New York - UNCLE

Features07.2507.25Gabriel G Velázquez Zazueta: FIVEINCHMONSTERS

Missing teeth. Devil horns. Moustaches. SUBWAYMOUTHS.

For most, the graffiti’d advertisements of the New York City underground is just vandalism, often rejected and dismissed. For Gabriel, who has spent the past decade or so documenting these #SUBWAYMOUTHS, they offer insight into New York City’s attitude.

Born in Mexico City, and now a resident of New York, Gabriel has always “gravitated in the art orbit”. He describes his childhood-home as being full of objects made by hand, with a camera always close by.

In the 80s, Gabriel and his cousins would send letters to the all-American corporations such as Coca Cola, Pepsi, The Dodgers, asking for any kind of “advertising swag”. Most wouldn’t reply. But every now and then, he and his cousins would receive stickers in the mail that they would trade between one another. One day, a red Marlboro cigarettes trucker hat showed up. Jackpot.

Now a professional in branding, photography, and design, it’s those stories, he tells UNCLE, where it all began.

Before FIVEINCHMONSTERS, there was #SUBWAYMOUTHS, a project that began the day Gabriel moved to New York City. Twelve years on, it continues as both a daily artistic practice and a documentation of the city’s collective consciousness.

What follows is a conversation with Gabriel, to coincide with the emergence of these FIVEINCHMONSTERS – out of the subway and into the streets of New York, thanks to UNCLE.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN YOUR OWN WORDS?

Mexayorkino since 2005, profesional del branding, fotografía y diseño. Descubridor empedernido de los detalles urbanos y obsesionado con los tratamientos e intervenciones espontáneos naturales y provocadas que suceden en día a día en las superficies de NYC. Por último self-proclaimed Transcultural visual Translator – Traductor visual transcultural – this last has to do with my eternal love of my mexicanidad, mis moles y mis mezcales.

Mexayorkino since 2005, a professional in branding, photography, and design. A tireless discoverer of urban details and obsessed with both spontaneous and intentional surface treatments and interventions that occur daily across NYC. Lastly, a self-proclaimed Transcultural Visual Translator — a title that speaks to my eternal love for my Mexican heritage, my moles, and my mezcales.

YOU REFERENCE NEW YORK AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. CAN YOU TOUCH ON THIS AND HOW IT DIFFERS FROM MEXICO CITY?

I don’t think I could say in good faith that I know the CDMX of the NOW the way I live and Respiro my NYC. Nueva york es complejo y candido. Romantico y Salvaje, Demandante y Dadivoso. Nueva York te quita y te da! NYC is the city that you go to reinvent yourself and for many the city where you left your other self before reinventing the one that leaves the city happy knowing how much it learned on its way out. If you ask me what the difference is, I will say: “EVERYTHING… as it should be!”. I am ever grateful to have lived in both cities during different formative times in my life. Mexico nurtured me and Nueva York allowed me to be the human that I am.

New York is complex and candid. Romantic and wild, demanding and generous. New York takes from you—and gives back!

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW YOU FIRST GOT INTO ART AND DESIGN? WHAT WERE SOME EARLY INSPIRATIONS OF YOURS?

I have always gravitated in the ART orbit. There was always a camera and photos being taken, just documenting life. My home was a ‘DIY-everything’ type of home. So, it was never strange to make things out of random objects. We travelled a lot by car, and I was able / forced to see the world differently, time elongates and warps when you are a kid in a truck for twenty-seven hours. Details become stories and you create full universes in your head. My mother’s side of the family lives in Culiacan Sinaloa and that is also part of my (norteño) history. I don’t think I ever said this out loud, but a defining moment was in the early 80s – my older cousins sent letters via snail mail to corporations like Pepsi, Coors, the Dodgers, the USA Olympic Committee 1984, asking for any kind of swag. Apparently, this was a thing with all their friends. There was a paragraph in English that was passed along, transcribed letter by letter, and FYI, no one knew English. So, this makes it even more Mexican – if you know, you know – and the result was that months later, from the dozens of letters you sent, one will send you back the wildest most American advertisement swag. From the highly valuable and tradable stickers to crazy things like a Marlboro cigarettes red trucker hat. I mention all of this because your question makes me realise this is where my love for branding design and advertising started. They had the door of their room covered with stickers and I always thought that was the coolest thing on earth. Years later I discovered by mere casualty the beginnings of what became El Sensacional Mexicano project.

