If you never been to Baltimore, Bandhunta Izzy’s music is an accurate depiction of what the city is like. Although HBO’s The Wire was an excellent show, Izzy’s music & videos represent Charm City more than anything else. At 22, Izzy has already proved his staying power. Many outside of his city may know him from reality TV and his trademark face tattoos, although his latest EP That’s Pretty Gangsta will show the world who he is in reality.
Izzy’s visuals are next level and always include his friends from back home. Many artists rap about guns, but Izzy has found a way to separate himself by offering an authentic perspective, unlike anyone else. During our conversation, Bandhunta Izzy discusses why it is not smart for him to live in Baltimore, his viral hit “How To Rob,” his latest project, and his new label No Gravity ENT.
Dive into our captivating conversation below.
Anytime an artist breaks onto the scene, there is a lot of love but also hate in their hometown. Bandhunta Izzy explained to Kazi Magazine that he loves his city, and his city loves him back. Unfortunately, for various reasons due to his success, it does not make sense for him to still live in Baltimore. Moreover, his more introspective songs like “Watchin Me” or “No Choice” further describe how B-More helped mold him into the person he is today.
“I try not to listen to artists from my city. It is effortless to be influenced by others, and I do not even want another Baltimore artist to say that I stole their sound or ideas.”
As a Virginia native, it was only right that Izzy & I discussed his bond with Norfolk’s own Young Crazy. Izzy claims that his favorite track between the duo is “Dead Man Can’t Type.” However, the tandem has collaborated on many tracks, toured together with Ski Mask The Slump God, and now they are on a mission to blow under Izzy’s new imprint No Gravity Ent. The bond goes beyond music. You can see the two on social media trolling each other regularly and doing many performances together.
This year Izzy’s viral homage to 50 Cent‘s “How To Rob” spread through social media like wildfire. Moreover, when the visual dropped, Twitter went up in flames. The Prince of Charm City used the newfound attention to build the buzz for his latest EP That’s Pretty Gangsta.
“No one really took offense to the record because most knew the history. As a result, people were just amused and entertained by the song for the most part.”
Izzy’s newest EP has received a lot of attention. He is planning the release for his visual with his song with popular Atlanta Crooner YFN Lucci. The track serves as a standout on the impressive 9-track project. Bandhunta Izzy asserts that he is sitting on a lot of music. His immediate goals are to drop his next project and build a bigger platform for the artists on his label.
Follow Izzy on IG @bandhunta_izzy & be sure to check out his latest project, That’s Pretty Gangsta today!
