Arhinslim

Arhinslim - Superfly II

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Hey Arhin it's been a almost a year since we interviewed on Nefarious Supply and since that time it has seemed like you have grown as an artist, as well as a business man. So just update us on what has been going on with you since we last spoke.

In the last year, since I was last interviewed I would say that I have been focussing more on the visual aspect of my artistry, I have been doing more in terms of my business such as working more on the clothing in an effort to try and grow and learn more about the industry. I’ve also perfecting my engineering skills with my sound whilst working on Superfly 2 as i want to get better each project. I have also been developing a website to showcase everything that I drop including Wolfred clothing and my new music videos, songs, and albums. So I have created a two in one website that showcases all of my works where every person that’s interested in Arhinslim and or wolfred will be able to find it one place

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What 5 albums and artist have you had in your daily rotation and as of right now what song is your favorite?

Five albums that I’ve had in heavy rotation as of late are
1 friend or foux by Lancey Foux
2 Clairvoyance by Thouxanbanfauni
3 8 by UnoTheActivist
4 Back from Hell by Drippinsopretty
5. Almost there by LUCKI
I’ve also been listening to SUPERFLY 2 alot also

A couple artists that I’ve also had in heavy rotation are Cochise, Duvy from Toronto and Revo from Toronto also. I feel like each of these artist’s sounds are very new fresh and fun to listen to.

My favourite song right now would have to be More Than Ever by Lucki. The beat on that song is like magic, I love driving to it daytime or night time. But especially in the night time because it feels like the lights of the highway and the city match the vibe of the beat. How relaxed he is on the song is perfect, nothing is forced, everything just flows and that’s the way Music should be in my opinion. I’ve had this song on repeat for almost over a year and I still play it till this day on repeat.

2020 has been pretty mucha a wild time for everyone with lock downs and such but it seems as though you're not letting that derail you. You've continued your work ethic by dropping your newest project Super Fly 2. tell us about this project and what inspired it?

Yes 2020 hasn’t been the best year for things that I would’ve planned to do in 2019. However life doesn’t stop, you have to keep pushing through it regardless of the situation and I feel as if that now is the perfect time to take advantage of the time that I have right now to push my career further. Superfly two is an extension of the first Superfly and the things that inspire Superfly are my everyday life at this current moment and the lifestyle that i am living currently. This project showcases two sides and the first side is more of a light hearted side, the second side is more of a dark side which showcases the current situation of the pandemic and the lockdowns of everyone feeling kind of down this year.

Regardless of the sad tone of the second part there is still a vibe to it with the listener being able to groove to the music and dance to it. This is my signature sound and I always carry this type of feeling throughout any of my projects, albums or songs of mine regardless of the mood, happy or sad. I began recording Superfly two right after I finished the drop of Superfly 1, and I decided to record each track one at a time at its own pace because I wanted to focus on the quality of each song on its own whereas on Superfly 1, I recorded most of the songs in a certain period of time for example like in one month or two months.
Superfly two was more gathering the songs on the way whereas the first Superfly was a planned project were all of the beats were set from the beginning and of the tracks were planned from the beginning.

On this project you've featured Sxvji, Big Lou, Aychce, Srry, Trnsit, Nate Annor, and Ythesoull. How did you pair up with these artists and get them as features on the project?

For Superfly two, I credited all the producers that I had been in contact with over the duration of the making of the tape as features. So majority of them are not actually features with an exception of HC on the song ain’t alright. It’s a trend that I want to start for myself to highlight the producers that I’m working with. Majority of the producers I met through the Internet after first Superfly project and other producers I’ve known in my hometown Brampton Ontario like Nate Annor and TRNSIT. Other producers like sxvij I’ve met through your platform Nefarious Supply off of a repost you posted to your story. And my feature with HC is an expected occurrence on any Arhinslim tape as I work close with him. We will also be working together in the very near future.

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In addition to the features you have on the project who helped you on the production end and most of all who mixed and mastered the album?

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For the production, I work with various producers like big Lou, Nate Annor, TRNSIT, Ythesoull, Srry and I also produced four tracks on the album. The tracks I produced where all the way, go, let you down (me), and mama took my 40oz with Nate Annor as the co producer. As far as mixing and mastering goes, I do all that work for myself. I’ve been mixing and mastering my own work since 2017 I believe. It’s been a long process to get the right sound however I feel like I’m the closest to perfect thing that sound at this moment and I’m really happy at the job I did for Superfly two.

So going along with Super Fly 2 you've also been growing your clothing line Wildfred. Tell us more about the brand as well as the new collection.

