Artist: Yugen Blakrok

Album: Anima Mysterium

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Background

Yugen Blakrok is a female South-African lyrical hip-hop artist born and raised in The Eastern Cape province of South-Africa. Growing up in one of the poorest regions in South Africa Yugen kept herself busy by taking an interest in many folktales which was an important influence on her future artistic ventures.

Going into her childhood, entertainment from the United States began to become a big deal in the Eastern Cape during the 90’s and during that time Yugen listened to her first rap album 1997's Wu-Tang Forever which really inspired her with it's dense production, tight flows, and fiery political edge.

As an adult Yugen finally began rapping herself after spending much of her teenage years writing poetry. In 2013 Yugen Blakrok released her first album ‘Return of the Astro-Goth’ Working with soon to be long time producer Kanif Astro-Goth resembles a raw Deltron 3030. A retro-futuristic lyrical hip-hop album focused on a dystopian future where Yugen as a character is viewed as a heroic fighter in a world controlled by the elite; Which not only offered a platform for her to showcase her talents as a lyricist, but a way to vent about her issues with society in the same way those who inspired her had.

In terms of solo music much had gone quiet since 2013 leading upto a breakout opportunity given to her on the 2018 Black Panther Soundtrack curated by Kendrick Lamar. At the time she recorded the verse she wasn’t even aware she’d appear on the Black Panther album. Once the soundtrack released she made her appearance on the track Opps also featuring Vince Staples; which gave her the unique opportunity of gathering a North-American following.

Coming off of a feature on one of the biggest commercial projects of 2017 a new international spotlight had been given to Yugen that she hadn’t previously had. After releasing ‘Carbon Form’ and Picture Box as singles late 2018, early 2019 respectively. Yugen Blakrok's long awaited album Anima Mysterium released Febuary 28th 2019.

Review

From the second you start Anima Mysterium smothers you with it’s thick imagery of the science-fiction and the occult through the thick and unrelenting flow that Yugen brings. We are quickly introduced to the world that Yugen inhabits on the opening track 'Gorgon Madonna' emitting feelings of an world translated between dimensions. This continues throughout the album messages from a world somewhat similar to ours with references to real world corporations like CNN on the track ‘Picture Box’ while also referencing ancient gods like the Roman God Diana) and Egyptian one Anubis as if they are true entities that inhabit her realm. Yugen uses this alternate reality as a way to contrast it with our own reality through the use of metaphors in order to make a statement on today’s political climate.

Silent ancestor holding heavy hearts like Anubis

Consumed by anger, self confusing who the actor is

‘Picture Box’ for example uses Anubis as a metaphor for how news publications are willing to feed on people’s fear and insecurity in the same way that Anubis would weigh the hearts of the dead and consume those full of fear and regret.

Along with the lyrical illusions Kanif’s production does a fantastic job throughout Anima Mysterium of enveloping you in this fantastical dark sci-fi vibe the entire album brings. Whether it be the dark guitar riff throughout 'Manotomic Mushroom' with sampled eerie vocals from collaborator BRAVESTAR or the horns blaring over the chorus of Hydra it’s varied while also being able to coalesce into a project that fits together into a 52 minute vignette of a world gone wrong. A political hip-hop epic from another realm packed to the brim with a thick and foreboding atmosphere that carries throughout.

If there’s one thing to take away in terms of improvement over the last 5 years in comparison to her previous album ‘Return of the Astro-goth’ it’s that Yugen has absolutely honed her flow from a raw inconsistent one; to one that sounds refined and honed into her own. Clearly taking inspiration from 90’s legends like Wu-Tang and featured artist Kool Keith (featured on Mars Attacks) Yugen elevates her flow into something with consistency. Throughout the project she never misses a step; moving from bar to bar seemingly effortlessly. This becomes more evident than ever on the single ‘Carbon Form’ hypnotically weaving through the lush synths in a cold demeaner that is.

