Photo of Sevadar Sehaj

Sevadar Sehaj

Sevadar Sehaj Radio

General Info

  • Genre: Hip Hop / Soul

    Location Minneapolis, US

    Profile Views: 8580

    Last Login: 7/28/2010

    Member Since 1/17/2007

    Record Label unsigned

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    For the most part an unknown singer and rapper in the local Minneapolis scene, you might recognize Sevadar Sehaj simply as a beatmaker. Considering I had never heard of him having any shows and haden't heard any of his songs I was suprised to run into a full length album mixed, recorded and written by Sehaj hidden in the local hip hop section of the uptown cheapo. I had seen him battle a couple of times at the last of the record buyers in the dinkytowner and was impressed with his beats. So I decided to pick up a copy. As I listened to his new album Lacuna, I was struck by the sheer originality of the unique lyrics and delivery and storytelling of Sehaj. To say the least I was very impressed. So I decided to get in contact with him and do an interview. What I found out about this artist and what I have realized since is that you can never tell what kind of a person someone is and what their beliefs are based sheerly on their art. Sehaj was not only strange. He was rude, self indulgent egotistical and oblivious to the contradictions of his songs with his uncaring skull and bones loving self. Let me explain... Born in south Minneapolis. Sevadar Sehaj grew up in a good neighborhood with positive people. His father owns a pool nursing service business. His mother is an artist. I came to find out that his father has been fighting the government his whole life wether it be refusing to pay his income taxes, sueing the government for the "unconstitution" elections of 2000 and 2004 to protesting the Vietnam war as a consientious objector. Sehaj's father also had a strong love for god. Considering this I asked Sehaj if he believed in god. "yeah of course. God will save us. god will stop the violence. God will save the economy. God will make a movie that will sell billions. then god will bring all the religions together with this movie. then the movie will be made into a book. that book will become the new bible. it's all in gods plan." he then crossed himself. Okay, I thought to myself, thats kind of an odd notion. Sevadar Sehaj then continued to tell me he really didn't come across any drama in school. no drama at home. no drama in his mind. no drama in the world. He said he believed in finding the good in things. the idealisms of love and peace. He didn't watch the news. "Too negative" he said. He didn't want to hear of death, only life. "I choose life." he said. "Life is cool. I mean breathing. Think about it. Whats better than that?" to sum it up he has lived and is choosing to live a sheltered existence. white. man. wealthy father. nice house. privileged. So I asked him why the fuck is he making art? Wheres does he get the motivation for making music when there's no pain to diminish and sing away? "I don't know." Sehaj said as he took a sip of crytaaaallll. "I guess I make it up. The pain ain't real. You just gotta make up some drama in your head and walla! you got a song about a sad bird with a broken wing. singing a sad song to his friends in a tree. yeah...my life is pretty easy I tell ya." He laughed. Watching him made me feel quite uncomfortable. As if he was a soulless vampire or a corporate executive who watches the show Cops in his free time. Yes I couldn't help but to feel disappointed and confused about the Sevadar Sehaj I was interviewing compared with the Sevadar Sehaj I had listened to. With words that could make the devil hum a tune, Sehaj blew me away with songs like get lifted and born everyday. Songs of a struggling individual trying to find the goodness and purity in the world. His soulful and honest extremely unique voice made me want to go for a walk. shake the hand of a stranger. write a letter to my local politician. eat some tofu. go dumpster diving for wasted food. yes his voice made me alive. sex, money, drugs, lies, relationships, women, corruption, and love Sehaj puts it all into his songs. He makes you feel like he really understands you. But believe me he doesn't. I entered Sehaj's home with the high hopes of finding a peaceful heart. beating with the sound of protest and love. only to find that he is an asshole. closed off from his neighbors with four locks on every door. afraid of terrorist ants that he heard about on his christian evangelical radio station. "I heard they make a home under your home....they eat away the infrastructure...all for Allah. yeah they were shipped over to the US by alquida. Fucked up huh?" Yes I'm sorry to say he is also an idiot simply greedy for fame and recognition. playing the role of an artist, singing of change and revolution while cementing himself in the existing capitalist infrastructure. Unaware of the hipocracy within himself and the hipocracy around him he asked if I'd like some Hormel angel food cake while preaching about health food. He told me of the importance of supporting your local businesses and products. but his house was scattered with old Toco Bell wrappers, Doritoes, Coca Cola...etc. name the corperation and he has it. He also mentioned the global warming problem but his room was filled with Nascar posters with all the lights on in the middle of the day. When I checked him on this he said," Theres really nothing to explain. I'm an American just like you. I do my part with my songs. Who are you Ghandi?" Based on the content of his first solo release Lacuna; I would have never thought he was such a sheppish going along with the status quo individual(or lack thereof) With songs like "give a lil hooray" which is a communist propaganda tale about a rich man living in the US who is decieved by one of his closest friend and loses everything. He comes to realize there is no room for truth, friendship or love in a capitalist system. Understanding the robotic heartless free market system he ends the song by singing "knocking on the door of mister Karl Marx." right on. But there is a simple thing that mister Sevadar doesn't understand and that many artists of the time fail to understand, actions are much more imporant than words. Don't sing a song about love if your not willing to be in love with somebody. Don't sing a song of revolution if your not willing to partake in one. Don't rap about your community if you don't even know your next door neighbors. Don't preach to a choir and forget to preach to yourself. Don't create a world of lies for the mere sake of recognition and popularity like a politician. Be real. Be yourself. And if you don't like that self you have the power to change. As Sehaj waved goodbye from his massive house I left disgruntled and disgusted but realizing now that I hold a new appreciation for the genuine caring people in my life. My friends my family my co workers my former teachers. This society is set up in a way that everyone appreciates the voice in the song or on stage and they forget to appreciate the hard working people around them. They follow and mirror the actions they see and hear on the radio or on tv and they forget to talk and learn from those in their own living room. I came home and hugged my wife and read a good night story to my child. Happy and content.

  • Members

    Rocky Rocoon- Drums Bungaloo Bill- Bass Johnny Defee- Guitar Leroy Brown- DJ Mister Jones- production

  • Influences

    soul, soul, soul, blues? sure ralph ellison, gertrude stein, eyedea, neil young, dostoyevsky, jean paul sartre, cammus, ayn rand, atmosphere, the beatles, bob dylan, mississippi john hurt, furry lewis, lightning hopkins, mic B, raph, the high poet family, brother ali, illuminous 3, led zepplin, nina simone, wendy waldman, shawn phillips... anyone who i've ever sampled, outcasts, phonies, losers, people with low self esteem,commedians, my dad, kirpal, sant ji, gahndi, jesus, women, and you.

  • Sounds Like

    everything in between something outside of it.

Videos

Grandpa Bud

03:13 | 60 plays | Sep 13 2007

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