FARI
“Spirit moves me, man. Shit is timeless. I don’t even believe in time or even putting limits on things. I don’t even know what time I was born, nor do I really care. People be telling me I’m a Scorpio rising all the time though,” shares Fari, the North Carolina rapper, trailing off with a slight smirk on his face and a sparkle in his eye.
This is a man steeped in unconventional perspectives, an other-worldly presence that few have the good fortune of ever encountering, and an uncanny ability to intuitively connect with others at the soul’s most raw level, while simultaneously existing as a modern, young man simply making music. In the midst of living his life, he’s also healing himself through his own introspection, his art, and his deep relations with those around him. Fari is somehow more than all of that though. He’s more than anything one could describe with words. The creative exists past identifiers, even past any justice that the five senses could lend him. He simply is. To know a true, limitless multi-dimensional being is to exist in the presence of one.
“You know, the other day I realized I just cannot help everybody. If I really care about somebody, I make sure they straight, they good, they taken care of. All my friends, my mom, honestly, anyone I love. You know what I’m saying? It gets to a point though where I’m like, “fuck, I gotta fall back because people get too comfortable.” But also, I can flip to being cold-hearted and go straight ice. Like, “I don’t fuck with you, I’m good,” and I’ll put that wall up quick. I don’t like to, but I will for myself. It’s all about finding the equilibrium at the same time though. That’s where I’m existing right now. I know that if I don’t find this balance then I’ll never truly master the connections with others in my life,” lays out the rapper. With every move he makes, he scrupulously assesses everything around him, and it’s evident. When interacting with Fari, one quickly falls into alignment with his energy. He dictates the pace and energetic exchange. For some it could be felt as an interactional power struggle, but if one is willing to surrender and let him lead, the strength of his energy becomes even more unyielding yet strikingly comforting. Once surrendered, the experience could be likened to first being pushed out of the branches of an enormously tall tree and unsuspectingly being caught by the safety of a plush, down feather-lined bassinet. Like Fari stated, due to his over-giving nature, people find themselves often too comforted; thus becoming complacent, and it is here where he is currently hashing out what a healthy balance feels like within this aspect of his love language.
“I’ve realized communication is the secret to a lot of the fucking bullshit. With connections, a person not being bold enough to communicate and instead just cold-shouldering through something creates far more problems than just communicating through the issue in the first place.”
“Honestly though,” he starts, “I used to be so proud about how fast I could cut someone off. I used to really stand on that shit, but I don’t like that. That shit’s not cool to me anymore. I’m working on being more open and communicative about my feelings. Instead of giving gifts or withholding, I express my feelings. I’ve realized communication is the secret to a lot of the fucking bullshit. With connections, a person not being bold enough to communicate and instead just cold-shouldering through something creates far more problems than just communicating through the issue in the first place. For example, I’ve recently reconciled with my brother. We talked for the first time in a year and half. We ended up being on the phone for six hours catching up. He sent me a text out of the blue like, “yo I got to get on a phone call with you.” So we got on the phone and first thing were like, “what even happened between us to cause us to stop talking?” We settled on the issue being a severe lack of communication with each of us at fault. Instead of us speaking up to one another, we both chose to walk away from the relationship. We’re brothers, bro. We also realized that if we can’t even communicate with one another, how could we ever properly communicate with a woman or our families. We were damn near homeless together. If we can’t figure out how to constructively communicate, how can we progress in our lives, with our music, or on our missions?” questions Fari.
“Not having him in my life for that period of time was really hard. Although I’ve experienced more condensed growth over the past 12 months than I have over my past twenty-something years, something about having someone in your life that you can speak with as a peer is special. He just gets me — he’s a rapper, he’s black, and his mind is brilliant. We don’t look up to each other. We simply respect each other,” confesses the rapper while slightly tugging his hood down over his freshly bleached twists.
When we first hopped on our FaceTime call, I asked if I could take a peek at his hair as it looks different than what I’ve been seeing him post on Instagram, but of course I only received a head nod from left to right and a tightening of the strings of his hoodie around his face. One should probably never ask the rapper such prying, personal questions. Admittance into Fari’s world is by invitation only.
what words of wisdom do you live by?
i am the i am. all is mind, mind is all.
what memory instantly makes you smile?
it’s not one memory in particular that makes me smile constantly, but i smile the most during visualization sessions
what’s the most useful business-related book you’ve ever read?
never read a book strictly on “business”
what’s your favorite non-business book?
“777” by aleister crowley
if money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
money is not an issue, i’m doing exactly what i should be doing
what words of advice would you give your younger self?
life is a dream! always remain lucid! you can do anything
what’s your super power?
thinking
what do you regularly take for granted?
i’d like to think that i don’t take anything for granted. i’m constantly in a state of gratitude, and that’s why i feel the universe blesses me so much
how do you recharge?
knowledge usually recharges me, either that or meditation
what aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
being able to shift another being’s train of thought, or give him or her another perspective on how the world is portrayed is what keeps me alive. that’s what i’m most passionate about. human progression
what’s something that overwhelms you?
i don’t allow anything to overwhelm me, i’m strong enough and smart enough to overstand the equilibrium
“Honestly, as is everything in life, once you start thinking about some shit, it’s really not that good. The zone is where everything comes together.”
