50 millions views was no act of dark magic. And for 16-year-old Noah Mavuel aka. Yung Mavu, the hits on his freestyle to the Harry Potter theme song, “Black Magic,” keep going up.
With every “Abrada cadabra” and “Expecto patronum,” it seemed like the kid dubbed “the Black Harry Potter” had life figured out—girls, haters, an unfleeting confidence. He earned the attention of Universal Music Belgium and a fanbase spreading far from just his Antwerp hometown. He wasn’t about to let anything get in his face, not a Dementor nor possible trouble with the Harry Potter franchise—the speed bump in further distribution of “Black Magic” outside Facebook and YouTube. So Yung Mavu hopped on YouTube last week to warn fans of his next magical move, which finally came on Friday [May 19, 2017].
Nearly a year after his original upload and four months since its official visual, the Black Harry Potter released two fresh takes on “Black Magic”—both deviating from the original use of the movie soundtrack, one a monster trap version. The track and its trap edit are available for streaming and purchase on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, and Deezer.
Yung Mavu kicked it with The Source for an exclusive look at his latest releases.
Going back to your original freestyle, why did you chose to do something related to Harry Potter?
It actually started as a joke. A girl from my class was a real Potterhead and asked me if I could do a little freestyle on the Harry Potter theme, and so I did and it ended up going viral…who would have thought?
@noah_mavu dropin' barz on a Harry Potter beat ?? pic.twitter.com/HS7Vr4bToi
— Didier (@Bballingforever) June 21, 2016
What’s your favorite line in “Black Magic?”
Wow that’s a tough question, maybe the line “I am just a boy from SJ” referring to my hometown and reminding me of my roots and the fact that you always have to remember where you are coming from.
What’s different exactly about the new versions?
The lyrics have not changed at all, but we had no choice to change the music. We didn’t want a copyright claim from Team Harry Potter or Mr. John Williams [the original composer of the movie soundtrack]. It might have been a little disappointing to some people, but hey, I can’t take risks like that. And I feel the song is also about the lyrics not only the Potter tune.
What was your reaction like when hearing the trap edit for the first time?
I was really excited about it. I love this version so much. To be honest, I even prefer it from the original one.
Beside Harry Potter, what topics do you like to write music about?
I like to write music about crazy stuff, partying, having fun. But also about the things that trouble our society and youngsters like me like racism, bullying, drug abuse.
What artists do you listen to? What artists do you look up to?
I listen to Kendrick Lamar, Migos, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, and The Weeknd. But I also like to listen to Usher, old jazz, and even some music from my mother’s CD collection. I think that Michael Jackson is still most people’s legend and you can count me in on that. And of course not to forget, our very own Belgian pride Stromae.
What are your plans for your rap career in the future?
I hope I will be able to release some new tracks I have been working on as soon as possible and I’d like to inspire people like some great artists have inspired me.
