Meet Ah-Deli | Hip-Hop Artist & Poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ah-Deli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ah-Deli, how does your business help the community?
I feel like my passion for hip-hop has the absolute capability of impacting the world through a ripple effect. I am a solo artist, but also proud to be part of a multifaceted group called Heru Heru. We created an acronym for HERU, which is Helping Everybody Rise Up. Our aim is to heal the world through our music and we call it Heal Hop. We released our first album in 2019 with a heavy golden era, classic 90’s feel called ‘Heal Hop’ in the unexpected city of Nashville, the capital of Country Music.

We wanted to change the sound of hip-hop in our city and beyond without jumping on the bandwagon , emulating the popular ‘trap’ or ‘drill’ music which has been prevalant in recent years. Healing through hip-hop AKA #healhop entails making music of substance and healing through hip-hop. However, Heal Hop transcends music. Hip-hop is a worldwide culture at this point. Using it as a tool to heal a community by planting trees and gardens , or removing litter from the streets is absolutely Heal Hop. Furthermore, respecting the elders and living an honorable life constitutes principle of this Heal Hop movement. It surpasses lyricism and beats, because to us it’s almost sacred.

We constantly remind ourselves of the origin of this musical artform we have such reverence for. It started as a method of protest that rooted in the Bronx vocalizing daily challenges such as social injustice, the repercussions of political corruption, leading to widescale drug-use and the normalization of poverty stricken neighborhoods. This new art became a means of creative expression that brought forth hope to the participants in the face of poverty in the late 60s, early 70s. DJing/break-dancing/graffiti/and emceeing became the 4 elements of hip-hop and our mission is to protect this art for generations to come. Thank you to the pioneers of Sedgwick Avenue where it began. Salute.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hip-hop has become a part of my identity. Sometimes my dopest bars come from my dreams and if I don’t write them down when I wake up, I may forget them.

I also love handwoven Persian rugs. It’s hard to image someone spending several years of their life weaving a single rug. I don’t take their efforts for granted. Both of these artforms are like endangered species today and I hope they have a strong future ahead in this new age of technology. In my opinion, A.I. should not be accepted in hip-hop or music in general, period. It’s like snatching the soul out of it. Like a cheap printed rug with a stolen Persian design, but with no actual essence. I want the world to know the importance of these artistic techniques and why they are so vital to protect in this capitalistic age of rapid consumption.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When it comes to food, I’m like a melting pot. I love food from all over the world and am familiar with the cuisine of many cultures.

I would take them down Nolensville Pike which offers diverse and delectable global options conveniently located on this single road.

I would also take them around Nashville and familiarize them with Music City, USA.

I’d show them historic Fisk University where the title ‘Music City’ originally derived. The Queen of England was so moved by the music of the Fisk Jubilee singers, she gave it the famous name.

I’d also show them Music Row in Midtown, as well as the the original Music Row in North Nashville off Jefferson Street where numerous musical legends like Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Ray Charles, Little Richard, and other notable musicians would reguarly perform. I’d also show them Citizens Savings Bank and Trust which is the longest running minority-owned owned bank in U.S. history, which opened in 1904.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out Mos Def and Talib Kweli for having a profound impact on our group Heru Heru. Their socially conscious, unapologeticly honest and poetic subject matter was somewhat unprecedented during that period of rap music. Nas, Tupac, DMX, Common, The Roots, Mobb Deep, Notorious B.I.G, Big Pun, Ma$e, Big L, and The Diplomats were the main artists that helped me become the lyrical prodigy I am today.

Let’s keep this Heal Hop movement going! Big shout outs to the other members of the Heru Heru team: my partner in rhyme, Foundation Mecca, and Grammy-winning producer Konscience Beatz. #healhop

Website: www.ahdelihiphop.com

Instagram: @ahdelihiphop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiphopahdeli

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ahdelihiphop?si=1Gm262TRK7JQYWJV