An Intelligent and Introspective Record from Suburban Downe

A full album release from Suburban Downe delivers a flurry of honest and conscious hip-hop that comes spewing out from all directions, giving you loads of persona and character to chew on, along with plenty of inner thought that comes spilling out for all to soak in.

This is a different kind of hip-hop record. It's a rap release, but it gives you layers. This is an experimental LP that blends elements of electronic, cinematic, pop, and hip-hop together to create an atmosphere that you end up falling right into.

It is very easy to get engulfed by this album, not just because of the soundscapes it delivers but also the lyrics.

A lot of the lyrics on this record have deep thinking to them; they dig into personal insight and perspective, and come out the other end packed with a unique and borderline brilliant approach that feels poetic.

The record is called Vault for the Ages, and it kicks off with the song called "Quiet Poem in the Night", which starts automatically, right off the bat, giving you insight into a lot of those inner thoughts.

This track alone is incredibly introspective. He digs pretty deep and is not afraid to get detailed with those lyrics so that he can describe things the way he wants to.

It's because of this that you end up really connecting with things.

The lyrical phrasing is outside the box, and the lyrics themselves are intelligent.

As I mentioned earlier, a lot of the persona that comes out gives you a lot to hold on to, and this track is a perfect opener for the entire record.

It introduces the album perfectly because it's giving you some of the great staples that the full LP boasts.

Having said that, I strongly suggest listening to this record in full, in one shot if possible.

The album has songs that feel almost like they interconnect with certain tracks even feeling like they serve as the soundtrack to chapters in the artist's life.

This first single features a lot of electronic backbone, spacious synth pads, and robust sort of atmospheres that have ambient undertones and engulf you in all the textures that it delivers.

I think one of the things that really hits hard about this record is that he is able to create the production and instrumentation to build a mood that goes right along with the lyrics that he's portraying.

"The examiner", for example, is a rapid-fire sort of track in terms of how fast he is with those lyrics and how much he's able to squeeze into 2 minutes.

Not only that, but you have so much honesty and insight hitting you that it's almost overwhelming.

This is the kind of track that you need to listen to two or maybe even three times to soak it all in.

"Magic Bubble Spell" song that starts giving you more of the experimentation, but blending in a lot of the pop color in terms of hooks. This is a bit of a catchy song but still has that expansive and almost spacious atmosphere that a lot of the rest of the songs bring out.

Many of the songs are a bit different from each other, but there is a consistency. The record is very cohesive through and through, and the songs do make perfect sense together in different ways.

"Hung Dead" comes through with a different kind of swagger, and he's got this great decimation or even distortion effect on his vocals that brings out a more heavy-handed attitude.

This one feels a little bit more like classic-style hip-hop in a sense, but still brings out a lot of experimentation in the process.

The whole record is avant-garde. It doesn't follow any particular prescribed genres or directions. It is what it is, because it's in the moment. Because of that, it puts you in the moment with the songs as well.

When you hear one of these tracks, it's got your full attention.

All of these pieces of music are coming from real places. He's pulling from life experience, some emotion, his personal perspective; it takes on different aspects of life and what it throws at you, and it just humanizes everything.

This is not your average rap record.

This is a release built with fewer boundaries than you may be used to.

I look at this as being part of the future of music in general. Just having a record like this showcases an artist who builds and creates with no walls around him.

He is free, the record is free, and listening to it gives you that feeling.

Intensities rise and fall, attitudes fluctuate, and approaches very, giving you a little bit more insight into his many influences as an artist and a creator.

This is a record you can really dig deep into, and again, if you listen to the entire thing from start to finish, you're really in for a good experience, which I feel like this record is all about.

When it's over, you'll need to reacclimate yourself back to your own reality again, which I consider to be kind of a gift.

I consider it a gift because it's a bit of an escape from your own life. He's putting you into his life for a chunk of time, and that's something you don't get often, so when it comes around, it's really refreshing.

Upon listening to the album, I wanted to have a sit-down with the artist to find out exactly where this came from and what might be coming up next.

So, while you sit down with this record, have a read through of our interview with Suburban Downe below.

Hello and thanks for taking some time!! Let's get into Vault For The Ages!  

Where did this record come from and what is it about?

