It feels so good to be back and writing on Yenways. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well. I hope you’re all thriving. Since being away; we voted a tyrant out of office, entered a global pandemic, witnessed some of the biggest labor strikes in American history, and amplified our voices for the Black Lives Matter Movement.
There’s been so much new music that has been released since my hiatus that I want to talk about. Along with talking about music that has been released I would like to talk about how mental health and disabilities has been a ‘hot topic’ for people who were not used to centering that in their lives.
There were some artists (including myself) who either had a hard time creating and producing music, and some who just struggled with their mental health in general. Along with that, I also witnessed some artists who expressed their experiences with their own mental health through their art.
An artist in particular who I witnessed speak out about her mental health and trauma, was Kari Faux. In the song “Medicated“ “I’m suspended from the ceilin’/ I been drinkin’ all my feelings/ tryna sustain the life that I’m livin’, ” and in LEAVE ME ALONE Faux alludes to her life as a rapper and the toll it can sometimes take on her wellbeing”
“See, you don’t check to see if I’m alright/
But sometimes I can’t sleep at night/
I know you think you envy this life/
But things ain’t what they seem in spotlight”
The time that some musicians may take from releasing their music is not always a result of their labels and financial obligations. Sometimes, I believe, poor mental health can obstruct our ability to conjure up ideas and use our imagination and therefore interrupt our creative process, and maybe there are particular artists that have experienced that. I could go on a longer rant about how far back into my childhood, and I’m sure others, have noticed that their imagination may have been stifled at times. Sometimes our imagination helps us cope, and escape. The late Toni Morrison said “The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange, and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power”.
I know for myself this ‘Welcome Back’ post has been delayed because of how limited my immediate resources have been. Therapy, paid-time-off, and other factors. The biggest obstacle was affording time off in order to rest and reflect. Utilizing rest not just to recuperate but to also let my mind be able to create and wonder is another objective of rest.
Let’s throw it back to 2018. I graduated despite enduring severe harassment, bullying, and isolation after standing up for myself, my family, and what I believed in. I found that my ancestors, music, the moon, and video games were always there for me. They were consistent through the grueling nights and constant gaslighting. I could go wherever I wanted to go with these tools. Escapism helped me survive. I don’t know how I stumbled upon Skinny Pelembe–he might have been in my algorithm on youtube–what jumped out at me was the EP artfully entitled ‘Sleep More, Make More Friends’. This of course was very much so against the hyper-productive ‘hustle hard’ culture. Bandcamp was instrumental in my journey of exploring and discovering different musical genres, so when I saw that I could order a vinyl of Pelembe’s EP and his collaboration with Ellesse I was stoked! Not only did I order and receive that vinyl, I received an extra vinyl from his other project, ‘Spit/Swallow’. I listened to both EP’s while in the shower with a trippy salt lamp that was gifted to me and incense.
I appreciated Pelembe’s sound. It was like a reggae/ trip-hop experience. I want you to really take the time and listen to his music. I think having a message of befriending people and resting is a healthy response to us applauding being for being exploited, sleep deprived, and participating in hustle culture. Check out Skinny Pelembe’s Bandcamp page and my past Valentine’s Day playlist. To sleep more and make more friends is a goal. Sleep is so healing. My anxiety used to tell me I cannot sleep because there’s always something to be done. Now I know these tasks will get done, however I would like to sleep. I think making more friends and sleep go hand- in- hand? You have to be in a vulnerable state of mind to give into making a connection and you have to have the same mental state to sleep. To let sleep and your dreams take you. I think our culture tells us something different. I may continue this post because there are so many examples of artists talking about their mental health. What helps you rest? Is rest just sleeping for you?
Last but not least follow ya’ girl on VSCO/ Twitter/ Snapchat: yencreate /Instagram!
Thank you for reading. I truly appreciate every single read.
Love.
YENWAYS 