Features : Hip-Hop Artist JUSTHUTCH Speaks Her Mind in Debut Album, Maze

“I just write what’s on my mind,” JUSTHUTCH simplifies, when asked how her album concept, “Maze,” came to her. One of the things that makes this project so authentic is JUSTHUTCH’s natural ability to convey what she’s thinking just by stepping up to the mic and letting it out. She shares that she didn’t really think she could be an artist, because up until this point, she’d been experiencing music through the lens of a drummer and producer. Mind you, less than 10% of women in the music industry are drummers, and even fewer—only 2%—are producers (Musicwave).

Even so, from an early age, JUSTHUTCH was exposed to music by starting out as a drummer. Through jam sessions with various musicians over the years, she developed her own taste in music, moved out to LA, started producing her own tracks, and opened a studio. Vocals came much later. She laughs, that it felt like one day she just woke up and had to speak her mind. It was like a switch. And only just this year. Uniquely, the first track on the album, “Drums Intro” captures a live drum and jam session, where JUSTHUTCH shares she didn’t even realize they were recording, which later morphed into her freestyling over the creative session. From there, she wrote and produced the rest of the album “Maze,” which covers a myriad of emotions she was experiencing throughout this chapter in her life.

"Maze,” the title track on the album, gives us an inside look into JUSTHUTCH’s mind. Lyrics “Toxic love, you’re my drug” or her chorus line “I feel like I’m in a maze, shortie be playin’ for days,”

Sets an overarching theme for the album on how JUSTHUTCH navigates, like that of a maze, these toxic or fake relationships, where so many “games” are being played.

Another standout track, “Options,” delves deeper into these ideas, and reflects on unhealthy relationships while entertaining alternatives. The sultry guitar melody and ambient hip-hop elements strike a balance between apathy and introspection. Chorus lyrics such as:

“Options, it don’t really matter if you leave or stay,” “And I got time to play you in my head”

But as the song unfolds, JUSTHUTCH calls out the unhealthy performative and insincere nature of the relationship:

“Girl I’m in your lights, camera, action
I know you missin’ f***** with passion
Girl don’t ever get to actin’,”

Later in the song, a play on words,

“Girl you too fake, you two-faced,”

That shows there are better, more real options out there, than what JUSTHUTCH is experiencing.

Yet, JUSTHUTCH clarifies there’s no backstory to this album, she needed to write it for her, get it out, and move on to the next. She said it felt like a relief in a way. Music for many of us serves as a therapy whether through creating it or consuming it, and there’s tremendous power in doing the things for ourselves that can help us survive and… thrive.

When asked what she learned throughout this process, she shared exactly that: “Just do it—you can literally do anything, so do it for yourself. At the end of the day, it's all for you. If you like it, that's what matters.”

The truth is, the better we take care of ourselves, the better we can take care of others. But it all starts with showing up for ourselves; from the heart first, and there’s no selfishness in that.

As she continues to dig deeper into her authenticity, JUSTHUTCH shares there’ll be more music on the way!

To hear the start of it all: Listen to Maze here

Stay tuned to JUSTHUTCH’s socials for updates on the upcoming "Maze" music video.