For my brand Wilfred I started it in 2018 after my tape boy meets world, and it was just a test run brand to see how well it could do and I believe that it lasted the test of time for the two years that it was private. Now I’ve developed it more into a bigger brand and my goal is to make it as big as possible along side the music. and that’s why I made my website a two in one website where you could find both the clothing and the music all in one space because I create everything. In terms of the new collection, I focussed on new designs from what I’ve had in the past and I want to diversify the products to be more of a unisex appeal to suit both female and male counterparts.

Being both an artist as well as the owner of a clothing line how do you balance your time, as well as continue to stay creative?

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Being an artist and an owner of a brand is pretty hard. I don’t have too much time to do other things because everything is just learning about both fields like how I can grow each, and what the next move is 24/7. I’m also constantly learning about new marketing strategies I could use for both Music and Clothing, however one strategy may not apply to both music and clothing because the two are marketed differently. As well as staying creative I am able to do so by just going out and running my every day errands for my brand and just imagining things while I hear music. For an example when I know that I like a beat I’ll play it over and over and over again while I am out in a different part of town and I would imagine how I would approach this song and what I would write about. My creativity process is more visual driven than it is sitting down and thinking.

From last year to now what are some things you have learned as an underground artist, and for new artists looking to make a start what is advice you would give them.

From last year to now, some things that I’ve learned as a underground artist are to make a lot of videos for your songs because videos are the visuals that connect fans to the Artists. without the video it’s hard for fans to put the face on the artist. Videos are also very important because it’s a chance for the artist to flesh out the visual concept of what the artist was thinking while making the song. For any new artist making a start I would suggest that they start by making videos on YouTube and promoting the videos on YouTube and build a fan base before focussing on Only the DSPs like Spotify, Apple Music and others. I say this because every artist that I’ve seen and that I have been attracted to I’ve seen on YouTube first.

2020 is coming to an end so in addition to the goals you have already accomplished what are somethings you are looking to get done before 2021.

My biggest goal that I want to accomplish before the end of the year is to start the Roll out of my videos for Superfly two. I already have one video out which is “all the way” and I wish to get the rest of them out consistently over the span of the next year.

Who should we interview next on Nefarious Supply?

The next people that I believe Nefarious Supply should interview are Mxrvin.fg an artist from Toronto and modern dystopia a clothing brand from Toronto also. I’ve worked closely with both of these people and can guarantee that there’s something special in both of these parties.

Any last words

Thank you to the good people at Nefarious Supply for this interview it’s always a pleasure talking to you guys and thank you for putting on for underground artist like myself. Peace and love. thank you!


Big shout out and thank you to Arhinslim for interviewing with Nefarious Supply, be sure to check out the rising artists newest project “Super Fly 2” available on all streaming platforms now, and while you listening be sure to follow him on SoundCloud, Instagram, and Twitter.

If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, and Twitter. We also just dropped out newest line of merch NSW Season 2 which is avaluble here! Use discoue code NEFARIOUSSUPPLY2 to get freeshipping on your first order!

"Self-Isolating? Here." - Top Underground Tracks of the Month

So, Coronavirus huh?

It’s a deadly beast and those of us who’re inside keeping out of it’s reach of you and your loved ones, we at Nefarious Supply applaud you. Our reward? The hottest new underground tracks to look out for this month!

Whether it’s seizing the day, showing love as creatively as you can, dealing with dark thoughts, spending every day of the week with someone you cherish, spitting bars with your friends, or getting away and doing you for the weekend, whatever your quarantine days have been looking like, Nefarious Supply is here for you every step of the way.

With great artists, and even better art. 😈

Stephen Jailon - Smashbros

A groovy first track for the list, NS veteran Stephen Jailon is back with a video for his new track Smashbros. With the Latin undertones of the guitar-led melody and the precise 808s hitting with the beat flawlessly, Stephen shows time and time again that he can have fun and still be the hardest rapper on the scene. Smashbros is a tribute to his discography so far and he holds his place a lyrical and flow-switching genius on the beat.

Michael Christmas - Credit (ft. Saint Lyor)

Credit is the collaboration between rising artists Michael Christmas and Van Buren Records’ heavy hitter Saint Lyor. Michael spits from the very second the track starts and begins his lyrical assault on the beat, partnered with alley-oops to Lyor who slams it down with his own uncompromising verses. The track is short but filled with fun and creative flow switches and witty lines from the two rappers, light-hearted and notable addition to our quarantine list.

Knightamore - 7deadly$ins (ft. Nessa Grim)

Coming in with hard production and roomy vocals, Knightamore and Nessa Grim completely body this track, whether it comes from Knightamore’s shadowy verses or the brooding chorus and outro and Nessa Grim, but the two come together in the best possible way. You can hear a snippet of a scene from 2019’s Joker, where Arthur is questioned by his psychiatrist. He states: “You’ve asked the same questions every week. How’s your job? Are you having any negative thoughts? All I have are negative thoughts.” The perfect summarization of this song’s main topic.

