Kurdish rapper Bina recently sat down with the team at Dozen Donuts to dive a little deeper into the mind of the young emcee. Bina recently released his latest song Heaven’s Freestyle which has garnered quite the attention and support from his fans online. We encourage our followers to take some time to check out Bina’s music and his interview with our team!
What drove you to this field?
BINA: “I could answer this question in many ways. But I think the most straightforward answer would be “self-expression”. I was a teenager with a lot of unexpressed emotions and ideas in my head, many of which were common feelings that we all go through as teenagers but some of them were emotions specific to my experience as a young kid from Kurdistan Iran who grew up moving between Japan, Australia and Iran. Writing and making music is what gave me the outlet I needed to express them, it was selftherapeutic. I fell in love”.
What is your creative process like?
BINA: “Depends on the project. If it’s a collaboration I try to talk with and understand the other artist(s) and understand wha they are looking for. If it’s my own song I usually start with picking the beat. I listen to hundreds of beats from different producers, start by humming and freestyling to them until I find a flow that I go “that’s it!” and then start writing lyrics to it. Sometimes I write the lyric first and then pick the right beat for it, those are generally the songs that are more lyrical and message-focused. Whatever the creative process for the song is, I try to put
myself in the listener’s shoes and always ask myself “is this enjoyable to listen to?” I hate rapping just for the sake of showing off that you can rap. A lot of Eminem-wannabe rappers do that and I hate it lol”.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
BINA: “Until 18, my dream was to become a professional football player, I had a contract with an amateur team and I was training hard. A knee injury stopped me in the end but I still play football with my friends occasionally. Currently I have been going to the gym to lift weights for a few years. I love it. Not only for improving my health and confidence, but because I can let out all the stress and frustrations in the gym. It’s my form of meditation. Other than that I really enjoy partying with my friends and meeting new people. Life is all about the people you meet and the moments you build with them, even when they are short-lived”.
What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?
BINA: “The ability to transfer a “feeling” to people. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing someone say they connected to your song or seeing someone sing along to it. I think that is the ultimate goal of an artist, to make you “feel” something”.
Describe your favorite and least favorite part about being a musician.
BINA: “My favorite part is the fact that I can speak my emotions in the form of music. A lot of people do not have a way to express themselves and end up relying on self-destructive behaviors to be able to deal with their pain. I think it’s a significant blessing to be able to express your feelings through music. There are lots of other things I love about being a musician but this is the biggest. My least favorite part is the marketing aspect. I hate it. I just wanna make the music I love and release it to the world. But nowadays you gotta be active on social media, promote your single, submit it to playlists,… I hope one day I have the resources to have other professional people take care of the marketing aspect for me so I can make art in peace”.
If not rap, what else would you be doing right now?
BINA: “On my way to become a diplomat or a political scientist to work for the benefit of Kurdish people and other marginalized people around the world. Or a pick-up artist lol, I like being able to help men and women overcome their issues and improve. I’m a big brother in my family and I have also had that kind of “big brother” role for multiple people in my life, and it feels very good to see your mentorship affected someone in a positive way”.
What would be your dream collaboration?
BINA: “Produced by Kanye, first verse is Kanye, second verse is Bina and Future is on the hook. I would write the hardest verse ever. Or I would like to rap on the outro track of a Frank Ocean album. That would be a dream come true.
Or a bar-heavy hard song with J.Cole himself. All of these people are my musical idols”.
What inspires you most?
BINA: “Two things. First is leaving a legacy and second is helping people. I like the idea of leaving your legacy in this world. That’s one of the reasons I love making music, it’s something that stays forever. Even if you never get famous, your grandchildren can always listen to your songs many years later and say “I can’t believe this is grandpa!” that thought has always excited me. And regarding the second part, I have always derived great satisfaction from being able to help someone without expecting something in return. I think that’s very crucial in feeling like your existence on this planet has meant something. Leaving the world in a slightly better condition than it would have been if you never existed. I think I will keep that in mind regardless of what profession I am in”.
