Meet Bazanji, UNC’s aspiring rapper and dentist
‘Honestly, I never thought I would be where I am right now’
UNC rapper Shad Albarazanji, known as “Bazanji” in the music world, had 1,000 plays on YouTube his freshman year. Now he has 1.1 million.
Since December 2014, he has recorded a song with Cam Meekins, an intro for The Taz Show podcast and performed at venues in Chapel Hill and New York, including last spring’s LDOC concert in Little Frat Court and this year’s Relay for Life Kickoff Concert.
The 20-year-old part-time rapper and full-time student told The Tab what it’s like to be both an aspiring rapper and dentist at UNC.
So your full real name is Shad Albara…
Albarazanji. My rapper name is Bazanji, which is a play off my last name, because obviously my name is so long people don’t know how to pronounce it. In high school people would call me Bazanji or make up different mixes of my last name and it just kind of stuck. It’s kind of nice too, ‘cause it’s such a unique name, if you search it on Google or YouTube my music will be the first thing to pop up. So that’s actually helped a lot!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_6ralFk2Ec]
How did you get started rapping?
I officially started rapping freshmen year of college when I bought my first microphone. I lived in Granville where I would record random things and it got to a point where I thought it was good enough to put out. Now I look back on it… Well, it’s like looking at an old picture of yourself. It’s like… “What was I thinking?” But at the time it was the best thing I had ever done.
Do you have any favorite rappers who inspire you?
Overall, I’d say J. Cole. I listen to him a lot because he’s from North Carolina, so that’s kind of something I can relate to. Sometimes I’ll listen to people who are kind of making similar music to me just to see what their sound is, because obviously I can’t make the same music as like… Rick Ross. You have to find your niche in the music industry.
Do you ever say anything about UNC in your lyrics?
My second song I ever made was called “Party in the Hill,” because you know… “Party on 5th Ave,” the Mac Miller song? He’s Not retweeted it when it came out, and I thought I was the coolest kid on campus. I had all these Chapel Hill references in it like Country Night, BSki’s and He’s Not.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVkaXWehArw]
What is the coolest performance you’ve ever done?
Last spring I opened for Shwayze in Little Frat Court. There were crazy light shows and fog machines and stuff. I had a pretty long set so I could play a lot of songs, which is unusual when you’re opening for someone like that. All my friends were there and on stage just getting rowdy and having a good time.
Usually when you open for people you get to meet them. So I got to meet Shwayze and hangout with him after the show in the “Green Room”. He’s pretty cool. But he was with some girls, so we chilled for a little but then he was…busy.
How many hours a day do you spend working on songs/mixtapes/building up your career?
Probably at least 10 hours a week. Minimum. There are times when you just get really creative, and at times like that I’ll literally be making music 12 hours a day on repeat, not even eating, just in my own world.
Would you ever drop out of school to pursue your rapping career?
I’d never drop out of school for that especially since I’m so close to being done. I’ve always wanted to be a dentist because I like serving the community and giving back, and I feel like it’s the perfect job to express those things. It’s an art and a service put together.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTDvJ6AW-7o]
Do you have any advice for other aspiring rappers like yourself?
If you stick to it and one switch flicks, anything can happen. Even if you feel down and nothing is happening for a long period of time you never know what can happen the next day or the next day. So all you can do on your part is continue to make music and spread it. And invest in yourself. At first I tried not to spend any money on my music because I thought it would be a waste. But putting in more money to increase the quality of my music will make a big difference. I know it’s kind of cliché but no one else will invest in you if you don’t invest in yourself.
Catch Bazanji’s next performance at The Library on Saturday, October 10th.