This Can't Be Life.... a personal look at racial struggle
As a contributor to Viral Voice, I want to always be fair and unbiased in my assessment of the things I post, whether its an event, music or food. I strive to provide honest commentary that’s not affected by personal issues and feelings.
As I start to write this interview about independent hip hop
artist, Tyke T. I know that there isn’t
really a way to do that.
I have been working with Tyke for 4 years now. I’ve witnessed and been a part of his growth
as an artist and I cant disengage. So instead of fighting against that, I decided to use that as the basis
for this post. I posed four questions to
Tyke concerning the release of his new single, “This Cant Be Life” a thought
provoking song about the situations many of us face daily being black in
America. Ill post his answers and
mine..
I hope you enjoy the interview and the song.
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| Art work for This Cant Be Life by Quinn McGowan |
Tyke: I remember being in
my very small room, last year early August. ( I just went from having my own
apt to living with basically 6 other people, long story) & just feeling fed
up about life. The Sandra Bland situation had just went down, which was so
horrible man. And after that happened its like all on your Facebook timeline
all you see is Sandra Bland, & all of the other injustices & you just
start feeling, like there isn't any hope at all in your life, as a African
American.
Straight out of Compton
had just release, so I was watching all of the interviews & seeing all of
the sh*T they had to go through as a pioneer of hip hop & everything just
had me feeling some type of way, bad mood & fight the power all wrapped in
one man.
I think the last straw
in which , drove me to write "This Can't Be Life' was at our work talent
show the way I was expected to be the "rapper" of the group. It all
just combined into this fuel that is "This Can't Be Life" .
I know this is a long
answer, but that's how the song came about. I was just so mad at the
world for all of the B*llsh*t i kept seeing happening to my people and ,
feeling like my life isn't any different. Like feeling like i'm one misstep
away from that being me on TV you know? And yea, that might not be me on the
TV, but i'm dying slowly inside you know? I'm losing this battle in other ways
in the corporate world.
I had to make this song
because this is what the world& I needed. We both have/had to find
away to start healing. My healing started with writing this song. I hope the
world can heal once they hear this.
My Answer
1.
Why do I feel Tyke
needed to make This cant be life?
I have been telling Tyke for a
while that its time for him to get a bit more personal. Tyke is the most driven
person Ive ever met. I mean he literally focuses on a goal and
puts all his energy and effort into attaining it. His music reflects that
spirit. Hes also a pretty cool guy.. wity, fun to hang out with.. and you get
that from his music. But you don’t get much else. As an artist I think its
important that we get to see personal perspective from time to time;its what
builds legitimate fans vs followers in my opinion. . Im glad that he has decided to share. And
since I am deeply involved in the movement, I was excited, (and a little scared)
that he chose this topic. I also thinks
that it provides a perspective that we rarely get to see. Tyke has a “good” job
, he is one of the ones most would consider to have “made it”. He works for a fortune 500 company in a
lucrative position. And normally once we’ve broken into those circles there
isn’t much discussion about the way that racism and oppression moves in those
spaces. This song gives us that perspective from Tyke’s point of view.
2. What is the most important thing that you want people to take away
from this record?
Tyke: Conversation &
Awareness. Like discussing these type of issues is hard. They are not easy
topics, but the only way to bring awareness to what's been happening & how
things have been is to keep the dialogue going. Denying that there is a
problem, makes you apart of the problem. We just got keep striving to be
better.
Me: I want people to
understand the power of their own influence.
I want people to feel that their voice and their perspective matters. Regardless
to how big or small their sphere of influence. Someone is watching. Someone is
affected. You do not have to suffer in silence; as well as the fact that
admitting there is a problem, that there are obstacles that make it hard for us
everyday, doesn’t mean you have to give up.
Tyke is still working and achieving despite the things that he deals
with on a daily basis.
3. How does this
relate to all of your other music?
Tyke:). I think one thing that you will see that is consistent with my music
is that I always first & foremost go for making the best SONG! This is the
music business. Keyword being first is MUSIC. I'll never jeopardize my musical
integrity for anything. Once again, back to "Straight Outta Compton",
when I was watching all of those interviews with Ice cube, some interviewer
asked him..' Why Don't you think people are making more message or political
records like you guys did?" ...& the first thing Cube said was &
I'm paraphrasing here, but he said something along the lines of " Man the
first thing is the song gotta be bumping!" .. That struck such a chord
with me man. Like the music has to be great before people are going to listen
to your message song. "This Can't Be Life" fits that mold so well
& as well as the rest of my songs. All of my songs are great songs &
"This Can't Be Life" is now apart of that roster.
Me:I think it shows the
versatility of him as an artist. Though he hasn’t released many songs, he has a
very diverse catalog of songs. He is first and foremost an artist that uses his
platform to speak about the things he finds important, the things he is
interested in. The Song is a reflection of that, and showcases his growth as
both a rapper and a songwriter.
4. What does this song
say about you as an artist?
Tyke: From the people's
perspective, I think it will say that i am a "conscious artists" who
is "woke", which at times I am, but like every other thing in my life
I need to be better & do more. From a personal perspective it says that I
am growing as an artist & I'm elated. Seeing how this song has touched
people so far, is such a crazy feeling. Ultimately what I want it do is be a
song that at least aides in creating an environment for change as well as show
the world how talented of an Artist I am & will be for many years to
come!
Me:I think it says that first and
foremost he’s a black man fighting for his dreams and gives you a direct view into
his life and struggle. After that I
think it shows that he is an amazing rapper and songwriter. This is a powerful
subject. The song is equally as
powerful. It’s a song that makes you feel something. Its beautiful in its simple directness. This is the strength of Tyke’s artistry in my
opinion. His ability to sum up our every day struggles, wins and losses in song
and in his performance. This song makes
that abundantly clear.
Thank you guys for reading and watching. find out more about Tyke and download the song at www.drivenbymusic.net
