"... So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
ISSA NEW ALBUM!!
You'll have to forgive me and my excitement, I know my blogs are typically more mellow. However, I haven't dropped an album since September and I am happy to be back to it. I considered just doing an IG Live because there's so much to address, but I wanted my faithful site visitors to see it all first. In this blog, you'll get a life update, some classic literature, and a deep dive into all things ARITE ("a rose in the east."... I'm hyped, but not enough to type that out every single time I refer to it). Let's get into it!
Where did this album come from?
Honestly... COVID. I made the first beat during my first days of quarantine. I didn't plan on making another record (I know I say that about all of my records, but it's just the truth) because it had been months since I last made a beat. Actually, the last real beat I made was Fairytale. So when I finally set up my music equipment, I kind of just looked at it for a few days. I walked past it multiple times a day, but couldn't bring myself to make something that could potentially be some trash. I actually started on my country album and sent the first track to my guitarist (who still hasn't sent me stems for his part... Jeremy's clearly trying to make me come out myself about this...) but decided to work on something else instead. So, I spent the next day working on "peachtree ii". When I finished the beat, I still didn't have a plan for it. I thought about making a beat tape, or maybe using it as my debut as a producer and giving the beat to someone else. Neither of those happened, and I'm glad I held on to it.
I've always loved the Atlanta skyline. As a matter of fact, I write about Atlanta's beauty often because of views like this one. I-85... a true beauty.
So what came next? Since you still haven't actually answered the first question?
'Tis true. The truth is, there was no definite moment where I said, "I'm going to drop another tape". I wanted to get back to producing, and I needed to start slow. I had a few songs that I wanted to sample, but I don't own an actual sampler. I also don't own any real, legitimate production software. It takes forever to chop up samples and edit them to get the sound that I want, so I was kind of just doing a beat every other day or so. I believe "the time" was second. I had the hi hat and snap patterns stuck in my head for an hour or two, and then before I knew it, that beat was done. Really simple beat, incredibly simple sample. Still no plan for it, though. Beats of mine that have solo piano on them started off with no plan, just so y'all know. I just solo over them to fill up space until I have some ideas. I knew that "the time" was one of those tracks that gets people ready to have some seggs, though. Just had that vibe to it. So between "peachtree ii" and "the time", I had myself a couple study beats. We study anatomy 'round here, you know what I'm saying? Let me stop... I send these blogs to my grandma.
After that, I wanted to dive into some real sampling. I had the goal of sampling a song to set a vibe without adding my own beat to it. I just wanted to be able to have my voice and the sample. That's how "he can't luv u" was born. Without a real sampler, though, that goal can take forever. I worked on it literally all day. I took many breaks to just stare out of my window and wonder why God made me as cheap as I am because I could've spent some money on a sampler a while back. Oh, by the way, I have a new window to look out of. Moved into a new crib in Memphis, and I can see downtown, midtown, and South Memphis from my window. The view inspires me every night, especially when it snows and the fancy houses across the street have snow on their rooftops and such.
This was on my second or third night in here, so don't check me for all the empty space. We can just call that an "open floor plan"
Back to the topic. One of my favorite albums of all time is Chris Brown's debut album, and I consider it his best album. That's just me, though. The decision to use "Ya Man Ain't Me" came from wanting to make a reckless song about telling a woman that her new man has absolutely nothing on the good old days (ME). It wasn't initially directed at anything at all, I just wanted to do it. Chopping up the sample was so difficult formatting-wise that I almost gave up and was going to just use another song. I woke up the next morning determined to figure it out, though. When I finished the poem, you couldn't tell me I wasn't Future. I actually said in a text, "I've always had a little Jay Gatsby in me"... and that's how it all begins.
Run that back... you said Gatsby?
Yup... our dear old friend Jay Gatsby. The moment I sent that text, my eyes shot open. That's when I decided to turn my quarantine creativity into a full-on project. It all made so much sense, and I had a title for another track that I had been thinking about for a couple of days prior. That track was "speak of me still". Before I even started on that track, I knew it was the perfect conclusion for this record from the Gatsby perspective. What's crazy is that I picked that title well before I had this Gatsby revelation. This is one of my favorite books of ever, and if you haven't read it, I advise you to do so.
Long story short, a wealthy man throws big parties in a little town called East Egg. We find out that he bought the house and threw the parties to attract the attention of the wife, named Daisy, across the water (who we find out is his former lover). He finally gets her attention, she has an affair with him at the same time her husband is having an affair with some shawty from around the way. Gatsby gets so bold that he sits in front of her husband's face and tells Daisy to say that she never loved her husband... now y'all see why "he can't luv u" is so bold. Eventually, Daisy accidentally kills her husband's mistress and Gatsby takes the fall for it. The mistress' mans kills Gatsby after the husband snitches, and now Daisy from across the water has to go back to normal life with her husband after both of their sneaky links were killed. The whole story is narrated by a nosy neighbor named Nick. Whew. Now go listen to the album so it can all make sense. I clearly didn't do the plot of the book any justice, of course.
I bought my mic stand after the album was finished, so there's actually no pop filter. Had to use a durag. AND I played bass on this entire record. No horns on this one, though, since I didn't have a mic stand.
What's your favorite thing about the record?
The interludes. Funnily enough, I initially thought that the record was finished with just the main 4 tracks. I was waiting on Ken's verse when I started the interludes. One of my friends asked me multiple times, "what do you think the wow factor is on this project?", and I slowly started to realize I needed to personalize it just a little more. I needed to dig in (pause.) the way I do on all of my projects. So I sat down and got back to work. I knew that those interludes would set the story off and give the entire record some momentum from song to song. The interludes are actually the same song, but more elements are added each time. And yup... that's me singing all the vocals in the background. It would've been my intern (she's not really my intern anymore because I left that job, but she's still a mentee of mine and artist in her own right) but she's never around a microphone when I need her to record something. Interns be tripping, y'all, smh. Still stream her music, though (Domi Grace).
I also really enjoyed producing the record. It was tiring, fun, challenging, and exciting all at once. Having to record in the middle of the day or really late at night because of thin walls, trying to mix vocals that were recorded in an open space with a lot of room noise, and recording bass lines while learning how to play the bass were all challenges that presented so many opportunities for growth in such a short time. Y'all know I start and finish albums in less than two weeks. This was no different. I love locking in and seeing so many small pieces of ideas come together seamlessly even when I don't intentionally craft them in that way. It's divine. Things fall into place as long as I don't force them. God really hides in my pen.
Closing Thoughts?
Peace and Love to those of you that read this to the end. If you didn't, then you gotta wait until the DSPs finish processing the album to listen to it. The real fans now know it's on the music section of the website. Listen to it early. Let me know what you think, let's have some conversations. I feel like I don't get to talk to y'all for real.
I'd be remiss if I didn't show some major love to my guy, Ken. Y'all know him as Kengdom. Ken is featured on 4 of my songs, and I've done 3 for him. You can hear our personal, artistic growth with each song. We've been doing this since 2016, and although we're not anywhere near where we want to be as artists, we hustle every day to get better and create real music and tell real stories. We talk about the new episode of Power every single Sunday, and that almost always turns into a conversation about more work. Iron sharpens iron. Much love to you, my brother.
Now... y'all gon' head and tap into that new album!
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