Artist Profile Sabela | “If I Am…”

If I sing am I purely a singer?

If I dance am I purely a dancer?

If I write am I purely a writer?

If I paint am I purely a painter?

If I immerse in my art am I confined to that outlet of expression?

This begs the question of exploration. That’s what art is after all, right? Exploring the unknown — the hidden aspects of the self; the untold mysteries of mankind.

Artists are, therefore, not confined to a box.

That would be a contradiction of art itself.

To be a singer does not mean to limit oneself to singing. A singer may explore the passions of their life wherever that may lead them.

So what if a songwriter chooses to convert their sensory experiences into a song? That does not (and should not) limit how they express themselves in the future.

An artist —whether they be a singer or rapper or anything — can also be a model, an athlete, a fashionista, a painter, a banker, a politician and anything else they put their mind to.

Because, an artist is one who uses every outlet of expression at their disposal to change perspectives, to elevate the meaning of their lives, to connect with society, to discover their inner-most self. To live. 

Sabela understands what it means to be an artist.

She follows her passions and expresses herself the way she chooses to.

Sabela is a singer, but she is not solely a singer.

Sabela is a dancer, but she is not solely a dancer.

Sabela is a model, but she is not solely a model.

Sabela is an artist, and she is not confined to a box.

To our fellow artists, if you’re reading this share with your friends and follow Sabela on Instagram. We’re always on the lookout for talented artist worthy of highlighting in our Artist Profiles. If that’s you, hit us up on Facebook or contact us here.

“I took off from paradise, and landed in the jungle…”

In 2017, Crooked Colours released their debut album, Vera. To us, it is a musical escape worth being cherished. Perhaps even listened to on repeat [which we have already been doing].

The opening track “Flow” is a hypnotic introduction that tricks the listener into letting go entirely.

In that first instant, Crooked Colours—the musical brainchild of Philip Slabber, Leon de Baughn, and Liam Merrett-Park of Perth Australia—dig their claws into you, luring you into a deeply hypnotic dimension.

Before you realize it, you’re succumbing to the seductive language of the jungle. Then something even more unexpected takes place…you start to energetically chase after the next beat.

This closing track branches outward, upward, and onward—whichever way the jungle chooses to spread its lush canopy…on this play-through.

The arrival of these three musicians through this debut album makes us exceedingly excited to hear more. If we could share one passing phrase with these guys, the words would undoubtedly be a product of the hypnotism they had just cast us in… As we restart their album yet again, we can only say…

“bring me down, cut me loose, I cannot quite get over you.”

“You say you’re ok
You’re faking, fucked up
Drinking all day, you give me a cup
And I’ll be damned if we can make it out of this alive, baby“

Boy, do we have a surprise for you — a Rainbow Kitten Surprise to exact.

Yes… that’s the name of the band. 🙂

Funny story, they got their name back in college before an open-mic gig. Two members — frontman Sam Melo and guitarist Darrick “Bozzy” Keller — went to visit a friend in the hospital who had bacterial meningitis and gave him the honor of dubbing their title. In that morphine-drip delirium, three words came together in perfect harmony: Rainbow — Kitten — Surprise. The name stuck. 

It’s hard to pinpoint their musical genre. It’s a mix of indie rock, classic folk, hip-hop and a little something we can’t quite put our finger on. Perhaps that’s what Sam Melo, Darrick “Bozzy” Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Charlie Holt, and Jess Haney intended all along.

These guys inject a dose of mystery in the sequence of their songs (and albums) just as their name implies.

The unexpected is what makes Rainbow Kitten Surprise — RKS for short — one of the most exciting bands to listen to. Just when you think you have them all figured out, the next track comes to life with a whirlwind of lyrical word-smithing and a side dish of jarring instrumentals that will have you pressing “repeat” over and over again.

Musical genre aside, if there is one thing for certain, this is the type of music you will be singing along to. To put it plainly, it’s a “ZERO F&%#$ GIVEN” kind of singalong. Whether you’re in the car alone, in the office listening to RKS on your headphones, or watching them live doesn’t matter. You’ll be singing with all the passion your creaky, raspy, untrained vocal cords can muster.

One of our favorite aspects of Rainbow Kitten Surprise is their stage presence. It’s contagious and exciting — a real rock n’ roll show. The last time we saw them was when they played at Revolution Live in downtown Fort Lauderdale. By the way, if you live in South Florida and want to see these guys rock Fort Lauderdale Beach, they’ll be playing live at Riptide Music Festival.

