Albuquerque, New Mexico Hip Hop staple Wake Self has announced his follow-up to 2014’s Good Things Happen to Those Who Wake, Malala, named after the youngest Noble Peace Prize recipient in history, Malala Yousafzai.
Packed full of sharp social commentary, unique rhyme patterns and uplifting rhythms, Malala is Wake’s magnum opus. He rides to the beat of a different emcee, never following the trends or changing who he is to fit a certain mold.
From the beautifully arranged and impactful title track to the call to action of “Change the World” featuring Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab, the 15-track album bursts with original content while retaining a musicality unmatched by most modern day emcees.
“There are concepts inside of every song,” Wake explains. “Each song has its own mood, atmosphere and anatomy. The way I feel about life and my experiences, beliefs, perception, and emotion is everything. As humans we are not the boxes and generalizations or short description we are forced to fit in. Everything we are is constantly expanding and deepening. Malala is an illustrated soundtrack to my journey and faith for a brighter future.”
With generous contributions from Miles Bonny, Belgium artist Blu Samu, partner-in-crime Def-i, vocalist Alia Lucero, Dre Z, and of course, Gift of Gab, Malala is exactly what is missing in Hip Hop’s often vapid landscape.
“Making this album has already changed my life,” he says. “I am deeply connected to every word, syllable, rhyme pattern, feeling, concept, and idea that came through me on this project. I try to make music that can heal, inspire, bring love, awareness, happiness, and clarity. I want people to feel alive, and clear—to not only envision a new world, but to also start materializing it with our actions, and continue cleansing ourselves from the wounds of our past social patterns.”
Go here to cop the album.
