Midway by means of DREAMDROPDRAGON, AKAI SOLO goes for a psychological well being stroll. The Brooklyn rapper drifts by means of a neighborhood park on “Publish Darkish,” stored awake by an overactive thoughts. As he ambles, his mind unwinds like a slackening rope, every new feeling given a second’s consideration earlier than wafting away on the evening breeze. The fallout from a latest combat with a associate and the absurdity of demise each loom giant, the sort of “putrid ideas” that come from being caught in a rut. Inevitably, the questions flip existential: Are his behaviors fated? Would he be totally different if his father had been round? There’s perpetually an excessive amount of to course of—and no assure of a solution—however a spliff within the quiet darkish can not less than assist arrange the mess in his head. “Nights like these,” he sighs, “the crib is a cage.”
AKAI’s work has all the time been steeped within the pursuit of self-discovery, with albums like Spirit Roaming and Journey Alone, Fly Collectively presenting uncooked meditations on resilience. He doesn’t have a singular philosophy; as a substitute, he seeks information from each supply he can discover, clinging to the bits that resonate with him most—even when that features some sudden voices. Working example: AKAI bolsters the themes of 2023’s Verticality//Singularity with snippets of feminist activist and theorist bell hooks talking in regards to the seek for pleasure and love. In distinction, the vocal samples peppered between tracks on DREAMDROPDRAGON characteristic Freudian dream evaluation delivered by the controversial right-wing Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson. Following AKAI’s esoteric examinations will be troublesome, demanding the sort of shut listening that’s troublesome to schedule in our fashionable period. Nonetheless, the rewards are nice; the gems he buries in every verse are effectively well worth the effort it takes to excavate them.
If AKAI’s earlier data had been about struggles and their subsequent classes, DREAMDROPDRAGON paperwork the confusion or frustration that lingers when you understand you’ve really survived. He’s synthesizing the nuggets of knowledge collected over time, appreciating (or not less than acknowledging) that the keys to dwelling one’s reality typically contradict each other. “We will’t all be kings; a few of us must be fools/I play each effectively, so I get to choose and select,” he raps over the dusty bouzouki loop of “Paint Smear.” He has moments of crystal, cosmic readability, like on “Infinite,” when he laments a typical nihilistic take: “Think about being deluded into considering that your actions don’t matter.” However later, he backtracks, saying, “I would like you to really feel my jadedness.” For AKAI, feeling downtrodden and holding the religion aren’t mutually unique; it’s essential to check your consolation zone and see the place it offers.
