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The Making of Backyard Boogie: A Chat with Fly Anakin

Talya Faggart | May 25, 2018

Topics: Big Kahana OG, BSTFRND, Fly Anakin, hip hop, Koncept Jack$on, Mutant Acadamy, RVA hip hop, rva music

Last time we checked in with Richmond hip hop artist Fly Anakin it was around spring of last year and he had just dropped Chapel Drive, a collaborative album with Koncept Jack$on. And since then, the Southside native has yet to sit back and relax, in fact, he’s been steadily toiling away in the studio to deliver Backyard Boogie, his new album, which he quietly dropped last month. 

Produced by Ohbliv, the 16-track album features many Mutant Academy members including Big Kahuna OG, Henny L.O., and Koncept Jack$on.

Fly describes Backyard Boogie as magical. The rapper said at first, had a difficult time getting back in his zone and focusing on his music while working hours on end at an unsatisfying job. Once he quit, the album started to come together and Anakin said the process was more like therapy for him to help de-stress from several personal issues he was struggling with at the time. But that struggle fueled his creativity, and he was able to put all of that into his music. 

“I knew it was going to be tough, I just knew I had to like put it together so it would be better than my other shit. The whole plan was to blow my old shit out of the water,” he said.

And he did just that. Anakin stepped out of his element with Backyard Boogie’s “Faceplant in San Bernadino!” and made it his own. With this project, he purposely experimented with different beats and sounds that he normally wouldn’t go for, and it really showcases his range.  “It definitely turned out way different than what I thought it was gonna sound like, but it turned out better,” he said.

That experimentation really comes through on “Thug Bachata,” a catchy song that he premiered when he dropped the album back on April 20. Anakin smoothly, but passionately raps over a background of horns and bongos. Besides Koncept Jack$on, who’s featured on “Several Blunts Later”, and Henry L.O., who lays down some verses on “Gangsta Party”,  Anakin also teamed up with fellow RVA hip hop heavyweight, Nickelus F for the first recorded track,  “Worldwide2x”.

“At the time, I was going through so much shit and had so much stuff to say, I just did the shit…this is one of my favorite projects definitely, like this is a milestone for me,” he said on his Instagram of the project. “Sonically and lyrically, I feel like this is my best shit…as far as how it came together, I’m just very proud of this piece of work…”

Beyond lyrics and beats, Backyard Boogie offers a little something fun visually for music fans. The eye-catching album cover, created by Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND, perfectly embodies the party you go through as you listen to the album. After sitting with the project for awhile, BSTFRND started creating the sketches and inspiration for it, which stemmed not from hip hop, but reggae.

No automatic alt text available.

“Obliv suggested that we should make it look like or reminiscent of these 1980s dancehall covers,” he said. The vivid color, comic-like word bubbles and cartoonish characters featured on the cover are a nod to Wilfred Limonious, a late illustrator known for his depictions of Jamaican history and dancehall culture on album covers.

Anakin has a few upcoming projects with Big Kahuna O.G., BSTFRND, Awkward John, Graymatter and more so be on the lookout for those. In the meantime, make sure you Backyard Boogie is on rotation at all your cookouts and house parties this summer. Purchase a physical copy here. 

 

Music Sponsored By Graduate Richmond

 

Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND drops new album, ‘Neuromelanin’

Gabriella Lacombe | May 17, 2017

Topics: BSTFRND, Fly Anakin, hip hop, Satellite Syndicate, Soluh!

Precise sampling, smooth jazzy interludes and effervescent beats meet in the intelligent and harmonious way that has come to be expected from Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND in his fourth album, Neuromelanin.

Pioneered by producer, multi-media and hip hop artist Jefferson Harris, the 12-track album’s cerebral themes begin at the title, which refers to a polymer pigment found in certain neurons of the brain.

Neuromelanin is more plentiful in the human brain than in any other species, and while high concentrations of neuromelanin can be found in the neurotransmitters responsible for joy (dopamine) and the fight-or-flight response (epinephrine and norepinephrine), the exact science of what neuromelanin does has yet to be pinned down.

Chemically or musically, Neuromelanin is an anomaly as a whole.

“Neuromelanin has the most energy of any type of material, it has a lot of fantastic qualities that can seem too good to be true,” Harris said. “Everyone, not just Black people, everyone has melanin. The album is an exploration of relationships and connections that I’ve had with people and this earth…It’s important to remain in touch with that, that every living thing on this planet is connected.”

