I hate being ignorant with Hip Hop—it’s like blasphemy. Whenever a project drops, I do my best to give it a listen and formulate an unbiased opinion. Even if I know I most likely won’t enjoy it, I’ll give the artist and project the benefit of the doubt. I sat through all of Lil Boat. On November 18th, I was incredibly ignorant.
My mornings leading up to the 18th were routine: I would catch a quick synopsis of the sports world, eat scrambled eggs doused in hot sauce, sip coffee and then dive into the Hip Hop blogosphere. Conventional articles populated sites: “Drake’s on a New Track;” “Gucci is Dropping a New Project;” “Kanye’s Crazy.” But then a strong image caught my attention: a black and white shot of a barefoot kid with dreads covering half of his face, calmly sitting next to an imposing, yet equally calm bear on a bed set against a bare backdrop. “That’s different,” I whispered to myself.
I had never seen this person before. Who was this poised young man bravely sitting beside a black bear? Why was he sitting next to a black bear? Who would ever voluntary sit next to a black bear?
His name is 6LACK (pronounced Black; 6 is an homage to his hometown neighborhood, Zone 6), the 24-year-old Atlanta artist. This was his album cover for his debut studio release, FREE 6LACK.
Despite the captivating original cover art, I didn’t feel compelled to dive into his background or even conduct minimal research. I can’t tell you why—it’s ineffable. Maybe it has something to do with 2016’s massive Hip Hop influx that has consumed my brain, prioritizing my ear’s attention and restricting my exploration. Clearly, 6LACK wasn't a priority. So I shrugged my shoulders, finished my coffee and continued diving into Hip Hop’s depths.
November 18th arrived, and with it came FREE 6LACK, as promised. Tempted to press play, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Again, it’s ineffable. In my defense, Tribe’s album was only a week old, thus requiring further absorption. Days passed; temptation to hit play was still present; execution wasn’t realized.
This past week I was in Chicago conducting interviews and filming original content for the site. Being there was great: the people were nice; the architecture was impressive; Uber pools were no more than $4. Perhaps the most exciting part about the Windy City was being exposed to its historic and vibrant Hip Hop culture, perpetuated by today’s aspiring stars. The artists emitted an infectious energy of creativity, passion and innovation. It was difficult not to feel inspired.
While preparing for a day of interviews, I was perusing my Spotify playlist “chillin” (I named it when I was 19—don’t judge) to set the ambiance for my morning shower. My search was proving unfruitful. Standing there in a towel arguing with myself, “Come on, Fabo always puts you in a good mood…Yeah but I’m just not feeling him right now…Okay what about some Travie? It’s 8AM, I haven’t even had my coffee yet…” This conversation continued until the steam rose above the shower curtain like the mist hovering above Niagara Falls.
Maybe it was Chicago’s inspirational atmosphere, but this music selection stalemate motivated me to listen to something new, something different. Suddenly, that captivating cover art creeped into my mind. Suddenly, that temptation to hit play was finally realized.
The shower isn’t an ideal situation for a first album listen. Perhaps I was subconsciously debuting this in the wrong environment as a manifestation of my stubbornness by not giving FREE 6LACK a fair playing field. Through the pattering of water, I could hear a faint trap vibe blended with an R&B soul whose individual elements sounded familiar, but the collective sound was slightly foreign. I was intrigued.
I stepped out of the shower into the beginning of the album’s third track and single, “PRBLMS”—an introspective song questioning his relationship with a girl and how it relates to his personality. Eery synths and powerful drums comprised the production, contributing to the song’s, and his, distinct trap adjacent style. After turning off the shower, I could finally uninhibitedly absorb 6LACK’s debut project. What’s that word that Ice Cube and Chris Tucker famously blurt out as the hot girl passes them by in Friday? Oh yeah, DAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNNN. I was hooked.
6LACK’s music is intoxicating like Young Thug’s; the beats are reminiscent of Metro Boom acid tripping; he has the soul of Frank Ocean (see tracks “Gettin' Old” and “Learn Ya”). 6LACK is truly an innovative artist crossing sounds and sub-genres to create a unique, enthralling aesthetic. It’s clear that he didn’t compromise his integrity for this album.
Despite signing to an independent label headed by a prominent artist in 2011 (undisclosed entity), this is really the first we’ve heard of him. After his creativity was stifled by the unknown label, 6LACK knew he needed to rid the cuffs shackling him to someone else’s vision. In his words, “I watched so many people go in and out of that studio, they always used to tell me that I was special, that I was next up. All I felt was jailed…It’s amazing how something so small as a piece of paper can control you for life. For five years I felt owned.” The creative energy coursing through his veins was desperate for an outlet. By inking a deal with the agency, LoveRenaissance, 6LACK was finally able to make an album on his terms, through his voice. He was finally emancipated; he was finally free. Welcome to FREE 6LACK
This album is a testament to love and artistic freedom, whose individual pieces comprise the overall liberation mosaic. On “PRBLMS,” he examines a toxic relationship that has hindered his development and happiness, evidenced by lines: “Now I'm like / It’s a goddamn shame / We done crashed we done burned / But baby you the goddamn blame / See I wanted love but you wanted goddamn fame / Every goddamn thing / I wanted a bitch who was on the move / But you want to goddamn lay.” On the successive track, “Free,” 6LACK escapes the clutches of this poison and works towards transcendent liberation through the bars: “Why am I waking up out of my sleep / Thinking of ya babe / You had a hold on me / Now I’m feeling freer then I ever been / You been around love but you never been in.” It’s also plausible that this girl is a metaphor for his entrapping former label. FREE 6LACK abolishes creative imprisonment and encourages artistic expression.
November 18th marked a day of ignorance in my life: I shamefully skipped over an artist whom I’d never been introduced to—perhaps I was scared. If The Divided States of America has taught me anything, it’s that we can’t be afraid to charge into the unknown for fear of what lies on the other side; we need to be brave and open-minded. It took a relatively unknown individual to put that into perspective for me, and to reconfirm that musicians deserve a fair, unbiased listen. 6LACK is living proof that every artist deserves that chance.