One area that will understandably be a turnoff for some is the way many of Anima Mysterium's ideas are presented. Often due to Yugen's abstract writing it feels like entire lines or bars don't really add up to an overall point. I don't believe this to be entirely unintentional. While many of the tracks on here have themes you can dissect much of what Yugen's saying almost comes off a bit... Lost in translation. I think this is done as a way to extenuate the difference between our world and hers. To really focus on building the atmosphere and world of the record and leaving scraps of decipherable information as the main messages of the album. On the track ‘Metalik Crow’ for example we start with:

The Black Widow sleeps – sharp knives under the pillow

When the wind blows, leaves mourn songs on weeping willows

Inaudible noise frequencies concealed in the joints

Travel needle-thin and acupuncture pressure points

Which by itself doesn't really mean anything. Yugen uses the more abstract imagery for world building and atmosphere. Strictly meant to offer a vignette into her world before giving us a bar of more substantial significance:

Common daily routines like a collective retracing of steps

Mentally dead, spiritually trying to connect

In musical notes hide the most cryptic of codes

Truth is a bitter pill and I medicate in generous doses

Which offers itself both as a bleak look on how life can often feel drab and mind numbing, and how she is able to find meaning both in terms of mental and spiritual stimulation from the music she listened to. Like her childhood where Yugen began to appreciate the political nature of hip-hop her character is learning a lot of realities hard truths from decoding it. Which then leads to bars with vivid imagery about the slums of her city where heads are sealed inside cages. The imagery is important with the lines that precede it because it shows Yugen realizing the horrors around her. That the music taught her that things that might have been seen as the norm in society really isn't all that great. Although there are many things to pick apart in Anima Mysterium much of it comes with time, and not everything is necessarily meant to be deciphered in the same way. The moments of realization when you catch something new on each listen is what keeps you coming back.

Many of the collaborators on Anima Mysterium also come through with some incredible contributions throughout. Whether it be Kool Keith on the aforementioned track ‘Mars Attacks’ or California native Historian Himself on the track ‘Hibiscus’ delivering a verse that equals Yugen both in terms of the sense of wonder and technical ability. Underground New York rapper Jak Tripper (AKA Jak Progresso) also makes an appearance bringing probably the most zany moment of the project in contrast to the cold and calculated sound that Yugen brings on the track c. The features on every song that includes them fit excellently under the backdrop they are given. Each taking the time to craft a verse that not only sounds great but also fits well thematically with each given track.

The entire tracklist culminates into a vivid picture of a dystopian landscape ending on the track ‘Land of Grey’.

Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease

And Man’s awakening is accompanied by grief

These lines are the final of the album. A culmination of fascism, out of control corporations, and a news cycle that has become one focused on crowd control rather than factual reporting feeds into a world where simply waking up comes with dread. Yugen who first became infatuated with hip-hop for it’s political advocacy and themes uses her world as a way to do the same. Trying to spread similar messages in a way entirely her own. Painting a vivid picture of our potential future through the dystopia she's built.

Anima Mysterium is a truly unique album that shows Yugen’s talents and creative vision at their fullest. Five years after her debut album and she’s been able to not only take what worked on her previous work and improve on it, but also make the themes feel even more relevant than they had previously. Slick flows, atmosphere, and tension dominate this project through and through which makes it one of my favorite albums this year.

Favorite Lyrics

Sad souls known to grab noose and hang loose

Lay hypnotized by the tube,

Horrific daily news

Ears ringing from eerie noises,

Empty vessels make the loudest

Picture Box

The bipedal steps into the future,

Entranced by the bugler

Dancing on the killing fields,

Babies blast bazookas

Mars Attacks

I sleep with third eye open

And dream dreams of battlefields where crows feast on carrion

And carry on, fully-armed – Blakrok, red-blooded barbarian

Land of Grey

Discussion Questions

• Now that people are more connected than ever before do you see the potential for underground artists from places like South Africa to consistently gather audiences from North America?

• During your listen was there any specific line that stood out to you that you’d like to expand upon?

• Where would you like to see Yugen go from here? Do you appreciate the concept she’s gone with her last two projects or are you hoping for something different?