LYNN — Rather than slowing down, rapper Heger Asenjo — known as Heg — has spent the pandemic creating a new song which he says captures the emotional upheaval and struggles many have experienced over the past year.
The song, simply called “Salt,” is deeply personal and emotional, he said, a piece that he was inspired to write due to all the lost lives from drugs, violence and dealing with cancer treatments within his immediate circle.
“With what everyone’s been going through in the past year, with the riots, COVID-19 and the violence, I just tried to focus everything on a message and substance,” Heg said.
Talking about the struggles people have been facing is important, Heg said, which is why he decided to use his love for music to share his message.
His passion started in the seventh grade when Heg, 46, said his music career was “just a demo and a dream.” In 2000, he moved to Orlando, Fla., where he lived for 13 years and used his own recording studio to continue to produce music.
When he moved back to Lynn, his focus shifted to releasing music that was relevant to the “new era.” Heg’s daughter, Bugsy Jeneva, is also a rapper and he said she helped him learn new ways to approach music. He has since released three songs on streaming platforms.
One such song, “The Essence,” was released in April with a music video that features landmarks around Lynn, including High Rock Tower and many of the city’s murals.
“I just wanted to highlight Lynn and a couple of people in it while talking about where it all started,” Heg said.
A few weeks after its release, “The Essence” had over 10,000 views on YouTube.
“I just didn’t think it would take off like that,” Heg said.
He worked with Grammy Award-winning producer Rockwilder while he was in Florida, and also hosted a talent show with him in the Bahamas. Throughout his career, Heg said that he has always written what “feels good,” while ensuring that his music also “carries a message.”
While there were no online streaming platforms when he began his music career in the 1990s, Heg said he has had to adjust to the current state of music production and marketing.
“I had no choice but to adapt and adjust,” Heg said. “This is definitely the new generation’s game.”
With his music easily available online, Heg said it is much easier to promote and share content now than it was when he started. While he used to send out cassettes in the mail, he can now easily share his music through text and his social media pages.
“The internet just changed the game,” Heg said. “It’s much easier now, but it’s a catch-22, because that means anybody can put music out any time they want.”
Heg refers to music as his therapy and said the people that genuinely like to write music and respect the art don’t get as much attention now that everyone can easily release music — and a lot if it can be easily autotuned.
“Now, I can reach whoever I want to reach and get it out to everybody, so there’s good and bad,” Heg said.
Heg said his audience is “real people with real problems,” and that’s what he tries to write about.
“I want people who have problems and have bills to pay,” Heg said. “A lot of my stuff is emotional and motivational.”
He said, as an older rapper, “the youngsters call us old heads, but us old heads are actually saying something.”
Heg’s music is on all streaming platforms and he said he has plans to put out some new music in the future.