I found myself in a underground parking lot in CDMX then DF, looking at people hand painting rótulos of Mexican slang phrases, this was right around my first years studying graphic design and it changed everything and allowed me to see the same design and work that I admire on the stickers from Culiacan but now in my own city and in my own language with the strength that only hand painted letters can achieve. This allowed me to develop my own graphic style and pay my education doing silkscreen jobs and wearables. Fast forward a few years, this took me to the FWM (The Fabric Workshop and Museum) apprenticeship in Philadelphia and eventually to live in NYC.

HOW DID FIVE INCH MONSTERS BEGIN? DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST #SUBWAYMOUTHS YOU PHOTOGRAPHED?

It began the moment I moved to NYC. It was the first thing I noticed going down the stairs to the subway station. The #SUBWAYMOUTHS were impossible not to notice. Larger than life, right at the height of your face. Purposely designed to hit that stop of attention, whether you wanted it or not.

FIM took a little longer to collect. Every day observing, analysing my surroundings, everything was new and needed something to make sense of it. FIM had a few transformations from products (toys) to silkscreen fashion ideas – to become the artistic daily practice of documenting “the everything” around me.

WHAT DO THESE DRAWN MOUTHS, OFTEN ANGRY, GROTESQUE OR PLAYFUL, SAY ABOUT THE ATTITUDES OF NEW YORK?

This is something that I am constantly aware of but I don’t think it has a final answer; the #SUBWAYMOUTHS are always ever-changing. They do show a snapshot of the time we live in, often political and highly socially conscious. I would describe them as never-ending New York attitudes, Nueva Yorks has too many personalities to pigeonhole it into one.

THE PROJECT IS ALMOST LIKE A VISUAL DIARY OF THE CITY’S COLLECTIVE SUBCONSCIOUS. WOULD YOU AGREE?

It is and documenting it has always been its intention. I was and still am mesmerized by what it communicates in silence, in your face, with their unapologetic truths. And seeing them all together for the first time printed at the CHOLITA cafe show in June 2025 gave them the collective freedom that allowed the connection with UNCLE. They now peek out of their long-term-residency with Instagram.

WHAT THEMES OR PATTERNS HAVE EMERGED OVER TIME IN THE MOUTHS THAT PEOPLE DRAW? CAN YOU DRAW PARALLELS WITH THE ‘MONSTERS’ AND WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?

Patterns are everywhere and #SUBWAYMOUTHS are not an exception. The black tooth, dick on mouth, ripped-torn-scratched-destroyed-bullied-empty surfaces… It all sounds familiar and to me, it resembles and describes the social problems of major metropolitan cities.

DO YOU SEE THIS AS AN ART MOVEMENT, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, OR BOTH?

FIM is my personal artistic daily practice. But I am sure as the posts in the subway disappear, these may one day be studied, and their messages will be louder and amplified. Years ago, a friend of a friend of mine, a teacher, gave a class at an NYC university and used FIM as a reference of continuity and longstanding urban documentation and art practice.

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE TO WITNESS THE PROJECT’S EVOLUTION ACROSS SO MANY YEARS? WHAT HAS IT TAUGHT YOU ABOUT NEW YORK, OR ABOUT PEOPLE IN GENERAL?

People throughout history like leaving their mark and people get bored quickly. As for FIM, there is an expiration date, the boards are being removed as I write this and their day as #SUBWAYMOUTHS are numbered. I probably need to look UP again.

WHY DO YOU THINK THE SUBWAY, AND NOT THE STREET, IS SUCH FERTILE GROUND FOR THIS KIND OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION?

This happens everywhere, I just happened to narrow it down to the subway as a documenting subject, as their size and form were more standard and the encounters were inevitable. Capturing this on the street is more about timing. And as you guys know well, this is the bread and butter for wildposting in NYC.

THIS WHOLE PROJECT SEEMS QUITE POETIC. FROM TRADITIONAL ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE SUBWAY, TO NOW BEING FLYPOSTED ABOVE GROUND THROUGHOUT NEW YORK. IS THIS WHAT YOU ENVISIONED OF THE PROJECT WHEN YOU STARTED DOCUMENTING IT BACK IN 2013?

