Brent Faiyaz photographed by Austin Hargrave on April 11, 2024 in Los Angeles. Styling by Emily Cavari. Set Design by Calder Greenwood. Manicure by Temeka Jackson at A-Frame Agency. Givenchy shirt, jacket, pants and shoes.
“A lot of it was timing,” the soft-spoken Faiyaz reflects today over his lunch of Mongolian lamb at a tony Beverly Hills restaurant. “I was fortunate enough to be in a space where I had the mainstream hit record with ‘Crew,’ and then I also had the underground sh-t. So I was able to tackle the super music heads and the mainstream audience all at one time. By the timeOf course, for him to take advantage of such perfect timing, he had to put in the work first.
“Oh, man, it was the worst,” Faiyaz recalls with a laugh. “I was so focused on creativity that my ideas were outrageous. For me, a budget limited my creativity; it was like, ‘Pop the balloon.’ ” Because of that edge, especially in its lyrics, some listeners have labeled his music “toxic,” pointing to songs like “F*ck the World” and “WY@” from. But Faiyaz says he’s simply drawing on real life, whether his own experiences, those of friends or just “keeping my ear to the street and checking the temperature.”