Rising artist Malik Moses is a name to become familiar with as he’s bringing out Soul and R&B mixed with a touch of Hip-hop to his music. We get a taste of his new sound in his latest EP, Show Me Something, but it’s just the beginning for him. Home Grown Radio was able to catch up with the up-and-coming artist to talk about developing as an artist, his creative process for his first project, signing with NoName Recordings and much more.
Coming out of Baltimore, Malik Moses has been working on his craft and creating relatable music for fans. Some of his inspirations that helped spark his interest in his sound have been artists like Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, Andre 3000 and Frank Ocean, which he found himself sounding like at the beginning of his career. Now, the “Show Me Something” artist adds a personal spice to his music to master his special sound.
“[I found my sound] Really just by making stuff and making stuff…,” he said. “You start to find your own voice and you start to find the things that speak to you most. And then keep leaning into it, and that’s kind of how I got to where I am.”
Although Malik Moses found his voice and inspiration from his generation of rappers or R&B singers, he also grew fond of melodies from past generations like Soul-singer and songwriter Kem, which his father put him on and showcases in his EP.
The talented artist recently dropped his first EP titled Show Me Something New in February under NoName Recordings, also known as Derek Ali or MixedByAli’s record label. MixedByAli’s has produced music for artists like Kendrick Lamar, the Late Nipsey Hussle, the TDE Crew and many more. Not only is this the rising singer’s first EP under a record label, but it’s also NoName Recordings’ first project to drop, as a label, with their first signee, Malik Moses.
What started as a competition on Twitch of submitting his songs like “Marvin,” to MixedByAli turned into the humble artist being recognized and landing a deal. It didn’t come easy, as he lost each round by a tad but won the final week. The Baltimore artist then flew to Los Angeles to record, where his career took off from there.
“I try not to make it a secret Kendrick’s my favorite artist ever, so working with someone who helped him cultivate that sound and that style, who he was working super closely with, is fucking crazy,” he laughed. “Not only working with him, but having the trust and the faith to make me the first signee and to put that foot forward first — it’s a big deal for me.”
Now, the soul artist is making music that he enjoys based on life experiences and relationships. His EP, Show Me Something New, was developed around the idea that he wanted to focus on taking care of himself and establishing personal growth, which is also where the title stems from. The NoName Recordings artist shared how he went through an interesting breakup and found himself expressing it in his music with songs like, “You Or The Side,” where he decided to create the EP centered around being a better person.
“I had a long relationship. It was like five or six years. I thought I was a decent boyfriend…” he said. “And then it ended, and she was just kind of like, ‘You suck,'” he laughed. “And it was just like all these things that I never really thought about myself … and it kind of spark the idea like, ‘Maybe I should do a project loosely based around trying to be a better person.”
The EP holds two solid features from producer and musician Terrace Martin and Dreamville’s Bas on the 7-track project. With the help of Ali’s introduction of the artists, they were able to get into the studio to master the two tracks we know as, “Show Me Something” and “You Or The Side.”
For some artists, collaborations are just considered business, but these collaborations that he spoke about, seemed as if they were special moments and memories to look back on. Malik shared that he met Bas, who was extremely nice and invited Malik Moses back to his house to record his verse for “Show Me Something,” where Bas also treated Malik to tacos. He then expressed that Terrace Martin was more of a full-circle moment when they worked together in the studio because he used to listen to his produced work with Kendrick growing up.
“Just watching somebody [Terrace Martin] that I’ve been a fan of for a very long time, like I have vivid memories of being on the bus going to school, listening to Kendrick say, ‘Fuck him up, Terrace,’” he said. “That was crazy to watch him play [the saxophone] on that [song].”
With all the self-reflecting and feel-good tracks, the NoName Recordings artist wants fans to grasp their own connection or message when listening to the Show Me Something New EP. Although he has his personal messages and what each track means to him, he encourages his listeners to be open to their own takeaways.
Even though Malik’s EP just dropped in February, he’s ready for the rollout of his next project. Fans can expect to hear more rapping and a darker version of his music on the unreleased project. Malik Moses is not stopping anytime soon, as the young artist is aiming high with his career goals of acting, working in film and becoming well-respected in the music scene. He’s definitely one to be on the lookout for.