We Chilled With Seedhe Maut... | Untriggered w/ AminJaz #103

Episode Overview

• The hip-hop duo Seedhe Maut discusses their artistic philosophy, creative process, and the massive vault of 40 unreleased songs ready for their next album.
• They reflect on their early career, from the initial hustle of selling CDs and dealing with parental pressure to developing their signature high-energy stage presence out of necessity.
• The duo shares their origin story, detailing how a series of chance events, including a terrible college experience and a fateful meeting at a Delhi cypher, led to the phone call that officially formed Seedhe Maut.
• The conversation explores the mindset required to be an artist, their personal inspirations and top 5 rappers, and their ambitions to expand their creative work beyond music into projects like an animated series.

Key Concepts

• Artistic Evolution: The duo's philosophy is to never delete their old music, viewing it as a public record of their growth and artistic journey from their starting point.
• Creative Mindset: Encore ABJ champions "self-obsession" as a key trait for artists, emphasizing the need to believe in your own work so deeply that you primarily listen to your own unreleased material.
• Early Career Hustle: They recount the beginning of their journey, marked by physically burning and selling CDs for their mixtape Do Ka Pahada and performing for small, indifferent crowds.
• Stage Presence Origin: Their famously high-energy performance style was developed as a strategy to command attention and win over small audiences during their early shows.
• Inspirations and Influences: Calm shares his top 5 rappers of all time: Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Drake, Big L, and JID.
• The "Butterfly Effect": The conversation highlights how small, pivotal moments—like a parent's support or a disappointing college choice—created a chain reaction that led to the duo's formation and success.
• Formation Story: Encore's negative college experience led a friend to introduce him to the Delhi cypher scene, where he met Calm at Hauz Khas Village, leading to a phone call from Calm that officially started their collaboration.
• Future Ambitions: Beyond their prolific music output, the duo has plans to write a script for an animated series, expanding their creative portfolio.

Quotes

• At 0:08 - "Yaar mereko lagta hai ki Nanchaku shayad mera ab tak ka best verse hai?" - Calm reflects on his recent work, suggesting that his verse on the song "Nanchaku" may be his best ever.
• At 0:19 - "Abhi toh favorite woh hai jo agli album mein jo 40 gaane pade hue hai na folder mein..." - Encore ABJ teases their massive unreleased catalog, stating that his favorite songs are the 40 tracks in the folder for their upcoming album.
• At 1:11 - "Koi kabhi bhi kuch bhi delete nahi karenge hum...kyunki woh is the point ki hum kahan se kahan tak aaye hai aur kaise-kaise aaye hai." - Calm explains their artistic philosophy, stating they will never delete their old music because it documents their journey and evolution.
• At 25:03 - "Kendrick is up there… Eminem is up there… Drake is up there… Big L is definitely up there… JID is up there. That's my five." - Calm lists his top 5 favorite rappers, surprising the hosts with his inclusion of Big L and JID.
• At 25:51 - "Self-obsession is key, bro… If you're not trusting your art enough." - Encore ABJ explains his belief that a degree of self-obsession and narcissism is necessary for an artist to believe in their own work.
• At 26:08 - "Main toh sirf apne hi gaane sunta hu bro ghar pe... genuinely bro." - Encore ABJ elaborates on his point about self-obsession, stating that he primarily listens to his unreleased music to stay invested in it.
• At 28:55 - "Fucking CDs, bro... people gave a fuck." - Encore ABJ recalls the era of physically selling CDs of their first mixtape and how it proved that they were building a real audience.
• At 31:10 - "Papa ne bola hai isliye aa gaya… Kehte hai theek hai, jao." - Calm shares a funny story about being dismissed from a Navy interview after being too honest about his motivation for being there.
• At 34:28 - "Dekho hum idhar hai saalon! Humein dekho kam se kam." - Calm explains that their high-energy performances started as a way to demand attention from small, sometimes indifferent, crowds in their early days.
• At 55:41 - "Bro if you hadn't said that, we wouldn't be sitting here right now." - Calm reflects on the pivotal moment Encore's father was convinced to let him pursue music, highlighting the butterfly effect on their careers.
• At 56:02 - "Main ek bade chutiye college mein tha." - Encore's blunt and humorous description of his college, ISOMES Noida.
• At 57:12 - "Usne humein News 24 ka poora chakkar katwa diya bro." - Encore reveals he was misled into thinking the news channel's facilities were part of the college.
• At 58:49 - "I see like maybe 15 fuckers walking towards me wearing baggy clothes... main bola yehi hai bhai." - Encore humorously recalls how he identified the rappers at his first-ever cypher based on their stereotypical attire.
• At 61:38 - "Toh maine bola ‘Bro, what are you waiting for?'" - Calm quotes the pivotal line he said to Encore over the phone, which ultimately led to the formation of Seedhe Maut.
• At 62:38 - "Ek duo banate hai, aur uss duo se ek project nikaalte hai." - Calm describes his direct and simple proposal to Encore to start their musical journey together.

Takeaways

• Embrace your entire creative history, including early work, as it serves as a valuable testament to your growth and evolution.
• Cultivate a strong sense of self-belief in your work; a degree of "self-obsession" is necessary to maintain conviction as a creator.
• Turn early limitations into defining strengths; use challenging circumstances, like a disengaged audience, to innovate your approach.
• Don't underestimate the power of directness; when you recognize a potential creative partner, a straightforward proposition can change everything.
• Negative experiences can be catalysts for positive change; a frustrating situation might be the detour you need to find your true path.
• The initial hustle of building a community is invaluable; tangible proof that people care about your art is a powerful motivator.
• Recognize that major outcomes often hinge on small, seemingly minor decisions and moments of support from others.
• Consistently create and build a backlog of work; having a surplus of material allows for creative freedom and momentum.
• Draw inspiration from a wide and unique range of sources to develop a distinct artistic voice.