HANiF is a New York City native whose February E.P. 12 Inch Vinyls is a 5-track snapshot of contemporary boom-bap, the sounds reminiscent of a previous era, but the content is unmistakably contemporary. On “Gentrify,” the MC unpacks the socio-economic perils of gentrification in cities like the Big Apple, where communities of color are overwhelmingly priced out of their neighborhoods as more upwardly mobile residents seek more affordable rents, effectively wiping out entire blocks of families and businesses. “Miss Kenya” is a love song as only Hip-Hop can make and plays like Black Star’s “Brown Skin Lady,” but for a 2015 crowd. In part, the goal of the project was to incorporate his thoughtfully constructed lyricism with his tendency towards synth-heavy, sample-free production and, as he explains, his fans are appreciative. “My fans are always like ‘Yo! Give us the some raw Golden Era!’ I felt like people had been anxious to hear me go in over some straight boom-bap, so I gave ’em what they asked for.”

Having grown up in Portland, Oregon, HANiF tells Ambrosia for Heads that “coming back to New York was inevitable. After climbing to the top of the proverbial totem pole where I’m from, I had to get to a bigger city in order to make the most of my abilities. It was either New York or Los Angeles. And I’m not cool enough for Los Angeles [laughs], so here I am.” As a self-proclaimed “master barber,” his connection to the vitality of the city is embodied through the storytelling of his clients, which in large part drives his motivation to recreate the stories through his music. “It’s the singularity of all of these countless yet entirely unique interactions that inspires me the most,” he shares.

Photography by Jasmin Madera

Also helping to form his musical perspective are his surroundings, bi-coastal by geography yet universal in similarities, particularly when it came to “Gentrify.” “In 2014, Portland was the most moved-to city in America,” he says. “I grew up in a neighborbood where the streets are named things like Killingsworth, Failing, and Hate. Nowadays, these are the same places where they shoot the show Portlandia. I say that to say I know a thing or two about gentrification.” These experiences are prevalent in “Gentrify’s” concept and video, a social critique whose undertones of humor (“Big ups to White guys that live next to the crack spot and dress like ‘Where’s Waldo?’ but never lack guap/They did like 17 years at the university and moved here to experience diversity, jackpot”) speak to a very real, and sometimes tragic ill of modern civilization, and HANiF does it all with refreshing self-awareness. “The saddest part of it all is that people are so prone to a superficial analysis of the stimuli with which they are confronted that what is actually a phenomenon of capital gets mistaken for a phenomenon of race. Tragic, really because I live on 145th street and I can guarantee you I’m making more money than most of my neighbors. So I’m a gentrifier! Yet due to my complexion, I’ll likely get a pass from all the long-time residents: however; conversations like this would come up in my Harlem apartment over and over again and so as I processed it all (I already had the song, I wrote that in Portland), I decided the best way to give it to the world was with humor. So we shot the video with the hopes of making a dense subject light, and an uncomfortable conversation fun.”

In the several months since he’s released 12 Inch Vinyls, HANiF has been busy working on his “grittiest, grimiest, and most hardcore street shit yet.” This time around, he’s drawing inspiration from his more turbulent personal experiences, which include what he calls a “significant amount of time in prison” after being “in the streets for a LONG time.” Working extensively with Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Devo Springsteen (credited with spearheading John Legend’s success after getting him signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music imprint in 2003 in addition to Grammy-winning work on West’s “Diamonds [from Sierra Leone])” and some major-label features are helping shape his forthcoming work, which has yet to be formally announced. When asked about his future aspirations, he says “Tupac used to say the ‘W’ dont stand for West Coast, but that the ‘W’ stands for war. We out here fighting everyday, whether it’s with the police, with each other, or with ourselves. Consider my discography a war report from an unflinching observer. I’m the Frantz Fannon of this shit. Plus my freestyles crazy [laughs].”

Pick up a copy of HANiF’s 12 Inch Vinyls and check out his YouTube channel for more of his work.

Related: Ambrosia for Heads Spotlight Series