Talented and Humble: These two words best describe Malcolm Whye, also known by his stage name Malcolm “Whyz3” (pronounced wīse).
At 30-years old, Whyz3 is getting a late start in the music scene. Despite taking a little longer to get started, he is prepared for takeoff. In 2023, he was named a “Top Artist to Watch,” adding credibility to his growing presence on social media and in music venues around Denver. Still, the self-taught rapper watches YouTube videos on a nightly basis to learn the ins-and-outs of the industry, while gaining knowledge that may help elevate his career.
“There’s just a lot that I still don’t know about the music industry – about mixing and mastering; about production,” he says, with an awareness that he has a lot of work to do. Yet, Whyz3 is far from intimidated. He sees the beauty in the process and takes it in stride as a learning experience. He also recognizes the support and sacrifice of people who have helped him reach this point.
A Strong Support System
Whyz3’s grandmother was one of his earliest supporters and one of the main sources of inspiration for his career in music. After she passed, he wrote his very first song.
“She was (all my grandparents were) amazing. They just gave so much knowledge and inspiration,” he says, sharing a story about a time when he and his mother flew to visit his grandmother.
To capture the memory, they interviewed the family’s matriarch. “My mom asked questions while I sat with my grandma on camera. We asked things like, ‘What was it like growing up?’ and ‘What kind of adversity did you face?’”
One of her grandmother’s bits of wisdom stuck with him and made a lasting impression that affected his outlook on life. “Money comes and goes; and you know, I’ve made money. I’ve lost money. But really, the point of life is to go out and do what you want to do.”
At that moment, Whyz3 realized he always wanted to make music. Growing up, he spent a great deal of time playing basketball and football, eventually becoming one of the University of Northern Colorado’s star wide receivers. Yet, he loved to attend concerts and had great admiration for those performing, including some of his friends.
“I always thought that it was so cool that they were doing something by themselves, getting on stage and rocking it. And that was always something I would have loved to do,” he remembers.
As a young man living in Denver, he spent summers in New York City with his father. In a 2022 interview with Westword he mentioned the busy city’s influence and one of his favorite pastimes frequenting Harlem jazz clubs saying, “I fell in love with music out there, because there’s so much culture and history.”
His first song, “What You Make It”, was released in 2019 after his grandmother’s death. Upon the song’s release, friends connected him to Authentic 100 Entertainment (A1), an entertainment and media collective that encouraged him to pursue music in another musically-charged city. Soon thereafter, his first taped recordings took place in Chicago. It was also his friends who pushed him to begin performing live, prompting his debut performance with five songs that he’d written within a 30-day span.
While the support of Whyz3’s friends propelled him forward, it was his grandmother’s words that gave him the courage to step into the spotlight.
“I realized it was something I needed to be doing,” he says, thinking back to the immediate reception by industry figures. “My grandma was definitely the influence for that.”
Sitting with his grandmother in her final days was life changing and provided the wisdom and guidance he needed for the next phase of his life. “Whenever you can, sit and talk with the elder members of your family. Get that experience, it’s always worth it.”
Music and Mental Health
Whyz3 is not embarrassed to talk about mental health; as a conscious-leaning hip-hop artist, he promotes the importance of mental wellness both on and off-stage.
Having played team sports throughout his youth, he went through a stage of depression after having to abruptly stop playing football.
“It’s just something that a lot of athletes go through after they’ve played at a high level and then have to go into the workforce. It’s just like a regular civilian lifestyle (if you will) where you can no longer call yourself an athlete.”
During the transitional time, he questioned his value and place in the universe and had to reexamine the ideology that Black rappers and ball players are the only significant influences in the Black community.
“When you don’t feel like you have a place, it can definitely affect your emotions. We’re taught to always be strong, like Superman. But, that’s really just not the case – we’re human beings. At the end of the day, we all have emotions. We all go through things, and the more that we can open up and talk about those things, the easier it is for another person,” he admits.
One of his well-known songs titled “Anxiety” shines a light on the increasingly-common struggle with mental illness, and people often reach out to him to thank him for spreading awareness while sharing their own experiences with anxious thoughts and feelings.
By sharing his experiences, Whyz3 hopes that people recognize similarities in themselves that allow them to help themselves and others.
“It’s definitely not something that we talk about as Black men, and it’s something that we should be talking about more,” he says, with the hope that his music can serve as a big brother or father-figure to someone who doesn’t have a strong support system. “I think the stigma is being broken because more people are talking about it. …It’s our obligation to speak on those things and help other people get through them too.”
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As his career continues to warm up, Whyz3 reflects on his top musical influence and the goals he has set for his own body of work.
He admires the late rappers Nipsey Hussle and Mac Miller, along with Erykah Badu, Jay Z and rapper and producer J. Cole for his lyricism and realness, and says that his desire to include real-life experiences is a byproduct of Cole’s influence. Thinking back to one of his most memorable performances, he recalls seeing a friend in the audience with tears streaming down his face. When Whyz3 asked if the friend was okay, the response was that he never expected one of his friends to be doing what they love. For him, it was a full-circle moment that brought him back to the days of watching his own friends on stage and his grandmother’s words of wisdom, urging him to pursue his dreams. It was confirmation that he was right where he needed to be.
Currently, Whyz3 is finishing up a tour in the U.S. and Europe, with Indianapolis-based rapper, Mark Battles. After July performances in London and Berlin, he will head back to Denver to continue working on a new EP which he plans to release by the end of 2024.
He is already laying out plans for 2025 and 2026, but says, “I’m trying to go in baby increments, because you never know what’s going to happen. As long as you have that mindset that you can really accomplish anything, then you can make anything happen. I’m kind of a prime example of that.”
For now, he is doing what he loves and bringing audiences and fans along on his journey to the top.
Editor’s Note: To learn more about Malcolm Whyz3, follow him on Instagram and Facebook @MalcolmWhyz3.
