Detroit Rapper Moses the God Talks New Album, Finding Her Voice

he’s a woman in a man’s jungle, but rapper Moses The God pounces with a powerful name and grabs hold of you with a sound that manages to be both marketable and unique. The 24-year-old may be small, but she’s fierce. BLAC caught up with MTG just before the release of her sophomore album, With or Without You.

BLAC: What can listeners expect from this album?

Moses The God: Actual music. Good music. They can expect something different. You probably see my name and expect something else; then you hear me talk. I’m a surprise, but a good surprise. They can expect something they can maybe cry to, dance to, Drake to. It’s a nice mix of things.

B: How have you grown musically since your debut, Red Letters?

MTG: I’ve grown a lot. This album is something I really wanted to do. For the past three, four years, I’ve been trying to get to where I am now, sound-wise and musically. So, this is a good steppingstone, a good foundation. Every album, every project, I’ve definitely grown in some type of way. It’s more me.

B: Do you consider yourself an artist?

MTG: Yes. For one, I write my own songs. I co-produced like 70 percent of the album. I actually care. I think all artists have some type of quality associated with them; I believe I do. I feel like if your parents or grandparents can vibe to it, then it’s something good. It’s no “shoot ’em up, bang bang.” It’s more universal, more worldly.

B: How do you deal with critics?

MTG: I really just put ’em to the side. I do what I wanna do. I don’t really care about what somebody says. Somebody pretty much told me I wouldn’t make it (puts up middle finger). I keep going. I don’t care.

B: What do you say to people who say the Detroit rap industry is too saturated?

MTG: They’re definitely right. Everybody and they mama trying to rap now. It’s ridiculous. Literally, we get emails and DMs from people that you wouldn’t even think wanna rap, just because people are out here bubbling off a YouTube video or something. That don’t have nothing to do with me. That’s them; I don’t personally listen to it. I’m in a whole different bracket – tax bracket, artistry bracket. My music is totally different. I try to make music that’s more mainstream, so I don’t fit in this “Detroit” bubble.

B: Is it tougher being a woman in hip-hop or being gay in hip-hop?

MTG: A woman, definitely. It’s always “OK, we already got one woman here, we got to wait 15 years until we get another one.” That’s tougher than my sexuality. I’m real low-key, so it’s not really a problem or something that should keep me from making it. I think being a woman, in any industry, that’s the first thing (that you see).

B: What’s your biggest dream?

MTG: To be a mixture of Jay-Z, The Dream and Puff Daddy at the same time – somebody that’s behind the scenes but not really. I really just wanna be a songwriter. I went to school for business, so it’s like a passion of mine. It took me a long time to create this album, but in the meantime I was writing songs for other artists in Detroit or helping local businesses. I don’t really see myself on stage all my life.

With or Without You is available on iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.