Heyzeus! Positivity + Connectivity = Community

By Jan Wiezorek

If there is one defining idea in the words of South Bend, Indiana, rap artist Heyzeus, staying positive—even in troubled times—is it. Or as Heyzeus puts it, “Get Happy and Smile Trying,” the title of one of his new songs.  

Recently, Heyzeus took his own words for a spin, performing his brand of rap and hip-hop in August with singer Reminisce. X at Sound Bend Records, 115 S. Williams St., South Bend, Indiana. And at the Chreece Hip-Hop Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana, in late August, Heyzeus helped light up the historic Fountain Square neighborhood with his high energy. Also, in September, he gave his sound a taste of nature at the YART music and art festival held in the woods near Keria Trail in South Bend, Indiana.  

South Bend, Indiana, rap and hip-hop artist Heyzeus speaks to the beat with his own positive message for Michiana.

Heyzeus says his audiences like his message and the music that goes with it. “I’ve always gotten great remarks about the high energy and how overly positive and infectious that is.” He adds that some people listen when they feel down or need an extra boost of energy at the gym. One of his songs, “Less Is More,” is a favorite because it’s a “great set-starter” that gets the crowd dancing and moving, helping them understand what Heyzeus is going to deliver and “solidify” what sound the set will contain.

Another favorite work, “Flames in the Chat,” is Heyzeus’s rap response to chat rooms where many people share ideas and try to connect. In the song, Heyzeus says to listeners: “Get some culture before you go around steamin’” and “Question everything, till I found reason.” He says the song stems from his own curiosity about chat-room experiences, and how these platforms can be an “ever-growing part of an artist’s ecosystem of support.” It’s one way to get listeners to respond to his music and leave comments. “Astray” is another song Heyzeus admires, which he calls a “love song in reverse.”      

Heyzeus credits his father, a visual artist, and his conservative church as influences that led him to stay positive, break into rap and hip-hop, and form his own kind of art—one he has gotten serious about over the last ten years. He started his musical rap journey in his 20s. “Getting into music early on was fun. It was something artistic that I could latch on to and express with people close to me,” he says.

Now, at age 36, Heyzeus isn’t afraid to speak out and embrace ways to bring people together through inspiration. “And uplifting yourself through those moments when you don’t want to smile.”

When his older brother, Martel Nicholson, a multiple sclerosis patient, died in 2020, Heyzeus was working on a song “The Cutie Did It,” but he couldn’t finish it. “In those moments of hardship, heavy emotion, and family grief, I didn’t want to carry that burden into the music. But I think something I realized was, wow, those emotions are necessary in creating as well. Those feelings can help push a positive notion.”

Also, Heyzeus believes that which makes us human also connects us. “We are not stranger-outsiders. We all go through experiences we can share and find resolutions that lead us to better energy and better quality of life,” he says. That’s a message Heyzeus says he wants to share with his listeners.

He encourages individuals interested in performing to get out there and try it, no matter how nerve-wracking it can be. While he admits he battled stage fright early on, Heyzeus believes rap artists have important ideas to share that will take them beyond fear. “At some point you should be proud of your words and the emotions you are feeling. Own the moment.”

 In addition, Heyzeus believes in authenticity. “I want to make sure I am staying true to myself,” he says. So confident is he in his mission of positivity that he plans to take his work into local schools and other youth-related spaces in Michiana in the future. “I’ve been traveling into spaces and seeing youth who want to get into hip-hop early on.” Eventually, through music, open mics, creative outlets, and music spaces, he plans to encourage young students to read and write and invite music into their lives. To date, Heyzeus has participated in music and inspirational reading programs for youngsters through the St. Joe County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana.

Heyzeus and others founded the Homegrown Hype collective to encourage connection among musicians and other artists. The collective advances safe spaces for local artists and helps to solve problems that musicians and others may face—from the business side of the arts and music to advocating for fair artist payments.

 Heyzeus, known for his words, is also striking out as a producer and composer of music as well. He is working his way through writing music, though, to date, he has yet to record his own sound.

 Shoutouts are common in rap, and Heyzeus gives his to singer Reminisce.X, musician and sound expert Toast, and Homegrown Hype. You can hear Heyzeus’s songs on such music platforms as Spotify.

Follow the QR code to listen to Heyzeus’ music on Spotify.