When you think of hip-hop, you likely don’t think of any Pacific Northwest cities, let alone Tacoma, Washington. Regardless of the lack of national buzz around the hip-hop scene in the PNW, there’s an underground community with great depth that locals ride hard for. A prominent name in this scene is BARZ!, formerly known as Jay Barz. BARZ! is a Tacoma based rapper making waves in his hometown for his rowdy assertive sound and dope visuals.
The latest drop from the Tacoma rapper is a music video for his 2019 single, “Day Nones”. Word-packed bars with a strong message over a sneaky trap beat make up this high-energy track. BARZ! lets us know that the man behind the beat is a long time collaborator, Swift Holiday.
Watch the music video for “Day Nones” by BARZ!
“The lyrics were inspired by the people around me showing their true colors and the fact that many people in your life that you consider to be your friends aren’t really friends at all. The people that secretly find joy in your pain. I use my songs to detail the bad judge of character that I saw in others and hopefully they will help someone not make the same mistakes.”
BARZ! is never lacking quality music videos when it comes to his releases. The 3-minute video for “Day Nones” packs a strong punch between BARZ!’s aggressive delivery and the dark aesthetic. The video flashes between scenes of him rapping and slightly horror-core visuals, creating a trippy effect.
Stream “Day Nones”
BARZ!’s inspirations
BARZ! takes inspiration mostly from his own life experiences, stating, “Life is definitely my biggest influence. As for what artists inspire me, any artist/band that I hear with subject matter that speaks to me for that moment is an influence but on the same note, I also don’t really listen to much music anymore unless I’m creating it.”
And of course, he takes inspiration from his hometown of Tacoma. BARZ! told us, “I am grateful to have lived in Tacoma with a mixing pot of different cultures and that really helped me learn perspectives.”
“My sound is definitely like most Tacoma music; gritty with a chip on my shoulder, but in my opinion the best rap comes from those that have been slighted.”
What’s next for BARZ!
If you liked the video for “Day Nones” you’ll be excited to hear that the Tacoma rapper has a lot more videos planned, which are being directed by himself and his “right hand shooter,” Munson. Also, BARZ! let us know that he has an album coming out before the end of the year. He’s been working on it since January at Cold Clock Productions.
Connect
More Music Content
LEGENDARY PNW RAP GROUP BOOM BAP PROJECT RETURNS WITH DEION SANDERS
JANGO TALKS “MERCHANDISE” MUSIC VIDEO, WORKING WITH SAM LACHOW, AND BRIDGING GAP BETWEEN SPOKANE AND SEATTLE
FRENCHYOSO RETURNS WITH HEAVY BARS IN NEW SINGLE ‘2 DFRNT’
SPOKANE RAPPER ALL DAY TREY CHALLENGES HIP-HOP’S STATUS QUO
ALLEN DESHAE SHOWCASES HIS LYRICAL MASTERY ON VULNERABLE NEW PROJECT ‘STALEMATE’
10 CRAZY MOMENTS FROM ROLLING LOUD MIAMI 2021
