Embrace Your Own Rhythms with Young Fathers!

Okay, let me be frank. I am the coolest guy on earth. Okay maybe a bit egotistical, but it’s good to sometimes throw on your coolest shades, pop your collar, and strut down the catwalk of life. (I laugh at the thought of myself flourishing through the hectic street with my bulky dramatic sunglasses, barely being able to see a thing).

Let the people watch you in awe as they bask in your light and create the coolest perception of you. Wear that outfit you were hesitant about and just call it high fashion. Eat the food you have been craving without wallowing in your weight and the healthy intake required to fit a social impression. Trust me, pizza is my ultimate weakness, and I am just fine with my compulsion, thank you.

Embody that inner Rockstar and rock that hairdo, you always want to trophy. Let the pedestrians be intimidated by the way of your outlook on the planet earth, being inspired to view the world in a similar way. Smile for the sky to see and make strides to keep the world above clear and beautiful.

Confidence spills out of every sound, word, and rhythm heavily incorporated by the beautiful stylings of Young Fathers in their 2018 album, Cocoa Sugar.

Before Cocao Sugar

Raising sensational vibes through an intricate musical outlet, the Scottish band is like no other! In the midst of their teen years, the Hip Hop band formed in 2008, performing in various nightclubs around the city.

Hip Hop is a popular genre that originated in the USA by urban city African Americans and Latino communities in the Bronx, New York City in the 1970s. The genre centers around rhythmic instrumentation pairings with rhythmic rapping or vocal stylings. Subcultures such as MC, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti were born from the influence of Hip Hop culture. Other rhythmic acts of Hip Hop consist of sampling and beatboxing.

Signed to Los Angeles label Anticon, Young Fathers released two projects, “Tape One” and “Tape Two”, in 2012. “Tape Two” gained the Hip Hop band the “Scottish Album of the Year Award”, awarded by “The Say Award”. Two years later, the trio group Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole, and Graham “G” Hastings, released their debut album, “Dead”.  The project gave Young Fathers the attention it deserved, winning the “Mercury Prize”. Young Fathers began developing their second album in Berlin, Germany, birthing their second project, “White Men are Black Men Too”, in 2015. Young Fathers later would produce the sensational Cocoa Sugar album, presenting the band with their highest charted album. The band continues to tour on the global stage from the U.K, Toronto, and Prague.

Listen to Young Fathers Tiny Desk Performance Now!

Confidence doesn’t have to be a chore or have a negative connotation. It can truly be the essence of solidarity for what makes you special. The combinations of what you may consider flaws actually are the best part about you. So truly, don’t worry about it, be about it. There is this saying, “Dance like no one is watching”, but you should in fact do the opposite. Dance like Everyone is watching and just don’t give a damn! Music has a power to corner our insecurities and hold it up for ransom as we embrace every condiment bone in our body. With the band’s individual roots from Liberia and Nigeria, the band incorporates the various African musical elements with trendy experimental sounds. The impulsive track, “Wow”, embodies the track title. The listener cannot help but begin the track journey with a simple tap of the foot to ending in a full sweat of body movement and rapid head swaying.

“I crossed the border in the morning, and I won’t stop to hear your warnings, who’s coming with me, are you all in? ‘Cause we up running ’til the day is dawnin”. There are some songs that bring you back in time. The vintage aesthetic in modern music is a tribute to musical excellence. It’s a refreshing feeling to jump into a musical time machine and observe through the ear lens of what cultures were like in previous years. In the track “Holy ghost”, the retro afro, subdued day for a black panther vibe makes the blood of my heritage wiggle in excitement! This track’z lyrical approach symbolizes a similar Hip Hop artist, Kendrick Lamar, as the song begins. The song exudes a cultural confidence that taps into the essence of ancestry and history.

The album “Cocoa Sugar” embodies all things movement. With its core being birthed of rhythmic hip hop and grown through indie experimental upbringing, the band truly has a sound of itself. Confidence is a feeling. An emotion that is brought out from self-lifting but also surrounding influences. We are fragile creatures!

I was introduced to the artist fairly recently, with no past opinion or relationship. When I first pressed the rubber protector upon my eardrum, I was optimistic to what I would encounter. I found myself nodding my head back and forth to the point of discomfort! But this notion is uncontrollable when listening to this sensational album! I was immediately mesmerized by the sounds and musical choices embedded in the essence of the band. With a strong 8 out of 10, the band reminds us that we are affected through actions and experiences that could damage our view of ourselves. However, with a fierce, healthy outlet to remind ourselves how badass we are, (excuse my candor). Young Fathers lifts the spirit and only entices the listener to move to the feeling of life!

Photo: Shutterstock

Check out Young Fathers Now!

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