In all honesty, this is just magical and has allowed me and the #SUBWAYMOUTHS permission to dream bigger. So, I see this just as the beginning.

VIDA ETERNA A LAS SUBWAYMOUTHS! And many more reinventions for FIVEINCHMONSTERS GRACIAS TOTALES.

www.ggvz.nyc
www.instagram.com/fiveinchmonsters

How Bushwick’s Zodiac-Themed Bar Embodies New York Nightlife

Plenty of places throw parties, plenty more serve drinks. But the ones that matter – the ones that actually feel like they belong to a city – are something else entirely. Maybe it’s the music, or even the lack thereof. Maybe it’s the faces behind the bar, or the heads that turn towards the door when you walk in. Or maybe it’s something less tangible – a feeling that this place isn’t just a setting, but an active part of the experience itself.

Moodring – a ten-minute walk from the centre of the Bushwick universe, Myrtle Ave and Broadway – is one such place. Open since 2017, it’s carved out its own space in New York’s nightlife, balancing the intimacy of a neighbourhood bar with the energy of a club that feeds the underground.

The zodiac-themed cocktails are the initial hook. “Virgo seeks discounted drinks from August 22nd to September 23rd.” But astrology alone doesn’t keep people coming back. What does is a space that constantly shifts with the city – a venue shaped by the people who run it, rather than a corporate identity rubber-stamped across multiple locations.

That flexibility allows it to be reactive in ways larger venues can’t. Its recent Valentine’s event, for example, a staple in their calendar as the bar’s theme and recent wildposting campaign with UNCLE would suggest – raised funds for those affected by the LA fires. They don’t have to wait for approval from a boardroom to make things happen. They’re defined by the people who fill them, from the DJs on the decks to the regulars perched at the bar, and the connection they foster extends far beyond a transaction.
There’s also the bigger picture – the role that a venue like this plays in a city’s ecosystem. “If the only places to play are massive clubs with big fees and bigger expectations, you’re skipping a whole part of the process,” says co-founder Bowen Goh. Moodring, like other small venues, is where artists cut their teeth, where new sounds emerge, and where a DJ can experiment with an audience that’s open to the unexpected. Without places like this, the grassroots pipeline collapses.

And yet, in a city where rising rents and shifting trends force independent venues to fight for survival, Moodring keeps evolving. Like its ever-changing cocktail menu, the space adapts to the season, the moment, and the people who walk through its doors. Call it fate, call it intuition – whatever it is, it’s working.

Can you introduce yourself and Moodring?

Bowen Goh: I’m one of the founders of Moodring. We opened in 2017, and over the years, we’ve evolved into a bar and club that’s home to a lot of New York’s underground and up-and-coming artists. We started out with more of a house music focus, but as the scene has grown, so has our programming. We try to be a dynamic space—always shifting with what the city and its people want.

What was the original vision for the space, and how has it evolved?

We actually didn’t set out to open a club. The initial idea was a small restaurant, but my business partner was really involved in the underground techno scene. We took a trip to Berlin, and after a few nights out there, the idea of opening a club just felt right. Back home, there was a gap in Bushwick for something on the lighter side of the dance spectrum—not full-on heavy techno, but something with a bit more house music. We saw that opportunity and ran with it.

At first, we didn’t even plan to throw as many events as we do now, but the demand was immediate. We got a little press early on because of our astrology concept, and from there, things snowballed. The DJs came, the crowds followed, and we kept making improvements—better sound, a proper booth, more intentional bookings. Moodring just grew into itself.

Moodring has a strong astrology theme. What inspired that?

Astrology was just something that felt natural to us. Before we even opened, we saw how much people loved talking about it—especially in nightlife, where you’re constantly meeting new people. Asking someone their sign is an easy icebreaker, and we wanted the space to feel like that—somewhere you can strike up a conversation with a stranger without it feeling weird.

It also gave us a way to keep things fresh. We have a rotating cocktail menu based on the zodiac calendar, and over the years, we’ve constantly updated the space’s look and feel. We even put out an astrology-themed cocktail book, which was a fun way to extend the concept beyond the bar.

And how does the astrology theme influence the overall atmosphere at moodring?

