Rise & Grind: DijahSB On Kid Cudi's Co-Sign, Non-Binary Representation In Rap & More

Rise & Grind is a brand new editorial series, meant to introduce and dissect new, buzzing, or underground artists.

If DijahSB isn’t your favorite rapper, then they might be your favorite person on Twitter. The Toronto-based rapper’s quick-witted nature is evident in their bars and heated timeline exchanges with everyone from meme accounts to verified celebrities. However, their bold social media presence is what also earned a co-sign from Kid Cudi who approved a clip of Dijah’s freestyle on CBC pinned to the top of their timeline. "This is tasty (chefs kiss)," wrote Cudi at the time.

Following the release of Head Above The Waters, DijahSB is preparing to drop their second EP of the year in the coming weeks with a new single featuring Mick Jenkins dropping this week. 

We chopped it up with DijahSB recently about their latest project, vulnerability, and quitting their day job to work on music full-time.

Stay tuned for a new installment of Rise & Grind every Monday.

So, I grew up in the West End of Toronto. Toronto's a very multicultural place. But the West, and the neighborhood that I grew up in, had all sorts of different cultures. That's probably one of the most important things for me growing up, having so many different friends from different backgrounds. Learning to be tolerant of different cultures. Yeah, engaging with different cultures, as well. That was huge, and I never thought about how much of an impact that probably has on my point of view and the way that I view things in society and stuff like that. It's been quite a journey growing up in the West End of Toronto. But I enjoyed it, as a kid. I had good childhood there, as well.

It definitely helped me in terms of like, my musical palette, and definitely being able to tap into different genres. I have my friends introduce me to songs, or genres that I might not have explored if not for them being from a different background, right?

I’m a Scorpio. Honestly, the only stereotype I hear about Scorpios is that they're mischievous and that they are secretive. But I'm actually the opposite of that. I’m very open, and I don't keep things unless, like, it's something that I'm told that I can't say. Otherwise, I'm very talkative and open about things that I'm going through. Yeah, I don't I don't really fit the stereotype of the typical Scorpio. I feel like maybe if you went into my moon sign and my rising, that kind of explains me more. 

I’m gonna say Mick Jenkins, Jay Electronica, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and I’ll give the last one to Nas. Actually, I’ll take out Kid Cudi because he’s more of an all-around artist. When it comes to n***as who really -- okay, I’ll put in Lupe Fiasco. 

With those people -- with the exception of maybe Lupe because he can be kind of, like, iffy about it -- they just understand the concept of what a good hip-hop song should sound like. And I feel like that’s a gift. I feel like a lot of people just make music and they just want to rap but there’s a difference between just wanting to rap and being able to make a good hip-hop song. Like, a good rap song. And the people that I mentioned, I feel like they’re the best at doing that. It’s not even just about picking beats, it’s about the content, as well. And, being able to like to lean on both of them. Like, a lot of artists either lean on the beat being nice or they lean on their lyrics being nice. When you have the balance of both, you understand completely how to create, not just only a rap record, but a song. When you perfect that, it’s easier to go across genres and it’s easier to get people to be a fan of you because -- once you can make a good song that can resonate with people and you continue doing that -- your motivation and your passion is coming from being able to make a good record and it’s just organic and natural. That’s what a lot of hip-hop fans gravitate to the most. That’s why these people I mention have or are gonna have, long and fruitful careers because that kind of energy will never burn out. You know, I mean, like a lot of artists, they go big, but then they'll burn out because they don't really have that passion or that energy that continues on and doesn't kind of go away. So those artists that I mentioned embody that the most and that's what I tried to embody as well. 

My biggest accomplishment so far has been quitting my part-time job at Apple and doing music full-time, taking that leap. It was also something that I really fantasized about every day whenever I would go to work any job. I never really worked any job other than a retail job that was in some sort of electronic field. So, the last job that I said that I was gonna have in that shit was Apple. I said, it's either like, I start doing a regular nine to five, or this music stuff works. And I made the music stuff work, and I quit.

At first, I was terrified, because it's like, ‘what if this doesn't work, and I have to go back?’ But it's been working and continue to make it work for myself. But it's definitely one of my biggest accomplishments. I feel like it for any artists that starting or that's local, I feel like that's an accomplishment that everybody wants to kind of reach. To be able to be doing music and have it pay your bills and stuff like that. So, I prayed for that and tried to manifest that in every way that I could and it finally happened. And I was able to move out of my own space.

My weirdest studio habit is -- I don't know if this is weird, but like, I'll only go to a studio if I know for sure that I'm about to record like, an entire album or an entire EP, in like one session. In like a few hours. And a lot of people use their studio time to just go there and sit and be able to write and come up with shit on the spot. And I could do that as well but it's just like I have the habit of creating everything that I need, and then going to the studio because I haven't been able to afford studio time a lot of the time. I couldn't afford to kind of just sit around and be in the studio and pay for that time. So, it's a habit of mine to just go there and knock out a bunch of fucking records and then see what they do from there. But I don't think that's a weird thing. 

Three things that I always bring to the studio is --  bro, I'm so like, low maintenance. It's so funny. Like, I will just show up. I don't need anything. I just probably have some water and that's it. I think when I get more into doing things like sessions, like 12-hour sessions and shit like that, I'll find a ritual. But as for normally like right now I don't I just show up, bottle of water, and I’m ready to go. 

So, "Head Above The Waters." It's a saying that I hear a lot in the music that I listen to. There’s a Mick Jenkins song that references it and there’s a Kid Cudi song that references it. And there’s a Jay Electronica song that references it. And it's just about like, being able to overcome what seems like troubling waters by keeping your head above it. All the bullshit that's going been going on, especially related to COVID and the lockdowns. Just powering through that when it feels like the waves are crashing, and you're feeling like you’re about to sucked in. You can't look back, and you can't swim towards anywhere, nowhere it looks safe, and your only option is to use as much energy and hopefulness as you can to keep your head above it all. So, that was the concept. 

