“Respect for Botany” - an Interview with Mulozhi
Black Metal Trap Artist Behind the new album
“The Power Broker, Vol. 1”
September, 2020
Northern Skyblaze Zine
Mulozhi appeared unexpectedly from an island in Alaska with a shocking new form of music - “Black Metal Trap” - showcasing elements of “trap music” hip-hop, and black metal, yet somehow being neither. Macabre ambiance surrounds pounding bass and hi-hat drum machine spitting from deep in a dungeon, with vocals howling unintelligible poetry from Cthulian shadowlands. “The Power Broker, Vol. 1” - Mulozhi’s debut - is the stuff of instant legend, blasting 3-minute-or-less anthems containing profound meditations on individuality, screamed transcriptions of authentic 14th century demon-summoning rituals, symbolist botanical poetry, a tribute to Robert Moses, and uniquely Alaskan nihilism.
Mulozhi himself is no less of an enigma, standing well over six feet tall and wearing a psychedelic Huichol mask under a nordic-looking mountain climber’s hoody.
NSZ: What is Black Metal Trap, and why did you create it?
Mulozhi: I’ve been listening to black metal in depth and consistently since the 90s, and trap music nearly as long. Black Metal Trap is what I am calling this form of music, which uses elements of both styles - trap music bass, beats, and production combined with underground black metal-style vocals and ambience. There are other influences in there - psychedelic electronic/synth music, various darkwave and ambient influences. It is not a black metal version of trap music, or a trap music version of black metal.
NSZ: You’ve been involved in various black metal projects, right?
Mulozhi: Yes - Skaltros, Kuundlaan, Naukati (ambient), and Ataxeta are all one-man black metal projects of mine. Ataxeta perhaps has the most in common with Mulozhi - I began mixing black metal with dub influences techniques, and various asymmetric forms/theories of music to get into syncretic BM territory.
NSZ: Do you feel like BM and trap have much in common?
Mulozhi: Both have a nihilistic worldview focused on the individual’s struggle for self-determination and autonomy, although trap is far more capitalistic. Both genres lend themselves to one-man-band sorts of situations. Both involve elements of extremism, shock, the creation of unique personas. I am not trying to find commonalities, however - this is about synthesis into a new form of dark music.
NSZ: Where does the name Mulozhi come from?
Mulozhi: Mulozhi is a Kichokwe word for “witchcraft.” I lived in rural Zambia, near the Angolan border, and that was one of the languages I spoke.
NSZ: So you used to live in Africa, and now you live on an island in Alaska.
Mulozhi: Right. I’ve lived in Alaska for 12 years, at this point. It’s quite rural, but not too far from Seattle, and I have access to everything I need, plus incredible natural surroundings - some of the finest in the world. Wolves, killer whales, bears, wild food, hunting, fishing - all of that is here. Sasquatches.
NSZ: I’m trying to understand what to relate your music to. What are your favorite rappers and black metal artists?
Mulozhi: I can answer the question of what I enjoy, but Mulozhi is syncretic, and comes out unlike the various influences. Lord Infamous, Kool G. Rap, Mobb Deep, and Rick Ross have been ongoing favorites. Dark music with a strong narrative flow. As far as black metal goes, favorites are Transylvanian Hunger by Dark Throne, Nattesid by Taake, older Immortal and Emperor, Marduk, and Xasthur. Apart from those artists, Boards of Canada and Lycia have a big influence on how I think about and appreciate music. Also numerous African / African diaspora styles.
NSZ: Are you a satanist? What are your beliefs?
Mulozhi: Satanist - no. As far as beliefs, I believe that whatever people believe to be true should be respected as though true, as the actions they take and the resulting outcomes are the same as if it is true, even if it isn’t.
NSZ: You are wearing a mask (not a COVID-19 mask) and basically mountain climber clothes, from what I can tell. Explain your style.
Mulozhi: I am wearing a Huichol mask featuring psychedelic artwork displaying peyote buttons and the blue deer - the spiritual guide. Before you ask, I don’t do drugs because I need my brain cells - without them, I would be doomed to physical labor, at which I would be an utter failure. Huichol art provides very strong, distinctive alternate depictions of the complexities of the world, and its interrelationships. The clothes are practical, high-quality outerwear of the type typically found in Alaska.
