Seth Narley on New Halal Seeds Collaboration, the Bronx, and Building Worlds Through Rap [INTERVIEW]
Bronx-born rapper Seth Narley brings a raw, lived-in perspective to his music, shaped by early exposure to hip-hop at home and a deep connection to the stories of his upbringing. Growing up in the Mill Brook Projects, Narley developed a voice rooted in personal experience, sharp wordplay, and a cadence that resists easy comparison, pulling influence from greats like Jay-Z, Curren$y, Lil Wayne, and Ghostface Killah without echoing them outright. In this interview, he speaks on his path into music, his collaborative process with producer Halal Seeds, and the real-life moments and concepts that continue to define his evolving body of work.
Where did you grow up, and what was your early relationship with music like?
What’s goin on man, I grew up in the south side of the Bronx, Mill Brook Projects. My earliest relationship with music was at home- my Pops use to do road management for my uncle Tito but that was on the Spanish market side. He use to be playing mad 2pac lol or Method Man, crazy combo.
Do you remember the moment when you first started taking music seriously?
Yeah fasho, I first started taking it serious after I graduated high school. I use to be rapping around the hall ways, but not my own I use to be rapping shells bars n my boy from Harlem had access to studios so I just started to write and record here and there, but I was still focused on bitches n ball so I didn’t take it serious until I graduated.
What artists or sounds influenced you early on?
I had a melting pot of different artist I grew up on, but a lot of these artist I was listening to as a kid didn’t shape my sound. They just made me love music, I don’t think I sound or remind the fans of anything in the past humbly said. Just feel there isn’t a father to my style of rap from my cadence to delivery. But a few of my influences would have to be Jay-Z, Curren$y, Lil Wayne and Ghostface.
What made you want to lock in with Halal Seeds for your new collaborative release?
Yeah me and Halal linked up through my boy Ant who started this Bootleggers Club label we pushing. Me and Ant been working for a lil minute. Funny shit is I still haven’t linked Halal in person, we cooked that via ig and text. He out in Florida and I’m in the Bronx but it still worked out. We finna get in together soon though look for that footage coming.
Does working with one producer change the way you approached writing or recording?
I wouldn’t say change the way I write, cuz I approach all my music the same way long as the beat talking to me we gon get right. But working with one producer is always better and more elite for me, I get to really sit and tackle a concept, build a whole world around a few experiences to bring the audience in. Everything I drop is from my personal life experiences.
Was there a track on ‘Welcome to the Show’ that was the most memorable to record?
Yeah that was “Mr.3000” cuz I had that concept for a name for a while now. I was watching the movie a year or so a go and I was like I gotta cook something off this, the movie is a comedy. It’s the story line of being written off in the big leagues after a legendary career, it seemed like something I could tackle. And make some out of so. I waited until I had the right beat and just started writing..
Tracks like “Tyler Skaggs (OD)” and “Roberto Clemente (PR)” pull from real-world names and references. What draws you to titling songs that way?
Like I was saying earlier on in the conversation everything I do is drawn from real life experiences, so for “Tyler Skaggs” RIP I had the opening bar first before I actually named it. It was a play on words with the OD Overdosing etc. seen lot of ODs in my hood coming up. As far as “Roberto Clemente” goes that was self explanatory- “Full Blooded Rican in the closest to Clemente”. Again play on words I’m a 100 percent Puerto Rican artist from Carolina, Clemente was a hall of fame player as well as being Puerto Rican.
What do you hope listeners take away from ‘Welcome to the Show’ after spending time with it?
Just raw memoirs since alot of my songs are short (on purpose). I like to call em memoirs, small stories with stories in between stories. Getting from A-Z in a 1 min plus is something I love to do, so that’s what I hope they enjoy. Just the raw uncut approach I take and the thought process I put into projects overall.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you creatively?
We fully loaded, got a lot of projects coming for 2026. A lot of fire merch. Working on some collabs wit some notable artists, and other then that just growing the Bootleggers Club RoseWood brand hopefully we touring by 2026 -27.
Oh yeah “Oceans:Mondrian II” Will drop this summer! Cats Out The bag!
Listen to Seth Narley and Halal Seeds’ new project Welcome to the Show here now:
