For hip ‘hop heads: The BlackAsian – Rising is Imminent

Exactly three years after releasing ‘Brown Boy: Experiences of an Adolescent’, Brain The Tool is back with a new project titled ‘The BlackAsian: Rising is Imminent’.

Real name Mathew Ishitile, Brain’s latest project is heavily influenced by old school hip hop, jazz, blues and Afro futurism, and is very clearly an EP for hip hop heads.

‘The BlackAsian: Rising is Imminent’ listens more like a catalogue of beats with some rhymes thrown into the mix than a conventional EP.

The beats are great and will no doubt have you bobbing along, but with only eight tracks on the beautifully packaged and presented EP, one can’t help but wonder: “Where’s the rest of it? ”

The EP is intro’d by ‘Born Knowing’, which features The Watts Prophets’ ‘What is a Man’, with notable lines such as “inside these four walls, I am a king, but beyond that door, it doesn’t mean a thing ” and “why do you insist on keeping us caged? You know all that does is intensify rage “.

On track four, ‘Let Go’, Brain seems to urge the listener to do just that – let go, and listen, as the almost three minute track is a beat interlude.

Track six and the first single from the EP, ‘Sleep Awake’ features South Korean rapper Isco Jamal and is one of the stand out tracks on the EP.

Another stand out track is ‘Motions’, on which Brain raps about having to learn to live “within, and without “. The track is also outro’d by a great beat on which the rapper humorously sampled Homer Simpson’s favourite expression: “D’oh! ”

The final track on the EP, ‘Blade to the Naval’ slows the pace down considerably and features Brain rapping in Oshiwambo.

His final words are somewhat haunting: “Let me leave you with this – I’m a psychotic, a schizophrenic, I’m inspired by pain. Such a mixture when talent defies the fame “.

And talented Brain The Tool is indeed. Whether this EP will have mass appeal, however, is not as clear cut.

With talk of chakras, vibrations, spaceships, prophecies and the universe, it’s clear that Brain has embarked on a spiritual journey with this project, a fact which is echoed in his thank yous.

“I would like to thank my creators for my existence, for the mere fact that I exist, I wish to serve you always. It is because of you that all things are possible, all that I am is owed to your supreme grace. You thought of me, and for that I am forever at your mercy. I am humbled by all that you give me, ” the rapper wrote.

By the third or fourth listen, the EP will have you bobbing your head, tapping your feet and perhaps even rapping along, and it’s very clear that the rapper oozes talent, but the 37 minute project is simply too short.

Fans of his previous work are bound to love it, as well as those who enjoy the likes of Black Vulcanite, but it probably won’t be up everyone’s alley.

My only hope is that Brain doesn’t make Namibia wait another three years for his next release.

Physical copies of the EP are available from Aune Ishitile for N$70. Contact her at 0816975903. You can also purchase the EP on Bandcamp (brainthetool.bandcamp.com).

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.