ITSONLYHA: Runaway Art
My Rap story is novel. It doesn’t mirror that of those who grew up with and were given beat pads or classic records at premature ages— in hopes they would hand these sounds and inspirations over to their art later.
But this isn’t just about me. My story has few characters, but many influences, whether up close or from afar. Hassan Jr, or as the Rap World knows him, “Itsonlyha,” is a pivotal character in my own tale. From rhythmically beating on our chests or tables during lunchtime while free-styling; to the kids, as well as myself, standing in awe while he effortlessly flowed on air. Everybody knew Hassan could rap, undoubtedly.
”Hassan, J.R. ridin’ wit’ da A.R.”
He was, subtly, a reintroduction of rap for me. I’d never seen anyone rap in person, up close, until I watched him do it.
itsonlyha is well known as a Hip-Hop and R&B Artist, and songwriter, from a very small city— Perry, Florida. Mimicking the strides of his older brother, he started rapping at the untaught age of 4 years old and singing by 7. Ages where we soaked up everything we heard; when our soil was fertile for inspiration to grow sooner than later.
A broad sound that borrows from 2 generations of artists like; Aaliyah, OutKast, and D’Angelo— as well as some lowly guy from North Carolina and a reclusive kid from Compton. He’ll likely tell you that music is an all-encompassing sensory experience. We hear and see sounds. We feel rhythms and patterns.
Since high school and college, he’s moved to California, to soak himself in a creative environment. Maybe? Or likely to feed his artistry with things that living in Tampa starved it of. The story of rappers leaving home for opportunities is archetypal. Kid Cudi left home with $500 in his pocket in 2004; Kevin Abstract carried his art to California and even Travi$ Scott fled the clasps of his parent’s dreams and headed to New York. Artists believed that planting their seeds in new soil would maybe help them grow faster.
It’s okay for artists to run away from home. Because, sometimes, our art needs a place to call home too.
The moment you become an artist, the possibility of leaving home becomes an option— distant realities now seem more fond. Who’s going to raise your art? You know how parents move a child to a different state with the hopes they have a more stable upbringing? Same thing. Hassan found a place to raise his rap career.
Artists must carry their art to places that can see, as well as hear, well. If they don’t, their work will die before blind eyes and deaf ears. A slow death, with its groaning unable to be seen or heard. Your believability is sometimes linked to how many risks you’re willing to take to make people believe you.
Since relocating he’s made notable efforts to perfect his style and make himself a dual-threat artist— both rapping and singing, a craft many artists chase, but only a few can perfect. He’s been consistent about releasing music in packages or via an EP, likely testing his sounds before putting them into a cohesive project. “4LttrWords” and “Clout University” are his latest releases. He wears the flair of his influences like a boy who can finally fit his father’s shoes, and surprisingly makes them look more fashionable than he did.
Often, your vision looks blurry to others until you move it far away from them. Then their field of view widens. Hassan knew this, and carried his art far away, in a backpack, literally and symbolically. His story is one to model.