Shalom Dubas & Jake Vicious - 7 Days (Flip)

Shalom Dubas and Jake Vicious are an exemplary team on this track. Using the chorus from 7 days by Craig David 2000s flips. Vicious’s production slips underneath Shalom’s voice is like butter and no beat or melody seems out of place in the slightest, bringing together smooth and enjoyable track for a sunny afternoon.

Odd Mojo - Sunday, Monday  

Probably the most quarantine-themed track on this last, Odd Mojo uses a velvety melody with a variety of sounds that compound and make a perfect base for her to spit freely and switch her flows up effortlessly. Mojo preaches to her fans about seizing the day, no matter if it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc… any day is a chance for you to do something great, and the artist wants her fans to know you just have to get started because that’s the hardest part.

Arhinslim - Starlit

Arhinslim has just released a video to his track “Starlit” a song that made the cut on his 2019 album, Superfly. The playful synths correspond a delicate chiming, propagating a dark and mysterious melody. The hi-hats and kicks punctuate Arhinslim’s lyricism and varied flows that switch and refine themselves throughout the course of the track. Arhinslim speaks on his failures and successes, about his journey to where he is now and what he has in store for his fans in the future.

Mathaius Young - Poppin

Ending off our list is Mathaius Young with his newest track, Poppin. The production is smooth and the melody is composed of a collection of silky voices following a vocal progression over top a seductive 808, a guitar riff takes over towards the end and beautifully rides the beat out. On the track Mathaius seems to be swooning over a woman that’s caught his eye. He remarks in one of the verses that though he doesn’t like bringing up the past, she might even be better than the last.


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Arhinslim

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Dude, what does your name mean?

My name is a combination of my last name and slim which i use to describe myself based off of my physique. Arhin is my last name which originates from Ghana. I take pride in it and my heritage.

Did you always know you were going to be a rapper? Why or why not?

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My biggest influences as a child are Kanye West, Michael Jackson and Dmx. They really got me paying attention to music. I remember hearing Kanye’s production on Jay Z’s Izzo and falling in love with music.

I didn’t know when I was a child that I was going to be a rapper, I just loved hip hop a lot. I first wanted to be a professional soccer player as a kid but as i got older i started growing a real love for music and I eventually started creating. My biggest influences as a child are Kanye West, Michael Jackson and DMX. They really got me paying attention to music. I remember hearing Kanye’s production on Jay Z’s Izzo and falling in love with music. Then hearing my parents play Michael Jackson around the house and loving music more. Then seeing DMX on BET and loving artistry. The final piece that really put it together for me was Slow Jamz by Kanye West. I heard it being played in my school gym one day after school and i remember that became my favourite song in the second grade. It inspired me n my sound a lot. I grew up having that inspiration into my teenage years. And now i am here creating music.


What are you like in-person?

In person I am a laid back, fun to be around, charismatic guy. I like to have fun, laugh, dance and kick it with the people close to me. I like to play sports like soccer and basketball and im really competitive. I take competition seriously. I also like to pay attention to details. I am a perfectionist. 

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Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years i see myself as an well established artist and creator. I see my self with a well established brand and being able to perform in front of many people. I believe i can do it.

I love the aesthetic of your instagram. Where do you get your inspiration from?

The current aesthetic of my instagram is a preview into the mood/feeling of my up and coming project “Superfly”. This inspiration comes from my childhood love for superheroes, comics, video games and just stories in general. These are the type of things I imagine while creating music as I also intend to help the listener visualize their experience of my music. So my Instagram is just a preview for the listener to get a feel of what to visualize when they hear the sounds on my forthcoming project. How i look during those songs, and the type of emotion/feeling i will put behind that body of work.

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What’s your favorite song by you and why?

Im not sure that I do have one favourite or one that stands out. One day it’ll be “Villa”, another day it’ll be “Tourist II”. For me its really hard to choose. However right now i can say its my most recent drop “Boof / No They Won’t” mainly because i produced the record entirely. I made it out of fun not having a plan or purpose for the song but its my best performing song to date. 

Are you working on anything new?

Im currently working on my new tape which will be called “Superfly”. I hope to release it by the end of 2019. It will be new, and very energetic and very cinematic. 

9Plug yourself (social media and where people can find you music).

Im @Arhinslim on all platforms!

Any last words?

I plan to do great things.

Shoutout to Arhinslim for coming on and Interviewing with Nefarious Supply. if you want to stay up to date with him you can find him on Instagram, Twitter. You can find his music on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and SoundCloud.

If you enjoyed this interview be sure to leave a comment and share it with a friend. If you know any creatives that you feel deserve a spot on Nefarious Supply feel free to send them our way and tp stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and like us on Facebook.