DOPEST Song of the Day: "WALTI" by Nuage
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Curated by Abisheik Devathasan, a member of local Canadian music duo nuage, WALTI- short for “what a life this is”- brings together 15 different voices into one song. What started as a response to the George Floyd murder, the project took much longer than expected and was released just right before the end of Black History month.
This initiative is a beautiful moment of unity, a coming together of many different races as a stand against the racial injustices that Black people face.
We’d like to draw special attention to the five Black artists who lent their voices for the song: Blank Face, Prenze, J Milez, TNinety and Wafa Arman.
Blank Face is a musical canvas who fuses different sounds like Hip Hop, Rnb, Grime,Trap Soul, Afro and Gospel. He believes in the idea of creating vibes and not genres. He is particularly known for his quick lyricism and free styling capability and calls himself the “One Take God''.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Blank Face says he is influenced by his surroundings from Afro legends like Fela Kuti to modern day influences across genres like Tay Iwar, Miguel, Masego, Anderson Paak, Logic and many others. The vast contrast in his artist influence alongside his varying tastes have allowed him to create unique sounds that represent him as a true Blank Face.
Prenze, an artist from Scarborough Ontario, has been making music for over a decade. Originally a spoken word artist, Prenze began making music during his first year of university. He eventually joined a collective called Tribal East. After success from their record 'Mad Rich' which has done 2 million views on YouTube, Tribal East began touring the world with shows in Melbourne, Nairobi, Oslo, and London to name a few. They're currently working on their debut album called 'The Family Tree'.
Emeka is a classically trained actor who has appeared in several TV/film and theatre productions. You may have seen him in the CBS drama “Ransom” or more recently heard his voice on the TVOKids show “Blues Clues & You.” Emeka’s ability to transform into his roles seamlessly has been recognized by the once held SEARS Drama Festival (now named NTS:DRAMAFEST) with a regional award in acting. When Emeka is not transforming into roles, he's writing rap lyrics.
Timothy Patterson, aka TNinety, is an alternative pop artist from Clarksville, TN. Being a black, LGBTQ+ artist, he finds it important to wear his heart on his sleeve and always speak his truth to act as a voice for those who feel unheard. His music explores themes of hopeless romanticism, mental health, self love and much more.
Wafa Arman is an artist based in Birmingham, UK originating from Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan. Her sound is a combination of the influences of the different cultures she’s been exposed to and she derives inspiration primarily from afrobeats.
The other allies featured on the song include RAK$, Spitty, Ami, F.U.A., Karthik, Kiwi?, Jarin Alab, Keralanka and B-SAV.
Being of Tamil descent, Abisheik’s main struggle with the project was an internal one: defining the line between empathy and appropriation. Empathy is a transformative and ecstatic energy that allows for us to transcend our personal problems as a means of being a vessel for someone else’s pain and struggle. By working alongside and seeking counsel from Blank Face, together they actualized this vision for a song that represents allyship and defiance- WALTI.
Check out “WALTI”, our DOPEST Song of the Day right now, and connect with Nuage on their social media.