thou.sand – 6 dream
Liner Notes
K: I didn’t know that at 6 years old I’d see my father for the last time. I didn’t think anything of it as a kid; I was naive, clueless. I was probably 8 when my mom told me that he’d been incarcerated. It was then that I started to dwell on his absence. I would ask when he’d be out; no clear answer. I assumed never. That took a toll on me. I didn’t know what to feel. In the 6th grade I cried about my father for the last time. That was embarrassing.
I used to miss my father. I would reminisce on the few memories I had of him, daydream of the ones we never got to make. I don’t miss him anymore; my life wouldn’t be the same with him in it. My drive to create may not be what it is if he was in my life.
*
Inspired by the last track of light leaks, I started researching Philly’s 2000’s underground rap scene. It’s honestly what made this project possible; the vocals for a handful of the tracks are from some of the local artists of the time. I listened to hundreds of bars from quite a few different sources and found that there’s a common theme in most of them. Many of the artists rap about their life (who they are, where they live, what they’ve done), and in many cases they rap about their aspirations, their dreams. Whether that’s making it out of their neighborhood or becoming the best artist in it, each of them acknowledged their situation and chose to chase something greater. This theme is what most heavily influenced the sound of the project. Some of the tracks were made as I reflected on events in my life while others were made as my mind was filled with ambition, ready to chase my dreams.
I say all of that to say this: this is the best thing I’ve ever put together. I just wanted to share what my thoughts were as I put together this self-proclaimed masterpiece and give a bit of insight about the meaning of the title.
Thank you to everyone lending an ear to the label. Thank you Christian! Man this wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t pitched the idea of the label to me months ago. I definitely wouldn’t be thinking about making music right now if it wasn’t for you.
Ummm.. yeah, I think that’s all I got. Shoutout to Jaz. I know you’re reading this lol. Shoutout to Noah. Your music (especially all the unreleased stuff ;-;) keeps me motivated to create and learn. We’re gonna collab one day I swear. Shoutout to STBB, see you soon :). Shoutout to God for blessing me with health and sanity.
Until next time,
Kev
C: Very happy to be kicking off 2021 with some more thou.sand! Our first release, it was made from a good amount of existing work that was compiled for the final LP – really it was a great 101 course for what he has to offer. What excites me even more about 6 dream is that Kev built this new one from the ground up with a vision in mind, which becomes very clear when you listen to what he’s crafted here. I am thankful that he’s been willing to share some of his story in the liner notes, it adds important context for the sounds presented on the album. I respect how adversity has made him stronger and that he’s pursuing more out of life.
I feel very fortunate that I could be a tiny piece in his journey as he continues to put this great music out there. Thank you Kev for this partnership, it truly is a pleasure working together 🙂
Please be sure to follow thou.sand on Bandcamp and Soundcloud – I know there’s more good stuff to come.
Happy Birthday Christopher!
ps: Be sure to download the album on Bandcamp for some secret bonus tracks…
pps: This didn’t fit in the sequence at all, but I’m glad I convinced Kev to upload this to SC hah – still stuck in my head..
Full Album Art
Details
Title: 6 dream
Artist: thou.sand
Release Date: March 20th, 2021
Catalog Number: UB004
Length: 26:32
