Badi

We got to speak with Belgian artist Badi who fuses Rumba, Hip Hop, Pop, and Electric into a refreshing sound. We spoke about his influences, writing process, and plans. Enjoy the conversation below.

Tell us a little bit about how you got started in music

Music was part of my family. My uncle was in the legendary group OK Jazz which is the greatest rumba Congolese group. He was the saxophonist of the band. He was the first person to introduce me to music. He gave me a little saxophone when I was young and since then I always loved it. When I grew up, I listened to hip hop during the Yo! MTV Raps era. I listened to MC hammer, De la Soul, and a lot of early 90s hip hop. I was like 15 when I started writing raps. Since then, I’ve made a lot of music. My first group was a school group with some friends. When I was 18, I released my first record. After that, I released some albums. I took a break shortly after and started a family and worked on different things. Once I decided to make music again, I had different influences, because I was a hip hop but I liked rumba Congolese and pop music. In this time, my goal was to put all of these influences in my character. Which is the Badi that you know now.

You started doing music early. In lyrics, there are revolutionary tones and conscious topics. Was this something you always did or is this a new aspect of your music?

I’ve always been conscious. That’s the way I grew up. That’s the education I got from my parents. My father was a soldier in Zaire with Mobutu. He left the country because he didn’t agree with the dictatorship. When I was 7 he would give me and my sister newspapers to read. He’d speak with me and my sister about Lumumba, Sankara, and Mandela. We always grew up in a Pan-African environment. It was important to him for us to know we were born in Belgium but we were from Africa. We grew up like that. So, automatically it’s in my lyrics. I don’t even think about it.

What was the writing process for Mauvaise Ambiance?.

I was working with Boddhi Satva at the time, and we had an idea to make an album together. We had three songs recorded already. The first song we recorded with a vision of an album was this song. This song was just a 50-second loop. I had like 8 bars and a hook that I did in one shot. I started recording and once the engineer heard the music he said it was crazy. It’s two different styles. It’s conscious but at the same time, it’s for the dancefloor. It’s different. Once he said that I wrote another 8 bars and the engineer said it was done. Once people started hearing it, they said the mix was cool. I like the conscious lyrics, but at the same time, it’s difficult to be heard with conscious lyrics. Since a lot of people are on the dancefloor, I wanted to catch the attention of the people. If I can make them dance and at the same time they can think of my lyrics, I think it’s a good compromise. That’s the way I prefer to give my message. It’s a two shot. First shot you dance. In the second shot, you hear that you danced to those kinds of lyrics.

Stromae is a big Belgian artist. What has his impact been on you?

Stromae is a good friend of mine. We did a lot of work together at the beginning of our careers. Stromae made my first video. A lot of songs in the beginning of my career were made by Stromae. He brings Belgian vibes to the world. In this story, we have a lot of rumba. He brings the old imagery. That’s the base of our culture. When you listen to Stromae you feel that part.

Talk a little about the song “Virgil Abloh”

I was looking for someone who can represent the African from the future. I saw Virgil as an African from the future. The future is now. We’re in the future. I know he grew up in the U.S. and he’s also from Ghana. When you look at some of his pieces from his collection you saw that side. He’s a good icon to represent the African from the future. I talk a lot about past icons like Lumumba, Sankara, and Mandela. I was looking for someone for now. The first name that came to mind was Virgil’s, and it sounded good on the beat. It’s not just the hype to be African. The hype is cool, but Africa isn’t just about the coolness. It’s a story. It’s a culture. It’s a lot of countries. A lot of languages.

You have a clothing brand on the side while also doing music. Have you always done different kinds of creative things at once?

I’m always working on different things at the same time. I’m not even thinking. It’s natural for me. I can make records and I can make a workshop for students to talk about hip hop or Africa. At the same moment, I can make a movie. At the same moment, I can be on stage for a theater piece. I’m always working like that. I’m creative.

Are theater and film something you’re considering or working on?

I made a short movie in the past. I played in two and I made a show for the theater which is on pause due to covid. But I look forward to coming back on stage, maybe for 2022.

What can we expect from the new music?

The direction for the next project is the result of all I’ve made for Trouble Fete. When we released the Colors show, it opened opportunities I could have never imagined. A lot of producers sent me music. In the beginning, when people saw the Mauvaise Ambiance video, a lot of people caught the African, Hip hop, and tropical vibe. I want to put that in my music. I want to add a Caribbean vibe and an East African vibe. I want to go further with that mix of cultures. At the same time, I want to keep my conscious takes in the mix. That’s the stuff we’re working on for the next project.

What’s some advice you have for anyone reading this?

There are no rules. On Instagram and YouTube, there's a lot of advice. For me, there are no rules. That’s the advice. The problem is we’re all looking to be unique, but at the same time, we’re all the same since we have inspirations in common. There are no rules. There is no time. We have an impression that if we don’t become successful in one year or one month it’s trash. Take your time. Be you. Be confident and believe in your work. It’s going to take time, but it’s a good time. Let’s get fun. Creatives need to have fun. Make people happy.