Emmy Award-winning rapper Frzy will release his album Success on October 18 along with Popularity, a fraternal twin album, creating a double release aimed to highlight the difference between the two constructs. No stranger to tackling complex thought-provoking projects, on November 8, he will put Success on stage to make history with a one-night-only concert collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). He’ll also be wearing Steve Madden shoes. But more on that later.
“The Glorious Succession of Frzy” marks the world premiere of an orchestration of the hip-hop artist’s new album and the first time that a full orchestration of a rap album has been performed by the artist or the PSO. With orchestral arrangements by composer Christian Kriegeskotte, Frzy, his band (The Faculty) and DJ Solo Dolo will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Associate Conductor Moon Doh. The event opens with a cinematic theme composed by Kriegeskotte that channels the rapper’s childhood obsession with superheroes like Black Panther and the music superhero model he strives to emulate with his philanthropy.
Building Bridges And Reminders With Hip-Hop
“The one thing that I learned growing up was that, like I love making people happy, and what makes people more happy than saving them. And I learned that beforehand that I want to pave the road with pillows if I can. And I don’t ever want, I don’t like to see people suffer. Especially when it’s out of their control. And if I have an opportunity, or the power to help someone, or the platform to help someone, there’s no amount of money I would take. You just do things because you should do them. It’s the right thing to do.”
Harvey “Frzy” Daniels calls the concert a “love letter” to the city where he was born and raised and an opportunity to bring people together while blending cultures, fan bases, and music experiences. It’s an impressive accomplishment especially for a 37-year-old self-taught musician who had rather limited exposure to rap in his youth due to his mom Brenda’s “no cussing” policy. Today, he’s proven that success can also be built on G and PG-rated tracks.
“I grew up in poverty. I grew up low income—my family, you know, didn’t have enough money to give me those formal lessons or to help pay for an instrument for me. So I had to become the instrument myself,” says Frzy. Educating others about freestyle and rap has since become the foundation of his career.
The approach taken by Frzy and Kriegeskotte means that “The Glorious Succession of Frzy” will not be a traditional experience. “In most cases, pop acts build charts that only imitate the existing music, often using the orchestra as a backdrop or a special effect without really diving into what makes a symphony orchestra such a remarkable force. Our mission in this is to bring Frzy into the world of the orchestra rather than superimpose the orchestra over a hip-hop track. In this way I imagine him becoming an orchestral soloist no different than Yo Yo Ma or Lawrence Brownlee. In the end, the orchestra expands its horizon by illuminating the most important element of hip-hop— the words. In turn, Frzy’s horizons are broadened by deepening his understanding of the way music can be expressed and performed at the highest levels,” explains Kriegeskotte, a composer and veteran Hollywood studio orchestra musician who manages popular programming for the PSO.
Rapping In The Neighborhood
Notorious for collaborating and connecting, Frzy’s collaboration with WQED
QED
Watch Frzy perform the hip-hop version of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.”
“What I love about it is if Mr. Rogers would have took off his sweater and had 97 tattoos, right, it wouldn’t have changed the kindness that he created.”
Frzy sports 97 tattoos and hopes that his work is a reminder to the world. “I wanted to show that kindness doesn’t have a look,” says the artist who has helped raised over $1 million for charity over the last decade including events to benefit Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh and The Tree of Life Synagogue, the target of a murderous anti-semitic terrorist attack in his city in 2018.
Marathons And Shoes
In a world full of challenges, the rapper seems game to take them on including those that some might deem crazy. In 2020 he snagged the Guinness World Record for “Longest Rap Marathon Individual” by freestyle rapping for 31 hours.
In Pittsburgh, family-owned restaurant chain Eat’n Park (founded in 1949) used his face to create their traditional Smiley Face cookie in his honor, and the city named a day after him. He’s now shooting for a state-wide Frzy day, something that no celebrity has yet to claim. But he’s already seen his face on a billboard in Times Square, so Frzy’s a believer in himself as well as others.
He is one of the faces of Steve Madden’s Self Made initiative, the designer and shoe empire king’s program highlighting entrepreneurs who are changing the face of their industries. The artist says the initiative has encouraged him to blend his love of fashion with his love of learning, branding, and giving back. He credits Madden and Madden’s team for helping him move forward with his vision. His respect for those in the fashion industry and their creations also have him hitting the gym as much as the recording studio. Probably a smart move given the continued trend and popularity of fashion and hip hop-mergers.
“I want to be a canvas for them. I want to be a moving mannequin. And, you know, my goal is to become a fashion icon within the brand of Frzy.”
Says Madden, founder and creative and design chief of Steve Madden, Ltd., “Frzy is as sensational a human being as he is a rapper. His professionalism, charisma, creativity, and drive combined to create a valued contribution to Steve Madden’s Self Made initiative. We couldn’t enjoy Frzy’s continued success more.”
Now, as he prepares to offer up Success, Frzy plans to showcase something different while reminding us we’re all the same.
