HANZ is a talented and unapologetically independent artist from New Jersey with a unique sound and a powerful movement around him. Earlier this month, HANZ dropped his debut project, Praylude – an eight-track audio experience complete with huge, dynamic production, hard-hitting bars, thought-provoking lyrics, and enough personality for a whole rap group. A literal prelude to his upcoming debut album Vagabond – set to drop this coming September – Praylude highlights the versatility of HANZ, expertly shifting between flows and dancing over complex production throughout the project. It serves as a departure from many of the current trends in hip hop, instead bringing a brand new rap-punk style that feels like it was born in the coffee shop and perfected in a smoky basement surrounded by like-minded creatives.
Which makes perfect sense to those that are familiar with HANZ. A multi-talented artist in his own right, HANZ is one of the founding members of the creative collective known as BLXDY RXSE – a group consisting of talented creatives in Jersey from a variety of backgrounds including art, music, production, photo/video, design, writing, and even woodworking. Most of the group lives together in a creative house in Jersey – with the aim of bringing together people from different disciplines and backgrounds in order immerse themselves in creative ideas, share different thoughts and approaches, and ultimately produce new work that is bigger than themselves and a reflection of their shared values.
HANZ and the BLXDY RXSE collective also have a strong focus on community and giving back. One example, all proceeds from the pre-release of Praylude went to a Newark-based community organization called Jannah on Grafton – a local initiative in the artist’s birth city with the goal of “building a stronger, sustainable, and more self-reliant lower Grafton Avenue community through vacant lot activation.” Additionally, over the past weeks and months you could regularly find HANZ and his housemates in the streets of Newark and NYC protesting against police brutality and systemic racism.
Praylude is the perfect name for this debut project, as it foreshadows all the big things HANZ has in the works. Throughout the summer, listeners can expect to see a steady stream of visuals, singles, and new content – culminating in the release of his first official album, Vagabond. They can also find two standout tracks from Praylude – “Back On’ and “Tittney” on Spotify’s “Fresh New Finds” Playlist. To help support his journey, HANZ has recently solidified a partnership with NYC-based Ear Crack Entertainment – an independent digital music company focused on empowering independent artists to unlock their full potential using media, content, and social media strategy. This strategic partnership will be a great asset in telling HANZ’s story the way it was meant to be told, and ultimately bringing HANZ’s message to a wider audience.
This is definitely an exciting time for HANZ and BLXDY RXSE. With all the momentum going in the right direction, it feels like we are on the cusp of witnessing something great. Be sure to check out Praylude, out now, be on the lookout for more exciting content throughout the summer, and expect big things from Vagabond come September.
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