06 Jul Häzel: Perfecting The Craft

Wearing nothing more elaborate than an oversized plain white t-shirt, baggy denim jeans, baseball cap and thick dark stubble, Häzel looks nothing like what you’d expect from an ‘industry figure.’ Despite the viral success of his mixtape The Lost Tapes and his production credits on records by the likes of Drake, Onra and Slakah the Beatchild, the quiet natured 27-year-old French producer is firmly dedicated to one thing only- perfecting the craft of “beat-making.” Born in Brazil to a French mother and Brazilian father, Häzel has lived in France for over 10 years. Within that time he has built a name for himself on the both the Parisian and international Hip Hop scene, alongside his best friend and fellow beatsmith Onra. It was whilst working in Canada with Slakah the Beatchild that his music first came to the attention of the-then up and coming Toronto MC, Drake. Although neither musician knew it at the time, their collaboration on 2007’s Comeback Season mixtape was to become a turning point in both of their careers. Following their collaboration, the musicians’ lives could not have followed more separate paths. Whilst Drake exploded into mainstream consciousness in a journey that has been well documented by the blogosphere, Häzel resisted requests from music labels to take ownership of his career. He remained unsigned up until a few months ago, when he finally broke his unsigned run to team-up with his buddy Onra’s new imprint, Catblock Records. Today, Häzel takes time out of his schedule to grant Soul Culture a rare interview. Relaxing into the lounge chair of a quiet Parisian diner, he seems grateful for, if not yet entirely comfortable with, the rush of attention that his music has brought. However he soon eases into conversation when he speaks of his love of music.