After a lifetime of feeling like he didn’t fit in with the people he grew up around, Syrian-American artist Seffo has finally won the battle over his self-doubt. His new single ‘Rebirth’ marks the first step in Seffo telling his story on his terms.
Syrian-American rapper Seffo has shared his new single, ‘Rebirth,’ as he gets set to take 2024 by storm.
The 22-year-old artist was born in South Carolina but spent his early years in Syria, where his grandmother raised him. Throughout these years, Seffo – delivered Youssef Kobach – faced violence and discrimination, never entirely fitting into his home in the Middle East. When he returned to the USA eight years later, he didn’t quite fit in. English was a struggle for him, and he found that neither tutors, Rosetta Stone, nor the school system could help him access the language.
Only when he started listening to rap music did Youssef genuinely understand the language – with all its distinctive rhythms and cadences. He fell in love with artists like Eminem, Nas, Drake, and Nikki Minaj; their songs were informative in Youssef’s learning and inspirational in his musical awakening.
As a teenager, he began to create songs of his own. Inevitably, this led to him penning his album. Several years back, he released his first record, The Renaissance LP, under ‘YoYo.’ But despite all the promise of the album, Youssef was plagued by insecurities and found it challenging to feel happy with what he’d created.
“After I released my first album, I wasn’t confident in my craft,” he admitted. “I was afraid of the judgment I’d receive because of the people in my community. I also had constant trust issues with specific judgemental characters.”
This led Youssef to dabble with new sounds and new ideas.
“I decided to release then a track called ‘Who I Am,’ which was me unapologetically talking about myself and my upbringing, and it was about how the listener should be unapologetic as well. In that song, I touched on how others were living life in bad shape – homelessness, drug abuse, family structure, poverty communities, minorities sticking together – but the most important message of the song was about NOT being judgemental to others. After I wrote that, I decided that instead of responding to the hate I’d had to deal with in life, I needed to rebrand myself and be even more authentic in a more universal/relatable way. So, I decided to make ‘Rebirth.’”
‘Rebirth’ is a powerful song about uncovering your authentic self. On the track, Seffo delves deep into past traumas (“PTSD from everything that I’ve soldiered through”) but explores how he’s come out the other side and overcome every obstacle. His rapping style is clinical, and his voice has a gorgeous, rich timbre. The song also features a powerful keyboard riff, making it intensely listenable.
Seffo’s star is rapidly rising.
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