Punk rock-influence rapper, Dead Hendrix, creates a fusion of sound in his latest release, “Mustang,” featuring Yungcudii. Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, the young artist—also known as Hendi—transforms real life experience of struggles, heartbreak, and drug abuse into relatable music. His recent single demonstrates his ability to cross genres while conveying authenticity through lyricism.
“My music has attitude. It’s aggressive but smooth,” shares the artist. “The beat comes from a producer I’ve worked with from Russia—Pretty Punks—who makes amazing beats that fit right into the cool world of rap and punk. I took that track and wrote to it and everybody in my circle/team loved it. We knew then it was a hit.”
Working with Yungcudii was an unexpected bonus for the artist. “I remember right before I was writing it, I wanted to get Yungcudii on it but I wasn’t sure he would want to be on it because my style is different,” tells Dead Hendrix. “I sat on it for a year until a couple of months ago, showed him, and he really loved it so I got him on the middle verse. It made the track even better. Now it’s a blend of different styles you wouldn’t think works but it does.”
“Me and Yungcudii would go to the same studio in high school and had the same friend group. He grew up into success right away, and I went off and did my thing. I find it crazy how we went full circle to now working together again on an official song.”
As a child, Deadhendrix struggled with a difficult home life and looked for an outlet that would bring him comfort. “I was really looking for a passion in life,” explains Dead Hendrix. “I felt like an outcast. Writing solved that. One winter I was sitting in my mom’s car while she was watching my brother’s soccer game and I connected with a song I was listening to. I realized it was writing—and maybe that was something I could do, too.”
After this realization, Dead Hendrix began releasing songs under the name “Young Love Kenna.” It was around this time that he found himself going to the same studio as Yungcudii, who went to school with the young artist. A brief stint to face his substance abuse issues meant taking time away from music, and when he came back after nine months, Dead Hendrix found he didn’t want to make music anymore. He took down his Soundcloud songs and tried to figure out what to do with his life—until one day he heard a song by Mac Miller that triggered him to start writing again. Since then, he has been writing and releasing music as Dead Hendrix, creating a sound of his own that blends rap, punk, and various influences.
When it comes to writing, Dead Hendrix has a preferred method. “For a lot of my songs, I find a beat I like and drive around aimlessly blasting it. The melodies and lyrics just come out when I’m in a flow state. Sometimes I don’t really know what the song’s about or what it means until I record and play it back. Then I can connect the dots to what’s going on in my life.”
“For ‘Mustang,’ there’s a catchy, badass hook, but the lyrics are more real. They’re about my life so kind of like getting between bumping your head to learning something about me.”
“Everything I write about is real in my life, so when I talk about drug abuse, I really went through serious drug abuse. When I talk about trauma, I’ve gone through serious trauma. In my songs, I’m kind of a f***-up, but everybody who listens to my music and loves my music feels the same feelings. They like having music and an artist they can relate to.”
This summer, Dead Hendrix is looking forward to joining a compilation album release, “Ottawa x Toronto,” which features upcoming and rising artists from Ottawa and Toronto together on an album. He is also working on his own solo project that is untitled at the moment and he hopes to release by the end of this year.
Make sure to stay connected to Dead Hendrix on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
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