sayless qb - “don’t hold back”
Sayless QB is not coming to play with y’all. When you step in the ring with him, know that he’s not pulling any punches. This release got me super hype. He brings a feeling that we haven’t felt in awhile, which is that motivational, grind music, with a positive, but still street feel. Some artists you can tell have that hunger and passion that cannot be watered down by anyone or anything. QB is one of them, and know that he’s got a lot more on the way, and you should tap in with him before you get left behind. “Don’t Hold Back” the official music video is live now, hyper-linked to this blog post, and you can find the link in his Instagram bio @saylessqb. Its grind season people, stay focused and stay in y’all bags!
URi - “arcade”
In this incredible 3 song EP, Yung Uri, an artist hailing from the Westside of The Chi, showcases his versatile lyricism, using unorthodox flows and high-frequency bars to give us a peek at his life. He likens his existence to a game, hence the title (“Arcade”), but his message and his subject matter are very rooted in reality, as a Young Black King growing up in the inner city. It features producers from different parts of the city as well, like Delomixedthis, Nono Productions, and I’m Cel. It also features accompanying vocals from a Beautiful, Talented Young Black Queen, who goes by May. The EP is out now, check out that, run it up, and check out all of Uri’s other music too because he be working!
Ma’at and Restructuring our world
*Disclaimer: This post is gonna be deep. So if you aren’t with having your belief systems challenged and dismantled, then just ignore it.
We all know that history is written by the “victors.” We also know that what comes around goes around. So when we analyze the world’s problems, know that every problem that has existed is a problem that existed before, and that people who are now in power are people who were once not in power. A lot of people have been disconnected from their true identity, and what it means to exist as a human being. We have been removed from an environment that supports and uplifts us, and placed in a prison that demeans and rejects us. Nip has a song called “Who Detached Us” that illustrates this situation. He raps. “This world is turning faster and faster/
And once you found the real it's hard to tolerate the plastic…I need some answers to these questions that I'm asking/We used to be connected, who detached us?” And that question is what sparked this blog post. Many people just accept the information, history, and knowledge that is widely propagated in the media. Even though we have seen time and time again how governments, corporations, and worldly powers manipulate facts and statistics to support their agendas, very few people take on the task of digging through layers and layers of civilizations built on top of each other’s ruins in order to get to the root of things. Believe it or not, humans and the world have existed much longer than we’ve been told. Although the Bible and modern religion wants us to believe that the world was created 2,000 years ago, and that women came from man’s rib, that is not how things really went down. Maybe people haven’t realized, but there are thousands, and probably millions of religions, spiritual systems, and practices, outside of the Abrahamic faiths. There are also things that are much older than what we currently subscribe to. So when people speak about the New World Order, it is something that already exists, and is seeking to expand. There was a time when the patriarchy didn’t exist, and the world was run by women. Matriarchs dominated the world, and men were subservient. I don’t want to go too deep into this, but obviously we all know men came from women because women have a womb. Therefore, women were first, and will always be first as long as natural order is present. BUT, there was a time even before that when both genders ruled and existed in balance and harmony, and that’s what I want to talk about. There was a time when women and men were so in tune with each other, Mother Nature, Father Sky, and themselves that there wasn’t a division. We have two sides of our bodies, a right and left. For a reason - so we understand the polarity that exists within our own bodies, and therefore honor the polarity that exists outside of us. Men have a feminine side and women have a masculine side. What I think a lot of miss is that we both have an androgynous center, and this is the part of us that is divine, and unites all forces in order to produce life. When logic and emotion, right and left, dark and light, nurturing and providing, and giving and receiving are united, a space of infinite (re)generation exists. In this realm, you are in direct contact, communion, and co-creation with God, and you don’t need any book, ritual, or anything to instruct you on what to do next. We all know the popular saying “divide and conquer.” So the moment you come out of wholeness, and realizing everything exists inside of you, is the moment you can be drawn out of yourself into the world, and then systematically and strategically separated from yourself. And once you are separated from yourself, every aspect of yourself that challenges the false ego that you’ve built to protect yourself becomes an enemy, a threat, or an issue. So how do we address and solve this conundrum? Embrace the unknown. If you’re right handed, start doing things with your left hand. And vice versa. Start tapping into your opposite polarity more. Listen to different music. Hang around different people. Go to different places. Expand yourself. Then, go deeper into yourself. Meditate, and sit with yourself more. Ask yourself questions. Have conversations and discussions with yourself. Journal, and reflect on what you’re going through. And after awhile, you’ll start to see the world differently. Men and Women are two pieces of the same puzzle, that completes itself only when the Divine is involved. And the Divine doesn’t acknowledge any color, creed, orientation, gender, belief, limitation, restriction, rule, or worldly idea. It only responds to LOVE. We are all one.