The theme was never just a gimmick—it became part of the culture of the place. You’ll see people asking each other about their signs within minutes of meeting. It’s funny because, even if you don’t care about astrology, someone in the room will. It creates this shared language that people can tap into, whether they take it seriously or just use it as a fun way to connect.
Beyond the cocktails, we’ve always treated Moodring as a space that shifts and evolves—kind of like how people see astrology as being tied to cycles and change. We update the decor, switch things up seasonally, and try to keep the energy feeling fresh. I think that’s why people keep coming back—there’s always something a little different, even if it’s subtle.

Moodring has become a hub for djs and electronic music. What’s your approach to programming and curating events?

Bowen Goh: From the start, we wanted to offer something different from what was already out there. Right across the street, you’ve got Bossa Nova Civic Club, which has been a staple for heavier techno. So, when we were setting up Moodring, we leaned toward the other end of the spectrum—more house, something a little lighter, more groove-driven. At the time, there wasn’t much of that in Bushwick, and it just made sense to carve out that space.

Over time, we’ve expanded to include club music, Latin nights, and other genres that reflect what people in the city are gravitating toward. But we always keep the core of it intact—it’s about energy, movement, and making sure the space stays fresh.

Moodring feels like an incubator for up-and-coming artists. Do you see it as a stepping stone for djs on their way to bigger venues?

Yeah, that’s something that’s just naturally happened. We’re a small venue, so we’ve always attracted underground talent—DJs who are on the come-up, trying things out, and building their following. Some of the artists who’ve played here have gone on to much bigger stages, but a space like ours is where they get that first real connection to a crowd.

I think a lot of people don’t realize how important that is. If the only places to play are massive clubs with big fees and bigger expectations, you’re skipping a whole part of the process. Small venues like Moodring are where DJs test out new sounds, build a vibe, and figure out who their audience is. We’ve had plenty of nights where you just know someone’s about to blow up. It’s a good feeling, seeing that progression and knowing we’re part of that pipeline.

How do you balance keeping things fresh while staying true to the space’s original vision?

We try to keep our ear to the ground. As much as we have our own tastes, it’s about what people in the scene are excited about. Some of the best nights we’ve had have come from just trusting the right people—whether that’s resident DJs who understand the crowd or collectives that bring something new to the space.

At the same time, we don’t want to overextend. We built this space with a clear vibe in mind, and while we’ve branched out, we always come back to the idea that Moodring is meant to be intimate, energetic, and a bit different from everywhere else. That’s what’s kept us going all these years.

Nightlife and club culture are in constant flux. From your perspective, what’s the biggest challenge for independent venues in nyc right now?

Bowen Goh: The biggest challenge is survival, honestly. Everything keeps getting more expensive—rent, insurance, staff wages, liquor, even just the cost of running a sound system. But that doesn’t necessarily mean more money is coming in. People are going out less often, and when they do, they’re more selective about where they spend their money.

A lot of that comes down to how nightlife changed after COVID. Right after the lockdowns, there was this explosion—people were out constantly, drinking, partying. But then came the backlash, where people started cutting back, drinking less, and being more mindful of how they spend their nights out.

Bushwick has undergone major changes over the years. How have you seen gentrification impact the neighborhood and the nightlife scene?

It’s changed a lot, even just in the time we’ve been here. A lot of people moved here because rent was cheap, and that led to an explosion of bars, clubs, and creative spaces opening up.
Now, it’s shifting again. Rents have gone up, more luxury apartments are being built, and that always changes the kind of people moving in. A lot of the older spots have closed, and you see nightlife becoming more polished—more corporate, in some cases. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to have new places opening, but when independent venues start disappearing, it affects the whole culture.

What’s your favorite thing about New York?

It’s a cliché, but the energy here is unmatched. Everyone’s here to make something happen—whether that’s in music, art, food, whatever. You can feel it when you’re out. People don’t just go through the motions; they’re putting real intent behind what they do. That keeps things exciting, even when the city itself can be exhausting.

What’s one standout night at moodring that has stuck with you?

One that really stands out was right before the COVID lockdowns. We were doing a party with musclecars for their two-year anniversary, and you could just feel it in the air—everyone was in the moment, dancing, balloons flying everywhere, no one worrying about anything outside that room.

At the time, we had no idea things were about to shut down, but looking back, that night feels like a perfect snapshot of what we love about Moodring. It’s those moments where you look around and realize you’ve built something that brings people joy. That’s what makes it worth all the stress of running a venue in this city.

