For senior Shad Albarazanji, rapping is more than just a hobby.
Albarazanji, or Bazanji as his fans know him, juggles both the demands of his biology major and the challenges of being a self-promoting artist. His days are filled with science; his nights and weekends, music.
With any spare time, Albarazanji records new songs or sets up gigs. His meticulous attention to detail transfers effortlessly from his lab work to his music. He approaches his art and his coursework with equal intensity. And in both realms, his hopes are high.
For as long as he can remember, Albarazanji has wanted to be a dentist, and that goal drives his academic success. His interest in hip-hop music, though more recent than his dentistry dreams, is no less passionate. Albarazanji's career began when he was a first-year at UNC.
Since then, he has invested his time, energy and all his profits into becoming the best artist he can be.
“If I’m not making music, I’m finding a way to improve my own music,” Albarazanji said.
To keep his costs low, Albarazanji manages every aspect of his music, from production to promotion to designing his own album cover. Over the past few years, Albarazanji has grown from a dorm-room project to a rapper with growing recognition. He has had the opportunity to perform in a Brooklyn gig as well as with well-known artists such as Shwayze.
Albarazanji said listening to the music he produced in the beginning is a bit like looking at an old photo — cringe-worthy at times, but an encouraging reminder of progress nonetheless.
When he started, Albarazanji found himself echoing the messages of other rappers. In his songs, Albarazanji, like many other rappers, explored what he would do if he were rich.
