Saint Bodhi returns with a new single and a new perspective
The amazing artist known as Bodhi, is back with a bodacious song “Monsters” with Freddie Gibbs and deserves all the attention she gets. We sat down with her to talk about her change in labels, her journey and more.
Ontoneyo: What’s up, Bodhi? How are you?
Saint Bodhi: Hey, how are you been?
Ontoneyo: Doing great. You know, when we first met you, you we’re singing the title song for The Voice, signed to Def Jam and releasing some amazing records out that just made us fall in love with you. So, we’re so honored to be able to catch up with you about your new record and your new journey.
Saint Bodhi: Thank you for having me. I’m excited. I’m um I’m happy I’m out again putting out new music.
Ontoneyo: speaking of that, tell us about the new song you just dropped and the video.
Saint Bodhi: so I just dropped a new record with Freddy Gibbs underneath Alta. It’s a it’s a new indie label called Alta. He just he blessed the album. He blessed the record.
Saint Bodhi: I don’t know how we got him, but he ended up really liking it. And then he came out, we did a whole bunch of content for like three days, and he’s been reposting and supporting it. And yeah, know I’m just excited too, He’s a legend. He’s a big dog. So he blessed the track.
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. What’s the name of the record and how did it like come about?
Saint Bodhi: The record is called Monsters. I hit up my boy 11, the producers, and I was like, “Dude, I really want to make some funky Gorillas, Bbop, like rap s***.” And I went through and I kind of had some emotions that I had been feeling, and I let it out on the track. We made monsters.
Ontoneyo: That’s dope. For anyone who’s not familiar with your content, I think that you’re really great at contextualizing emotion and an amazing storyteller.Where did that come from? Where did you develop that?
Saint Bodhi: Full transparency; I had a lot of trauma growing up in South Central and Lancaster. So, I didn’t really have a way to express myself besides writing it down and creating stories to kind of heal. So, a lot of my music is me healing.
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. That’s dope. Um, how encouraging is it in the market because you’ve been in this game a while and how encouraging is it in the market when you have artists like Doechi and like other female artists that are out here, you know, black women leading the charge? Do you do you feel like the space has opened more for the type of music you do?
Saint Bodhi: I feel like the space is open more and I feel like I’m happy to see it. I like to hear authenticity with the with with female artists, we had Erykah Badu, We had Lauryn Hill, you know, and then we we had our Nina Simone, which people don’t really go back to that era a lot. You know? That’s the stuff that I grew up listening to to be able to express myself. So, just to see that everybody is not following a formula anymore and they’re just expressing theirselves genuinely. Oh, I love to see it. I like to see the rage, the happiness, the sadness, all of it.
Starting over after a major deal
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. Speaking of rage, you know, major labels don’t always work out. You were on Def Jam when I met you and then you got off. Talk to us about the process and the journey over the last years.
Saint Bodhi: It’s been about 3 years since I dropped. It was hard for me because you know, I had to fight for a long time, you sign to a major, you think, “Oh, this is it.” And then you realize that things don’t go the way it’s supposed to, whether it be company, whether it be people, whatever. It was a lot of transitions at Def Jam, a lot of new faces and a lot of new CEOs that had to go in and out and you kind of get shuffled in. And so it was it was tough for me to regain the confidence to really go back out in the field and get it cuz, you know, I had been a little spoiled in it. Yeah it was it was kind of tough, but then I found it.
Ontoneyo: I want to pause there, because I think a lot of artists think that that’s the end all be all, and that’s how you get famous. Talk a little bit more about the major journey and why there are obstacles in reaching where you want because to me it looked like Def Jam was spending some money, and putting you in some marquee places and you know? Just talk about the difference perception between reality, and perception once you’re there and then why you would leave a label like that like that?
Saint Bodhi: So my situation was a little different. So, I got grandfathered. And sometimes labels they switch out their internal and so when they switch out their internals, and you don’t have the same team that you started off with. So, you know, let’s say you had an A&R that really believed in you.
Ontoneyo: They fire everybody.
Saint Bodhi: They fire everybody and then all of a sudden now you’re you’re trying to, you know, basically cast a spell of woo on these new people who genuinely might not even f*** with your music. And so, you know, the support changes the information changes, and you know, things get I’m not trying to be too transparent because it was some s*** that really happened.
