RESPECT. the Process: Cobe Obeah Breaks Down "Dark Night"

Some albums pass by like cars in the night, neither warranting a second glance nor a second thought. Other times, albums make you do a double take and really listen. Cobe Obeah’s Dark Night is one of those albums.

The Song of the Starz sequel is one lucid night in the life of the Inglewood rapper. Ranging from brutally honest fears on “Cousin of Death” and “Dark Night” to depression and nightmares on “My Sickness” and “Obelisk,” the album is focused and weighty.

“I was going through self-doubt, family dysfunction, financial issues, impatience, uncertainty and pressure,” Obeah says. “I put all of these emotions into my writing, to the point where most of the topics I started to write about were too depressing.”

He says he balanced those moody moments with some levity, on such tracks as “Bonjour,” in which he takes some time out to have fun. The bulk of the album remains introspective, though. To get a better insight into the making of the album, we chatted with Obeah about his mindset and intentions on each record. Read it below and stream/download the free album right here or at the end of this post.

“Cousin of Death”
[This song] was me liberating myself from the state of sleep, loneliness and depression by speaking about the things that make me mad, sad, and some of the vices I used during this state I was in. Cocaine was something that was around me, but I never did it. I would be at a party or whatnot and there would be coke and women, [but] I would just use weed. That’s why I say, “I don’t fuck with cocaine or heroin, but from here on, the only heroin I fucks with is Gil Scott.” It was me speaking to those who would say, “Try it,” and I would be like, “Nah.” I know life may not be beautiful right now, but that’s gonna make it worse.

“Cousin of Death” was also me battling the Status Quo of the industry. It was me talking to the hipster hip-hop fans who hate it when an underground emcee like me blows up. They want you to stay underground, when the reality is their favorite musician is in the mainstream. More than likely, their favorite artists of all-time were mainstream artists.

“Blackberry Merlot”
Blackberry Merlot is a cheap drink. But, one night, I went to a party and one of my homegirls gave me that shit, and it was bomb. That night was helpful in getting my mind off of the real world struggles. So,blackberry Merlot became a symbol of happiness and joy.

In the song, it’s just me flexing and speaking about my desires I’ve had had in the past and now. It was me reminiscing on the past, good times and bad times. I speak on getting shot at on the freeway with my cousins. I feel like I got a second chance at life, so it was a toast to that.

“Come Alive in August”
I did that song in one take. At first, the hook was gibberish and the verse was all done in one take. Then I went back and did the hook.

“Have Mercy”
[This was me] snapping back into reality [and] facing my demons. Asking the Allah/God/the Lord to help shed light on my darkness. Not just for me, but for all of the people in my neighborhood, other ghettos in america, and around the world. Africa in particular. I’m asking for forgiveness, too, for all the things I’ve done in the past. All of the foul things I’ve done.

“Dark Night”
This track is me fighting my inner demons. It’s me fighting my lower-self and trying to strengthen my higher-self. I built the project around “Dark Night.”

“My Sickness”
That’s really me in my bedroom telling the world everything I am sick of. It’s clear. I was listening to some old Eminem and I just got inspired to write a record being completely transparent and honest.

“Roamin’ with Romans”
This is a dream I was in; a dream of me living on Planet X. What Planet X is, to me, is a utopian, free, fantasy world where my problems are all gone. That’s what a good dream is to me, you know? What inspired the writing of that was just freedom. It was me talking about anything, with no real order.

“SoHo Pimpin/The Proposal’”
“SoHo” is a story about a girl that I met in New york who was extremely materialistic. She was very smart, and I started to like her a lot, but her love for material objects irritated me. The story is only half true. I changed up the name and added some things. It symbolized all those women and men who become victim to materialism and loving the things our oppressors influenced us to love more than ourselves. I think most fall victim to this. We are getting pimped. While she, this girl Monchel, is addicted to fashion and the billboards and reality tv shows, her community is being gentrified, but she does not notice because she is caught up in the fantasy world. The matrix.

At the end of the track she ends up being my girlfriend, that’s why [the second half is] called, “The Proposal.” I ask her out.

“Bonjour”
That’s me saying hello to the world. It’s me in a better state. “Roamin with Romans,” “SoHo Pimpin” and “Bonjour” are the happier moments on the project.

“True Colors”
“True Colors” is a revolutionary record with Nneka. I wasn’t as explicit on the track as I have been in the past. I was speaking on oppression, socioeconomic issues, disenfranchisement of black youth, etc. [The part about the teacher telling me, at five years old, that I may die by 23] was statistics the were read to us, and it was indirectly telling us that we may not make it. It was also coupled with an experience I had with two Jehovah’s Witness ladies who said that I am going to hell because of my lifestyle. I was only like 10. I was crying my eyes out. It’s just a metaphor for all the bullshit you’re told when you are young to psychologically belittle you, trying to prevent your growth.

“Obelisk”
“Obelisk” is just a nightmare track. I write about the events that took place in my life that haunt me. I touch on many things: My fear of death, going to sleep and not waking up, my grandmother that died three years ago and my homie that died. But no matter what fears I have, the god in me tells me to stand tall and be positive. “Live your life.” It’s okay. Stop being so paranoid and negative. The god in me is saying, “Don’t worry. Stand tall like an obelisk,” which is symbolic of masculinity and male dominance. It’s also a monument that was created by my favorite civilization: Egypt. One of my mentors is an Egyptologist.

“Eat Like Kings”
This is about eating like royalty. Even though I am part of the class of people who are consider the “have nots,” let’s eat like we are not part of that class. On this track, I recognize that, by birth, and through my African blood, I come from a line of royalty because we are the offspring of the Egyptians. [We’re] the descendants of them. Therefore, we are naturally kings and queens. We deserve the luxuries of the world more than the devils who run it. So, it’s about me overthrowing the elite forces who created poverty and feeding it to the masses of oppressed people of color around the world, through my music.

“Telephone”
It’s about patience and faith. Knowing that my grind and chasing my dreams in the music biz is all worth it. Knowing that it will come into fruition, because I deserve that shit. It’s all a matter of time, and when I get there I will stay there for a long time because of the struggle I went through.

“Constellations”
I reel it all back on “Constellations.” I get it all off my chest. In the beginning of the track, my friend, who is actually a black American, speaks in a British voice. He is an actor, so he’s real good at that. I wrote his part. It ties the whole album together, as far as a warrior who overcomes his struggles and hardships. The warrior is a story of me. A long battle in the night.