that for a couple of hours, and when I’ve finished that I begin working on my own music until very late in the evening. Just the other day when I was here, I finished at nine the next morning.
Deba What are your studio essentials?
5EB My number-one thing is a two-litre water bottle to stay hydrated during sessions. Next important thing is my weed – I don’t get in a session without it as it keeps me creative. Another essential is my laptop, because my presets are incredibly important and you don’t have to rely on someone you don’t know and whether they have the equipment or skills for it.
Deba How long did it take you to create your mixtape, and did you make any last-minute changes?
5EB About two years from start to finish; I was working on other music during that period as well. Looking at my files recently, I saw that there were 25 different versions of my mixtape, each with 60 songs in there, before I reached the final version of it. During this time, there was a lot of growth and change, and I wanted it to represent the present version of myself in the most accurate way possible.
Deba What does this mixtape mean to you?
5EB This is the last tape of my young teenage life. I am 19 now and my next tape will look at a different part of my life.
Deba What advice would you give your younger self?
5EB Don’t listen to absolutely anyone! Do exactly what you want. People are going to influence you to do certain things and create certain music, but you need to drown that noise out. Keep steady, because I know how much you want it. Also, really watch the people you have around you, because everyone has their moment. Lastly, smoke less weed (laughs).
Deba What was the hardest song to make on your mixtape?
5EB There are two answers to this question, because there are technically hard songs and mentally hard songs to create. ‘You Know’ was technically difficult, because singing the hook required me to sing in a way I never have before. I grew up listening to JT and Pharrell, and I really wanted to have fun and make something in the same style. Mentally, it was definitely ‘Knock Me Down’ because that was my first song back after Kip passed away. I was not able to make music for a really long period of time, because I felt very alienated from the entire process of making music. It was a really nice feeling when I finished it, because I felt I was back to who I am.
Deba How do you channel your experiences through your music? Is it through your writing or through the production, or is it all together?
5EB I always write from experience; I aim to have fun with it as well. One thing I really feel is missing from the British scene is having funnier music and lighter tracks. Everything feels a bit too serious and mundane; I feel like artists try to limit themselves a lot by sticking to one mood. I gain a lot of inspiration from new music, different music and moods and tones. Drill has a lot of similarities with other genres, which is why I always stress the importance of listening to a wide range of artists and genres, because inspiration comes from the small details of music. I also believe rap is poetry and lyrics are a modern form of it, and sometimes it can be light and fun. But essentially all of it is poetry nevertheless. There is no way you can hide from emotion, and I believe that as long as you sit to write and listen to yourself, your brain will naturally channel whichever emotion you are feeling that day and process it into lyrics.
Deba Who do you think you would be best friends with?
5EB The dream blunt rotation would be Pharrell, Kanye, Larry June, Seth Rogen, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa. Those are the ones I feel I would have a great chat with.
Deba And if I could give you time with these people without smoking, what would you do?
5EB Obviously, it would be to wake up early and go to an American diner to get waffles and bacon. After that, I would just want them to take me to their respective areas where they grew up in, so I can really see the inspirations and what made them who they are. I would probably ask Larry to see his vintage cars, because they are something else. After that, I’d play pool with them and completely destroy them, because I love playing pool. In the end, we are going to go in the studio and make the hardest track ever made. I imagine Pharrell producing, Seth Rogen directing the video and making the best thing ever.
Deba In the song you previewed to us, you spoke about NFTs and the cyber world. What do you think about the future of NFTs in music?
5EB It is super exciting to think about the future in music. Lots of people talk about wanting to invest in smaller artists and support, and now that could become a possibility with NFTs. If you invest in a growing artist and buy a limited NFT copy of their first album, that is your property [whose worth] will then expand tremendously in the future. This opens an opportunity for the public to support emerging artists and everyone can benefit from this process. I really like the idea of getting back to owning music. Streaming has tremendously impacted artists, so getting back to ownership is something I look forward to.
Deba Which album had the biggest influence on you growing up?
5EB The very first artist I loved was Ice Cube – I even wrote about him in reception [year]. Album-wise, there was a compilation R&B album which had amazing rappers like 50 Cent, and that was the first album I ever listened to on repeat, over and over.
Deba Currently, who would you say is your biggest musical influence?
5EB Pharrell, The Neptunes, Kanye.
Deba And your biggest non-musical inspiration?
5EB Definitely my mum. I want to take her to Machu Picchu, as she’s always dreamed of going.
Deba What were the biggest obstacles you faced growing up and becoming the person you are today?
5EB I faced a lot of challenges from growing up in a single-parent household, a family of immigrants, witnessing death in the family, all the way to seeing your friends incarcerated for 25 years at the age of 16. Losing family and friends to cancer, as well as having to distance yourself from loved ones because they don’t respect you, all of those are difficult to face. However, I am lucky because I’ve always had my mum, and I have always felt how much she loves and supports me.
Deba What are your three biggest goals for 2022?
5EB I really want to reach five million streams this year, but generally I want to put out more music and create music that excites me. I also want to sharpen up my technical skills in production, and I want to be able to walk into a room and be able to create the entire process from start to finish by myself.
