South African rapper, singer & songwriter Nyota Parker has had a great run within her journey in music as she has worked with various great musicians from the likes of ‘Jazzgroupiez‘, ‘Saul Madiope‘, ‘Thato Saul‘, ‘Jay Jody‘ and many more. She has since grown sonically as she expresses or rather paints this vividly with her 2nd Studio Album ‘INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS‘ which features the likes of ‘Mercer Shavelson‘, ‘Uno July‘, ‘Deem Spencer‘ and ‘Proda’. The 12 track project embodies a variety of stories that encompass us into the mind and world of Nyota Parker as we explore her story and her growth as an individual in life.
Musical projects should be an adventure and diary for the artist as they grant us access into the artist’s state of mind and direction in life and ‘INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS’ does just that, it feels like I am in a present moment where I can feel each an every fibre to her emotions and process of growing outside of her comfort zone. You see life has a lot to offer and it kind of forces us to explore who we really are and with that comes a variety of challenges due to the mere fact that we evolve as human beings on a day to day basis so what we may like today, may differ tomorrow.
‘MIDST‘ is the opening track to the album and it dives more into laws of life and how living freely can play to your benefit as at times we won’t get what we want but rather we would receive what we need at that present time and it may feel like a delay but best believe that it will all work out and eventually you will receive what you had imagined depending on your state of mind after the experience.
Each track hit home for me as it felt like a therapy session but in stereo form as I could resonate with each message behind it from the journey of self-discovery to the loss of loved ones and essentially the lack of guaranties in life playing out the way we want it but that should not stop you from pursuing your passions and finding love in the little moments that truly make us human. My favourite single off the project is ‘Safe Space‘ brings out a feeling of sensation, peace and really makes me feel understood. We all go through things in life and this has become my go to tune during those difficult moments, whether it be the depressive and anxious days or simply the days where I need to feel a sense of self-love.
We all do get lost in this world eventually as we try to battle our inner-beings with the day to day stresses of building a life for ourselves so if there is anything that this beautiful piece of art emits is light into the life of others but most importantly inner-peace and serenity. I feel blessed to have even listened to an amazing project such as this as we do not have many artists that risk it all to tell their story in an authentic and relatable way. Music has become a home for many and a door opener and life changer for others across the world so let us not down play the impact of music in our lives and to say the least, this project left me feeling fulfilled.
‘INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS’ is truly a gem for Hip-Hop as it showcases Nyota Parker’s heavy pen game but most importantly her attention to detail as each track offers a different sound whilst continuing the story and carrying the various life lessons through a delightful and easy to listen type of production. It also evinces her musical taste and inner wisdom as I can imagine how long it took to create and polish this masterpiece. Another single that stood out for me from the project is ‘IDC’ as it simply reminded me of Jaden Smith & Willow Smith‘s ‘PCH‘ which was quite nostalgic for me as that was when I discovered and fell in love with a different side of rap music which is more mellow and yet strong in message.
This project is a must listen to as it will not only usher you into the healing and growth journey of Nyota Parker as a human but will also remind you as to why you love Hip-Hop. We wish Nyota Parker nothing but the best in this life thing and may she continue to heal and offer a home for people through her music. It is only the start to greater chapter in her life. Since its release, the album has since landed Nyota Parker on Apple Music’s ‘UP NEXT‘ feature cover and banner support and as they say it takes real to recognise real. I hope you enjoy the album just as the way we have : )
Listen to “INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS” by Nyota Parker below:
