Detroit-based rapper Julian is sprinting through the music industry after the release of his single, “Got it on your own” featuring Jeremih. We spoke to the rapper to learn more about his inspirations and his drive to take the music industry by storm.
Julian hails from a global background. Having lived in Dubai and being of Iraqi-Chaldean descent, Julian was shuttled between two different worlds. “I wasn’t born there [in Iraq], but I did go there when I was around four or five. I was there for about two months. One month in Bagdad where my dad’s family lived and we went to Mosul…my mom’s side was from there.”
But it was at his father’s music school in Dubai, where he learned to play different instruments and picked up a love for writings. “Since we were babies my dad used to sit us by the piano. He would literally take out the baby carriage, sit it right next to the piano, and he’d play for us every night. Music has been in our family. I always say music is in our blood,” says Julian.
The 21-year-old rapper now writes and produces his own music, showcasing intimate lyrics inspired by his diverse background. His international background is the main foreground for his music and he hopes to be an inspirational figure for the Chaldean community.
“I do it more to be that guy who does it for them,” shares Julian. “ We’re a population of half a million in Michigan alone, there’s no Chaldean artist or actor, that’s made into this type of industry. I want to be that guy who did it first for them.”
When Julian first heard Eminem rap when he was eight years old, Julian knew that music was what he wanted to do as a career. “Growing up in Michigan, in Detroit, it’s Eminem city,” Julian said. “Eminem was the main key to me realizing this is what I wanted to do so I started writing around seven, eight years old.”
But Julian was quick to mention his ongoing love for artists like Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones as well. “They have a body of work that lives on forever. That’s what I want to do, I want to make music that lives on forever,” Julian shared.
The rapper describes his music as very melodic and deep. He’ll pay a lot of attention to the chorus and won’t just focus on only the rap itself. “I rap about things that are real to me and I think people will appreciate that,” Julian concluded.
Julian’s new single “Really Good” dropped this week and he calls it “one of the best songs he’s ever created.”