Mayzin is a triple threat when it comes to his craft!
The rapper, singer, producer and engineer from Oakland has made a name for himself with his melodies and catchy hooks, combined with potent production and introspective lyricism about love, loss and life.
Mayzin recently dropped his latest project, an EP called Things Left Unsaid, which takes listeners on a journey through the ups and downs of an intense love affair.
Two years ago, Mayzin signed with Golden State Entertainment, becoming the first musician to ever sign a recording contract with a sports team, and dropped “Season” featuring Symba, which became the anthem for the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors.
We caught up with Mayzin to hear all about his musical journey, his new EP, Things Left Unsaid and much more. Check out the interview below and be sure to follow her to stay up-to-date on all of her future releases.
You can connect with Mayzin by giving him a follow on Instagram at @OfficialMayzin.
Home Grown Radio: Let’s talk about the introduction of music for you. If you can think back have the earliest memory of music for you. What was it?
MAYZIN: “The earliest memory there at least number memory I have is probably I don’t have to look up the date. But the first CD my dad ever bought me was Cisco. My dad, my mom just introduced me to music and my mom was pissed at my dad that he bought me that CD. But that definitely gave me my Introduction to Music, just having a foundation of family who listened to a lot of music, and I just found a love for it.”
Home Grown Radio: What was that initial thought or musical inspirations that spark that initial thought of wanting to become a musician?
MAYZIN: “I was always playing sports, and I didn’t really have any other outlet, you know, to actually like, speak my mind and, and express myself in a different way. I think I just woke up one day, and I was just like, I can’t be that hard. Let me just try, you know, and then I and then I just kind of ended up loving it and just stuck with it. I was horrible at first as everyone is. But you know, I stuck with it over the years. And now I’m kind of seeing the fruits of my labor.”
Home Grown Radio: Now you’re from Oakland. How was being from Oakland inspired you one as a persona and two, as an artist?
MAYZIN: “It’s inspired me in lots of ways, you know, just just the culture of the Bay Area in general. The culture of the Bay Area, and the music that has come out over the past years. Since I was born in the past 29 years, you know, has shifted music in the craziest way. I don’t think anywhere else besides maybe New York and L.A. have as big as big of an impact in the past 30 years that the Bay Area has. It’s definitely shaped me through the experiences. It’s definitely shaped me through the culture and the music.”
Home Grown Radio: Overall, you you mentioned being really engraved into what the Bay Area is what it has to offer for you as an artist, but who are some of those staples from the West Coast or just from Bay Area that have really pushed your career or allowed you to dream even more?
MAYZIN: “Definitely E-40 and Too Short. Those are the guys that really pushed the limit. I want to say, a huge shout out to these two, but The HBK Gang, I feel like they’re so overlooked in the process of where we’ve come in the 2010s. They really did spark the whole movement as well right after the hyphy movement.”
Home Grown Radio: When you got signed to Golden State Entertainment, the Golden State Warriors record label, you became the first musician to sign a recording contract with a sports team. Till this day, how crazy was that and what was going through your mind?
MAYZIN: “It was super crazy. You know, I always grew up watching the words, I’ve always been a Warriors fan. It was always Warriors and Kobe [Bryant]. That was it. That’s all I cared about. And Allen Iverson. So you know, for me, it was it was crazy. It was super surreal. I always thought I’ll be playing for the team. So to be able to do it off of my secondary passion is a dream come true.” I would say I was nervous, a little bit of scared, but also excitement. I remember the first time when I walked up to the Chase Center, right after we did the deal, we’re gonna shoot my video for a song called “Angels.” I walk up to the stadium, I’m looking down at my phone and my brother tapped me. He’s like, bro, look, and it’s me on the jumbo screen. There’s nothing that can replace that feeling of excitement. I can’t believe we got here.”
Home Grown Radio: You just dropped this project called things left unsaid. What can you tell us about it?