You would never find me buying gold, diamonds, chains, Italian veblen good brands venerated by hip-hop culture - I’m going to show up in some good stuff, but it’s going to be stuff like unique masks by talented indigenous people, and upscale Alaskan outwear. I like clothes that I can move and exercise in, that are suitable for a range of weather. It’s kind like how in the 90s, people wore Carhartt jackets and Timberlands because they were a symbol of practicality - that ethos, in Alaska, with some deep masks.
NSZ: Who or what is The Power Broker? Volume 1 implies there will be a volume 2 - is that the plan?
Mulozhi: “The Power Broker” is Robert Caro’s biography of Robert Moses, the ultimate project “coordinator” and possibly the most powerful and socially influential individual outside of the Roman empire. It doesn’t get any more gangster, or satanic, than Robert Moses, in terms of amassing and asserting individualistic power, for better and for worse. I have always liked the term.
Robert Moses pointed out in his critique of the biography that a “power broker” doesn’t actually mean anything. What does it mean to be a “broker” of “power?” He thought it was nonsensical, and he has something of a point, and that just makes it all the better as a title, for me. Anticipating your next question, I will clarify that I am well aware that Robert Moses was a psychopathic racist, and am not making any sort of pro-Moses statement with the title.
As far as a follow-up, there will be more Mulozhi.
NSZ: Is there a political dynamic to your music? I note there is a song called “anarchodemon,” which suggests anarchy.
Mulozhi: Mulozhi doesn’t get into politics, other than the general sense of drama involved in the struggle of the individual within or against the context of their surroundings. The politics of self-determination. Generally, I’m a believer in individual freedom of choice in all things, in Crowleyian sense of “do what thou wilt,” as long as it doesn’t interfere or impose upon the life of others. I oppose anything that impairs individual freedom. I also believe everyone deserves a reasonable standard of human living, which can be improved on an ongoing basis. Maybe that sounds political in an era of increased selfishness and fascism, both things I detest.
NSZ: COVID-19 has changed our world, and has impacted music in numerous ways. How has COVID-19 impacted you as an artist?
Mulozhi: In a lot of ways, I was already socially isolated to begin with. I live on an island in Alaska, and wasn’t really hanging out with people a whole lot. There aren’t a lot of other black metal trap artists here, or even black metal artists. Or trap artists. I also have been making dark, aggressive music for years, well before the influence of COVID. Perhaps there are more people living in isolation now, who can connect with music made in that sort of context.
I have had notably more time recently to work on music and experiment, but that is not entirely due to COVID-19. For several months, I was working to become certified as an accountant, without having an accounting degree, which is a somewhat insane undertaking requiring huge amounts of time. To do that, I had to cut my sleep back to 4 hours per night for about 10 months, which also meant I had to get my diet very clean, and get plenty of exercise in. After passing the exams and getting certified as an accountant, there was a huge void in my schedule, which I have been backfilling with music.
NSZ: So you are saying that becoming an accountant has had a bigger impact on your approach to black metal trap music than COVID-19 lately?
Mulozhi: Essentially, yes.
NSZ: Any other thoughts on COVID?
Mulozhi: My consciousness of disease and its capabilities and possibilities has been acute from living in Africa. I have been a germaphobe for some time, so my concerns about disease seem vindicated by current events. The problems are very similar to things I saw in Africa - poor public health choices, lack of public health education, superstition, politics, nonsensical miracle cures, profiteering. Living on an island in Alaska is a nice way to minimize risks during times like this.
NSZ: Let’s get back to the Power Broker. With Skaltros and Kuundlaan, songs could easily be 10 minutes or longer. Skaltros had numerous double albums, and your project Naukati has albums lasting as long as 4 and 5 hours. All of the Mulozhi songs are around 3 minutes or less, and Powerbroker clocks in at around 30 mins. Why so comparatively short?
Mulozhi: Where the other projects you mention use time as a device to detach the listener from reality and take them beyond their conscious attention span, Mulozhi hits hard and fast, then switches it up to new ideas. You can always come back. With Skaltros or Kuundlaan, you are meant to always be following a trail forwards.
NSZ: Tell me about the meaning of the song Cossart Road. It seems to most resemble (somewhat) a conventional rap song.
