LEO BROWN : AS MY SANITY FADES
- Elias Mototo
- Nov 20, 2025
- 8 min read
South African rapper Leo Brown has been building serious momentum over the past two years, carving out a lane defined by raw honesty, intricate writing, and an unfiltered emotional edge. From gaining traction through Instagram freestyle reels to delivering compelling performances on YouTube, Leo has slowly but steadily become one of SA’s most introspective new voices.
But this year shifted something deeper.
Following a difficult period in which he struggled with his mental health and was admitted to hospital, Leo emerged with a story — and a project — that cuts straight to the bone. His new EP, AS MY SANITY FADES, created alongside trusted collaborator Rillo Beats, is more than music. It’s a document of survival, faith, isolation, and rediscovery.
Before releasing the full EP, he dropped a 4-track precursor titled Days B4 AMSF, teasing the emotional terrain listeners were about to enter. The final project’s cover art — Leo in a hospital gown — sets the tone for the vulnerability he brings throughout.
I sat down with Leo to speak about everything behind AS MY SANITY FADES — the breakdown, the Bible, the bond with Rillo, the healing process, and where he’s heading next.
You’ve just dropped AS MY SANITY FADES, and the story behind it is intense. Can you walk us through what inspired this project?
The inspiration behind the creation process of as my sanity fades, is straight quiet a straight forward one. I have never been an individual who struggled with mental health, however during the first few months of the year I found my self in a very weird emotional turmoil state- I can’t even describe it. Where things that have shaped me as an artist felt like they were losing their significance over me. So I would wake up without inspiration to write songs, wake up without any drive to go on with my day, and all of this felt so peculiar. I knew right then I needed to get help. So I went to a hospital and got admitted and during that admission period that's when the idea or the inspiration to write AS MY SANITY FADES came about. Because I would have these episodes where I felt like I’ve lost touch with my sanity, I would have these periods where I would basically lose myself- my sanity you know. And with the family that has a history of that, it was quite a fearful experience for me, it was very scary. So the idea was basically-God forbid- should anything happen where I’m totally kicked out my own mind let me just try and jot what ever I can during those periods where I feel inspired to speak, cause it had been a long time without having that drive to create. So it was just ideas at that point, cause I had no studio access at the time, I couldn’t do anything at the time so I would just read the bible, should an idea come about I would just expand on it on paper on what I would like to with the idea, immoral, what I would like to speak on in terms of my immorality and all of that. So that’s what an inspiration for the project came about, however nothing in terms of work, pragmatic work was done during then. No songs were written during that period, it was just me brainstorming ideas for the project.
You mentioned being allowed to use your phone only one hour a day while in hospital. How did that hour shape the project?
Those hours basically became the highlight of my days, if it’s anything I needed to look forward to and think about aside of what I was going through, it would be those 1 hour phone calls. Because they would help me reshape perspective, they would help me understand that I might be going through this right now but I need to be aware, I need to be awake to what it is I’m going through because it’s something I would like to document. So those hours basically bought me back to the creative inside myself, not sure if that make sense but thats the purpose they served me.
There’s something poetic about creating an album while fighting for your peace of mind. What role did faith play in that process?
To be completely honest, I think it was a very essential time frame in my life. Because prior to me being in hospital, it was so easy for me to get caught up in this journey of pursuing this “dream and becoming” so much that it affected my faith, I wouldn’t pray, I wouldn’t read the bible as much as I used to back in high school or whatever. I would like to view this specific time period as the universe instructing me to get my faith on point, because I didn’t have access to these things that made up who I am. And all I could fall back on was the scripture, I think it was very very crucial for my faith. I even see the outcome of it, when I look at the creation of this project, I spoke with so much firm conviction and I think that's because I had to sit and read the bible, time to call my father should there be anything I don’t understand in the scripture. So it was very very important not only for my faith but for my creativity and the relationship with my father as well because we bonded over the scripture you know. So yeah.
The cover art shows you wearing a hospital gown, very symbolic and raw. What’s the story behind that image?