The tone of Neuromelanin, which the RVA beatmaker dropped last month, is set with an audio sample of American civil rights activist Dick Gregory saying, “what’s the number one lie we tell you kids today? We say the number one problem confronting America today is the problem of air pollution…the number one problem confronting America today is the problem of moral pollution.”

The background audio builds in the track “Ginkgo Tree” before fading into the gritty snare and sweet vocal loops of “Windowsills”. “Kundalini Awakening” features fellow Mutant Academy member Fly Anakin and is peppered with the rounded smack of hand drums, while the dreamy track “Sirius B” (named after a piece of astronomical lore from the Dogon people of Mali) is all loose muscles, repeating the phrase “I take my time.”

The two also collaborated on the project Yo’ Mama Boyfrnd earlier this year.

Harris took his time with Neuromelanin, the first album released by BSTFRND in a little over a year, and the result is a thoughtful collection of songs that further strengthen the narrative flare of Harris’s musical career.

Harris will continue to flex his creative muscles this year while producing the next Soluh! LP, planning future tours and working on another LP for BSTFRND, an indication that he is overflowing with ideas that will further buoy his ideo-musical ascension.

RVA hip hop artists Fly Anakin & Koncept Jack$on drop first collaborative album, ‘Chapel Drive’

RVA Staff | March 31, 2017

Topics: BSTFRND, Chapel Drive, Fly Anakin, Koncept Jack$on, Mutant Academy, Nickelus F, Satellite Syndicate, The Grand Scheme of Things

Last summer RVA Magazine had the chance to sit down and chat in-depth with local hip hop artist Fly Anakin after he just released his album, The Grand Scheme of Things, and the young emcee hasn’t slowed down since. At the top of the new year, Anakin, alongside producer BSTFRND (Satellite Syndicate), dropped collaborative EP Yo Mama Boyfrnd and now he’s on to his next project, Chapel Drive.

The album, which dropped March 13, is a project fellow RVA rapper Koncept Jack$on (Mutant Academy) and been ready to hit the streets for a year now.

“As soon as we started Chapel Drive, I just had finished [ The Grand Scheme of Things],” said Anakin. “We never stopped recording. As soon as he {Jack$on} recorded and put out [Hawaii LP], I recorded the intro to Grand Scheme and after Grand Scheme I recorded lxcvlsxnly 2 and Chapel Drive was built.”

And while its been in the works for over a year, Anakin said the process came together rather effortlessly.

“We never tried to make songs for Chapel Drive. We had a certain foundation of songs for that shit already,” he said. “We didn’t even have the idea to do Chapel Drive until we were like seven songs in.”

Anakin, photo credit: The Cheats Movement

The first track the hip hop duo made off the 16-track record was “lxcvlsxnly 2” [prod. ewonee] in February of last year.

But the prolonged release was a learning experience the two gathered from local RVA producer Ohbliv, according to Jack$on.

“One day he told us that everything he puts out is a year old,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the pair have worked together on a project. The two dropped a video for “You Never Know” last year in March, a track off their collaborative EP, The Mandate: Side A.

Chapel Drive is the first full LP from either artist to feature all of the Mutant Academy team, quite a feat if you think about how size of the local hip hop collective. You have producers, emcees, audio engineers and visual artists alike, ranging from BigKahuna OG, Graymatter, BSTFRND, Foisey, Ewonee, UnluckyBastards, Sycho Sid, Henny L.O., Rey Fernandez and manager Cam.

For our regular readers, you’ll recognize some of these names from our 2016 Best Richmond Hip Hop List.

“None of those people [were in a position] where it was our first time coming to them,” said Koncept Jack$on. “We would get the beats before we knew we were making an album. We wouldn’t say ‘send us beats for the album’. It was pretty easy and quick.”

This mixing pot of talent made for a diverse album that starts on a grittier note with lxcvlsxnly 2 [prod. ewonee] and moves into smoother or more reflective tone on “when thugs cry” [prod.foisey].

“In this case, staying in-house was important. I wanted to make sure that everybody in Mutant Academy shined in some kind of way,” said Anakin. “It’s so many of us, it’s like, I just want people to understand that all these motherfuckers are here for a reason. These motherfuckers is talented and they are not just links on the fucking computer. These people are real and awesome at what they do.”

Major RVA hip hop player Nickelus F also makes an appearance on the track “’03 steve harvey remix” as well as a few other local emcees.

