M9 AWAKENING On the Making Of ‘Bold’
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in 'Bold?'
Wow, there are so many! I guess the thing about ‘Bold’ is that we always knew that we would be different by the time we had finished the project. What we could never have imagined though is how much it would actually change us as people. We definitely have found and learned to love our true selves more through making this album. It’s also helped us so much in our personal relationship with each other as it’s given us both a chance to shine our unique and individual qualities, connecting with our cultural roots. There is one very funny and interesting story; we have finished the album. It was due to be 11 tracks initially, but then at the very last minute our cousin, Prod G, told us that he was a producer. We asked to listen to some of his beats and they were so good we were like “ok maybe we can squeeze one more track in”. So that afternoon we looked for some samples that we didn't need rights to and found some classical music by Bach. We had recently been watching the WuTang series and joked about how he (Prod G) was like RZA. We then came up with this idea to recreate a moment from the series when Method Man smokes in the booth and coughs on the mic. So we got him mic’d up and started to record him as he lit up and exhaled into the mic. We then added the sound effect at the part where MOTH3R BAPHOMET says her lyric ‘Jenny Blaze’. It was hilarious because it took us several takes to get the lighter sound and the full sound of the smoke into the mic as he exhaled. It was such an epic memory that nearly never happened. In a way it was our ode to WuTang and the spirit of hip hop and family collaboration.
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'Bold?'
As we said before, we knew we were going to create this album. Since our spiritual awakening, we have been called to create songs about the divine Mother Goddess and her ancient teachings, but most of all these songs were to log our own growth as we transform into who we are destined to be. We first released Brave in 2020 and it was about that awakening and we knew ‘Bold’ would be us fully understanding who we are and living in our truth for all the world to see, inspiring them to find their inner truth and destiny. ‘Bold’ touches on so many subjects that are very close to our hearts that we may not have been fully confident enough to speak about before. We had to face ourselves, against all the negative thoughts, rejections, and those who would put us down and call us scary and demonic for practicing paganry as two ‘ethnic minorities’ from a cultural heart of London such as Brixton. ‘Bold’ was created to show them and ourselves the power and quality of our musical prowess and that it is possible to be a black pagan. For others like us who may feel alone or afraid to express their spirituality, but also for anyone who ever felt different, that it is ok and beautiful and powerful to be different.
Which song do you like the best and why?
We both like different songs. MOTH3R BAPHOMET’s favourite is “Brave & Bold.” It’s composed and produced by her and it means a lot to her. We’ve been writing it for a long time since the beginning of the “Brave & Bold” series. It really expresses her journey to showing up proud as a witch and her deep gratitude for all the witches who have come before her, who suffered and have been banished but have bravely passed their knowledge on so she can be who she is today. Craft has really helped her to see her power and beauty as a healer and a leader. 9Ohmega’s best song is Perfect because it is his first song where he really sang. It was an important moment for him because he always would let MOTH3R BAPHOMET sing but he was breaking through the fear of perfection to hear his voice and saw how beautiful it sounded. It also gave him a chance to write lyrics that would be used for singing not rap. The song really expresses that emotion so wisely, that we are already perfect just as we are, we just need to let ourselves be free. It really is a symbol of our relationship as man and wife and coming to love and appreciate all our flaws as unique traits that make the greatness of who we are and why we love each other so much.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?
A lot of our songs come from personal experiences. It’s funny because we both go to write at different times but somehow we finish at the same point. It’s totally open and then when we go to show each other what we have done, it just comes together as if it were meant to be. It truly is destiny. Sometimes, we may get a beat from a producer and it inspires us or we listen and go “That would be great for this”. Other times we get in the studio and start building from the bottom up. Chords, or a melody, then drums, then maybe some guitar and then start adding effects. We lay vocals pretty quickly but then always take the song away and listen to it for a while, reciting the lines over and over till we get them tight, then go back into the studio and spit them again and again until they are perfect. Every syllable and phrase is meticulously thought about and we make a special effort to think about all the imagery in the words and music.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Recording is great and hearing your music played back is amazing but nothing beats being on stage. On stage is where the magic truly happens and every word becomes like a sermon. Our divine selves come to life and we become these ‘deity-like’ archetypes communicating this powerful message from the source. It’s hard to explain. You really have to see it for yourself. People get pulled in when we perform. Our energy is powerful and these characters come to life. We ‘clown’ around and are very playful. We want to show people that music can be a fun and powerful thing. That not being afraid to really express oneself can give you so much strength and there really is nothing to fear, that confidence is just not being afraid to be whomever you are, no matter how weird. Because the lyrics are so personal, we really dig deep into our hearts to sing and rap every note and gaze into the eyes of our audience. We want them to know that we know they have felt this pain too and that it is okay, they are not alone. We leave all anxiety and nerves at the steps of the stage, all thoughts about what will go right or wrong. For the next 30 minutes to an hour, we are there to give a message to anyone, even if it is just a single person who is to connect with that message, even if that person is us. We are free.