The Evolution of @peacebeyondme

It's easy for people to say that an artist makes great music once they are fully developed and they have found their identity as an artist but being able to identify who has the potential to make music that will translate on a wider scale is a much tougher task. In this article, we are going to look at the evolution of The Big Hash from 'new wave' prospect to being a well respected young artist in the game today. I'll be dissecting his 3 defining projects in 'The Big Hash Theory', 'Young' and 'Aries: A Precursor to Heartbreak Hotel'. 

This was my introduction to The Big Hash's music and I remember how I felt when I had first heard it. I couldn't believe that there was some 17 year old somewhere in the province that made something this good. If someone was ever confused as to what 'sing rapping' is then I would point them to this project. What The Big Hash did on this project wasn't necessarily new but his execution was unbelievable. You see, around the time 'The Big Hash Theory' was released, detractors of trap and hip hop, in general, was that artists had given up on writing because people were mumbling and the music was lazy. Hearing someone coming in with this 'bouncy' and melodic style was something that I appreciated. The project wasn't just good for its time, it is still my favourite project by him till this day with songs like 'Double Cross', '8578' and 'Hot Sauce'. The Big Hash had something special. He could appease the audience of the time by delivering a project packed with melodies and flows, whilst maintaining a high level of lyricism. This project sees The Big Hash talk about his strained relationship with his mom due to his lifestyle on '8578'. He talks about betrayal and fulfilling his potential on 'Double Cross' (my favourite Hash song ever). An artist that is in the infancy of their careers often need to make music that gives people a reason to listen to them and if it doesn't fit in with what is going on at the time, you might fall through the cracks with a first impression being more important than ever. The Big Hash became one of the brightest talents in the country because of this project and it served as an introduction to most fans of his music. A teenage icon. 

This mixtape will forever be a part of my life because I remember I was listening to this mixtape when I started volunteering at Slikouronlife, but that is a story for another day. There were a lot of talented artists like Hash when he released 'Young' but the problem with most of them was that they had either stagnated or had regressed. That's why I feel like this mixtape is one of the most important of his career. This mixtape made me look at The Big Hash in a new light. No longer was he just a new wave act. I looked at him as a legit talent that I could play for anyone outside of my circle of friends. I was completely blown away by songs like 'Save Me' and 'The Schedule' because they had hues of jazz and it pointed to Hash's versatility and growth as an artist. This mixtape is also the first time I had heard The Big Hash making R&B. He has always been an artist that was melodic and he had come close to making something like R&B, but this was when he fully committed to R&B Biggie with songs like 'Cirlces' and 'Ringtone'. I'm glad that these songs weren't just a flash in the pan with us fully in the R&B Biggie era. Making R&B showed that he was growing and he was no longer in the same headspace he was in when he released 'The Big Hash Theory'. 

This brings us to today. We found out that The Big Hash had been dealing with label issues and he was struggling with anxiety in a Backyard Session with Slikour. I was interested to see how that would affect the type of music he makes. Looking at the first half of the mixtape, it's much of the sound we had to associate with The Big Hash. Songs like 'Heavy Is The Crown' and 'Count My Blessings' remind me of the reason I loved his music in the first place. Having watched the interview, these songs take on a deeper meaning and really gave me a clear picture of how was feeling about his career. I feel like those songs were for the rap Biggie fans but with Aries being a precursor to 'Heartbreak Hotel', I suspect that we will see less of this sound going forward but I'm not mad at that at all because I feel as though The Big Hash has really progressed in his exploration into R&B. If look at the second half of Aries with songs like 'Do You?', 'Sometimes', 'The Trip' and 'Peace of Mind', we can see he has progressed and improved upon his ability to make R&B in comparison to the R&B joints on 'Young'. 

Whatever direction The Big Hash goes in, he will no doubt deliver a good product. Whether rapping or singing or creating something that lies in between those two, he won't miss. The Big Hash has clear ambitions to be more than a 'teenage icon' or a 'new wave' artist. He wants to become a legend with a career spanning more than a decade. The fact that he is growing with his audience and talking about different experiences in different ways, I'd say he is on the right track.