Saint Bodhi: I got caught in the mix and it happens a lot. I mean, unfortunately, a lot of artists go through that where they leave, you know, Def Jam, they’ve lost a lot of people, Dirk and they had Frank Ocean and they’ve had a lot of big artists that they put money behind and then, you know, they went to different directions in life. So, a lot of times is, you know, I think that there should be contracts is when your A&R leaves, you leave with your A&R.
Ontoneyo: Right. It’s kind of like getting drafted by a team and then you’re playing good and the coach loves you and then they fire the coach and the whole staff and now you’re playing for a new coach and a new staff that didn’t draft you. So they like, you know, yeah, I like her but you know that’s not my place.
Saint Bodhi: Yeah, that ‘she not my flavor. She not my cup of tea.’ And I lost everybody, you know, like like oh god, Jeff Burroughs and Ronnie Sheileely and Steve O and everybody that really really uh JO (Joseph Segarra), everybody that really had my back, you know, it was just like I didn’t have them on the winning team anymore and so a lot of things transpired, especially without Steve O around. He he couldn’t pull those moves for me. And then also just my own personal, you know, being young, I didn’t really understand, you know, that’s where my accountability comes from. I didn’t really understand what the f*** was going on. And um I always say now, especially because I do A&R at a as a even though I’m a recording artist, I do A&R now. It’s like, dude, have an identity and just don’t let no one keep molding it and shaping it. And I feel like a lot of times when I was doing music, I would switch it up so quickly before anybody could really digest who the f*** I was. And that is something that, you know, it took me a while to digest. Like, wait, nobody knows who you are. You got to like ride that out. Don’t let them really digest you.
Songwriting kept her afloat and in the game
Ontoneyo: Yeah. So, this was scares a little bit like you are a prolific songwriter. You’ve written for a lot of people and presented a lot of people records. What is the difference between being a songwriter for other people and and being an artist for yourself? Is it easier or is it harder or what’s different in that path?
Saint Bodhi: I’ve so writing for other people I feel like is so much more easier than writing for myself because then I can just hop in a storybook world if I’m with an artist and they’re like, “Oh my god, my boyfriend just left me and I hate him.” And I’m like, bet. Let’s dig him a new one. And you know, I can make it. But then if I write for myself, I’m like, I have all these emotions and feelings and I don’t know. And so sometimes you can get stuck. And so some of my best songs that I’ve written, even on my Mad World album, were songs that I wrote for other people that just ended up on my album.
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. That’s dope.
Saint Bodhi: Yeah.
Ontoneyo: Nice. So what um are you looking forward to achieving like in the next year or so with you know your new situation and stuff like that?
Saint Bodhi: I am looking forward to gigging. And I know I wanna I just want to I want to be on tour. I want to put out more music, to do some shows and to build the brand. I’m in a I’m in a very private rebranding right now. Monsters was just kind of the first toe in it. And so, um yeah, I just want to get the train moving. I want the brand to be bigger. And I I really really really want to connect with my fans and them to to hear what I’m saying.
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. Obviously you worked with Freddie Gibbs on this record. Do you think that you surprised male counterparts with how good you rap?
Saint Bodhi: I feel like the I feel like the guys love it here. I feel like men love the raps. Like, I’m not going to lie. But I do get more love from females.
Ontoneyo: Right. Right. I feel like you have a really sharp pen and it’s like some guys might be intimidated by that or even shocked that like, wow, like this is not the typical 304 rap that you get. This is some real s***, you know?
Saint Bodhi: Yeah. I mean, I don’t do that s***. And I think that I made that very clear. I think I made it very clear with the label that like, y’all, not I’m not going to be doing that all the time. But I I have dabbled in the energy before just because I am a songwriter. But I just it didn’t feel organic to me.
Ontoneyo: Understood.
Saint Bodhi: I just feel like no, I’m not really that kind of person.
Ontoneyo: Yeah. No lie.
Ontoneyo: but I played something at a concert the other day. There’s about 200 people there and I played “Sneaky Link” and the girls was turnt.
Saint Bodhi: Oh my god. Yeah. That’s why I’m like I’ve dabbled in it but it’s just like I remember Def Jam asked me to do a music video to it and I was like nah, I’m good.
Ontoneyo: That’s what’s up. No doubt. Well, saying Bodhi, we can’t wait to see you in Colorado. If something like that happens, we will let the fans know. We appreciate your time.
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