Mulozhi: Cossart Road is near where I grew up. There is a house rumored to belong to a cult, where human and animal sacrifices have been made. The film “The Village” was filmed in the area, and at one point, the film set was mistaken for actual cult activity. The Johnson Gang also murdered and buried people along the road. There is definitely a heavily sinister atmosphere - the trees grow away from the cult house, and the area is full of high school and college kids trying to see the cultists, vandalizing stuff, sneaking around causing havoc, and even sacrificing or leaving behind body parts of actual animals. Every night - a parade of mischief. If you drive into the area, it is typical for some sort of security people in red pickups or black SUVs to chase you away. The song is about coming back to that area as an adult, buying a house, and basically starting my own cult and ruling the neighborhood - sort-of like my version of a rapper boasting about buying a mansion in a neighborhood that conveys a lot of prestige, or buying commercial real estate in a neighborhood where you grew up poor. It is also about lending legitimacy to a folk legend.
NSZ: Is your work meant to be funny? Is black metal trap meant to be funny? Or ironic?
Mulozhi: No - nothing is intended to cause you to laugh. I think the concepts fit together well. It’s been fitting together in my mind for years. I am 100% serious about this, and nothing is meant to be novelty, or ironic.
NSZ: What is the song “vermouth” about?
Mulozhi: There have been plenty of drinking/beverage songs - in the hip-hop genre, as well as in the viking drinking song genre, which is a precursor to black metal. While beer, various cognacs, etc. have been featured, I don’t think anyone has done a song specifically about vermouth. I think that’s because vermouth is poorly understood. I make my own, using various herbs and botanicals, and done right, it is extremely interesting with astonishing depth. I love botany, and the concept of the effects of natural plants upon human biology. Vermouth is a playground of synergistic botanical / human interaction, but is not something that is seriously considered by most people today. So, I figured for all of those reasons, it deserves its own black metal trap song.
NSZ: That explanation seems somewhat humorous. Is the song meant to be humorous in any way?
Mulozhi: No. If you made your own vermouth, as I do, you would not think that funny at all. Vermouth is respect for botany.
NSZ: Do you see Mulozhi playing live?
Mulozhi: No. I am not into live “rap shows” where it is someone jumping around and yelling over a backing track. In this case, there isn’t anything to “play” - it is all computer-based. Concerts - gatherings of people - are pretty much the opposite of the isolation that forms a big part of the context of this music.
NSZ: There have been a lot of alternative rappers within the last few years. Emo rap, mumble rap, and even people using elements of black and extreme metal. What is your take on that?
Mulozhi: As far as black metal’s role in that, I primarily see black metal being co-opted to create visual shock or excitement. Having black metal influence - of any type - is better than not having black metal influence, so I am not going to complain. It is disturbing to see the misogyny carry over from mainstream hip-hop to some of the emo, mumble, metal-influenced rap with roots in forms of music where that type of disrespect would not be permissible. I was around a lot of the mid/late 90s emotional hardcore, and that sort of disrespect never would have been tolerated, nor does it have a home within the metal scene.
I see Mulozhi having a unique niche due to the vocals being traditional black metal style, whereas the alternative rappers are more doing traditional/recognizable rapping, just over different types of samples, and/or wearing different clothes. I like a lot of that type of music, though - some of it is brilliant.
NSZ: To what extent is Mulozhi influenced by African spirituality?
Mulozhi: Speaking African languages daily in life and work rewired various parts of my brain / understanding to function differently, and I view time, space, narrative, and other key elements of human perception in a way different from most others in the US. I won’t comment on the spirituality / spiritual constructions here, except to say they have changed my view of the world. I am interested in how diverse cultures describe and construct reality and spirituality overall - I think it is very healthy to expand consciousness beyond self-awareness, and gain access to different concepts of time and space.
NSZ: How does Alaska impact your music?
Mulozhi: Because I live there, Alaska naturally finds its way into most things I write or do. But other places I have lived and worked do, as well. We’ve mentioned Zambia, but there is also Micronesia, and insular areas of the Pacific. I am a big fan of Chamorro cuisine and Pohnpeian myth.
NSZ: What is the intended effect of Mulozhi on the listener?
Mulozhi: I really don’t have the listener in mind, so I’ll leave their reactions to them. Mulozhi is fulfilling various creative needs for me personally. Although, I do think about how the bass sounds, including both inside and outside a vehicle, because I want to get that right.
NSZ: What is your goal for Mulozhi? What would be a success?
Mulozhi: I would love to see it blow up like Lil Peep or Tekashi - really go viral and perplex - but I don’t expect that whatsoever because people generally have trouble with music that doesn’t have distinctive, discernable vocals. Some people place enormous value in being able to connect to lyrics as they are sung. Or, being shocked by lyrical content. Mulozhi vocals sound more defaced, or like layers of obscured synth. They play a similar role, in fact. I’m not going to change that.
