Look Closely: South Florida-Artist Hush Forte talks Beginnings in music, South Florida’s rap scene, New Album, Inspirations and fashion aspirations

“Dedicated to my mom, Carole”

-Hush Forte

Hush Forte has something to say as a producer, composer, rapper, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. The Miami-born artist is a product of N.E.R.D just as much as he is a child of the SoundCloud Era and wants people to understand one thing: his creativity knows no bounds. Equipped with a piano, a beat machine, and an ear for impeccable melodies, Hush Forte has already made waves with the intoxicating vibe of “Far Away”, his latest single, and the uber-popular “Summer Girl” single, which has amassed over three million streams on Spotify. On August 13th, I had a chance to speak with the promising multi-talented artist.

Bashful and unassuming, Hush Forte sits across from a sun-stained window. Wearing his signature black du-rag, a plain black t-shirt, and a gold chain, Forte fiddled with his recording setup as the Zoom call began, attempting to get his microphone stationed without tipping over. “I was playing around with some sounds and was starting to get in my bag, my fault,” he apologizes as he reacquainted himself, fixing his posture and adjusting his camera. Before the interview, we briefly introduced ourselves. We found out we were both cultural descendants of the great Skateboard P, better known as Pharrell—which isn’t a shock considering the music icon’s legacy and impact on the “outsider” human archetype. Finally, his PR arrived for the interview, and Forte and I both knew it was time to get to work. 

This is the conversation that took place. 

Marc: As a Florida-bred artist, I have to say you sound way different from what comes to my mind when I think of a Florida rapper/producer. You being from Florida threw me for a loop for a second, but I guess that speaks to the diverse pool of talent coming out of South Florida these days—and it’s all very fascinating. Could you speak to Florida’s diverse sound and how it shaped your beginnings?

Hush: I was definitely front and center for that whole SoundCloud rapper era. I was at those parties; I saw that whole wave happen. Anyone who grew up in South Florida knew about Denzel Curry and artists like XXXTENTACION, eventually. I think it was such a dominant sound in the area that people like me felt like they didn’t have a place. Most people in my area weren’t really used to the type of music I make. It wasn’t until I met Q that I realized there were people here that approached music in a similar way. 

M: Not to interrupt, but who is Q? Just real quick, and then please continue your story on South Florida. 

H: Q is the homie I met him like 4 years ago. He was on “Summer Girl.” He’s also on the project. Most people think of Denzel Curry and Kodak Black when they think of Broward. I listen to them too but I’m more inspired by a lot of stuff outside of Florida. 

M: Clearly, in order for you to really get to that next level, leaving seems to me like the next logical choice for the betterment of your career.

H: I love South Florida but NY matches the speed I’m trying to move at. I basically made the whole project in Florida though. That’s why it’s so self-reflective I think. I spent a lot of time isolated. Being in NY and passing by strangers gives me more inspiration outside of myself. I can kind of see myself in other people or imagine what they’re going through and use it as inspiration.

M: Tell me about your beginning roots doing music, tell me a little bit about the start of your journey.

H: I don’t have any musicians in my immediate family, but my dad really wanted me to learn piano. He always said I would thank him later. I started learning piano when I was five, and at first, I wasn’t really rocking with it to be honest. But around middle school I began looking up how to play songs I was listening to at the time, Drake songs, Kanye West songs.

M: And how old were you when that magical music spark happened for you?

H: I was probably 10 or 11. And then at 14, I started making beats in FL Studio. I remember a friend showed me how to use FL Studio and I took it and ran with it. I remember making Rick Ross type beats and shit. I used to sell them online. But in high school, at that point, I wasn’t really known for music. Most people knew me as a basketball player except for a couple of close friends. 

M: And now you’ve evolved into a singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist, musician, the rapper—you can pretty much do it all by yourself. I got a bit about how you dived into music in general, but how did you become ingrained in the beat-making culture of Hip-Hop?

H: I was always listening for the beats before the lyrics. I remember my dad would take me to practice, and I would be in his car listening to whatever he had on. I would be trying to copy whatever drum pattern was in the song. I didn’t grow up thinking that I was going to be a rapper or a singer. I didn’t start playing with my voice till about a year ago.

