As a teenager, City Haze was inspired by the music of The Notorious B.I.G and Jay-Z. By the time he was 17 years old, the South Bronx native began writing lyrics as a way to express himself. He soon found himself in the studio and eventually established a buzz in the New York area. 

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA heard some of his music and produced his single, “Lost in Tokyo.” Now that his single has picked up momentum in the U.S. and internationally, City Haze is poised to bring New York hip-hop back to prominence. –amir shaw

What was your biggest challenge when you first began recording in the studio?

When I began recording in the studio, I was focused on being as creative as possible. I was trying to find my niche and figure out who I was an artist. I had my own production, I just simply needed to find the creativity.

What was it like to record over a RZA-produced track?

I hooked up with RZA through Starr Scream Entertainment. I wasn’t actually in the studio with him, but everyone can’t get a beat from RZA, so it was definitely a blessing. The feedback was great and it showed how diverse I was as an artist.

What are your thoughts on bringing New York hip-hop back to prominence?

New York is definitely looking for a new and fresh talent that could break out into the mainstream and make good music. We haven’t really had an artist to break out into the mainstream and blow up for a while. I definitely think that I have the potential to carry New York on my back. I’ve only been out for 2 1/2 years and I have established a solid fan base. I see hip-hop going back to its roots and people being more creative.