For BR33Z WORLD, music is not simply a way to describe what has happened in his life. It is a way of making sense of it, taking experiences that could have remained scars and turning them into stories, sound and purpose. That idea sits at the center of “Black Heart,” the first chapter of a planned three-album journey that moves through pain, survival and betrayal.
The title itself carries much more weight than simply suggesting emotional hardness. For BR33Z WORLD, “Black Heart” represents the darkest parts of his story, including pain, betrayal, relationships, loyalty and the experiences that can change the way a person sees other people and the world around them. But there is an important distinction in his interpretation. Having a “black heart” does not mean becoming incapable of feeling. In his words, sometimes it means you have felt too much and learned to protect yourself differently.
That perspective becomes even more powerful when placed against what he has survived. After being shot in the head and three times in the back, BR33Z WORLD had to relearn how to walk and talk. The experience changed his understanding of life, ambition and what matters. Rather than allowing the past to define him entirely, he chose to use the second chance he believes he was given as motivation to create. That philosophy is reflected in the idea of “Pain Into Purpose,” which runs through his approach to both music and his wider ambitions.
“Black Heart” is also deliberately bigger than a collection of songs about suffering. BR33Z WORLD refuses to limit himself to one emotional space. His music can explore street life, relationships, women, money, celebration, ambition and personal struggle because, as he explains, real life contains all of those things. The contrast is part of his identity rather than a contradiction.
The project also introduces a larger story. “Black Heart” is the first installment, followed by “Purple Heart” and “Kiss of Death.” Each title represents a different stage of the journey, from the scars of the past to survival and resilience, before moving into the subject of betrayal. Together, they form a narrative that BR33Z WORLD describes as a story of surviving, evolving and building something from everything he has experienced.
In this conversation, BR33Z WORLD opens up about the meaning behind “Black Heart,” surviving experiences that changed his life, the Bay Area influence on his sound, his cinematic approach to storytelling, the importance of visuals, and the larger vision behind a trilogy built around one central idea: turning scars into stories and pain into purpose.
Black Heart is deeply connected to survival, but after everything you have been through, what does the title “Black Heart” actually mean to you? Is it about becoming hardened by life, protecting yourself, or something deeper?
Black Heart represents the darkest part of my story. It’s about pain, betrayal, survival, relationships, loyalty and everything that can change the way you look at people and life. Going through certain things can harden you, but having a black heart doesn’t mean you don’t feel anything. Sometimes it means you’ve felt too much. You learn to protect yourself differently because of what you’ve experienced. That’s why Black Heart had to be the first album in the trilogy. Before people can understand where I’m going, they have to understand where the scars came from.
You survived being shot in the head and three times in the back, which is something that could have completely changed the direction of your life. When you look back at that period now, what do you think it taught you about yourself that you would not have learned any other way?
Those experiences taught me how strong I really am. I had to relearn how to walk and talk. When something like that happens, a lot of things you used to think were important become small. I learned that tomorrow isn’t promised and that if I was given another chance, I needed to do something with it. That’s where “Pain Into Purpose” comes from for me. I can’t change what happened, but I can decide what I turn it into. Every time I make music, build my brands or create something new, I’m doing something with the second chance I was given.
Rebuilding your life after something that serious must have affected the way you see ambition, loyalty, and relationships. How much of what happened to you shows up in the way you write and record today?
A lot of it shows up in my music, even when I’m not directly talking about being shot. It changed the way I look at loyalty, betrayal, relationships, money, ambition and the people around me. I’ve experienced different sides of life, so I don’t want my music to only show one side of me. Sometimes I’m talking about pain. Sometimes it’s women, the streets, relationships, partying, success or just enjoying life. It all comes from real experiences and different parts of who I am.
Black Heart is the first chapter of a three-album story, with Purple Heart and Kiss of Death coming next. When you planned those three titles, did you already know the story you wanted to tell, or did the bigger concept develop as the music started coming together?
