Pursuit of Happiness: Bushy B’s Headphones are an Escape — Whether He’s Listening to Music or Not

Bushy B isn’t a bad guy. Actually, he’s far from it. Phoning in for an early February Riverside call with Okayplayer, the Miami rapper is quiet, gracious, and refreshingly honest when he reveals that he’s not above using music — or rather, the appearance of listening to music — to skrtt off on things like talking to people when he’s not in the mood. 

“A lot of times when people see me, I’ve got on headphones. But most of the time there’s no music on,” he tells Okayplayer. “But the headphones make me feel like I'm zoned out. The phone keeps ringing and people will be trying to unload stuff on you. People will want to tell you their problems. Sometimes you just gotta detach and come back.” 

It’s a relatable and fairly chill way to halt unnecessary interactions when you’re just not ready for them. It’s a savvy survival tool in a mental health utility belt. Fresh off dropping his latest project, Lifestyle, last month, he might have to put those headphones on even more often than before. However he deals with the new attention, it will be just another step in his journey to real happiness. 

For the latest edition of OKP’s Pursuit of Happiness, Bushy B talks about the virtues of journaling, exercise, and more. 

Bushy B: Journaling helps me remember a lot of things. I'm journaling about things that I'm going through. I'm journaling about goals I have. I'm journaling about different situations in life. It’s just helping me to organize everything. Journaling helps me release it. When I go back and read it, it's all stories. There’s stuff that I can learn from. It’s helping me process everything. 

Physically, I’ve also definitely been working out. I always worked out growing up. I wasn’t always playing sports. But then, as I became an adult, I started taking care of myself more, getting in a routine of either just walking and running or actually lifting weights. When I work out, I feel totally clear. I feel like it's just peace. I can do anything I need to do. I'm in the zone. I just sweat the toxins out and feel strong and confident. 

When I’m feeling sad and I need to listen to music, it's definitely got to be something good for my spirit. Something that'll help me get up out of it. Or I’ll make the music that will help me get out of it. 

My mental health is really strong right now. I got a lot of positive things and positive people in my life. I pray every morning and read every morning. Before I even touch the ground, man, I read the word of the day — a subscription comes to my phone and it puts me in a great mood. I don't even start my day until I read or play a game of chess on my phone every morning. 

I called one of my friends a couple of weeks ago, and I was like, "Hey man, you think I changed?" He was like, "Yeah, bro, you was a hothead." Back then, if any small thing I was on 100. I was ready to go to the max. But now I'm more cautious, more aware of my decisions. I'm a little more calm. I think things through. Nothing really can get me out of my zone unless it's something very disrespectful. But besides that, nothing really bothers me. 'Cause life goes on.