M: So rapping is super recent to your artistry, you would say?

H: Yeah. I mean I grew up listening to Hip-Hop, so it’s not like it’s unfamiliar to me. I used to freestyle with the homies on some playing around shit. But I never took it seriously. I guess I felt like most artists didn’t understand how to approach my beats. And then with the pandemic, it was hard to collaborate with people so I just started experimenting with my voice.

M: All of this makes sense, especially with the added context that some of your biggest influences were Pharrell and Kanye West, two of the best producers to ever grace the grounds of our culture. How deep does that influence go? 

H: Yeah man I mean I feel like everyone’s influenced by Kanye and Pharrell at this point. I just like people who are willing to try different shit.

M: Hey, man, Pharrell is my biggest influence, too, so I feel you on that.

H: I remember there was this classic old video of Ye in the studio making a beat on an MPC, dancing to it. I was like I want to do that. My brother is ten years older than me, and he would always put me on to shit he was listening to, so I was listening to N.E.R.D. and was early to a lot of artists I wouldn’t have known yet. 

M: Would you say this influence is the reason for your invulnerability within your music as well? You make a lot of music that reveals a bit about your life and emotions that go along with it; your lyrics present an introspective character who is very self-aware, which is amazing, but how much of that is based on your influences and how much of that is a conscious decision you made based on what you wanted to do?

H: Both, yeah, it’s a bit of both in the sense that I obviously take from the artists that I look up to. Even though Kanye can sound wild at times I think there’s a lot of vulnerability to it. And I’ll put Drake in that category too; he came out the gate saying, “I’m going to be vulnerable.” Same with Andre 3000. Kendrick was the first to get me to pay attention to lyrics for real. I hope that my fans feel like they’re in the room with me even if they’re listening 10,000 miles away

M: And it seems like fans will be able to get that chance as you have a promising new album on the way called Look Closely; do you feel Look Closely will provide fans with an intimate viewing of who Hush Forte is?

H: Yes for sure. It’s all thoughts I was having while working on the project over the last year. I show the full range of emotions I was feeling. I want people to walk away from this project feeling like they spent thirty minutes talking and getting to know me.

M: You told me before the interview about the listening session you had in NYC for the album. How did that go, and how was the initial response to the material on the album? 

H: It’s hard to say honestly, I try not to look too deeply into people’s initial reaction, but I also know that because of how dense it is there’s a lot of things you’re not going to catch on the first listen. So, really, for the first listen, my hope is that the album is enticing enough to make people want to keep coming back to it. I want people to come back years later and be like “Oh shoot, he said this” or “Did you hear that switch in the drum pattern on this song?” That’s what I hope for in the long run. 

M: When will the public and general audience be able to stream and hear Look Closely? Also, after everything you said about what you hope fans will do with this album, I have to say Look Closely is the perfect name. 

H: I want to say sometime in the next two months (laughs) I just want to get all the pieces together for the release, honestly. I’m definitely happy with the direction and the finished product; it’s special. 

M: The people are definitely looking forward to listening to it and living with it, man; based on your singles, I’m guessing this album has a lot to say! Now, are you signed to a label, or are you planning to get signed? Especially with this new project on the way.

H: Thank you, and actually, neither (laughs). I’m still independent. Honestly, it just has to be the right situation for me. Obviously, it has to make sense, and you always hear these horror stories about crazy situations with labels, so I’m cautious about that. It would be great to get bigger budgets to work with, but as I said, the situation just has to be right for me and what I’m trying to do. 

M: That’s smart; I love the awareness you have about what works for you right now and what you feel may not. Definitely, a great ability to have, especially in the beginning stages of an aspiring career. Alright, let’s leave the people with something; what can the masses expect from you in the future? What do you have on the horizon, or maybe some long-term aspirations you have?

H: So, I’m already directing my own music videos so I can see myself doing more things within the film world as far as working with a team and creating. I love creating experiences. I like fashion, film; I’m also super interested in technology. I’d like to get involved with people who are bridging the gap between technology and culture. 

Listen to Hush Forte’s latest single GREATEST FAULT here.

Shortly after this interview, it was confirmed that Forte’s album Look Closely would be released on October 29th.