AKAI SOLO’s Structures of Feeling — Channelling Maya Angelou’s Stance
“I have great respect for the past. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going. I have respect for the past, but I’m a person of the moment. I’m here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I’m at, then I go forward to the next place”, the late Maya Angelou states in her 2011 Arizona Republic interview with azcentral journalist Randy Cordova.
To say that 2020 has been a crazy year thus far would be a gross understatement. From the tragic, devastating passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, in a helicopter crash to the untimely demise of yet another black man — George Floyd— at the hands of murderous police as well as the current outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease which continues to claim hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe, internal conflict has ensued amongst the general population in the immense struggle to find comfort in the unveiled chaos.
Whilst the virus lies patiently in wait like a reaper in the silent, deadly night ready to pounce on its next helpless victim, petitions have been signed online, donations have been made to crowdfunding platforms and protests have taken place in both the United States and the United Kingdom all in the name of advocacy for all black lives. And rightly so.
A self-proclaimed Lone wolf with a phoenix soul and a dragon heart, my first introduction to AKAI SOLO was on 2019’s Black Sand — a collaborative effort with Pink Siifu (producing under his iiye moniker) — whereby I was immediately blown away by his six-star general-esque command of the beat which brought to mind a call to order from the highest military rank in the armed forces. For instance, in the opening lines of his verse on Hussle’s Ghost — a hauntingly poignant tribute to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle — he spits: “Don’t bite the hands that made you/the same ones could fade you”, a stark reminder delivered with striking effect to express gratitude for the frame of reference which one cannot be without.
Upon digging further into the Brooklyn-based rappers’ discography — Mad Space w/ iblss, Like Hajime w/ BSTFRND, and Ride Alone, Fly Together (the latter two works released early this year) — I astutely observed his uncanny ability to transition back and forth between a myriad of emotions during a verse whilst still facilitating regular rhythms to capture an intricate as opposed to conceited tone over spacey, expansive instrumentals.
Following on from a resonant intro skit highlighting the dynamic between sensibility and plasticity, Wind God Moves off Ride Alone, Fly Together finds AKAI showcasing how he has arguably the best pen in hip-hop right now: “The lonely ghost in me requests company/the wolf knows way better/the cost for that in tandem with taking measures.” This evokes his strong attention to detail and eye for the parts-to-the whole from the outset, thus culminating in a humbling ego-death overall. At least, that’s my interpretation of it.
We are all mere specks of dust in the grand scheme of things, and grappling with aspects concerning black liberation and black empowerment through the lens of the black individual subsequently enables AKAI to enter the void, grasp the human condition on a larger scale within the surroundings we reside in and gain a greater awareness of self in the process.
Drawing parallels with the way of the intercepting fist from AKAI’s musical perspective also reinforces the hope of constructing a new world only forward in unity with one another despite issues such as systemic racism, white supremacy, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and the patriarchy disrupting the black community in its entirety.
In essence, the 24-year-old’s nuanced and complex interplay between the potential for growth and the subtlety of decay speaks to the black collective without being too preachy and overbearing and is evident in its purest form on the unwavering Star Falls off Like Hajime whereby he raps: “Life crazy/we endure daily/it’s a state we maintain,” and goes further to provide us with a better insight into avoiding pitfalls and achieving a finer perception of the systems in which we operate.
The aforementioned elements allude to the quote referenced at the beginning of this piece whereby the late Maya Angelou conjures up an apt response to Randy Cordova’s question: “With your accomplishments, are you a nostalgic person?” A renowned black female poet, author, and civil rights activist, Angelou’s timely stance regarding mindfulness and being present amidst a sentimental longing for the good old days coincide with AKAI’s mantra: “only forward”, amongst other progressive structures of feeling prevalent throughout his art. And said themes are culturally relevant now more than ever before given the civil unrest as a result of police brutality and openly lamenting on our habit of taking the little things for granted due to an ongoing global pandemic.
The solution, therefore, is maintaining within the right context at all costs. Also, seeking to acquire knowledge and striving to learn every day in a more patient and understanding manner ultimately improving critical thinking skills and obtaining fluidity. Wistful affection, however, for a period that imbued our lives with joy entails moderation rather than misuse to reach a balance between self-reflection and forward-thinking that attains a sense of duality as a whole and allows a therapeutic space for healing and advancement to resolve trauma, develop a higher level of emotional regulation and design with intention as well as create with purpose.
With the release of AKAI’s new EP imminent — which he says is the first project he’s dropping on the label, Break All Records via Twitter — we must all proceed at this moment in time by any means necessary regardless of our current state or mixed feelings towards each other even though: “niggas be wildin’”, in the accurate words of the New York City native on the verbally expressive Star Stepper /// Ageha’s Stance off Mad Space. Stay up, my brothas and sistas — the best is yet to come.
Grip over all things!
