In Conversation With #092 - Idris Lawal
Toronto artist and producer Idris Lawal presents his new EP ‘Young, Black & Blue’ - a conceptual afrobop project. He took a moment to talk to us about the release.
Your EP is out now, how does it feel?
Gratifying. I’ve been working on some of the songs since 2017 – Medals for example was finished in 2018 – and held on to them once I decided in 2018 that they were going to be a part of a project.
As this is my debut, it also justifies me truly calling myself an artist. Most importantly, the EP was recorded and released independently, made with no compromise or concessions to any platforms and I was able to release it how I saw fit.
It is titled ‘Young, Black & Blue’, does that hold a certain meaning?
Young, Black & Blue is about my experience as a black man and how it’s shaped my world view. I’ve lived in 4 countries across 3 continents and in everyone, darker skinned people seemed to be treated unfairly. I’ve also personally experience that. As much as the EP is a reflection of those experiences and the blues that came with them, it’s also a reflection of outgrowing & ultimately rebelling against those experiences and not letting it define me. Creating it was a healing process.
The blue also represents police brutality, something black people across the world are constantly dealing with. Thus the blue represents also represents that reality and through the songs, you will see that the album also serves as a rebellion against that reality – mirroring what is going on in the world today.
Where was the EP recorded?
Most of the EP was recorded with Kyu at the Ghost Lab Studios in Toronto. The creation of the songs – producing, writing etc. were mostly done in my bedroom as always but it was very important for me to capture the best sound possible when recording and Kyu provided me that opportunity to do so.
What are the key themes on the EP?
Youth – Old enough to understand and navigate the world and the realities of being black but young enough to rebel against letting that define me.
Black – The EP is unapologetically black, from the lyrics about both black pain and joy, to the sonics of the EP which is very much influenced by Afro, Hip-Hop and Soul – all black music.
There are a lot of genres thrown into this release - with some hip hop, afrobeats, soul music plus some R&B. Who have been your key musical influences for this EP?
Personally, as a musician, it’s always been lyrics first. This always been my biggest priority when making music and musicians like Nas, Jay-Z, Joe Budden, Jay Electornica and Kendrick Lamar continue to influence the way I write today.
Sonically, I deemed the genre of the EP ‘Afrobop’ and it’s a combination of the genres you’ve listed above. The artists that influenced this range from Nigerian artists like Fela Kuti, Commander Ebenezer Obey, Sir Shina Peters & Lagbaja; to non-African artists like the rappers mentioned above as well as artists like Childish Gambino and Marvin Gaye whose album ‘What’s Goinig On’ served as a big inspiration during the album making process.
You have lived in four countries across three different continents, do you feel this amount of exposure to different cultures have helped shape your music style?
100%. I think this early exposure to different cultures definitely shaped my genre-bending sound today. Growing up in Nigeria exposed me to the sounds of African legends that today influence my production and vocal harmonies. I surprisingly discovered Hip-Hop culture as a youth living in Doha, Qatar in the middle east and I think being so far from where the culture originated is what actually made me fall obsessively in love with writing lyrics. Something I always joke about is that my vocal harmonies are also in-part influenced by Islamic call to prayers (I’m Muslim). Being in Toronto, where the artist spirit is thriving and doing so independently – without concessions to big platforms - gave me the confidence and drive to finish my own project.
Now the EP is out there, what next?
What’s been harder than holding on to the EP is holding on to the visual ideas I have for the various songs on there. I’m very excited to release the Gung Ho video in August and then begin shooting the ideas I have for the other songs.
Also in August, I have a very special live performance partnership that I can’t wait to unveil as well as a new single at the end of the month.
Lastly I had started a Fools Remix Challenge for producers and DJs and will be revealing winners during the month of August as well. So big month!
Thank you for having me and for continuing to support independent musicians like myself.