Ahjee Parker: The Creative
I had the pleasure of talking to West Covina born; Atlanta-based rapper/writer/videographer Ahjee Parker some weeks ago. He is a member of Safe House; a collective/record label founded by Ahjee's friend Joshua @creezed. The group is comprised of about 10 members, all of them you can find at the end of this article. The collective started in 2015 and already has some dope content out including videos produced by Ahjee himself. You can find a link to Ahjee's videos and other content at the end of this article as well.
Ahjee's sound can be described as alternative trap. He mixes conscious lyrics with some pretty sick beats to create his own genre within the alternative trap wave.
One thing I learned while interviewing Ahjee is that he is an open-minded person. It's no secret that rap music can sometimes be misogynistic, homophobic, and sexist but Ahjee throws all of that away; ushering in a new mindset for rap. Mind you I'm not saying Ahjee is the only open minded rapper out here, he follows a lineage of artist like Raury, Mos Def, The Roots, Chance, Ab-Soul, Tribe, Gambino, Run DMC and so on that throw away the judgment, preconceived notions, and other things that give rap a "bad name".
Like these artist, Ahjee doesn't buy into the misogynistic and sometimes hateful ways that unfortunately plague the community rap has grown in ; instead he takes a different road.
His open-mindedness extends to his music taste where he is inspired by a plethora of artist. From Fka Twigs, and Bloc Party ,an indie rock band, to Jay-Z, Andre 3000 and Young Thug, Ahjee doesn't limit himself to one sound.
Ahjee's music upbringing helped him develop his love for rap and other forms of music. Like I mentioned he is originally from West Covina California. There his father was heavily involved in the early 90s underground hip-hop movement Project Blowed, an open mic/creative outlet for young minorities, and a way to end violence in their communities.
“As I was growing up hip-hop was always a thing. My dad always played early Kanye and Nas. I was just 5 years old just growing up and it was just something that kinda stuck with me, so as I got older I was like WOW hip hop is something I really love let me try to get into this!"
To him, rap music, just like writing, is more than just something to listen to, it's a way to express and a way to end the divide. As he explains
"I feel like music is a great way to bring us together, and can be used as a tool to talk about social issues...
Music is everything, without it there'd be no way for us to culturally connect, relate, and appeal to emotion because music represents what's going on right now, and much like our world, music is constantly changing and evolving over time so it's important for listeners to adapt to it.
Coming into high school I had some trials and tribulations and I figured out music was the best way to express it...
I want to give people my whole and just give them myself.”
Ahjee just like the rest of Safe House and other Atlanta-based collectives ,like Luz, are really changing the game and ushering in a new sound and way of thinking that is much needed in today's society.
Below are the Instagram links to all the members of Safe House and the collective's Soundcloud
@noviiimber
@destinybriona
@stormyjahaad
@leviathanthagawd
@carloemotico
You can also find the link to Ahjee's Soundcloud and Youtube below.
Also below you can find the Youtube link for Brandon Huntley
The director for Ahjee's music videos.
