In the streets of Harlem, music has always played a very important role in its culture and the upbringing of its youth. From the likes of Big L, to Dipset, to A$AP MOB, Harlem has always found its way to become a sort of epicenter for new sounds and fashion trends that have taken the world by storm. Hass Irv is one of the most buzzing artists from the “new school” of rappers who are taking the Harlem sound and helping push it to new boundaries, all while maintaining INFECTIOUS live energy and performance that is hard to match and/or replicate. The first time seeing him live was at a Juneteenth cookout performance this Summer, and the way Hass Irv controls and knows how to work a crowd is something that can’t necessarily be taught. His stage presence is paralleled by his musical work ethic as well, and his latest release “BAD” produced by Cash Cobain was just released on October 15th. It’s a soulful NY drill-styled beat where he showcases his versatility, and we were lucky to have Hass Irv talk with us for a quick interview about his musical style, upbringing, and much more! Check out the interview below and be sure to follow @HassIrv on all platforms.

What's your name and where you from?

Hass Irv i'm from Harlem New York. I come from West African descent. My parents are from Mali and Guinea, West Africa. I was born in NYC, raised in Guinea till I was like 7/8 years old, then I came back and grew up in Harlem. That’s me.

What made you want to do music and how long have you been doing it?

My love for music was always there for real. I always had a strong love and a strong interest in music. I've always been a cult fan of music, and it just grew into me. I became what i was into, slowly became something that I wanted to become. I've been loving music my whole life but I've been doing music for a few years now.

How did living in Guinea influence your music sound?

Me being born here (America) but being sent back over there, it gave me a sense of tradition and culture, and even a sense of respect. If I was just born here, I’d probably think I know everything or wouldn't have respect for my elders in a certain way. I'd be a completely different person, maybe i wouldn't even make music or make music the same way i don't know... I wouldn’t be the same person though. My connection with Africa is not directly correlated with my music but with me as a person which ultimately decides whether i would even be in this position or not.

We saw that you model as well, do you have any other passions/hobbies that you’re into?

I just got into drawing, i used to do graffiti in middle school. I had friends in middle school that used to go CRAZY with it, it inspired me to do graffiti. I just bought mad sketching shit at staples, i want to start sketching my ideas and hopefully they turn into something else. I feel like an art piece made by myself would hold way more value, because people already want to connect to me, so that would be another way for me to do that and connect with my fans through the artist himself.

How did the collab with G Herbo “All Day Remix” come about!?

To be honest i just manifested it, at first it was an idea. We were just listening to the song one day and one of my homies was like “G Herbo would slide on this” and I really considered it. I talked to a couple people I knew who knew him, and started putting the conversation in the air. In August we were just talking about it amongst ourselves, but by October we really got him to get on the song, we really did it!

Who’s your favorite producer to work with?

Sometimes my sessions don't have one specific engineer or producer, but some of my favorites are my boy Dos Reel, Judah Hex, Cash Cobain...And even Delly, even though he’s not a producer, it's just the way we connect in the studio. Sometimes we may not even record, it's just that push he gives that gets me to the next level, that energy.

What was the most LIT show you can recall in recent memory?

This year I had a show performing for my man’s Glen Brown birthday party, it was crazy. We jumped on the DJ booth, jumped off that shit and broke a table, it was like WWE Summersmash! That’s what it felt like, all the big name artists mixed with all the hottest up and coming underground artists in the spot. It was just crazy cuz half of them in the spot knew the words the other half was like “who’s this”, but i love that because you can reap the benefits of both.

What’s your top 5 favorite rappers/musicians?

Aiight I’ll just go to my Apple music right now and tell you the last five people i listened to, i’d rather tell ya that. The last five people I listened to was 2219 Lee, Young Thug, Trippie Redd, Stunna Gambino, YN Jay but I fucks with the whole Detroit wave and all their artists... I was really bumping Tyler The Creator, his last project Call Me If You Get Lost, I was really trying to dissect that shit... A lot of new music I've been trying to really dissect and not just listen to myself. I like to challenge myself to listen to shit I wouldn't even think I would like myself.

Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?

I see myself a couple albums, musically on a whole nother level sonically and in terms of structure, everything is going to be way more clear. I'm going to be able to put a lot of people in positions, and put myself into positions where I can do something new. We’re going to change music for sure, that's one of my main goals. I

I'm definitely going to be on a new level in all aspects, and I'm looking to drop a few more projects within the next upcoming years, and I'm not going to let up. All gas no breaks within the next few years, people should definitely get familiar with name Hass Irv because I'm coming for them.