RESPECT. Interview: Mental Health Advocate Taz Talks About the Motivation and Passion Behind Her Music and More

RESPECT. is treating people with kindness and how you want to be treated. It shouldn’t be subjective to a person’s status. The janitor and the CEO should both be treated with the same amount of respect. When you give RESPECT you get RESPECT, and if you disrespect others, then you will be disrespected.

I had three friends that took their own lives, and I haven’t got any closure because I had so many unanswered questions. About 2 years ago, I was experiencing a great deal of stress, depression and anxiety. I was embarrassed and ashamed of what people would think of me and how it can affect my brand. Music has always been my outlet and by carrying this burden I finally let go.

After Hampton & Seven Five dropped, I was brainstorming on some titles for my next EP and Mentally iLL clicked. It resonated the most because it was my way of sharing my truth unapologetically and paying homage to my friends. My goal was to use my voice to put an end to the silence and heal the iLL. Since Mentally iLL had dropped, people have been opening up to me about their mental health struggles; and it confirmed that my music is having a real impact on people lives. I’ve also conducted over 100 mental health awareness presentations and spoken to over 4,000 students, teachers, and staff members at schools, colleges, and universities nationwide.

In March, I launched the PAIN-tings Art Gala x Mentally iLL listening party. My goal was to turn PAIN into PAIN-tings. The concept was for artists to listen to Mentally iLL and create a PAIN-ting based on how the song made them feel. The first event was extremely dope because it created this open dialogue about mental health through art. It was amazing to see how my music translated the artists feelings onto their canvas’s. I will be conducting more art therapy related pop up events in different cities in the near future.