I started the album Caricature late last year, 2019. I planned for it to be consecutive, but didn’t plan for it to drag. I’d worried about it when I realized I had to integrate. In between, I reasoned it’s part of a Gap so somehow it shouldn’t matter. Then I realized nevertheless it must conform, but it can’t expire because it performs.
So, I’ll continue the album when I can. But will introduce it here using the two songs under it that have been produced thus far. Oh! I’ll touch on Bubbles too. They were all produced between 4th-14th September, 2019; by Dvybz – All Na Hit Studio. He was recommended to me by Louis-Jay.
Bubbles was initially part of Caricature, but after its production I just thought it’s best left as a single (or it could be an EP with additional duets added from same collaboration – though that fell through). I composed Bubbles, while my collabo corrected part of the arrangement and also did the artwork. I wanted something abstractively erotic, yet partly explicit. Cy Nothing Parker (https://cynothing.com; https://twitter.com/CyNothing; https://soundcloud.com/competitorproduct) sent in his vocals via email. He initially struggled with the rhythm but came through. The producer was initially pissed off, especially because he had to go through many takes but cracked through. I, won through. Oh! The initial title was Spur on, but Cy recommended Bubbles. And that was on point. He also contributed financially to the production.
Caricature: This became the album’s title based on idiocy. I planned the songs, wondered which should be the title, then stumbled upon an artwork, which Odion (my brother) had done for a beat he created that I sampled in 2012. “Behold an artwork, behold my album's title.” That was it. All I had to do was edit the name on it from Rebekah-Flora to Rebflora.
Caricature as a single is old, but kept missing production until now. I wrote it in 2012, kept working on it from time to time up to 2013 when I added the rap. The inspiration was satire. The story follows the title – exaggeration of a possible event, and elaboration of an event. And funny enough most of the songs on the list possess that; making the album title perfect.
If I Could is about torment. Was composed 6th July, 2017. During production the song was perfect – I was okay with the beat and the song on the beat. Sometimes, during production I do experience conflict between a song and the created beat which I mostly resolve by accepting the beat before voicing since I can’t (manually) create my beat, and the output I’m given is dependent on how I was able to express the intended beat. That conflict didn’t arise with If I Could, it was good until after production. I kept wondering what went wrong. Certainly, there were some criticisms but that wasn’t it for me. There will always be criticism… That wasn’t what I was missing. It took me months to figure it out: I was listening to it the wrong way. The singing is a narration in a frozen state, while the beat is the action. I forgot this after production, and kept wondering why the singing didn’t possess the action too. I believe I got confused because the character overcame, and that would involve a considerable action. But really the composition hid the action, because the torment was more mental than physical, and the character overcame via a mental combat which eventually translated to the physical. It isn’t about emotional torment. Also, I put my life into perspective in the composition.
Cheers
Updated – 10th July, 2020.
