On their latest album, People Forget, Chima Anya & Slone, come together to create wonderfully self-aware Hip-Hop that speaks on just about every topic we millennials face on a regular basis.
Over the course of People Forget’s 14 tracks, Chima and Slone cover dating, luck, stress, travel, the future and, well, life. That may sound like a lot to pack into one album, but Chima and Slone handle it with grace. Whether he’s stressing about doing too much in “Do Less” or confessing that a lot of life is out of his hands on “Luck,” it’s Chima’s abilities to identify the small details that make People Forget a project worth playing.
Take the song “Scrollin’” for example. The entire song centers around the concept of never being satisfied with your possessions. At first, that takes the form of scrolling through various feeds. It could be Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google News, or any other app, but regardless, we all sit there mindlessly looking for more content. “Now I’m trapped and lost, in this savage frost, trying to pass it off like I’m really happy to be here when I’d rather not be involved with this catalog of this classless fraud. Man just turn it off, turn it off. But I cannot stop.” Then, the concept turns to owning cars and continuing to compare yourself and wanting more.
While he does a fantastic job of identifying these generational quirks, the best part of the song comes at the end, when Chima doesn’t offer a solution to the problem. He’s not sitting atop a mountain claiming he has the secret but merely commenting on something we all share. Chima is as clueless as the rest of us because he is the rest of us.
While the above track is one example, the entire album is full of deep thoughts and ponderings on life. “Space Age” talks about the future and the purpose of progress, “People Forget” speaks on our collective quirks and “Coffee” paints a picture of modern dating.
For those reading along who were around in the heyday of Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Living Legends and Murs, you will glom right onto this project. It has that early 2000s feel to it, with more “classic” production and topics that range from common emotions to frustrating things in life. It’s far from a turn-up party record but fills that void for all of us who still consider rap to be living poetry, and look for more than just sex, drugs and cars in our music. And with Slone on the boards whipping up the perfect instrumentals to frame Chima’s musings, People Forget is a worthy addition to your digital collection.
The beauty of any album is the opportunity for each listener interpret it as they see fit. With that in mind, I feel that People Forget is a gentle reminder of all the little things that make up life. That could be stressing about not doing enough (or far too much), pondering the future, worrying about stupid things, dating or even just chatting about sports with your pals.
And with that, may I send you off with one of the best lines off the record, brought to you by Crown on “Do Less:” “Tomorrow is hopeless, today I didn’t do the things I was meaning to do. My time is so precious, but I pan on Facebook for one hour, possibly two.” If that doesn’t sum up our generation, I don’t know what does.
Press play on People Forget above and be sure to keep it locked right here on EARMILK for all things Chima Anya & Slone.
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