The bigger meaning became clearer as I started putting everything together, but once I saw the full picture, I knew the order had to be Black Heart, Purple Heart and then Kiss of Death. Black Heart shows the pain and the scars. Purple Heart represents survival, resilience and respect earned through everything I’ve survived. In a real war, somebody can come home decorated with a Purple Heart. In the streets, you can survive your own kind of war and nobody gives you a medal. You just keep going. Kiss of Death takes the story into betrayal. The symbolism comes from Judas betraying Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and identifying him with a kiss. I’ve had my own Judas situations in life. So all three albums connect, but each one represents a different chapter.
Your music can move from very raw records dealing with survival and street life into melodic, high-energy records made for nightlife and movement. Do you see those as two different sides of BR33Z WORLD, or do you think they are both equally representative of who you are?
They’re both me. I don’t live in one emotion, so I don’t want to make one type of music. I can make something dark and personal like “Can’t Run,” and I can also make something with completely different energy like “Ballin’ in the Club.” That doesn’t make either one less authentic. Real life has pain, women, relationships, money, celebration, betrayal, confidence and ambition. I want somebody listening to my catalog to get all of those sides instead of being able to put BR33Z WORLD into one box.
Being born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland naturally gives your music a strong Bay Area identity. What parts of growing up there do you think listeners can hear in your music, even when you are not directly talking about California?
I say it like this: San Francisco born, Oakland raised, but Fillmore made me. The Bay Area is naturally going to be in my music because that’s where I come from. I grew up listening to artists like Mac Dre, The Jacka, Tupac and other Bay Area-influenced music, so that sound and culture were around me. But I never wanted to copy anybody. I took those influences along with my own experiences and developed my own sound. Even when I’m not saying “Bay Area” in a record, you can hear it in certain ways I talk, my attitude, the slang, the energy and the way I tell stories.
With cinematic storytelling being such an important part of Black Heart, when you start a song, are you usually telling something that actually happened to you, building a scene from your imagination, or finding a way to turn a real experience into something bigger?
A lot of it starts with something real something I experienced, saw, felt or went through but I’m still making music, so I’m going to turn that emotion into a complete story. I like records where you can close your eyes and actually see what I’m talking about. That’s why the cinematic side is important to me. I don’t just want somebody to hear a song; I want them to feel like they stepped inside the world of the record. Sometimes every detail isn’t meant to be taken literally, but the emotion behind it is real.
There is a lot of pain behind this project, but there is also ambition and resilience. Was there ever a point during the making of Black Heart when you had to step back because a song was bringing you too close to something you had already lived through?
There are definitely records that bring certain memories and emotions back, but for me the music is also a way of getting it out. I’ve already survived the hardest part, which was actually living through those situations. Making music about it gives me control over how I tell the story. Instead of letting those experiences only be something negative that happened to me, I can turn them into something creative and hopefully something somebody else can connect with. That’s another part of turning pain into purpose.
You are building a catalog while also putting a lot of thought into the visuals surrounding your music. How important is the visual side of BR33Z WORLD to telling the story, and do you see the videos and imagery becoming more connected as the three album series develops?
The visuals are extremely important because BR33Z WORLD is bigger to me than just putting songs online. I want people to recognize the world around the music the imagery, fashion, videos, colors and overall feeling. With Black Heart, I wanted darker, cinematic visuals that fit the music and what that chapter represents. As Purple Heart and Kiss of Death develop, I want the visuals to evolve with the story too. The goal is that eventually somebody can see an image or a certain style before they even see my name and know it belongs to BR33Z WORLD.
Black Heart is only the beginning of the story. When listeners eventually hear Purple Heart and Kiss of Death, what do you hope they understand about BR33Z WORLD that they might not fully understand after hearing the first chapter alone?
I want them to understand the whole journey. Black Heart shows where a lot of the pain and scars came from, but that isn’t the end of my story. Purple Heart is about what it means to survive those battles, keep moving and earn respect after everything that was supposed to stop you. Kiss of Death goes deeper into betrayal and what happens when loyalty gets broken by people close to you. By the time somebody hears all three, I want them to understand that BR33Z WORLD isn’t built around one song, one emotion or one moment. It’s a story about surviving, evolving and building something out of everything I’ve been through. I’m turning scars into stories and pain into purpose.
CONNECT
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | X | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK
