Los Angeles Times

Q&A: Meet Brent Faiyaz, R&B's antihero: 'It's not human to be constantly writing love songs'

This summer, billboards in major cities across the country displayed the following cryptic phrase: "I would like to apologize in advance for the person I'm gonna become once this album drops." The billboards belonged to 26-year-old singer-songwriter Brent Faiyaz; the album in question was "Wasteland," a cautionary, R&B-trap opera deriding fame in a time of social and political upheaval. Today, ...
From left, Brent Faiyaz and Pretty Vee attend the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022, in Los Angeles.

This summer, billboards in major cities across the country displayed the following cryptic phrase: "I would like to apologize in advance for the person I'm gonna become once this album drops."

The billboards belonged to 26-year-old singer-songwriter Brent Faiyaz; the album in question was "Wasteland," a cautionary, R&B-trap opera deriding fame in a time of social and political upheaval. Today, "Wasteland" debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 2, just behind global megastar Bad Bunny.

This counts as as a massive triumph for Faiyaz who has steadfastly committed to working independently of major labels, including distribution.

"I figure I'm pretty good at doing all that on my own," he says over the phone from a hotel in Beverly Hills.

Faiyaz was born Christopher Brent Wood in Columbia, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, to parents of African American and Dominican descent.

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