“It’s literally like people that we’re friends with and shit. People that we love, people that we have relationships with. Nobody on that project from mixing to cover art to guest verses- all that shit was all family,” said Anakin of the project.

And while Richmond is bubbling over with diverse hip hop acts, Jack$on points to their creativity that makes them stand out among the rest.

“I think creativity and structure/consistency go hand in hand,” he said. “You have to stay creative to be successful. If you took creativity away, I don’t know how consistent you would be.”

From older projects like Hawaii LP and elsewhere ave. to Chapel Drive now, the creation of universes and full concepts in their music has remained consistent.

The lyricism from Fly Anakin and Koncept Jack$on especially, has made for an even more hostile environment for the faint of heart.

“This is our first album together and this is more of a serious tone,” said Jack$on. “We are here, we’re revamping and ready. “When we started working on that album we thought ‘Okay, it’s time to shake shit up for real’ and not just at the local level. If you stay on that local mind state, you’ll stay local. We’re talking about competing with people we look up to.”

Chapel Drive is up online, but cassettes will soon be available and they are also putting it out on vinyl. You can find the album at Plan 9 and will be shipping them out to those that order.

Words by Tico Noise

Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND drops fresh EP of original beats ahead of 10-13 show at the Camel

Brad Kutner | October 8, 2015

Topics: BSTFRND, Satellite Syndicate, The Camel

One of RVA’s best beat makers dropped a new EP late last month and we are finally getting around to enjoying the shit out of it.

[Read more…] about Satellite Syndicate’s BSTFRND drops fresh EP of original beats ahead of 10-13 show at the Camel

RVA Shows You Must See This Week 5/6-5/12

Marilyn Drew Necci | May 6, 2015

Topics: A Good Day In RVA, Abandon Earth, Aborted, Antiphons, Archspire, Balliceaux, basmati, Benjamin Shepherd, Big Wave, BSTFRND, Bummer's Eve, Cary Street Cafe, Chelsea Grin, Christi, Dark Sermon, Death Valley Girls, Dignan, DJ Harrison, Dr. Millionaire, Ensnared Humanity, Fit For An Autopsy, Flesh Wounds, Good Day RVA, Half Bascule, Hardywood, Hoax Hunters, James Dangle, Like Moths To Flames, Lobo Marino, Mac McCaughan, Manatree, Mcrvwvs, Murphy's Kids, Nelly Kate, Ohbliv, ozark, Peyote Coyote, PRSNL FRND, Satellite Syndicate, Scoopkid, Seraph, shows you must see, Silent On Fifth Street, Sittasines, Sports Bar, strange matter, Sylar, Tarrant, The Broadberry, The Canal Club, The Gooch Palms, The Nervous Ticks, The Word Alive, Theravada, Toxic Moxie, way shape or form

FEATURE SHOW
Saturday, May 9, 2 PM
A Good Day In RVA II, feat. The Nervous Ticks, Sports Bar, Nelly Kate, Benjamin Shepherd, Murphy’s Kids, Toxic Moxie, Lobo Marino, Christi, Manatree, Half Bascule, Way Shape Or Form, Basmati, Antiphons & a special surprise guest @ Hardywood – Free!

Here it is, folks: one of the most important RVA live musical events of 2015, if not THE most important. Hell yes I’m serious, and there’s no real way to oversell this one.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week 5/6-5/12

RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/2-7/8

Marilyn Drew Necci | July 2, 2014

Topics: Andy Vaughan & The Driveline, Backtrack, BSTFRND, BWLR, Cancers, Captives, Cave Of Swimmers, Cayetana, Cross Eyed, Donovan Wolfington, Downpresser, Dry Spell, Endless Mike & The Beagle Boys, Expire, Flite, Freedom, Fucked Up, gallery 5, Hardywood, Harm's Way, Iron Mind, Jake Mayday, Lemuria, Locust Honey, Pope, Pup, Ramshackle Glory, REC Room, Santa Kilmagik, shows you must see, Slugz, strange matter, Suburban Scum, sundials, Teen Death, The Camel, The Menzingers, Turnstile, Venomspitter, weed

FEATURE SHOW
Friday, July 4, 6 PM
Fucked Up, Weed, Dry Spell, Slugz @ Strange Matter – $12 (order tickets here: https://fuckedup.eventbrite.com/)

July 4 is always a day of celebration around here, but this year the fireworks will be happening onstage at Strange Matter.
[Read more…] about RVA Shows You Must See This Week: 7/2-7/8

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