bet awards and the current state of hip hop culture
The 2024 Bet Awards were held this past weekend in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Taraji P. Henson, who we all know to be a seasoned, respected, and iconic African-American actress. This was an excellent selection of the host for many reasons. As of late, Black Women have had more recognition and importance placed on them, and this is not only a beautiful thing, but also a very necessary step in propelling our world forward. Throughout the ceremony, Black Women were highlighted in the many different aspects of their artistic expression. Glorilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Megan The Stallion, Coco Jones, Sexyy Red, Tyla, Victoria Monet, Tanner Adell, Muni Long, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Keke Palmer, Tinashe, Marsha Ambrosios, Summer Walker, Chloe, Teyana Taylor, Childish Gambino, Shaboozey, Will Smith, and YG Marley all graced the stage. Feminine energy dominated the line-up, and there was also a decent balance of different styles of music. This is important because there have been many discussions about the negative impact of music on our youth, especially mainstream music. I have gone back and forth with myself and others about the issue, but when I really objectively reflect on it, every emotional expression is necessary to maintain harmony in the world. Although we may only want positive, uplifting music to be released, not everyone is always in that space, and we as a culture have to acknowledge that. So as women have been stepping more into their power, they’re expressing all the years and years of rage, pain, betrayal, disrespect, and mistreatment that they’ve experienced. And we as a culture have to embrace, hold space for, and allow women to unload and unpack all of the emotional baggage that we’ve dumped on them. The polarity to that would be men stepping up and creating more platforms and opportunities for women to express themselves in healthy ways. It would also be for men to validate and sincerely hear and address the issues women have, and actively build solutions. As men, we also have a duty to promote and encourage women that are pushing healing, respect, high morals. We cannot just complain all day about how the world has been getting worse, when we are the ones who have been entertaining the bullsh*t. Men and Women both have to make efforts to be more understanding, focused, loving, and solution-driven. What I believe is the real problem is that people have been brainwashed into aligning their morals and standards with television, movies, social media, and society, instead of their own personal values. Many people don’t know who they are, and get caught up in narratives and storylines that actually devalue and misrepresent them. The fact that rappers are still dying and people are still glamorizing lifestyles that lead to demise, destruction, and death, even though we’ve have been down that same road millions of times, shows just how deep the programming is. But the truth is that when someone wants to change, they will take steps in that direction, and those who are on that same path will support and guide them. So, we here at KAFREE take pride in being leaders, warriors, and upholders of truth, freedom, justice, love, respect, honesty, righteousness, and unity. Those who resonate with and share those same values and principles, lets keep pushing. We got work to do. The culture needs us.
