With an ode-driven "I See Jesus” leading the way for his upcoming Dark Hidden Beauty album, New York rapper Zyaire Rosier talks to SOHH about the mom-dedicated anthem, putting out a personal debut project in 2015 and what hip-hop heads should expect from his next LP.]
My 2015 project, The Epistle Zyaire Rosier, was an accumulation experiences I was embarking on at 26. I was coming age through learning and growing a lot, I just wanted to document my own life and tales. I wanted to express that in a poetic way.
I was raised by a single mother who is a native Haiti and she’s been through a lot by crossing over waters to raise two kids on her own, living in the projects in the suburban area Rockland County, New York and working her tail f to own her own home.
From that experience, briefly getting incarcerated, getting kicked out schools, it was just something where I felt like I grew a lot and I wanted to share these events with the world like a book and there’s definitely more chapters to come.
I always felt a strong inclination to do something like “I See Jesus” for my mom. We’ve had a growing relationship and as you’ve grown as a child, sometimes you think you know everything when you don’t. That’s why they say ‘Listen to your mother.’ That’s very true. She knows best. She’s been out here running through the battlefield. She’s been putting n*ggas on to game.
One day emotions got the best me and my instincts just took over from there. The artwork was me capturing simplicity and life. I wanted to capture a moment from real-life. That way the sentiments will always be there and what’s crazy about that picture is it’s the only time I wore a cap and gown. I have journeyed on and studied higher education despite being kicked out schools because I hadn’t matured. It’s great for my mom to see her baby boy in the cap and gown, stunting in it.
I get to glorify her in this sense. I could identity with a lot people. Even if you look at how our country is now, there are many people and races and cultures who I can identify with because they’re probably going through the same thing my mother went through coming over here and wanting to build something for her family where she could give back and leave for her family.
My favorite quote from “I See Jesus” has to be:
“Momma never broke a promise regardless where her pockets, always went to amusement parks when summer days were the hottest, swear those days were the oddest those times were fun but not fondest I reacted like Rasheed Wallace, even stole her wallets, used to be in the Dean’s Office more than gold diggers seen pockets not proud either Macgyver so let’s speak on different topics like classes”
My mother always had me and my sisters’ back not in the sense right nor wrong, but in love. I was born in New York, but I identify with many foreigners, because my Caribbean roots. My first language was Creole, that was the language that was predominantly spoken in my household. I watched my mother adapt and blossom. She had to learn English over the years as she became seasoned with the culture.
The mother is the head sphere everything. Even in a computer it’s a motherboard. If the motherboard crashes, it’s a big problem.
My upcoming album Dark Hidden Beauty is going to have things people can relate to and identify with themselves. What I wanted to do is make something people could emotionally connect with and reside with and those vibrations where they get to know me in an aspect and get to understand who I am – the being that I am on this experience.
There are personal moments where I share a lot with myself like with songs “I See Jesus.” It’s been a very growing experience these past three years since I put out my last body work.
I just can’t wait to express it with you guys when the day comes and you get to actually hear it.
You can look forward to hearing more from it soon in the near future.
Stay connected to Zyaire Rosier below:
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/zyaire-rosier/i-see-jesus
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zyairerosier/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ZyaireRosier
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ZyaireRosier