“I heard love is the frequency and pattern for now. The place that I exist where ain’t no chatter allowed. Ain’t no flashbacks to seeing blood splatter the ground or wounded bodies up in Addis that was scattered around, that was the time that the riots happened…” (0:00-0:14).
“Godly Daringer” by Siimbiie Lakew also known as Siimba Lives Long and Siimbiie Selassiie is the song that packages the lyrics above. Released November 28th of 2023, Lakew’s verses split time into before hearing his work and after. Usually, I would analyze an artist to extract the meaning or to vibe to a particular beat, but this piece made me want to journal. It made me want to put my worst memories on paper and sit in front of a microphone like he did.
I expected to hear a catchy song or something that was put out to bring money in, but the vibrations this music carries out is truly on another level. When I looked more into this artist, his story, and how he got to this track, I discovered that his beginnings in Addis Ababa via New York and New Jersey had a heavy influence on him being considered a “third culture kid” according to an expert by SXSW Schedule (2022).
Lakew’s work on this track and “The Royal Burden” are the tip of the iceberg of what I have seen from his work, but listening to his commentary about police violence, poverty, and his experience of transmuting negative energies into positive ones not only speak to his elevated status as a conscious hip hop artist, but as a child of a culture that is resilient, creative, and the birthplace of vision such as Siimbiie’s. His gift of storytelling over tracks accompanied with his visuals allows us a peek into what it means and looks like to come from many places and be the container for the stories of his culture as a member of the Ethiopian diaspora. His impact on hip hop and culture is not mainstream but shows how the most precious of jewels are hidden in plain sight. I absolutely love what I have seen and heard from his work so far and am excited to continue to explore.
