3 Reason's This Rapper You've Never Heard of May Have Released the Best Music of Any Artist in the Last 3 Years!
Aha Gazelle is Hip-Hop's best kept secret. If your just an average Hip-Hop fan you have probably never heard of Aha Gazelle. I wrote this article for the die hard Hip-Hop heads, and for any one that just appreciates high quality art.
This will not be a biography of Aha Gazelle's life, i'll leave that for others to communicate, I'm focusing primarily on the music.
I was put on to Aha Gazelle's music by a good friend of mine Deon Vee. I left a link to his YouTube page at the end of this article, I encourage you to subscribe. Basically he was raving about this new rapper Aha Gazelle.
Naturally Me being a Hip Hop head I decided to check him out. The first project I heard by Aha Gazelle was an album called Free Barrabbas. I mean this when I say, this album had no skip's. You can literally listen to this album all the way through.
Free Barabbas was a work of art musically. The blending of singing, melodies, and raw rap lyrics is enough to captivate any listener.
The first reason I think Aha Gazelle has released the best music of any artist in the last 3 years is because of Free Barrabas.
Free Barrabas is the most relatable album I've ever heard. I played the album all the way through and was amazed when It was over.
A few songs really stood out to me on this project, first was a song called, " Illegal immigrants. In this song Aha Gazelle recounts his unique perspective when Hurricane Katrina hit, and how it effected his family.
Here's an excerpt from Illegal Immigrants, " We used to pray every morning in a circle holding hands Thanking God for everything we had, So much, after Katrina hit we was stuck, Before Pleasant Grove and all this church stuff, I heard Dad downstairs praying for the members but I'm like "God is they praying for us?"
He goes on to speak about losing family members in that year, and how he was struggling to navigate life through all the pain. The message is one that we can all relate too, about taking your family and bringing them to a land where there is no pain, no death, no sorrow. Being able to take your family to a better place.
Another excerpt from that song, "I'm sick of lying and I'm sick of trying, I'm sick of the crying, I'm tired of tears, I'm sick of dying and all of the violence, I just want to leave with Buzz Light-year, To infinity and beyond, Where I only got gold color crayons, Where it don't make sense and there is no science, Where humans don't get shot down for flying"
Aha Gazelle explains his strong desire to get his family to a better land. and ends with this powerful statement:
Don't ask me bout nothing, no, no, no, I wanna get all the people I love and forget everything that I have just to get out the country
That statement hit me right in the heart. When I was 19 years old my baby brother got his 16 year old girlfriend pregnant, and I thought our life was over. We were supposed to play college basketball together now everything would be changed.
We end up coming together to support the child and 2 moths after the baby was born he died from suffocation. I'll never forget the look on my little brother's face. The pain. Rest in piece Amari Davon Boykin-Beasley
A year late my older brother lost his baby at 2 months to autism. Again the pain was unspeakable. Rest in piece Malachi Beasley.
About 3 years later my other older brother lost his baby a week before she was set to be born. Rest in piece Aaliyah Beasley.
I can relate when I hear Aha Gazelle say, " I wanna get all the people I love and forget everything that I have just to get out the country".
That song has a special place in my heart. But also you can bounce to this track. Aha does a great job of producing music that you can dance too but still has heavy, deep, transparent lyrics.
Realest Rapper alive was an incredible song off this project as well. One line in this song that puts Aha Gazelle in a completely different category then every other rapper.
"And if you ever saw me shining it's a mirage, Every night that I was crying I put my tears in a pile, Then I poured it out to help me float down the Nile, To get my people outta bondage knowing I won't survive,"
Lyrically I do not knows who's touching Aha Gazelle. Songs like this really set him apart from every other rapper in my opinion.
The last song I'm going to mention because of lack of time is called " best in the word/Microwaves".
At the end of this song Aha Gazelle explains that microwaves basically means he sacrificed everything for his dreams. He wont be able to enjoy the wife, and dinner waiting when he gets home, and so he appreciates microwaves.
This song is very transparent as Aha Gazelle details the relationship he has with his father, and the fear he felt when telling his dad that he wanted to be a rapper, knowing his Father was a Pastor.
"My dad came in and said what you been doin all day, I can't even lie I did hesitate
I didn't even wanna look him in his face,Cause I didn't know what he was finna say
I was afraid that he didn't accept what I wanted to be, I like to rap and he likes to preach, This was the intro into his speech." Goes on to say , "Son, I'm really proud of you and I wanna let you know that I support your dreams, I'm always here if you need anything" then shook my hand and then he said, "Proceed" When the door shut my eyes teared up I just sat still for bout 20 minutes, Cause even though it all made sense I really didn't get it".
A truly amazing song that you will feel in your heart. His flow is on point, the hook will string the cords of your soul, and the production is well done on this track.
The only knock I have on this album is some of the production was not as good as a lot of his newer stuff. You can tell he was working with a lot smaller budget. But the production is still done well, but some of his newer projects you can definitely hear the difference.
The second reason I think Aha Gazelle has released the best music in the last 3 years is because of Trillium 2.
Trillium 2 is part of a 3 album project Trillium one, two and three. This project I believe was slept on. The production on this album is on Par with your favorite rapper, if not better, and his flow, and rap cadence is on another level.
The melodies, the bounce, the instrumentation, all comes together on Trillium 2 to make an instantly classic album.
Check out Twentylemhunnidmillion, an amazing song that you can dance too, and again with a message that you can rock with. This is the grinding when no one's watching type of song. Very motivating song, that will inspire you to chase your dreams.
There are several songs on this album you will repeat a thousand times, and then a thousand more, The price is always right, All Gold party, And many more. Hit single off this album is available on iTunes Momma House, is a must listen.
The final reason I think Aha Gazelle has released the best music the last 3 years is because of a project that just dropped at the close of 2017 Trillium 3.
This is arguably Aha Gazelle's best work to date. Production wise I can understand that. Lyrically he's much more steady in his flow. I personally like Free Barabbas more but I understand why most people feel that Trillium 3 was the best.
Aha Gazelle is your favorite rappers favorite rapper. The Lil Wayne's, drakes, TI, J Cole's, or whoever you have been listening to lately has not released better content then Aha Gazelle in the last 3 years.
This album pops off with a song called Get rich or die talking. He hits on some issues of social inequality in America. He talks about race issues, and the song's message I believe speaks about the idea that a Black man is just supposed to follow suit and as long as your making money don't complain about the social injustices that you seen prevalent around you.
Almost like don't speak out against this stuff you know is wrong because this group of people are funding your success and to stand up against that system would be to jeopardize your career.
My favorite song off of this entire project is All black party. All Black party is the final piece to a 3 song trilogy. All White party on Trillium 1, All Gold party on Trillium 2 and All black party on Trillium 3.
The message in this song is really deep. He is speaking on the white washing of Christianity, and how White evangelicals call a lot of things he does sin because they don't understand the culture.
He had a song on Free Barabbas that spoke about when your saved and become a Christian they expect you to basically reject your culture, and heritage, and become a white evangelical basically.
Americanized Christianity has created this idea that to be Christian is to be a white republican, gun loving American. But the reality is that Christianity reached Africa way before it made it to Europe.
Christianity is not a White mans religion, it has simply been Americanized in the United States.
This song has a very powerful message and I encourage you to go check it out. If you have never listened to Aha Gazelle go take some time to listen to a few songs I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Deon Vee
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Aha Gazelle Illegal Immigrants
© 2018 Stefen Beasley