By Charlie Maybee
This Alchemical Records article is read by the author to provide a multimedia experience for our audience while increasing the accessibility of our content to persons with hearing loss, low vision, dyslexia, physical or motor disabilities, or are on the autism spectrum.
Virginia-based rapper, Khi Infinite, still has love to share with his family and friends with his new single “LOVE FOR YAH.” It’s a chill bop that manages to reach some surprising emotional depth, especially with the accompanying music video, which was released on August 27.
The video shows Khi spending time getting high with his friends while making plans to call certain people who aren’t present; specifically, his “mother” and his “brother” as he raps, “Gotta call my mother up / Let her know I still got love for her.”
Perhaps he already has a strong connection to his loved ones and is just working to reinforce those feelings, but it feels more like there is a longing to rekindle connections that have faded into the background. In comparison to the people around him, Khi looks detached and lonely.
The end of the video has an abrupt change of pace, as Khi alerts us to gunshots by police and Khi begins to play to our empathy by noting he’s “just a Black man trying to feed his family.” There’s more at work here than just reconnecting with family; Khi Infinite is keenly aware that perhaps his allotted time to make these connections happen has the possibly of being cut short due to disproportionate police violence against Black people (particularly Black men).
A sobering message to pull us (and Khi) out of the musical high of the music that would make anyone reconsider the important relationships in their life. Don’t waste another minute thinking about making the call because you might not get another chance – just make the call.
“LOVE FOR YAH” can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer, Pandora, and SoundCloud. The accompanying music video is also available on YouTube.
This track has been added to our Alchemical Weekly YouTube Playlist.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