MAYZIN: “I worked on this EP for a long time. It’s a collection of songs that I’ve been working on for like the past two years. I think one of the songs is as old as three years. It was definitely a long and challenging process. I’d never done a love themed project. So for me, it was just like, it was a it was an amazing process. Honestly, this is the first time that I got to mix and master all of my own songs for a project, which was really cool. I got some of like, the best artists in the Bay Area on it. Rexx Life Raj, Tyler Lauren and I got Tyler Lauren from Las Vegas. It was it was like nothing I’ve ever done before. Because I’ve always been so used to doing everything on my own, not really reaching out for features. But I’ve been breaking out of that mode. To be able to do it, it was really special to link up with other artists and especially to get Raj like, I’m a huge fan.”
Home Grown Radio: You just mentioned how there was a couple of firsts with this EP. What did you learn about yourself with this new EP?
MAYZIN: “It’s gonna sound cocky, but it’s not. I learned that I can do anything. I learned that I don’t need to be so in my head about everything. You know, I produced two of the songs on there. I mixed and mastered the whole thing. Like, I really sat down with myself when it dropped and I was like, ‘you can really, you did this, you can really do anything! The next project is gonna be even better, you know?’ And, yeah, I think that’s kind of just what I realized that when you do something that you’re really proud of, it’s amazing when other people start to notice it, you know? I’ve had people message me like, ‘oh, man, this song really got me through a tough time’ or ‘stuff like that just like it really it really makes the process even better. It makes it even more fun, you know, to see the fruits of your labor, reach other people and make them inspired to get through whatever they’re going through.”
Home Grown Radio: With this EP, it’s centered around, like vulnerable love songs, write the ups and downs of a relationship. But why did you name it name, Things Left Unsaid?
MAYZIN: “I named the Things Left Unsaid, because I just felt like, every song was intended to be more so like a conversation. It starts with “Hot Coffee” and getting all the way down to “Whatever She Wants.” And I just feel like each each record within the six are just songs that encapsulate what I want to say or what some of the songs are about not being in a good place in relationship. And those are the things that I would like to have said.”
Home Grown Radio: With this EP or just overall with your music, at the end of the day, what do you want fans to take away from it?
MAYZIN: “I want them to know about my versatility, but I also want them to know that with so many mediocre, and this is not a diss anybody, but this is just how I feel… That with so many mediocre artists out there people that claim that they’re doing it, but they’re not really doing it. I just want everyone to just see how dope not only I am, but all of the people that support me and help me do all these really inspirational things because I don’t do it alone. I have a lot of help from people like there’s so many talented artists out there. And that’s really what I want the focus to be. I don’t it’s not really about me, it’s kind of more so about the state of music.”
Home Grown Radio: You mentioned the state of music right now. And the conversation about A1 in hip-hop and music overall has been the talk. What are your thoughts on AI and artists using it?
MAYZIN: “Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever use personally for me. But in AI’s defense, and I’m not sure how much I can actually talk about this, but I’ll say it as best as I can. I write for a lot of artists. I have some connections that reached out to me like, ‘hey, so and so is working on an album, can you send in some records?’ So I will say that in the past? Well, not really that long ago, in the past, like, three to six months. I was using AI to change my voice into these other people’s voices, to make it more appealing for whoever’s going to listen to it like. Do I think that AI is useful in that form, yes. Do I think it’s useful in writing lyrics and taking away the creative process? Hell no! I think it could be very damaging to hip-hop, and just music in general in the world. 100% So yeah, I support AI in certain ways. But a large scale now, no, it’s not sustainable.”
Home Grown Radio: Last but not least, we are Home Grown. Home Grown, takes pride in representing from the ground up, whether it is an upcoming artist to an artist that’s already in the mainstream. For you, what does Home Grown mean?
MAYZIN: “Home Grown means not only just where you’re from, but also supporting the people that supported you when you had nothing. And supporting the city that supported you when you had nothing. Growing up, I grew up in Oakland, but I also grew up in San Diego. And it would be a shame for me not to mention that as well. Because I’m Home Grown, and both in my opinion. Giving back to your community, giving back to the people that care to see you succeed. I think that’s what being Home Grown.”