Event photo credits David Brandon Geeting & Lina Sun Park.

“Art is our chance to turn intangible things into tangibles.”

What does it take to release 10 albums of music?

It’s not a question we put to MIKE directly, but his latest studio album, Showbiz!, serves as its own answer. Still only in his mid-twenties, the Brooklyn-based artist has lived a lot of life, and his commitment to the belief that music should be a lived experience is a testament to that.

`“It’s like, are you making art, or is art just a part of your life?” he asks. “I think for me, it’s always the second one.”`

Michael Bonema arrived in New York as a teenager. Having been born in nearby New Jersey, he has also spent time in Philadelphia and in London as a child. MIKE’s previously acknowledged that the now-nostalgic staple, Channel U – the British TV channel that platformed a generation of underground rap and grime artists – influenced his wide taste in music, as well as the 2000s R&B his sisters played in their home.

The rap music he makes – particularly when self-produced – has a tendency to pack two or even three different beats into one, sometimes flipping the same sample in two different ways. Something for the subway and something for a dj blackpower set (his producer alias), all within one track. ‘If I’m making a track and I feel like flipping the beat three times, I just go with it. It’s never a forced thing – it’s more about feeling,’ he says, speaking to us candidly from his home, the day after a studio session that went into the early hours of a Tuesday morning. ‘Hip-hop is already a freeform sport – you don’t have to follow rules if you don’t want to, and that’s what always excited me.

His music is shaped as much by the people and places around him as it is by his own creative impulses. Whether it’s his independent label 10k, which has grown from a close-knit collective into a globally recognised platform, or Young World, the free-to-attend New York festival that now belongs as much to the city as it does to him, MIKE’s vision has always extended beyond just making records and releasing them.

His partnership with UNCLE does more than promote this landmark tenth album. It brings 22 collages – one for each song on Showbiz! – onto the streets of New York. These pieces, designed in collaboration with a longtime friend, aren’t just promo, but an extension of the album itself – just as personal and vulnerable as the music. “The collages reflect each song and are very personal to me,” MIKE says. “I feel like the vulnerable nature of my music is something people appreciate, and this is an extension of that.”

This philosophy extends to his touring, too. His upcoming 71-date world tour is more than just his biggest yet – it’s a travelling community effort, bringing at least 24 other artists on stage across various dates, including duendita, Navy Blue, Liv.e, and Maxo, as well as label mates like Anysia Kym, Sideshow, and Jadasea. On stage, MIKE has always created space for younger artists, introducing them to like-minded crowds, while also sharing bills – and a song – with artists like Sister Nancy, the dancehall pioneer, adding an intergenerational essence to his approach.

“Everything we’re doing now is part of something bigger that’s been happening for decades,” he says. “Sister Nancy wasn’t supposed to be who she is – there were barriers, systems that weren’t built for her to thrive in. But she broke through anyway.”

“That’s how the lineage keeps going. If you’re truly part of something bigger, you can’t be scared of new people coming up. You want new contenders, because that means the culture is alive. The real ones always stick around.”

Whilst there’s no single answer to what it takes to release ten albums of music, it seems to be an amalgamation of all the above. And the below…

How long have you lived in New York for now?

The end of ninth grade. I graduated in 2016, and I was in New York from the beginning of tenth grade. So, 2013 – twelve years now.

Do you think moving to New York from elsewhere gives you a different perspective on things?

Definitely, but not in a way where I ever felt too much like an outsider. Nigerians, specifically, have four, five, maybe six home bases where you know you’re going to find a lot of Nigerians. I was moving around my whole life, so coming to New York wasn’t too big of a shift for me – I could already understand what was going on.

I had cousins in the city, and I used to visit them every summer. They were putting me on to what was happening – whether it was the first people to show me Pop Smoke before he was making music, or putting me on to different styles, the way people dressed. I’d be in the Bronx rocking hella Polo because that’s what I was seeing.

When I finally moved there, I was living with those same cousins, so it already felt normal. And I think moving around so much helped me figure out how to exist in different communities. Maybe not for the best reasons, but it gave me a broader understanding of how to find my people. So when I got to New York, it was easy to find my tribe.

Your music always embraces that tribe, and your albums have always embraced featured artists and collaboration. So does this latest, your 10th mike album, feel like as much of a community effort as it does a ‘Solo’ album?

