INTERVIEW
Delaware rapper Hammaz says he tries not to shoot too big when it comes to his goals. But, as an artist in more than one realm, it’s hard not to..
“I try to take it one step at a time and live in the moment,” he says, “but at the end of the day, I want to be on the silver screen and a household name in the music industry. I want to do it all. I’m a very competitive person and I want to be the best in everything I do. I have several different pots on the fire, so to speak.”
Music, of course, is his first love, but he’s also branched out into acting––he’s appeared in commercials for brands like Al Capone Cigarillos and others. As his interests grew, he founded Alpha Male Entertainment, which has music, acting, producing, dancers and more under one umbrella. He’s also interested in working as a writer or producer.
“Just as a flat out artist,” he says. “There are different avenues to explore.”
But the music will always be front and center. He released the 17-track album Cash Ave General in 2009, the 14-song project 5~St@R~G in 2012 and the 10-song record Alpha Male 2 in 2019. His latest release is Alpha Male 4: Magnum Opus, which he debuted in April.
“In two weeks it’s definitely gotten a lot of reaction,” Hammaz says. “I have well over a dozen magazine placements; blogs are reaching out to me, radio interviews, views are running up on YouTube, streams are going up. It’s definitely a good reaction, but the work should speak for itself so I ain’t too surprised.”
Hammaz wanted to show off his range and versatility on this project––not an entire album of trap songs or emotional tracks, but a mix of those and more.
“I got some trap vibes in there and I’m telling some stories in there and barking life experiences,” he says. “I have a different vibe on this album as I’m going through it. As I was first listening to it I thought the first half was my favorite, but the more I keep listening, it might be the second half.”
The album is filled with Hammaz’ own life experiences: he covers everything from one of his best friends getting locked up for murder––now they can only communicate over the jail phone––to a serious relationship with a woman where Hammaz thought they were working toward a common goal, “but she slipped up and messed it up.”
“You name it, I’ve been through it all,” he says. “I’ve had to go to bed hungry. I’ve had the lights off before. I’ve been homeless before. I’ve been in a lot of different situations and all that does is mold you and create a better character. Same thing as everybody else, I just got a little platform to tell my story.”
It’s not all bad, of course––on “Boss Talk 2,” Hammaz raps about what he and his friends and family growing up have accomplished. “We ain’t just out here surviving,” he says. “We’re out here living life and accomplishing goals and moving on up.”
That’s more in line with the whole theme of the album: Hammaz hasn’t just survived, but he’s thriving now after stepping away from music for a couple years to deal with personal trauma.
“I lost my sister and another one of my friends passed away and I recently lost my dad,” he says. “I took a little break, so this right now is just a return. This feels like Mike Jordan at the start of his second three-peat. That’s where I feel like I’m at right now: Jordan wearing 45.”
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