Half way there DREAMDROPDRAGONAKAI SOLO goes on a mental health walk. The Brooklyn rapper wanders a neighborhood park on “Post Dark,” kept awake by an overactive mind. As he wanders, his brain unwinds like a relaxing rope, each new emotion given a moment's attention before drifting away on the night breeze. The fallout from a recent fight with a partner and the absurdity of death both loom large, the kind of “rotten thoughts” that come from getting stuck in a rut. Inevitably, the questions become existential: Are his behaviors fatal? Would he be different if his father was around? There's always too much to process – and no guarantee of an answer – but a break in the quiet darkness can at least help organize the chaos in his head. “Nights like this,” he sighs, “the crib is a cage.”
AKAI's work has always been steeped in self-discovery, with albums such as Spirit Roaming and Drive alone, fly together presenting raw meditations on resilience. It does not have a unique philosophy. Instead, he seeks knowledge from every source he can find, clinging to the pieces that resonate most with him — even if that includes some unexpected voices. Example: AKAI reinforces 2023 themes Perpendicularity//Singularity with quotes from feminist activists and theoretic belle cooks who talk about the pursuit of joy and love. Instead, vocal samples were made between tracks DREAMDROPDRAGON includes Freudian dream analysis delivered by controversial right-wing Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson. Watching AKAI's internal exams can be difficult, requiring the kind of close listening that is difficult to program in our modern age. However, the rewards are great. the gems he buries in each verse are well worth the effort required to dig them up.
If AKAI's previous records were about racing and their next courses, DREAMDROPDRAGON it documents the confusion or disappointment that sets in once you realize you actually survived. It synthesizes the nuggets of wisdom collected over the years, appreciating (or at least acknowledging) that the keys to living the truth are sometimes at odds with one another. “We can't all be kings. some of us gotta be fools/I play both good so I can pick and choose,” he raps over the dusty bouzouki loop of “Paint Smear”. He has moments of crystalline, cosmic clarity, such as in “Endless,” when he laments a shared nihilistic view: “Imagine deluding yourself that your actions don't matter.” But later, he backtracks, saying: “I want you to feel my fatigue.” For AKAI, feeling oppressed and keeping faith are not mutually exclusive. It's important to test your comfort zone and see where it gives.
