If you were tasked with choosing one song that encapsulates the youthful hip-hop underground that’s been elevating in the last couple years, one of the top candidates would have to be Tana and Slump6s‘ “Antisocial” — remixed as “Antisocial 2” months later including SSGKobe, Yung Fazo and Xhulooo. With its mosh-pit inducing rage beat being one of the standout features of the track, the producer of “Antisocial” is just as important to this new wave scene as this magnum opus track is.
Maajins, who was listed as one of our “Five producers to keep an eye on” in 2021, is currently only a sophomore in high school. But, practically from birth, he was given the necessary tools for success as an instrumentalist and artist. With his father being a DJ and mother being a singer, the couple has supported their son’s ambitious career early on, which has led to eye-opening placements and revered status among his peers.
Being able to use his dad’s spare equipment from time to time, Maajins took it upon himself to learn FL Studio at the age of 10. Using Nick Mira YouTube tutorials to learn the basics, Maajins soon began to spread his wings and fly, as he now makes about 2-3 beats every day. But, he still emphasizes that its “school over everything,” doing all his homework before hitting the lab.
Along with “Antisocial,” which he promises will earn a Gold plaque in the near future, Maajins has been able to work with other fixtures in the blossoming rage and plugg scenes like Yeat, Autumn!, Rich Amiri, DC The Don and more. Sometimes, even he can’t believe how quickly he got to this point.
“It’s kind of surreal for me bro,” he said. “When I was young I always definitely knew I would have a career and passion in music and artistry, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. It’s a good experience in total.”
What separates Maajins from a lot of producers his age looking to make a name for themselves on Instagram and Discord channels is truly his belief in his process. Regardless of any status quo techniques for loops or unwritten rules regarding 808s for producers, he knows what is important is doing what makes you happy.
“It’s music. It’s artistry. Music is an art,” he said. “You can use whatever you want to make your own art, it’s yours at the end of the day.”
After getting his foot in the door with his beats, Maajins decided earlier this year that it was time to get his feet wet as a rapper. Mostly producing for himself, he has dropped multiple EPs, two-packs and singles so far in 2022, starting with February’s Lost Files V1. Although he wants to do whatever he can to keep advancing as a rapper, he knows that his priority is being a top-tier instrumentalist, sometimes scrapping songs he’s made to instead give beats to his frequent collaborators.
Looking ahead, Maajins has a producer album in the works, which will see him recruit some of the underground’s best to hop on his beats. This compilation tape will be fully produced by himself, as he hopes to use this project to flex his metaphorical muscles.
“I want to accomplish getting sh*t done by myself,” he said. “I’m probably gonna executive produce it solely me, no collabs, no nothing. Straight solo, raw sh*t. I’m just proving a point that I can get sh*t done.”
What makes Maajins’ young career uniquely impressive is his ability to stay motivated even though he’s already ahead of schedule. As we look forward to continue seeing his star rise, he met up with OGM host Hakeem Rowe for our latest Our Generation Music exclusive interview. In their conversation, the duo delves into topics such as his producer tag, his influences, how kids and teachers at school treat him, getting advice from friends, wanting to work with Cardi B and more.
Check out Maajins’ OGM exclusive interview below!
