Embracing Life: A Conversation with Heavy Crownz
Photography by Michael Salisbury
Chicago-based artist Heavy Crownz has a magnetic energy based on his positive outlook on life. A warming atmosphere that is clearly felt, seen, and heard through his work. A devoted musician who serves his community and followers with the proper guidance to grow continuously into the best versions of themselves, Heavy Crownz’s philosophy on music stems from his values, helping him grow into the musician he is today.
His latest album, WHOLE LOTTA SEEDZ, emphasizes his primary motivator, growth. Once the album was released, he could live out his own truth with pure intentions. Embracing life for what it is and learning from those experiences. Reminding people to ground themselves back to the basics, use the resources that are all around us, and come together to build up one another.
Heavy Crownz gets vulnerable and showcases his attributions as a musician in our Q&A where we dig deeper into his visions for music and beyond. Read our conversation below.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today and have the audience get to know you a bit better. So for those who are new to your music, who is Heavy Crownz?
Heavy Crownz is a farmer who intentionally loves and moves with intention. Heavy Crownz is a servant, an emcee, a creative director, designer. Overall, just a vessel who is blessed and encourages others to grow.
I see you have been creating music since 2014. How has your career as a musician developed throughout the years?
I've actually been recording music since 2011, but that's prior to SoundCloud and DSP. We talking CDs. However, it’s just been a constant reminder that words and writing things down have power. A constant reminder that promises made a long time ago are already mine. It’s impacted me because music has been my guiding light. In many ways and at many different times, music was the one thing that I could find hope in, and it encouraged me to keep going in life and continue to make choices that serve me just based on how music has impacted me and left those deep impressions on me.
Your previous albums and singles all share this common theme of growth, and you're already talking about it from the questions we've asked. But I want you to speak a little bit more about that and why it's so vital to your music.
Oh, I think it is vital to my music because it is vital to me. Personally, as a human being, it is very important for me to give myself grace. As you learn and grow and you try to be the best person you can be in this life if that's your intention. It's important that you give yourself grace as you grow, meaning take it easy. Don't be so hard on yourself. Forgive yourself quickly for the choices you make because you must always remember your intention is pure.
So growth for me is very important because we desire a lot as humans. We want a lot out of this life. We can be very critical of ourselves as we go for those things, and we can be very hard on ourselves and do more tearing down other than trying to build upon it with the right mindset and the right thoughts. That’s one of the healthy practices that serve us.
So growth for me and my music is super important—the universe working in your favor and your ancestors on your side. You're going to be good! You will be wherever you are called to be. Do your best, but just be present in that moment... in time and stick to those pure intentions. And you know, so I think just bringing it back today, making it simple for people to understand, is like my whole mission. You know, it will take a lot to grow. You just got to hear your intentions and love yourself in the process, you know?
That’s powerful. Congratulations on your seventh album, WHOLE LOTTA SEEDZ. How are you feeling since the release?
Man, I'm feeling great. The album was really fun. I feel like there's a lot of tapes before to understand who Heavy Crownz is. But I feel like WHOLE LOTTA SEEDZ pretty much gives you a well-rounded understanding of who I am and what I have to show. The reactions have been crazy. I've gained many new networks, relationships, platforms, and opportunities. The release of this tape has given me a lot of grateful energy, just a wealth of it. Everyone’s feedback has been amazing too. Telling me how well put together and sonically pleasing it is. Everyone can hear the messages there, too.
I see “Grow Sumn” is one of the tracks from the album that you recently filmed a music video for. Can you tell me about the process and how that video ties in with the general message of the song?
For sure, so shout out to my good brother D. Roe, an amazing videographer. I've been wanting to work with him for some time. We worked on a track together that I was featured on with Brittany Carter and Joel Q a little while ago, and it was a cool experience, so I want to loop back around and connect with him.
I wanted the set in a garden to fit the growth aspect I have been cultivating. So I felt like it would be the most appropriate space. But not just any garden, but the garden at my job Imagine Englewood if... Since I am from Englewood, I wanted the video rooted in Englewood. It felt good to shoot my video there. For me, it represents where Englewood is headed, a fertile space. There is so much potential here. So it was a representation of what it means to be in a good place.
In your Instagram bio, you have the voice of Englewood. Talk to me about your involvement with the community.
The voice of Englewood in my bio is kind of an affirmation for myself. I think that I just want to start creating a conversation like this. What does it mean to be the voice or a king of a place?
There are plenty of other artists from Englewood, but I put that in my bio as a way to lead more open conversations about what it really means to be a leader. I serve Englewood. I serve the youth. I'm putting intention and time into promises for the future of Englewood. And I feel like growing up here, born and raised, and then having the opportunity to go out and see the world, see how other people live, and how other communities are thriving, allows me to come back with more perspectives to serve.
I'm from from 63rd and Parnell, born and raised. In the past few years, there was a highlight of Chicago and Englewood specifically being labeled as such a treacherous place. Growing up, I never stayed home. I was in the streets. I was on the basketball court. And it's very important for me to show Englewood's other side. The same amount of passion and zeal exist before greater good. And that greater good, that seed for the greater good, always existed. It was always there—the people who classified everyone as killers don’t see the positive side of here.
So it was important for me to speak up as a voice of a greater vision, a bigger vision, a higher truth, a bigger truth of what Englewood, Chicago represents.
If any, which of your projects have you seen the most significant growth in yourself as a musician?
Hmmmm….I made a tape in the past called “Finding Heaven,” which was the first tape I really talked about my understanding and relationship with spirituality. I was terrified to release that tape out of all my tapes.
I was real, authentic, and vulnerable on that tape. But once I released it, I felt powerful, living out my truth at that time. “Finding Heaven” I was walking fully in my truth and confidence.
You’re a musician, a creative director, and a community advocate. What is a typical day in your life for you as you manage all three titles?
A typical day in the life for me is waking up and expressing gratitude for the day, praying, stretching, and sparking up some trees.
It changes. It could be crazy. I could be working, I could be in the garden, working with my youth program I curated, planting kale and peas in the garden, at a studio session, at a show supporting others, pulling up to a homies video/photo shoots either directing or just for support, working on merch designs, or chilling with some artists from the DIRYTE Everyday community. I call them farmers because we all plant seeds of intention. Any of those things, really, just never know.
What are you hoping people get the most out of listening to your music?
I met a middle-aged Latino woman at one of my performances. She was a mother of 5 and was dealing with some struggles at the time.
She happened to be at the right place at the right time and heard one of my performances. She repeated lyrics from my song “Grown Sumn,” back to a friend of mine who came back and told me about the conversation. “If you've been fearing something. its time to grow from it.” She quoted my chorus three times; man, that was when I knew people were listening to my message. People are applying these thoughts to their everyday lives. I want people to build more confidence in themselves and their purpose. Apply confidence in their decisions to know God and love.
I wanna see the world grow and people be easy on themselves too. More men are getting in tune with the garden. Or just in general more people gardening too, to see the beauty in it. I wanna shift culture, and I wanna add culture too. I just want everyone to be more intentional, be more aware.
Lastly, are you working on any other projects that listeners should keep an eye out for?
I'm currently promoting my Grow More Mondays series - a single run to encourage growth, wherever you need a seed. I'm affirming that Mondays can be a day for intentional growth. Also, I'm planning to drop another EP with a producer by the name of Kid Breeze, titled Branched Out. So be on the lookout for those.