As the years continue to pass, I often reflect on the time I wasted as a younger person, longing for the opportunity to dedicate the freedom of my youth to my current passions. Of course, this is a rose colored glasses perception, not taking into account the simple fact that every moment lived before today was necessary to bring me to this point in time – had previous days not been “wasted”, then I would not be living amongst the dreams and passions that fuel my present existence.
Working daily with so many kids, I’m also constantly reminded of how difficult it must be for today’s youth to maneuver through the conditioning and expectations placed upon them. Society lays out a calculated road to “success”, leaving little to no room for outside of the box creativity or individuality. It’s a damn shame the ways in which the world does it’s best to suffocate the flickers of light that exist within each and every child walking upon the Earth today.
And yet, the youth is hungry. Man, the kids today are so fucking hungry. So, try as the conditioning might to stifle the natural curiousity and creativity of the youth, it finds a way to break through in so many glorious ways.
Which brings us to Ki’s “Friday Sunset” – an ethereal bit of sonic purity that may have been a fun form of self-expression for the young kid who brought the song from the mind to it’s physical manifestation, but a track that I feel represents something far greater. “Friday Sunset” is a jazzy, heavenly sounding joint that glides from the speakers into the listener’s ears, smoothly creeping deeper into your subconscious. It’s a beautifully composed record, capturing the spark of hope and creativity possessed by the youth that has the potential to build a better tomorrow.
“Friday Sunset” just feels good to listen to, the intricately placed, self-produced instrumentation swaying with Ki’s airy and delicate delivery, allowing the lyrical content to coast from one end of the track to the other.
Kids are a medicine, man. We need to nurture them, feed them and allow them to be their divine selves. Let them live, fall down, get back up and learn the lesson’s life is here to teach them. And may we leave ourselves open to learning from them all that they have to teach us.
Listen to “Friday Sunset” below.