Brent Faiyaz

The R&B superstar on bad habits, zodiac signs, Mob movies, and raising the bar for live vocals on tour

- LARISHA PAUL

Listen to Brent Faiyaz’s music long enough and his life starts to sound like a movie. He’s the director, screenwriter, and main character in an imaginary film born from late nights in big cities, hushed conversations with women at loud parties, and emotions felt without penitence. Faiyaz doesn’t see himself as a villain, even when he sings about sending those “You up?” texts that he probably shouldn’t, or upending a good thing to see if the grass is greener on the other side. But he isn’t all that sorry if you see him that way. His catalog to date has earned a stunning 7.2 billion global on-demand streams, according to Luminate data. For his third studio album, Larger Than Life, he stayed true to his vision. “This is how I see the world. This is my universe. This is what we do. This is what it feels like,” the Maryland native, 28, says over Zoom. “What I look like letting motherfuckers tell me what my world looks like?”

You’ve been called a “toxic king” of R&B. Do you feel like that term is overused these days?

I think it’s all about what you’re used to. To some people, I might say some brutal, outrageous shit. But to motherfuckers who hear outrageous shit, I’m not really saying nothing that crazy. I grew up on Max B and Dipset. People who haven’t been exposed to certain environments will see shit for the first time and it’s outrageous to them.

What’s your biggest vice, and how do you break cycles of bad habits like the ones you explore on your recent single “WY@”?