WYCH HAZLE is a genre-bending MC who cut his teeth in Chicago’s underground before evolving into a concept-driven lyricist at Brooklyn’s legendary NKIRU BOOKS. From founding SLANGBANGBOOGIE to scoring award-winning documentaries, his bars fuse philosophy, mysticism, and social critique. Now based in Tucson, he leads AREA 13’s sonic rebellion with THE DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPES 1 & 2—a raw, cerebral stew of styles that flips Hip Hop into ritual. WYCH HAZLE doesn’t chase trends—he builds mythologies.
With DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING out now, we took some time to hear from WYCH HAZLE. Read below to learn more about WYCH HAZLE, the story behind DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING, and what’s to come.
Check out the DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING here: https://wychhazle.bandcamp.com/track/death-of-r-b-mixtape-2-changeling.
Hi WYCH HAZLE! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
I went through a few names coming up in this game since ’83. Plan Be, Lee Pee, Equinox, different styles and content came with them. I am ever evolving WYCH HAZLE. Was a name given to me by one of my favorite teachers in Mystery School while I attended. She called me by it because I never took things for face value, asking questions, probing , clearing away the dirt. It’s an old school remedy. A strange, potent, flower.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I am originally from Chicago. I have lived in Atlanta, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and now finally Tucson, Arizona.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I started rhyming when I was ten years old. I, since then, never stopped. I always wanted to do this…obsessively. I got a deal with Atlantic/Str8 Game in ’96, but was never released. I went back to school twice, got a degree and two Masters, but couldn’t shake the monkey off my back.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
My sound, succinctly, could be called thematic Avant Garde Underground Boom Bap. It never really stays in one lane. I am very concept oriented and no two projects cover the same ground lyrically, or sonically. I have worked with Rulerz Inc., Kiza G Beats, Watkinz Da General, and a few others whose soundscapes move and impress me internally.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Absolutely, I love to write, period. I write Urban Fiction, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Superhero stories. Episodic fiction, as well as essays, novels, and screenplays. My work is mostly available on Wattpad and Medium. I also write album reviews. I’m a connoisseur of the culture.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
My father was the first person to teach me and my big brother to recording raps on cassette. Still can’t forget that day. That started it.
Whew. My influences musically are very wide, but my Hip Hop influences, lyrically and sonically, would be Rakim, Public Enemy, Divine Styler, LL, Kool G Rap, Nas, De La, Jungle Brothers…from earlier eras…then from current era…Locksmith, Black Thought, MF DOOM, Rass Kass. Prince, George Clinton, Gil Scott, Last Poets…a lot.
I also would have to say that a lot of unknown MCs and Beatmakers influenced my style as well in Chicago. Kirk Crosby (Static), Illonde Kelly (Poppa Khan), Duro Wicks (Shame Love Tempo), and my older brother Charles Pugh, who was kind of introduced me to battle rap back in the day.
Who would you love to collaborate with?
Mass Appeal – the company.
I would LOVE to do a project with The Alchemist, Hit Boy, DJ Premier, Questlove, or Apollo Brown beat-wise. Lyric-wise…Locksmith, Rakim, Black Thought, or YOD. ALL of them top tier.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
I have a few. Getting signed in ’96. Doing The Long Shadow Mixtape for Director Frances Causey, and currently the love I am receiving for DEATH OF R AND B MIXTAPE 2. My DRAMAFICATION 2 album that I did with Kiza G Beats…was an emotionally healing experience after I lost my father to prostate cancer.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Never, ever stop evolving, researching, advancing, or reinventing yourself. Become what YOU are meant to be and go at it seriously. Go at it hungrily, but wisely. My grandma told nemaby times…’where there is a will, there is a way.’
That’s absolute facts.
Now onto your release, DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING. What inspired DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING?
On the first mixtape, DEATH OF R&B 1, I went back into a soul music mode where I wanted to take people into the world that I grew up in…Old Town Chicago. I grew up right down the street from Coolie High. In the new installment after many years of being afraid, I let loose my range.
I dropped concepts, styles, substance, views, that I have not shared…. Pictures no one else seems to want to look at or paint. It was inspired by my relationship with literacy and my healing relationship with my children who are both artists themselves.
What is the overall theme of DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING?
Change. Growth. Transparency. Innovation. Transformation. Acceptance. And a long with all that…don’t sleep on the power of older, wiser Hip Hop Artists to create viable, poignant, paradigm shifting music. Ageism in Hip Hop needs to die.
What was the creative process like when making DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING?
I wrote this one after collecting the tracks and being inspired by where they took me. I read a lot of books, watched a lot of movies about liberation, freedom, revolution, and innovation. I channeled the greats. I finally felt comfortable in my own brain. My children were a big part too. Hearing their concerns, watching them grow in this changing world.
How long did it take to complete DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING?
I recorded over a span of six months, on and off. Marinating, taking my time, but being deliberate and remaining passionate about it.
Is there a specific song on DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING that speaks to you the most? If so, what is it called, and what is it about?
I love them all this time. The joints that I rock the most though, are the ones my son SunAshay produced…’Creature Feature,’ ‘Forbidden Fruit,’ and ‘The Hive Cinema.’ They are all so vivid, colorful, and multi-laden.
I also enjoy ‘NAME GAME.’ I love all the stuff that I do with Rulerz Inc.
What message or messages do you hope fans take away from DEATH OF R&B MIXTAPE 2: CHANGELING and your music in general?
To keep listening. To go back and check out my entire catalog. And…that this work of art is groundbreaking, but it’s just the beginning and only a sliver of what me and my team are capable of. Also…let’s all make REAL music again. Real rap. Uncompromising.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Yes! Next up is DOVES AT NIGHT. I plan to release it this winter or fall. A project where I to tackle some very real issues going on in society, families, and institutions in a hopeful way that I hope incites discussion and promotes finding realistic solutions. It is an attempt to merge academia and street philosophy.
My next show is 11/7/25 in Tucson at The Brickbox Brewery.
Come on out.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Instagram: @wychhazle
Videos: tubespace.io/wychhazle1
Catalog: wychhazle.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/witchhazleMC
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/slangbanbangboogie
Stories And Essays:
Wattpad: @wychhazle1
https://www.wattpad.com/story/400901606-the-8-men
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