Yeah, I think every project is always a community effort. Even if it’s just me writing or working on something alone, the experiences that shape the music come from the people around me.

I’ve been working on Showbiz! since the end of 2023 and just thinking about how much life has happened in that time – it had to be a collaborative thing. There are people who’ve saved my life in different ways, and I have to credit that. It could be a homie who looked out for me, or just the small moments that shift your perspective. Everything plays a role in the music.

It’s like, are you making art, or is art just a part of your life? I think for me, it’s always the second one. The music reflects what’s happening around me, so it’s always tied to the people, places, and energy that surround it. That’s why every album – this one included – feels like more than just me.

And where does Showbiz!, The name of this project come from?

I think Showbiz! started as an idea while I was on tour. We’ve been touring non-stop for the last three years, and I’ve been making music seriously since 2017. At a certain point, it just felt like my whole life had become this—like I had fully stepped into what it means to be an artist.

For me, Showbiz! is about coming of age, not just as an artist but as a person. In four years, I’m gonna be 30, which is crazy to me because I feel like I’ve already lived so much life, but at the same time, I haven’t done shit yet. That’s what this album feels like—coming into myself, realising that this is what I do, and fully accepting it.

I was talking to my homie the other day about how parents always say, ‘Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.’ And we were like – why not? We put all our eggs in one basket because this is the only basket we got. But that doesn’t mean the basket has to be small. It can be as big as we make it. That’s what Showbiz! Is – realising that I’m in this, all the way, and there’s no backup plan.

The album’s once again released on your own label 10K. From the outside looking in, at times 10K has felt like a platform for yourself and friends to release music via. Now it feels like it’s kept that ethos, but evolved and expanded – sonically and geographically – to be a record label that can compete with other indie labels. What’s the vision for 10K?

We don’t necessarily see it as a label—maybe more like a crime organisation. [laughs] But nah, for real, from the start, we always looked at it like a mom-and-pop shop. The idea was to do everything in-house, to build something where we didn’t have to rely on the same industry systems that a lot of people feel trapped in.

A lot of it comes down to figuring out what makes us different. How do we stand next to these other labels that have the resources to do all the crazy industry shit? And I think we found that answer by just staying true to the people around us. We’ve got homies who run venues, people who handle different aspects of music and events, and a network that isn’t just about one scene or one city.

So, the vision is really just to keep building on that – to create a space where artists can drop their art comfortably and do what they need to do without all the extra bullshit. If you prioritise the art and the artist, things can be okay. And I’m grateful to be part of something that pushes that forward.

You’re about to embark on a 71-date tour – your biggest yet. How important is touring for you as an independent artist, and what role does it play in sustaining your career?

Touring is super important. Besides just performing, we’ve been hitting some of these cities for three, four years now, so it’s deeper than just a show – it’s about the people we’ve met along the way. Every time we go somewhere new, it feels like the family gets bigger.

I have this theory that one day all the good people in the world are gonna link up – whether it’s in one big-ass Instagram chat or something, I don’t know. But every time I’m on tour, it feels like that’s already happening in real life. You go somewhere you’ve never been before and realise there are people out there who relate to you, who feel the same way about things. It reminds you that this music, this whole journey, is bigger than just me.

And in terms of sustaining what I do, it’s everything. Touring is how I connect with people, how I keep growing, how I survive as an artist. Performing is one of my favourite things to do – it feels spiritual, like church or something. It’s where I feel the most like myself. On stage, you’re supposed to be the master of the ceremony, creating your own world, and I love that shit every time.

What’s special about new york as a place to come home to after all that touring?

Man, good weather, good gas, good food—that’s what I’m coming back to. We’re about to be in some weird places, so when I get back, it’s just turn-up time. But honestly, even when the world tour stops, we just hit the city and keep it going. That’s how it always is. We go around the world in the first quarter, then do everything we just did overseas back at home for the summer.
New York is special because it’s home, but it’s also not a place where you sit still. There’s always something happening, always somewhere to be. After being on the road, it’s not like I come back and just stop – it’s more like a shift in energy. The movement doesn’t stop, it just comes back to where it started.

And new york in the summer is also the location of young world, the free-to-attend festival that you’ve been organising for four years now. What inspired you to start that festival, and what’s been the most rewarding part of building it?

