Certified Fresh: Wara From The NBHD – Dope Name, No Gimmicks
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“The whole feel that I’m going for with my new project is that whole grittiness,” Wara From The NBHD said to Atlanta’s 3 Little Digs back in 2013, describing the ideal sound as, “some type of rock sh*t,” later in the discussion. A little over a year later, the bubbling wordsmith’s vision came to fruition via Kidnapped, a lush 11-track concept album that’s as sonically captivating as it is lyrically.
Every great story requires some expert level of foreshadowing. And for Wara, a relatively new face among Atlanta’s ever-popular rap scene, this tale shows growth and promise.
The project, which was written, arranged and produced by the up-and-comer, follows the journey of a musically-inclined kid named “Piano Lessons,” a “light-skinned rebel” with box braids who’s torn between honing his craft and running the streets. In seeing how the conflicted youth navigates the hectic urban terrain, Wara does a diligent job to paint the picture of how that life is sometimes forced upon those who live it.
Listeners are chronically bombarded with visually stimulating rhymes like, “Two cell phones, you know the drug dealer perks/ Tube socks on where I’m holding all the work,” while ambitious sonics work other senses.
Simply put, we see Wara, 24, making a huge splash in Hip-Hop. Keep reading and find out why.
Who: Wara From The NBHD (Neighborhood)–born Jawara Barnett in the Big Apple, only to relocate to ATL prior to his teenage years–possesses the kind of thoughtfulness that infers a long career lies ahead. He speaks with purpose both on and off the microphone, but he doesn’t over share.
Credentials: It’s best to compare Wara’s talent to a NBA draft pick, which is as finicky a selection process as any. He doesn’t rely on big name affiliations, but 2013’s The Ill Street Blues and his most recent opus, Kidnapped, are proof that if he were to somehow slip to the second round, remember that Manu Ginobli did the same.
Fun Fact: While Wara takes pride in his craft and has been known to tell a hell of a story on wax, he’s can often be seen in father mode kicking it with his son.
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Photo: Matt McGinley
Hip-Hop Wired: When constructing conceptual bodies of work like Kidnapped and your previous project, The Ill Street Blues, do you craft the story first or make it up as you go along?
Wara From The NBHD: I kind of construct the story first. Illstreet was more of an off-the-top kind of thing. It was only conceptual because the things I talked about were connected, but that wasn’t on purpose.
Kidnapped was more so… I came up with the song “Piano Lessons.” I felt like I needed to build around this character, because I always wanted to get my character sh*t off in an album. I felt like why not do it early on (in my career), because later on I don’t know where I’ll be in my life. It was the perfect time to do it.
I started off with building the story first. Then I think about how I want it to sound. I just go from there for real.
HHW: I read that N.E.R.D and Radiohead’s Kid A were your sonic inspirations for Kidnapped. Did any album help shape yours lyrically?
Wara From The NBHD: I listen to so much music, so it’s hard to pinpoint where it came from, lyrically. I don’t necessarily try to come off as lyrical, but it’s just in me and that’s how it comes off period. I don’t listen to anybody to really see where they’re going with their lyrics or how they rap. I just go with it.
I always felt like, if I’m going to be a rapper, there’s no other way to be besides lyrical. There’s a lot of kids who look up to rappers and listen to rap a lot. I don’t want to be that artist who’s teaching the kids to suck.
HHW: You lived in New York City until you were nine, then you relocated to Atlanta. Is that why the project sonically sounds like a mixture of both cities?
Wara From The NBHD: It really came off naturally. Honestly, I don’t know what drives how things come off for me. But I know growing up in Brooklyn and growing up in Atlanta wasn’t too much of a difference. The atmosphere and how the city looks is different, but I grew up in low-income neighborhoods all my life, so the only difference was the region.
Through coming up in Brooklyn, moving to Atlanta, and constantly going back and forth between both cities my whole life, I realized that everything I seen was the same sh*t but in different places. I don’t know if that took effect on how the music comes off, but it’s really a natural thing.
HHW: There’s a new generation of Atlanta artists brewing, some of whom you have a great relationship with. Where do you fit in this new class of MCs?
Wara From The NBHD: I get that question all the time. I don’t know if I’m trying to fit in. The relationship that I have with the artists in Atlanta is never forced.
When I say that I’m not trying to fit in, I saying that I’m glad to be a part of everything that’s happening in Atlanta, but I have to find my own route within it. People could easily try to group me in with this crowd or that crowd, but I’m not trying to fit in with no crowd. I’m trying to deliver my message in the most powerful way that I can.
HHW: Could you detail your Twitter encounter with Pharrell and how the affected the sound of Kidnapped in the long run?
Wara From The NBHD: When I released the “’98 Rocafella” video, he must have saw it. He followed me on Twitter, so I reached out from a fan’s standpoint and told him how much he inspired me. He hit me back and told me that he liked my lyrics, he liked what I was talking about.
I feel like I could have kept the conversation going, but I ended it right there for the moment that I meet him in person and we could actually talk. It was a short conversation, but it was enough to make me want to change everything. I felt like if Pharrell’s listening to my music now, I want him to feel like it’s something he can continue to listen to.
It kind of turned me into a monster. The convo inspired me so much to keep going. Pharrell didn’t even have to say much.
HHW: Kidnapped is essentially a one man show, which you wrote and produced. Can the same be said about your cinematic visuals?
Wara From The NBHD: It’s always a team collaboration. On Kidnapped, I did all the production, but I had help putting everything together, of course. That was my first time producing an entire project, so I had some co producers.
But as far my visuals, they’re all last minute. I can spend months building a concept, but when we finally get to it, I’ll scrap everything. When I sit there and I come up with these concepts for vids, I’m thinking too much. The last three videos that I’ve shot, it comes down to the point that we shoot it and don’t want it anymore. We end up coming up with a new concept on the spot. They always seem to work out.
HHW: It seems like the arts, particularly film and literature, greatly influences your work. Would you say that’s true?
Wara From The NBHD: It did from a major standpoint. At one point in time, I actually wanted to turn Kidnapped into a book almost. I go towards those things to draw the most inspiration, especially film. I can honestly say that I’m more into film than I’m into music.
In my videos, I feel like I have to play a character in a way because I’m just a regular dude. If I gave fans my life, it’s not really entertaining. Sometimes I shoot dice with my friends, a lot of times I’m at the crib with my son, and other than that, I’m at the studio all day. But my videos are my only opportunity to do what I’d like and use my imagination.
That’s why film is so important. It allows you to be what you want to be. Not even from a fake standpoint, but you can push your limits on your creativity.
HHW: If you could name three things that you’d like listeners to get from Kidnapped, what would they be?
Wara From The NBHD: I want the listeners to know that situations like that are real; there’s really young dudes who live that life and really don’t have a choice.
I also want people to appreciate the art aspect of the album. You can’t just judge art off one glance. From the Kidnapped illustrative point to the album cover, everything that I do has a deeper meaning. I wouldn’t put my son on the cover, pull his pants down, and BOOM–that’s it.
Lastly, I want upcoming artists to realize that you can push boundaries with your music. People can put you in a box, but that doesn’t mean that you have to succumb and accept what people expect from you. A lot of people want that boom bap sound from me, but Kidnapped represents where I’m going with my music. It’s rock driven and it’s different from my standpoint. You’re never gonna get the same thing from me, because I’m always evolving as a person and moving forward in my life. My music reflects that.