Truly, I love those types of sayings and those kinds of encouraging messages. It was interesting to turn it into an entire album and I like doing that with like concepts and stuff, just having something to reference and to go back to, for the songs that I was writing for it. It was really fun. And I feel like it's the best way to kind of create an album, have a theme, and make it feel kind of like you're watching a movie from front to back. Just having that kind of cohesiveness just makes it feel more like an album than just like a bunch of songs put together. So, that was my aim for that. The main focus was just trying to encourage people to keep going. And even though things may seem damp, and as if everything's kind of trying to wash you away, or you're not the best swimmer but this water here is like trying to fuck up everything that's going on in your life. It’s being able to, again, keep your head above it and not drown is probably the most respectful thing you could do for yourself. So yeah, that's basically what that was all about. 

The first time I ever was in a studio was to record an album that I had. I was like 16 and 17 that I wrote with my friend, he's a producer. And that was the first time I was ever in a studio. I don't remember the first bars I wrote. But it was definitely to some Nas instrumental or some sort of East Coast rapper instrumental, because that's how I kind of started making music.  Putting that shit on YouTube and stuff until I was gifted with my own kind of beats to craft my own sound. But yeah, I don’t have any reference bars at all. 

Oh, yeah, my first show was at a lounge. It was called Lambadina Lounge. And I threw it myself, actually. And I put a bunch of other local rappers from my high school on to it, too. And it's funny because, on Facebook, I get those notifications of memories and shit. That always pops up and I'm just like, holy shit, like, like 10-11 years ago and look how far I've came. But yeah, that was my first show. 

It was mostly like my friends and shit. So you know, they're gonna hype me up. It wasn't anything that like it was like where random locals or fans of my music are coming to it's just like my homies. And yeah, they fucked with it. They have no choice though.

What I'm clocked out, it’s because I'm sleeping. I’m obsessed with "Bob’s Burgers." I watch it every night before I go to sleep. I'll finish it and start it all over again. Like, it's nuts that I can't stop. And I've watched it like, I'm telling you 100 times because I fall asleep every night. It's just become routine for me and my favorite thing to do and watch.

I have an EP coming out in early September. So it's gonna be fun to roll out.

You are very open about your mental health in your music including on Head Above The Waters. Can you speak to me about how advocating for mental health awareness in your life and on social media influences your music and vice versa? 

I feel like I'm a representative of mental health. I don't want to say advocate because that puts a lot of pressure. And when I fuck up or when I make a human mistake, people like to throw that in your face. Oh, how are you a mental health advocate and you're doing this? I like to just say that I'm very vulnerable and open about what I go through because I understand that a lot of people go through the same thing and they don't have the capacity or the platform that I do to be able to talk about it. 

That feeling and sense of community have saved not only other people but also myself. So I understand the importance of being vocal about the things that I go through. Not only like the trials and tribulations, but also the solutions that I found. There's no one way to kind of solve this shit or to kind of learn to live with this shit. It’s a few things that you got to kind of embody and figure out before it becomes stable and you're able to live a healthy life.

Anything I can do to kind of help somebody the way that others have helped me, or the artists have helped me, then I'm 100% going to do that. Just because I want to be the reason why people believe in good people, or good artists. There's enough bullshit in the world. Like, I feel like I don't want to be one of those fake positive motherfuckers -- ‘cause I'm not. But at my core, that's the main reason why I was even brought here on earth. And what's gonna make me the most fulfilled is just see people engage with my music, with my art, with my brand, and be able to have a sense of community and have a sense of feeling that they're not alone in what they're going through. 

You’re bringing non-binary representation to the rap game when there’s very little of that, to begin with. Even though you want to humanize yourself as an artist, there are a lot of people who are inspired by you and look up to you. How do you feel about bringing that representation to the game and opening doors for others?

Honestly, as I said, it’s fulfilling. I can't believe so many people are a part of this community and where is that representation in hip hop and rap? If I can be that first, or -- I'm sure I'm not the first but like, even the most popular, that would be probably one of the coolest things to ever happen in my life. I definitely go hard for the non-binary community and I hope that I can make us proud and give us the right representation.

We gotta talk about the Kid Cudi co-sign. Tell me about getting Cudi’s stamp of approval and have there been any talks of a collab yet?

Basically, Cudi was saying that he wants to sign a rapper and I tweeted him and I think my verification had a lot to do with it. But, he saw my tweet. And then, at the time, I had a freestyle that I did on CBC pinned to my account, so I guess he saw that and he listened to it. And he liked it. He quote tweeted me saying that it was dope.

That kind of cosign just kind of like solidified a lot for me. And he just such a sweet, sweet human to put somebody that he has no idea about -- like to give me that platform of his was just, like so sweet, so nice of him. Yeah, that's basically how that went. 

https://twitter.com/_/status/1349209758671269891

But yeah, no collabs yet. I'll have to meet them one day and we'll go from there.

“Tasty Raps” Vol. 1 is on the way. Obviously, it’s a nod to Cudi’s co-sign. How does this project compare to your last?

It's a lot lighter than Head Above The Waters. I just wanted to kind of show my ass and have fun on this one. It’ll reveal a side of me where it's just like, I could kind of rap over anything. My main goal was to just show that I have bars on this one, too. That's why I called it Tasty Raps.  Just because of the Kid Cudi thing and I just want people to feel as if my music is delectable, easily digestible. Yeah, you're just gonna hear me try a few things over some of my favorite production.