Suigeneris

If you look up the Latin term “Sui generis,” it translates to “Unique.”
San Jose-born rapper Suigeneris actually backs the name up with tightly woven wordplay, otherworldly melodies, and vivid lyrics. As a result, his growing impact resonates across the culture to the tune of 25 million-plus cumulative streams within two years, a deal with EMPIRE, and the glowing endorsements of everyone from No Jumper to West Coast superstar YG.

The style, substance, and success all belie the fact he turns 16 in 2019…
“I chose the name, because I want my mindset, music, and the way I move to be unique, but I had to use a different word,” he says. “I needed everything to be fresh. You’ll hear me singing, and then you’ll hear me going really hard on the bars. It’s all about versatility for me. I’m going to do something new every time you hear me.”

He started pursuing that path as a child. Music surrounded him as his dad, uncle, and cousins all rapped. Family parties became another reason to listen to hip-hop together. “Suie” developed an obsession with Tupac before eventually discovering Future, Migos, and Young Thug. Around the same time, pops turned his own life around, “going from bad things in the streets to changing everything and scrambling for money to help us out.” During 2015, the bedroom Suie shared with his brother transformed into a makeshift home studio for dad to record. Instead, Suie started “messing with it.”

As a freshman in high school, he recorded “Pull Up.” In spite of bullying and disbelief from classmates, he uploaded the song online. After one listen, No Jumper’s Adam 22 became an early champion. Shortly after, the official music video clocked over 1.6 million views, and he caught an invite to tour with Landon Cube. Plus, he dropped The Cheat Code project in 2018. In between, regular Cube collaborator and multiplatinum star Lil Skies embraced the movement and teamed up with him for “Now,” which tallied over 10 million total streams. Attracting the attention of millions, he simultaneously grew his following across Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Along the way, he crafted his 2019 offering, Suinami [EMPIRE]. He introduced the body of work with the insidiously irresistible banger “Lucifer” inspired by one of his favorite TV shows Lucifier and its main character who “has the dopest rides, wears a tuxedo every day, and rocks those Gucci fur shoes.” Meanwhile, the follow-up single “Dancin” slips from an airy cadence into an elastic flow before building towards a hypnotic and hard-hitting hook that incites immediate movement.

“It’s really just a vibe,” he says. “I pictured girls, drinking, money, and Maison Margiela’s. It’s a dancing song, which is why we called it what we did. I expect it to be played at strip clubs and parties,” he laughs.
Elsewhere on the tracklisting, he joins forces with DaBoii for the wild “Really Do This” and TJ Porter for the emotionally charged “Feelings.” Suinami concludes on the powerful and poetic “Waste Away.” The latter sees him grapple with death for the first time by way of cathartic and catchy harmonies after enduring the recent passing of his grandparents.

Beyond his prolific musical output, Suie remains an accomplished gamer often found on Twitch or playing Fortnite, Call of Duty, or NBA2K. The artist’s sense of humor also shines through hilarious skits on social media. Getting to know him on a deeper level, his competitive spirit is derived from a successful stint wrestling throughout high school and placing the state’s top three two years in a row.

In the end, everything Suigeneris does stands out with a unique nature of its own.

“There’s a time and place for everything,” he leaves off. “That goes for music. I’m always going to give you something different that will work for what you’re going through.”