With nothing but $7,000 in his savings and a dream, then-aspiring musician Sylvester Uzoma Onyejiaka II, also known as Sly5thAve, moved to New York City and worked at Macy’s, practicing his saxophone during lunch breaks. Now a Grammy-award winner, Sly5thAve, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, brought his unique sound to the South by Southwest stage for the first time.
Born in Austin, Texas, Sly5thAve grew up listening to hip-hop artists like 50 Cent and Dr. Dre and played music for his church and school band. Later, he attended the University of North Texas jazz program, where legendary musician Prince scouted Sly5thAve to play in his New Power Generation band.
“I’ve always walked in between these different worlds that didn’t necessarily blend. I was in jazz school, but I was playing with hip hop bands and R&B bands and listening to this music that I wouldn’t talk about with my jazz school friends,” Sly5thave said. “All these worlds don’t necessarily intersect … so I molded it together into my own little language.”
Throughout his career, the multi-instrumentalist accumulated a diverse discography ranging from his first solo album, “Akuma,” inspired by his Nigerian descent, to his latest record, “Liberation,” which features original pop and hip-hop orchestral arrangements. When creating “Liberation,” Sly5thAve said he wanted the music to feel like an adventure.
“(A good composition) takes you through different emotions,” Sly5thAve said. “I don’t think it needs to be erratic, but it (should) communicate an idea and a feeling. I wanted to make a soundtrack … that ties everything together.”
Julian Caldwell, known as the musician JSWISS, Sly5thAve’s friend and project collaborator, said he learned from Sly5thAve that music’s magic comes from having a transparent relationship with the people you work with.
“A lot of the times that Sly and I were working together, we were working remotely, especially in 2020,” JSWISS said. “At the same time, we were able to get on FaceTime or a phone call and talk about music, life (and) what we’re going through. (I learned) the magic of working with somebody who is thoughtful in what they’re doing musically (and is) empathetic as a person.”
Sly5thAve, who attended SXSW as a teenager, said performing at the festival feels like a trip to someplace that feels like home. He said he feels most excited to play for his family.
“What’s my motivation behind doing this? It’s them,” Sly5thAve said. “I’ve played all over the world for a bunch of different people. They all matter, but nobody matters as much as the people (who) raised me.”
Sly5thAve’s longtime friend, Brian Marc, known as Sene, said the music world needs to quickly notice Sly5thAve because he represents music’s future.
“Back in the day you had Quincy Jones, you had your Princes, you had all these people that … gave us the sound of a generation,” Sene said. “People better hop on before it’s too late, because (Sly5thave) is the most multifaceted producer and instrumentalist we have in our time.”