Reframing your reality - how to shift into a better version of yourself
This blog is inspired by what a lot of us are going through right now - shifts in our identity and how we see ourselves. In this modern “Age of Aquarius” a lot of information is being exchanged and brought to light. As a result. many things are changing, and people are questioning the old way of doing things, and coming up with new or improved ways of living. What is occurring is a natural reframing of reality - meaning the world is altering the way its sees itself, the way it interacts with itself, and the way it continues to exist. Why is that important? There have been many conversations about healing, self-worth, men vs women, financial issues, family dynamics, spiritual warfare, traditional values, social engineering, and wholistic health. All of these different aspects of life being highlighted at once have left many people with no clear solutions or directions on how to make sense of all of this new information. For me, the first step is to shift the focus back to yourself. This is the foundation of successfully creating the reality that’s best for you. Many of us have been wrongfully (and strategically) robbed of our personal power. As large and expansive as the world is, it only exists within your own frame of reality, and that’s what a lot of us forget. That girl or dude that you like so much only exists in your relation to them, which is unique and different from any other human’s interaction with them. That goal that you believe is so hard to achieve only appears that way because of how you view it in contrast to how you view yourself. Essentially, when you make other things or ideas bigger, better, or broader than you, your personal power is taken away by that external thing, and your frame of reality changes to give it a false sense of importance. If that’s the case, you can also reframe your reality to accommodate a new version of yourself, where all things work in your favor, and exist to elevate you to the highest version of yourself. The second step is to see the bigger picture. This requires you to step outside of your ego’s perspective for a moment, and see things from an objective viewpoint. As important as you are, everyone holds prime importance in their personal reality, and also importance in the wider collective reality. Therefore, as much as you feel like everything and everyone should work on your time, you are literally a speck of dust in an infinite existence that runs through you, but also runs with or without you. Keep this in mind when you feel like things are challenging you - because that may be a call to extend your frame beyond yourself. The third step is to combine the previous two, and use your personal power combined with your broader perspective to create frames that positively benefit yourself and the collective. And this is what I want to encourage people to do. Instead of complaining about problems all day, research, formulate plans, and implement solutions to issues that are bothering you. YOU HAVE ALL THE POWER TO. The same problems that were created by humans are the same problems that will be solved by humans. And if humans don’t solve those problems, humans will be destroyed by those problems. But problems will always exist, and humans will always have the ability and capacity to make things worse, or make things better. All I know is that in my existence, I’m consistently looking for and producing solutions, which allow me to grow and expand past limitations, worries, doubts, fears, and all things that hold me back from being my best self.
drake vs kendrick - mainstream vs underground music and the dawning of a new era
I’m sure everyone has been paying attention to the hip-hop beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, two of the greatest artists of our time. The two have been exchanging subliminal disses and hidden shots for years, but recently, a slew of verses prompted the two emcees to start a lyrical war. It started with Drake and J. Cole linking up on “First Person Shooter” on Drake’s “For All The Dogs” album. For awhile now, many people have been complaining that Drake’s quality of music has gone down, particularly his rapping and attention to lyrical content. I agree, because Drake used to make songs that were classics, anthems, that would last through many seasons. Lately, he’s been following trends and targeting a younger audience, and his music hasn’t really been hitting the same. So when he linked up with J. Cole, it was pretty historic because J. Cole forced him to get back to his bars, and that song is definitely one of the standouts on that album. Now, two of the three so-called “Best Rappers” collaborated on a song. Kendrick had been quiet for awhile, and many people have been complaining that he takes too long to put out music. So, he pops out on Metro Boomin and Future’s collab album, “We Don’t Trust You” which was supposedly a diss against Drake. Kendrick, this time, sent much more direct shots at Drake, and basically said the “Big 3” doesn’t exist because he’s the best rapper alive. This spawned a beef between the two, where they exchanged multiple disrespectful, bar-heavy songs, and created a whole internet frenzy. J. Cole responded, but later bowed out of the beef because he felt he wasn’t being true to himself. Drake responded, and him and Kendrick started a war. In my opinion, being objective, I don’t know if there’s a clear winner to the beef, and both artists held their own. What I did notice is the shift in music that seems to be happening. Kendrick represents a more authentic, underground style of music that broke through and became popular, while Drake represents a more mainstream, traditional style of music that will always be relevant. While artists used to need major labels, tried-and-true formulas, a certain look, and to basically conform to the music industry in order to be successful, within the last decade we’ve seen a clear shift. If you develop a sound that’s honest and work on it, build a solid fanbase and market yourself the right way, you can find success in the music industry without having to sell out or compromise yourself. It definitely won’t happen overnight though, and you can see that in how loyal these two artists’ fanbases are to them through this beef. Kendrick for sure made a power move with that “Pop Out” concert, uniting many different hoods and sets and showcasing the unity and strength of the West Coast, on Juneteenth. Legendary move for hip hop in general, in my opinion.