“I pay attention to everything. I’m very aware of everything I do,” admits the rapper. “Especially with my music. With my projects, I visualize the direction I want to go for months. Then the music begins to write itself. I’m not one of those rappers that simply puts out a fun song. I mean, I can, but that’s boring to me. Everything has to have meaning. When I’m putting a song together, I have to feel the music throughout my body for the words to come. Once the words come, they just flow out of thin air almost. I’ve realized the best way to write a song is to not write the song. Let the song write itself. It just happens. Don’t get me wrong, I write nearly everyday, but it’s not intentional. I don’t even mean to. It just happens. Honestly, as is everything in life, once you start thinking about some shit, it’s really not that good. The zone is where everything comes together,” explains Fari. “Ironically, I’ve never had the chance to just camp out in the studio for two weeks to stay in that zone for long. Once I start getting those chances, it’s over bro. To be truthful, I’ve done a lot with a little. I have no videos out. When I opened for Dave East last year, I barely had any songs out. When I played SOB’s right before the pandemic, I was performing tracks I had not released and still haven’t released. I couldn’t even direct people to where to stream the music I was playing because they weren’t on any digital platforms. I have eight songs out right now. I’m taking my time, but to me, all of this conveys just how well I can manipulate energy. When the tools finally configure properly together in an aligned way, I’m going to have a powerful album. I’m just playing with what I can play with now. This ain’t nothin’. I haven’t tapped into much yet,” proclaims the surefooted rapper.
“A visual is coming this year. It just hasn’t been the time yet. I’m a thinker. I’m a genius, bro. I’m directing my own shit. It’s gotta be cinematic. I’m not about to go rap in front of my crib. That’s not me. That’s not it for me. All these rappers got the same videos. Shit is not creative. It’s cool, but not for me, bro. Nah, bro. Nope. I’m not doing that. A super power of mine is my patience. I’m extremely patient. I don’t rush anything. Whether y'all get a video five years from now, 10 years from now, maybe you’ll get it next week, but it’s whenever I feel like it. It’s going to be beautiful as fuck. Everything will make sense in the end. It’s one of my favorite quotes and it’s true,” Fari says.
“Before COVID, I was a toxic little shit. Nah though, when you’re toxic you gotta look at yourself in the mirror and accept the toxicity within you in order to become better.”
Speaking of life being easier to comprehend in hindsight, Fari explains that over this past year he’s used this time as a way to improve every single day saying, “Evolution man. I feel like I’ve changed and progressed so much. Progression is definitely the name of this chapter. Physically speaking, the way I portray myself matches more closely with how I’ve always felt inside. My entire energy is strengthened too. For example, I wrote for two months straight a few months back. Every day, pages and pages of words. I had to stop though, you know, to live a little. You know what I’m saying? It can get a little overwhelming if you don’t actually balance working and living. Throughout the pandemic, I also became a lot more disciplined. Before COVID, I was a toxic little shit. Nah though, when you’re toxic you gotta look at yourself in the mirror and accept the toxicity within you in order to become better. In relation to my mission with the music, it was doing its thing, but I can now see before the pandemic I didn’t know myself as much as I thought I did. I was indulging in a lot of my bad qualities. I was lying a lot to people that I loved; I was not emotionally available to people I cared about. I had to take a step back and be like, “damn, I’m fucking up a lot of important relationships in my life right now.” I really wasn’t being as honest as I thought I was.” When asked if women are his vice he quickly snaps back with a slight chuckle, “no, hell nah, they’re not my vice, but I do fall in love fast. I love love. Yeah, I do love love. If I’m all in, I’m all in. I have, though, been working on discipling myself with women, man. You know me, I’m a Cancer.”
Although Fari is built for love in so many capacities, he’s currently focusing on channeling his energy towards his career and what love he does have left to give is being bestowed upon his newest, tiny life partner.
“I’m a cat dad now. I’m stepping into a whole new world. Yeah, I’m supposed to be in Los Angeles right now, but my cat lady hit me a few days ago saying I gotta pick Selah up tomorrow. I’ve been waiting over six weeks for my Siamese cat. It’s finally here,” gushes the creative. I have a feeling we’ll all be saying, “It’s finally here!” once Fari drops his newest project, “Expect Me Like You Expect Jesus” due out sometime this summer.
It seems to be universally agreed upon that for one to understand the world, one must first understand themselves which seems to be just the journey in which Fari is and has been deeply committed. He’s clearly accomplished so much personally but is just publicly getting started. Stay tuned into his frequency and what he’s broadcasting as it feels like it’s going to be an iconic ride. — S 03/22/21
last minute gems
what is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?
i’m still searching for that answer... let’s revisit this question in a few years.
what was the most impactful class you took in school?
math, for financial reasons of course :)
what’s something you wish you had done years earlier?
i stopped wishing a long time ago
what lesson have you recently learned that you know you’ll never forget?
when it comes to the material realm, i cannot help everyone.
what concept do you fully grasp that you wish the rest of the world deeply understood?
the concept that life is nothing but a dream...in which you are the main character
how have your priorities changed over the past 2 years?
the only priority i will ever have is to evolve
would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
that duck and them horses don’t want it with me.. trust
what new skill are you in the midst of learning?
I plan on learning how to play the piano!
what is something that you’re embarrassed you’re talented at?
hmmmm… i don’t think i’m embarrassed of any of my talents
when was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?
this morning