Nobody quite knows what The Big Hash might be doing on any song. One minute, he’s spitting razor-sharp bars on a song about waiting out the pain of a heartbreak and, on another song, he’s soliloquising about the cost of human foibles on a groovy R&B-tinctured tune. On his new album, ‘Love Is A Star,’ a collaborative effort with SLY and Kabza De Small, that instinct for genre-blurring is leaned into wholeheartedly, whether it’s the breezy refrain of “company” or the Jazzy layering of “make up your mind.”

Importantly, The Big Hash is keen to remind people about the utility of love and its redemptive qualities. “It’s for love, and it’s by love, it’s inspired by love,” he told Apple Music Africa Now Radio about the project. “That’s what I want people to walk away with. If they don’t like the music, at least respect the message. “

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.  

How did you find yourself in music?

It’s never the easiest thing, especially because, coming from a black household, they will not allow anything of a sort even cross your mind. Like, it’s impossible, you cannot even think of doing that. So, it really wasn’t easy, especially because my mom had sacrificed a lot for me to even be able to get to school and do all these things. So, it always feels like you’re letting them down or you’re disappointing them. But I think the lesson is that if you make that choice, you just cannot afford to let them down. So, you need to 100% invest into what you’re doing and make sure that this dream of yours actually becomes a reality. Otherwise you would have just wasted not only their time [but the] sacrifices being made. 

How have you changed as you’ve gone deeper into your career?

I really wasn’t even a man back then. I just came out of school, I didn’t know left to right, right from wrong. I was still trying to figure my life out, just going through a lot of the experiences that I’ve gone through, good, bad, and ugly. Seeing the industry for what it is and at a really young age kind of formed me into the artist that I am now. Having some of those lessons that I’ve learned, taking those Ls at a young age. I’m fortunate that everything happened when I was much younger because there’s some people that it happens in their prime years. 

What’s your approach to songwriting?

I think growing up and understanding that you can’t necessarily say some things out loud, you’re not able to express it as a kid, but when you’re listening to music, some thoughts are set out for you and you soon enough get the inspiration to say some thoughts in the music. I got lost in the source of sound because of me not being able to express myself and finding new ways to do it and falling in love with doing it. 

How did “Company” come about?

I’m gonna blow your mind because I have barely told this story. I’ve told it maybe once. But this song, because it was the very first song that I actually got to work on at Kabza’s studio. At the time, I didn’t actually get to work with him. We had gotten back from Piano Hub. It was really late, and the guys were just like, “Yo, let’s do studio.” Nkosazana Daughter really put my foot into the door,  this project wouldn’t exist without her. So, with “Company,” that was the song that I was able to make when the studio had cleared out, the smoke had cleared, and everyone’s passed out, tired. So, it’s just me and Sly, we worked on it. We forgot about the song for maybe four or five months. It kind of haunted me because I was like, “Man, like I know this song will never drop and Kabza will never actually get to hear what I’m able to do and because he didn’t know who I was for real.” He just thought I was Nkosazana’s friend. So, I think I woke up around like June or maybe July around like 5:00 a.m. and I got woken up by this text message and it’s from Sly. I open it and then it says “Company,” but it says Kabza’s name right there. I’m like, “Wait, what? Wait, whoa, whoa, wait.” Now, I listen to the thing and it’s a completely different song. Like, completely different. The “Company” you’re hearing now is the “Company” that I was shocked with at 5:00 a.m. in the morning that day. 

How was “Ringtone” made?

That song is actually like seven years old and it’s a Trap-Soul song from one of my first projects that came out. It’s called ‘Young.’ So, Sly was just messing around with some of my vocals from old songs and stuff. He decided to take a look into my catalog and it’s one of my fans’ cult classics. So, he was messing around with it and then one day, he’s like, “Yo, bro, I really think you should do something with this.” Honestly speaking, I heard it the first time and I was like, “Yo, this is dope. We can’t put this out.” He’s like, “Why?” I’m like, “Bro, the song is like seven years old, bro. Like, it doesn’t really make sense for what it is right now.” The thing is that I was doubting it and everyone was like, “Okay, you know what, we’ll let it go.” Then next thing you know, Kabza says, “No, I’m playing it on a set.” Now, he’s playing it everywhere and veryone is pushing for the song, the actual song to come out like. So, they go, “No, bro, we don’t care what you say. We’re remixing the song and it’s coming out.”

How are you protecting your authenticity in the industry?

I’ll be very honest with you. I’m winging life at this point. There’s no right way of doing any of this, especially in the music industry. You think that you’re doing something right up until you get the otherwise smacked in your face. I really genuinely would love to be myself at all costs. Sometimes I don’t want to because it costs me a lot of relationships because I’m not a people person. I try my best to also understand that in this industry if you want to get ahead, you can’t be the villain to everybody. So I try and I wing life. I try to be as respectful as I can be even though it’s very easy for the next person to misread your respect as a weakness. But that’s how I survive in the industry. I think I just wing life and I pray to God. 

What do you to want people to feel when listening to the project

Love. If it’s not you loving the music, it’s you loving love. I really do feel as though ‘Love is a Star’ is a project that highlights the highs and lows of this crazy ride, this odyssey that we’re on in life called love. Love is what makes the world go round. Even when, even when you’re bummed out about somebody, you always go back and listen to music that either reminds you of this person or makes you forget about this person. The main point of it is, if love is the main walkaway from this project, I’ll be very happy if everyone knows what this is. It’s for love, and it’s by love, it’s inspired by love. That’s what I want people to walk away with. If they don’t like the music, at least respect the message.