phnx.wav - 2wenty5
Been vibing to this song a lot lately. My favorite lines are “I ain’t no stranger to the changes, I’m embracing all my faces” Defly in the midst of confusing transitions, but continuing to move forward knowing there’s better things waiting ahead. That’s what this song is about to me, acknowledging the unpredictability of life, but also staying present to appreciate the journey, through all of its ups and downs. @phnxdotwav has more music dropping soon, tap in w her, she got the typa music that makes your soul feel right at home. 🕊️🎈🎭🪴
How to tell whether a song is good or not
This post was inspired by a recurring conversation that actually led to the creation of Kafree. Nowadays, everyone makes music. That’s not an issue. The issue is that because everyone makes music, the bar for what is considered “good” music has gone down. We can agree that music is subjective, and not everything is for everyone. And that’s exactly why we created this platform, where we highlight the cream of the crop. So how do we determine what makes a song live up to the hype? It breaks down to a few simple categories. One major category is Originality/Creativity. Good music catches your ear because of its distinct sound. It should not sound like anything else. It can be inspired by other music, because there’s nothing new under the sun, but when multiple songs have identical cadences, ideas, subject matter, rhythms, beats, vocal inflections, structures, etc. its difficult to call a track special. Another factor for determining the impact of a song is the Feeling It Evokes, and the Strength of That Feeling. Music is largely emotional and spiritual, and so it is powered by emotions and feelings that cannot be easily expressed in everyday life or normal conversations. When you find a song that accurately describes an emotion, situation, circumstance, or feeling that you have experienced, or have been experiencing, that indicates a song that resonates with you on a personal level. The degree to which that song encapsulates something and how well it illustrates a picture lends to how well it is received. Replay Value is another factor is how likable a song is. This is the category where a lot of songs today fall short, in my opinion. To me, replay value is not only how many times you can play a song, but also if it gains or at least maintains the same value of the first listen. Many songs today get boring or annoying after a couple listens. The problem is, with social media (and the radio), songs are often drilled into our heads, usually without our permission, and so we are forced to end up listening to the same tired tunes over and over again. With music that is truly timeless, you can listen to it an infinite number of times, and appreciate all the elements of it, while never becoming annoyed or bored with it because it has true replay value. One of the things that leads to a high replay value is the Process of Completion. This is something not many people talk about, especially in today’s times, but I believe is very crucial. What went into creating the product we’re presented with? How much time, effort, and love was put into this piece of music? Everything from the beat, to the songwriting, to the mixing and mastering, the marketing of the song. Not only how long did it take to finish the track, but how much thought and planning was put into the whole presentation of the finished product. Today, mainly because of people’s attention span, the length and complexity of songs has been shortened and simplified. So a lot of music just comes and goes, just like the trends that follow them. And lastly, and lowkey most importantly, Intention/Message. Good music lasts in our minds and hearts because of the reason it was made, who it was made for, and the way the artist(s) wanted the song to be received/remembered. It’s not necessarily about preaching or church service, but more about honesty. When music is coming from a genuine place, with an intention for people who resonate with that same energy to hear it and feel like they have a voice, that is the music that will live on forever.
khari’s barbershop open mic 12.27.23
It all begins with an idea.
On December 27, 2023, just two days after Christmas, Khari decided to host another open mic with his sister, Lonye. But this wasn’t just any regular open mic. It would feature a talent show complete with dancers, rappers, poets, and all types of talents. It also had guest performances from amazing souls from across the city, an awesome cast of judges, and a Chicago-style dance battle. It has been inspiring to see how far these open mics have come, from just a couple people and performers, to now having a packed house with people begging to grace the stage. This particular open mic was extremely special, because many different people came together to make it possible, and its just a testament to how powerful we are when we work together as a collective. Khari said his inspiration comes from the Chance the Rapper Open Mikes that used to be hosted at Harold Washington Library a couple years ago. His goal is to bring the city of Chicago together, promote positivity, and one day have Chance and other successful souls perform and bless the space with their presence. The next open mic is currently being planned, but it is projected to be scheduled sometimes during February, just in time for Black History Month. See you there!