A Journey into theMIND of Zarif  Wilder

Words by Franky Dono  •  Photos by Michael Salisbury

At what point does a person look back on their life and see how far they’ve come? Often times, a person’s story is based on the number of steps taken toward their goals. For some, achieving these dreams can mark the end of their adventure. For others, such as Zarif Wilder, the journey is the dream itself. Looking back on his past, Zarif’s path to music began at the age of nine. Although no one ever knows where they’ll be ten, fifteen years down the line. The idea of a starting point is sometimes enough to get the ball rolling. In the case of Zarif Wilder, Chicago became that beginning. 

For those who grew up near Chicago, it’s easy to imagine the horrors of a winter near the lake. Imagine feeling these conditions for the first time in your life. That’s what Zarif felt that February of 2006 and yet, moving from Philadelphia was a no-brainer. As far as Zarif was concerned, living in the birthplace of Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco was all he could ask for and worth developing thicker skin to withstand the frigid gusts of wind during Chicago's long winters. 

To sum up Zarif’s experience going to college for music, Martin Atkins’ book Welcome to the Music Business You’re F*cked, would be a great source of reference. As Zarif remembers, his teachers had no problem waking him up from his dream,”All my teachers were like, ‘You ain’t gon’ be shit. Might as well be a tour manager or something’,” he laughed. He knew it wasn’t personal, but that mentality never sat well with Zarif, “I was always like, ‘that’s because y'all's dreams didn’t come true. You can’t just tell a bunch of kids, ‘Hey! Your shit’s never gonna happen for you,’ and I understand it, it’s like the NBA or anything else. But I was just never for it.” It’s hard making a career away from home. Even though Zarif always wanted to make it in Chicago, He knew he couldn’t do it studying in a system built on doubt. Avoiding that pitfall was a large part of Zarif’s departure from Columbia. Ultimately, Zarif found his validation as a musician in pratice, rather than the classroom. It was during these initial years at Columbia that Zarif built the foundation to his career. By way of ambitious and talented friends, such as the music collective THEMpeople, Zarif Wilder became known as theMIND.
 
Zarif liked to joke about the origin of his name. He credits an old girlfriend as part of its inspiration, she used to call him, ”’The Professor’ because I used to talk a lot. So I would just say shit and she’d suck her teeth and be like,’Shut the fuck up!’...But it would just be me talking out loud not realizing what I was doing.” The combination of these thoughtful moments and his family ties to psychiatry kept Zarif aware of the intricacies of the brain. His close proximity to the dealings of the mind made it natural for him to vocalize his thoughts, an attribute essential to any artist. For Zarif however, this tool became a way of life. In his head, theMIND represented a culmination of all his best thoughts. As a tactic, theMIND was Zarif’s way of combating his doubts and insecurities. By revealing himself through theMIND, Zarif can disclose his truths in hopes that others may find their own. 

The best examples of theMIND’s ideals in motion come in his first, and most recent body of work, "Summer Camp". The project consists of moments from Zarif’s life expanded into songs and skits. Zarif feels the album represents what it felt like reaching a certain level of confidence as a musician. It did take some time for the album to be finished. As a musician better known for his work on other people’s records, Zarif found his solo sessions confined to Sundays. The creation of "Summer Camp" came about visually, much like the title did. As theMIND, he crafted the sections of music and dialogue together like scenes of a movie. From inception to release, Zarif thought the project “felt like an indie film. It felt like you know, the screen goes black yellow letters pop up and it says ‘Summer Camp’ and then, this movie starts. You know what I’m saying? That’s how I felt making the project so instantly, that was just the name of it.” In 2018, theMIND intends to visualize his music in much of the same way.

With 2018 around the corner, Zarif’s follow up EP, "Don’t Let It Go To Your Head", marks a different approach from theMIND. "Don’t Let It Go To Your Head" seems a fitting title as, “At this point, I know what’s about to happen, I know this shit is gonna go up, I know this shit is gonna be dope and all that. Do NOT lose yourself in this process, you know?” Another EP following that is planned but Zarif hasn’t landed on a title just yet, but it’ll work as a sort of homage to some of his inspirations. “I always used to love how older singers like, Marvin Gaye, Isley Brothers, Sam Cook, all these guys were making like these super sad songs, but like we’re dancing to that bitch. That’s how my next project feels.” A great example would be theMIND’s collaboration with producer Da-P “Ms. Communication.” The song may sound happy, but it’s really about Zarif’s experience in a failing relationship. His ability to translate these moments or issues with a musical juxtaposition is a credit to Zarif’s growth as a musician. Having had such a successful year or so since "Summer Camp" is a credit to his ability to manifest his dreams, a skill Zarif has continued to hone in on since beginning his journey years ago.

Zarif has big plans ahead, and rightfully so. He’s been everywhere across the this country, to Europe and back again. Performing and creating with friends like Mick Jenkins, Smino, Noname, or Jamila Woods, Zarif has maintained his sense of validation for his dreams. He most recently accomplished a North American tour with Ibeyi this past November, performing his solo material. Along with the two aforementioned small projects, Zarif looks to release an album as well as headline his first tour as theMIND in the coming year. Beyond his musical aspirations, Zarif also seeks to begin talks of building an actual summer camp next year. As a child who grew up in foster care, Zarif understands the struggles some organizations face sustaining programs for their kids. For Zarif, achieving these upcoming goals are just another item to his ever-changing bucket list. In the years to come, expect to see instances of greatness like this and more, from theMIND of Zarif Wilder.