It actually started as a completely different idea. I wanted to do a series of shows in different warehouses, where all the stages would be set up in the middle and the crowd would circle around. That was the dream at first but figuring out how to actually make it happen led me to what Young World is now.

From the beginning, I wanted it to feel like more than just another show. I wanted it to be something that really brought people together, that felt like it belonged to the city. And over the years, I’ve seen it do exactly that—it’s a space where different generations of artists and fans all come together through hip-hop. Seeing that in real time, seeing how much it means to people, that’s the most rewarding part.

What makes new york the perfect place for a festival like this?

New York is built for something like this. It’s already a place where different generations, different cultures, and different sounds are always crossing paths. That’s what Young World is about – bringing all those worlds together in one space.

Even from the first one, when we had the deal with the art centre in the Lower East Side, it just made sense. The people involved, the energy of it, the way it brought everyone together – it all felt like a natural extension of what’s already happening in the city. When we moved it to the park in Brooklyn, it became even bigger. That was the moment where I really saw how much it meant to the community.

Now there are people who don’t even know me for my music but know me for putting on Young World. I was walking in my neighbourhood, and someone called me “the guy who does the park thing.” Didn’t even call it Young World – just “the park thing.” That’s crazy to me. Or I’ll be in the gym, and one of the security guards who’s been there for years didn’t recognise me at first, then he’s like, “Oh, you’re the guy from Young World?” That’s wild because that means it’s reaching people beyond just the ones who listen to my music.

That’s what makes New York the right place for this. It’s not just my thing anymore. It’s something that belongs to the city now.

You’ve been working with a designer to create collages for each song on the new album – these will be seen across new york as part of your collab with uncle. What do these visuals add to the experience of the album?

The visuals are just as important as the music. They tell the story in a way that sometimes the music alone can’t. Every project starts with a loose idea – something that visually sticks with me – and I let it build from there. With Showbiz!, I was thinking a lot about performance, about stepping into a role, and about how real life feeds into that. For example, I say a prayer to my mother before every show – praying that she can see it and that people enjoy it – and so I’ve been able to incorporate that tradition into this album and into the visuals ‘You’re the Only One Watching’.

The collages reflect each song and are very personal to me. I feel like the vulnerable nature of my music is something people appreciate, and this is an extension of that. It’s not just about promotion – it’s about being able to present the art in a different way, separate from the music. Art is our chance to turn intangible things into tangibles, and that’s what these visuals do. They make the emotions and ideas behind each track something you can actually see and experience in the real world.

How do you feel about bridging that gap between the digital and the real world?

It’s exciting because there’s no algorithm in real life. Anyone can walk past it, interact with it, and be introduced to something they weren’t looking for. That’s the part I love – the randomness of it.

It reminds me of how I’ve been put onto things in life. Someone shows you something, takes you somewhere, and suddenly your whole perspective shifts. That’s what I hope can happen with this – people coming across the art in their day-to-day and maybe discovering something that sticks with them.

On the topic of connecting with audiences, how has your relationship with social media evolved, particularly as an independent artist? It wasn’t too long ago that you turned your instagram off private…

Man, I’m about to go back on private. [laughs] Social media sucks, bro. But at the same time, it’s powerful. And anything that’s powerful – if it can be used for good, it’ll also be used against us. Every social media platform now just feels right-wing.

I do be a scroller, though. I rap, and I scroll. That’s really my shit. [laughs] And when you sit back and really look at it, it’s like a hamster wheel. My homies who have kids tell me about Cocomelon – how it’s just playing with their dopamine, messing with their brains. And I’m like… bro, we’re all on Cocomelon too. Social media does the same thing to us, just dressed up differently.

That’s why I try to remind myself – and other artists – that we still have free will in this. You can step away, you can use it how you need to without letting it run you.

Whether they interact with it on the streets or via the music in headphones or at a show, what do you hope people take away from the new album?

I just hope the music gives people a space to feel themselves. I want the shows to be a safe space – somewhere people can listen and maybe connect with feelings they’ve had but didn’t know how to put into words or be able to portray.

Even outside the music, with the collages or seeing it in the street, I just want people to experience something that sticks with them. Maybe it inspires them to look at their own life in a new way, or to reflect on where they are and where they’re going. That’s really all I could hope for.