Humble Beast, der er et af de fremmeste pladeselskaber indenfor christian rap genren, undergik sidste år en omfattende revision af deres kunstnerliste, der frigjorde Eshon Burgundy, Foreknown, Alert312, Lee Green, Daniel Steele og DJ Efechto fra det faste stab, for istedet at figurere som såkaldte free agents. Efter revisionen stod Propaganda, Beautiful Eulogy, Jackie Hill Perry og JGivens tilbage på listen over Humble Beast -kunstnere. De mange farvel'er har dog gjort plads til et enkelt "velkommen", da Humble Beast i juni offentliggjorde, at de havde indgået et samarbejde med Sho Baraka. Sho Baraka udgav prompte nummeret "The Road To Humble" for at skyde det nye samarbejde igang med manér. Her forklarer Baraka blandt andet, over melodisk blues-guitar og en livlig basgang, hvordan han fandt vejen frem til Humble Beast, ved at tilsidesætte sin forvoksede selvhævdelse og sit behov for opmærksomhed ("I've been stressing, I've been fighting off depression / Instead of confessing my obsession with being impressive") og istedet genfinde sin tro og loyalitet, hvilket Humble Beast har hjulpet til med: "I got faith / Seeking restitution from all my mistakes / Look me in my face homeboy, you see grace / Still unashamed, just in a new space / I'm just a little more humble now".
Med tre plader under sit bælte, synes den Canadisk fødte, Californien-opvoksede og Atlanta-boende Amisho Baraka Lewis at have arbejdet sig frem til sin absolutte storform netop nu, hvor Humble Beast står til at udgive hans fjerde album. "Fathers", der er Baraka's andet udspil som Humble Beast kunstner, kunne meget vel være hans hidtil fornemmeste øjeblik. Over en blød og behagelig jazz-produktion, serverer Baraka stribevis af linjer, der går lige i far-hjertet. At jeg synes dette er hans bedste præstation har selvfølgelig alt at gøre med, at jeg kan relatere til indholdet i obskurt høj grad, men Baraka har sørget for, at der også er rigelig guld til alle, der ikke er fædre. Linjer som "Never reach your goal by pulling others down / Royalty is much more than a throne and a crown" er aldeles universelle, og det er ligeledes meningen, at alle skal skrive sig følgende linjer bag øret: "I learned that love ain't based on performance / Make a mistake and I will still love you in the morning". Der er dog også er utvetydigt budskab til alle fædre: "It's true that any fool with a tool can reproduce / But a father is a dude who will see It through". Man kan hurtigt blive emotionel når det handler om ens børn, og der kan ikke være tvivl om, at der er rigelig med følelse til den søde tand, fx med en linje som: "How do you spell dad? L-O-V-E". Alt i alt er "Fathers" dog et fabelagtigt nummer. Dejligt produceret og uhyre velskrevet. Lyt og se her, og læs lyrics nedenfor. Jeg glæder mig voldsomt til at se, hvad Sho Baraka og Humble Beast har gang i bag kulissen.
I’m A lover, a provider, Im a teacher I’m a fighter
I know there’s grace for me even when I’m wrong
Through all my indiscretions and all our imperfections
I will love you till the day that I’m gone/
How do you spell dad… it goes L-O-V-E
Son...
In the land of passive make sure you man up
When introduced to a lady it's always proper to stand up
Never talk behind the backs of someone you’re not a fan of
And when the cops approach you, you might have to put your hands up
Respect all people and show honor to the king
No matter what the think the Lord created all human beings
Be a critical but never partner with defiance
be happy with who you are alone in the silence
Pray without ceasing but keep your eyes on the system
Always Speak up for the weak until somebody listens
Don't marry her if you don't plan to bury her
If you sweep her off her feet then learn how to carry her
Hook
Through thick and thin you know we gon’ hold it down
Through good or bad you know we gon’ stick around
Baby Girl..
make sure that your kings a better man than me
Better believe...You know that might be hard to achieve
You're Beautiful I will always remind you
Never let let culture's idea of beauty define you
Baby girl don’t easily impressed
stay clothed in righteousness because it's harder to undress
Im trying to raise the next Lena Horne
Fannie Lou Hamer, a lady who can bring reform
Be wise and strong
Don't be a side chick for the ride along
Always be humble whether right or wrong
Know, I will be here when the friends are gone
Interlude
Last Verse
I got new goals it's family business I have to handle now
The kind of stuff that brothers over 30 bragging about
Tell my son he's more than some target practice
Tell my daughter she's more than an extension of a mattress
Never reach your goal by pulling others down
Royalty is much more than a throne and a crown
Your knees should hurt Praying with the people
Shirt will be wet from crying over evil/
I learned that love ain't based on performance
Make a mistake and I will still love you in the morning
I see life in my children's eyes
When I'm wrong I'll be the first to apologize
Peace to the father who are working through their flaws
Fulfilling their duties and they don't do it for applause
It true that Any fool with a tool can reproduce
But a father is a dude who will see It through
Forget the stereotypes, let's be clear
There are good men out there, we are here
- Jeppe Due Barslund
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