“I need to make you see what it is you mean to me.”

At this time of year, it is only fitting that we cast a deep, hypnotic spell on these long winter nights with music that makes eye-contact. We’re talking about the romance and hypnotism of an unbroken gaze — a sensation of welcome vulnerability. These are the sounds of warmth and comfort, of relaxing moments and bad influences. This is Micah Davis, a.k.a., Masego – a 25-year-old international genre-bending entertainer.

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“Broken bones and pocket change is all she’ll ever let me be.”

Don’t judge a book by its cover. We’ve heard the phrase since grade school. For most of us, the words have sunk in. Now, we take that valuable lesson to heart every time we go shopping for a new book — for better or for worse.

But when it comes to listening to new music that grade school lesson hardly rings true. We judge bands by their name, their genre, their youtube rating, their top 5 Spotify songs, and yes, their looks. And most of the time when we make these assumptions, we end up selling ourselves short. We dismiss musical genius with shallow judgments — heck, some of us don’t even give them the time of day if they don’t adhere to our aesthetical expectations.

But… in all honesty, some of the best music we’ve ever heard has come from the most unlikely sources.

This holds especially true to St. Paul and The Broken Bones.

Seeing lead singer Paul Janeway take the stage was confusing, yes. He pretty much looks like Drew Carey. But when he belted out the first lyrics – coating us with a deep, deep voice that radiated throughout the crowd, and our souls – that grade school lesson was there to say, once again, “I told you so.”

Hearing that first song and watching his performance was like being spoon-fed a dose of cognitive dissonance.

Give their NPR Tiny Desk Concert a listen. If you vibe with them, as we do, check out their album Half The City.

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All of the articles you will read about him cite his troubled teen-life, numerous setbacks, and near death car crash, yet he describes his journey as “The American Dream.”

Lets speed through his timeline really quick:

Raised in a strict Muslim family with 14 siblings, then moved to gang-controlled Oakland where a world built on rich music culture, disobedience, and drug dealing was quickly emerging. He left home at 12 and never came back.

Fast forward two years, Dphrepaulezz’s father dies. He is shuttled between foster homes. He was then entrenched in a life of small-time delinquency.

At 18 he discovered that Prince was a self-taught musician and so he began teaching himself how to play.

He snuck into Berkeley music classes to get a formal education — and in 1993 found himself being signed to Interscope for a $1m contract by Jimmy Lovine himself.

If you thought the rest was history, you’d be wrong.

Going by the name of Xavier, his debut album The X Factor was released in ‘96. Neither he nor Interscope was happy with the work and so his next few years were spent in musical purgatory — unable to leave his label but unable to excel under them.

A near-fatal car crash left him in a coma for three weeks, broke all four limbs and maimed his hand, ultimately releasing him from his contract… but also his ability to play the guitar.

Going back to the hustle was only natural. Dphrepaulezz transformed his warehouse home into an illegal nightclub that soon attracted a variety of celebrities due to its exclusive vices. He split his time between managing Club Bingo and performing music in a number of Afropunk/negro rock projects.

He moved back to Oakland and began growing medical marijuana to support his newborn child.

To soothe his son one evening, he picked up a guitar for the first time in 5 years. From there he forced his twisted hands to play again. Freshly inspired, he began churning out blues tunes with black roots–Fantastic Negrito was born.

Fantastic Negrito is firmly rooted in both black experience and black music, including blues, R&B and a variety of roots music.

He created this new persona at 45, and landed a spot on NPR’s Tiny Desk Series a year later, exhibiting that success can come at any point life.

“I thought my story was over. But that was when I realized I finally had a story to tell — and it seems to remind people of their own story,” he said in an interview with The Guardian.

It doesn’t seem right to talk about Fantastic Negrito’s music without personal input. The music is so imbued with Dphrepaulezz’s soul and experiences that no thoughtful conversation can be derived without having him in the room, breaking it all down for you. Even the title of his debut album, The Last Days of Oakland, stands as a testament to that.

With themes such as racial inequality, human rights, police brutality, classism, and poverty permeating each song, it is very clear that there’s a lot more going on here (he even threw in a twist on the Lead Belly classic “In the Pines”). Roots music has been edging into the mainstream over the last few years. The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, Mumford & Sons, and Jack White are all examples of this.

Fantastic Negrito stands apart from all of them.

The authenticity of Dphrepaulezz’s trials and triumphs are painfully relatable. He’s a man of many tastes and talents and this project is a true representation of that.