The story behind the art cover is actually so crazy and authentic because it wasn’t planned. Me and Rillo used to get on the phone and chop it up on how we gonna move about, whenever I get discharged .So I’m talking to Rillo about the vision I have for this art-cover, and he says “Yo, I feel like we are overthinking it. In today’s time with the kind of phones we use we don’t really need all of that. How about you capture the moment?” Because when he called me I was busy bible studying, he said why don’t you just capture the moment. I didn’t disagree, I just went about it regardless of how I felt. I wasn’t really on board with idea cause I wasn’t at my best, I had lost weight and I was just going through it. I wasn’t t feeling the idea but I trust his artistic vision, so I went on with it cause it won’t hurt to see. And it came out proper, I think all the credit goes to Rillo instead of me.
There’s a quote from you online where you said, “I retreated into isolation until I found Rillo Beats.” What was that isolation like?
It really wasn’t one constant emotion I felt. It would be these peaks and lows of these various emotions, sometimes it would be so peaceful. Not having to look at the comment section, not having to worry about “okay I dropped something lemme see how is it doing” Just writing music and creating felt very very peaceful, however being absent was also something that worried me. Because people give you a window and once you don’t utilise that, it passes you then becomes hard to get their hearts again. So that was a constant fear of mine, what if I come back and I’ve lost their hearts. So yeah I was going through a range of different emotions.
You and Rillo Beats seem to share a deep creative bond. How has your connection evolved from Beauty In Disaster to this new chapter?
Beauty and Disaster was the first body of work that me and Rillo worked on, not just body of work but our first time period working together although there was too much chemistry there, there wasn’t mutual understanding as we share right now. So I think with AMSF, Rillo understood me to the core and I understood him. Thats why for me I’ll always choose AMSF, I just think our relationship was just so good in sync. Everything was so good that the product of that was AS MY SANITY FADES.
You dropped Days B4 AMSF as a precursor. What was your intention with that project?
Days B4 AMSF was more of a challenge to my self. I had like 2 weeks left until AMSF drop, an idea just hit me. What if I were to create an introduction to that actual project?, what if I were to push myself with the time we have left to just wrap up another project that serves as a disc one or an introduction to the second? Which is what Days B4 AMSF was.
What track on AS MY SANITY FADES hits the hardest for you personally?
It’s easily, easily, Courtleigh. I think my writing on there was just so impeccable, the fact that I was able to put a part of the music that I grew up on, on my sound and still make it sound fresh and clean. It has to be Courtleigh.
Me too, Courtleigh my joint. Your music feels heavy with emotion but still hopeful. How do you balance vulnerability and strength when you write?
That’s a tricky one, lemme take a minute before I actually respond- I don’t think I do, I think I just focus so much on expression. That I hardly ever look how it’s going to be perceived or how I perceive it my self. The objective is expression, regardless how it comes across, if it comes across as strong- it’s good, weak - that's good too. So I don’t think I’ve found balance and I don’t think I approach it with a pre-planned goal in mind that I’m not gonna appear that vulnerable or how do I appear strong, or where I try to balance them both. It’s really just whatever it is that decides to come to the surface sis what I out to the paper.
Mental health is a heavy topic, especially in hip-hop. What made you decide to be so open about your struggles?
The songs I write takes so much from the life I live. I spoke on mental health because that’s what I was going through at that time. It wasn’t planned or anything, that’s what I went through and spoke on. Music is more of a journal for me, whatever affects me I’m likely to speak on, whenever I make a song.
Now that the project is out, how do you feel compared to when you first started writing it?
The unfortunate part about making music for me is that I detach a lot easier from songs and projects I make. So now my focus is on the new work, new stuff I’m working on. So much that I barely ever go back to the project, to have any thoughts about it- it’s a very beautiful project. That’s what I thought when I was making it, that’s what I still think but I barely ever go back to it. Yeah I detach a lot, a lot easier when I can create new music and that’s what happens most of the time. Create a project, drop it and within a week inspiration will steer me in a different direction.
You’re clearly still building momentum and shaping your lane. What’s next for Leo Brown?
What's next for me, haha. More music, I haven’t explored videography as much as I think I should, so that's what I wanna explore more next year. So expect music videos and that's round about it I can even say look out for a project or look out for this. I’m always working on something like I said, next year look out for project-I’m dropping a project.
In these last remaining weeks more music more projects, I think that's sums up everything.
Below is the link to both Days B4 AMSF and AS MY SANITY FADES.
Leo brown🔥🔥🔥