“Where did it come from” is an interesting question. I am inclined to call it “crazy,” but I will be more polite than that, so I won’t call it literally insane because it’s not. Lol. The concept Vault of for the Ages is that I had written and recorded these songs over the last so many years, perhaps 2 or 3, depending on your definition of time. Therefore, people would ask me about music, asking questions out of curiosity and what not, then I’d say “well, I have a ton of stuff in the vault,” or something along those lines. This captures the urgency of these ideas — down-to-earth, immediate, practical, and useful. Unless, I was also very determined to make classic records and content that stood the test of time. That was my mission, goals; with this album, and the double release of “The Power of Enlightenment, and Independent, on the Outside of Grief”, I had really stepped up to my professional responsibility of serving the world through my art. I understood this is what I am meant to do, the best way I can help the world. I had realized a creative career was the most authentic choice to serve.  So the whole album is this kind of coming of age story, when a young person is wrapping up their early education, and coming out of their magician’s cavern to liberate the world with their enlightenment, newfound. Obiwan. I was prepared for war, a warrior, reading samurai philosophy, yearning. Patience. Loved strength. Growing as much as what was crucial. Didn’t want to be too soft, but I knew I must be aware and sensible. It’s honestly quite simple, despite how deep the album(s) might seem. It’s about the present moment. It is presence, actually, in fact. It’s eternity at the center of all perception being our consciousness. That is Husserlian. Really, the whole point is to focus on the process and do what is best. I am very much in love with wisdom and serving the world with the empowerment of eradicating ignorance, demolishing arrogance with confidence, and speaking truth to power. I hold people accountable. This is purpose. That’s the whole journey for me, and this is one for the ages. This is one that people can join whenever, no matter how “old” they think they are, because truly youth is an eternal spring. And that wise never dies, in the proper sense. I refuse to be pretentious. Haha. I can go on and on, y’all know this is what I devoted to. It’s a kind of spirit marriage. I have to make this no matter life nor death. I’m standing up for what’s right. I protect justice when the innocent deserve self-defense. Often the greatest wisdom is concise and necessary for everyone to conceive, let alone understate. I was very interested in spiritual literature during the creation of this album, and all the content I made during this period, as there are many conceptions to such in this collection; the references to such principles are straightforward and needed for real recognize real to understand like the consumption of food and building shelters, structures. Architectural, too. The bible, Jesus quotes. There's the end of this passage, haha. Go listen to the album and see if you can find all the references and meta-dimensions. Let me know what you think! Let’s share the cultural revolution together. I am active out there now, man. I have grown. I like stories. I express philosophical systems until they are complete with my albums; historically, that is kind of why I need to create these and get them out. I have certain frameworks I master and improve to their utmost potential. Perhaps that is what most people know as a “calling” or something. 

I am hearing several approaches to this! Who are your biggest musical influences?

Lol, this is a classic question. I like “who,” but I want to expand to “what” because life is my greatest influence. Necessity is my greatest influence. This is what I need to do, and it is here to keep people safe, if they choose to save themselves and want this. It is here to keep the world secure and serve in the best way I can. It is what I love to do more than anything. It is authentic, necessities; we don’t need any more fake sh*t, you know? 

But, like any responsible artist, I am a huge fan of the cultural’s apparatuses. Haha. My biggest musical influences in the form of “whose”? That goes way back, deep, man. I grew up on the Beatles, to be real with you. Hendrix, Coldplay, Zeppelin, classic rocks. My first concert was Nickelback, NGL. I was nine, and some dude offered me weed to which my mom plugged my ears and told him to leave. 

I remember the “Sweet Victory” song from SpongeBob. 

That was the first time I consciously thought to myself, “this is what I want to do.” I was four, and it felt like electricity passing through my body or something. I was electric and awakened. I was completely energized and purposeful. It was a brilliance that went off. The light of your life purpose type beat. I was completely sensitive to it and amazed. I looked up to my older half-brother with an “o” face, “Wow”. 

I was into Usher, Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Lincoln Park, Michael Jackson. My mother, rest in peace, recalls me (imagining that I was) conducting the orchestra on PBS before I can remember. Barnie. I have always loved Classical music and Jazz from Mozart, Beethoven, ancient Gregorian chants, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Nina Simone. Pachabel. I got a little older, and my affinity for classic rock improved with bands like Yes or Phil Collins. I dug Black Sabbath, Journey, Pantera, Metallica. I would listen to the classic rock radio for hours with my older half-brothers. I think Ozzy Osborne showed me who I was meant to be subconsciously, before I fully realized. The truest rockstar. Flobots. That is how I feel in retrospect listening to “Crazy Train” and “Paranoid”, playing guitar hero, so perhaps that was formative to my identity. Jay Z, Eminem. Britney Spears is a cultural hero and genius. 

I like David Lynch and Harmony Korine’s work. What a broad answer that is capable of this investigation. It goes so far beyond “musical artists”. 

I started getting more into niche, alternative, critically acclaimed, artsy, and experimental stuff after the age of ten. Robert Delong, Kite String Tangle, Twenty One Pilots, Blur, Gorillaz, Awolnation, Brockhampton, Kendrick Lamar, Billy Eilish,  Odd Future, Mobb Deep, Nas, King Krule, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, the Velvet Underground, more Beatles, David Bowie, Oasis, Toro y Moi, Aphex Twin, Godspeed!, Three 6 Mafia, Bone Thugs, Metallica, Beck, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Animal Collective, Have a Nice Life, Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, Surrealistic Pillow, Joy Division, the Beachboys, MF Doom, Dilla, Declan Mckenna, Gus Dapperton, Vinyl Theater, King Crimson, Sticky Fingers, MorMor, Amnesia Scanner, Holly Herndon, Moor Mother, Fleetwood Mac, Radiohead, Billy Woods, Armand Hammer, R.A.P. Ferreira, Funkadelic, Mac Demarco, Alex G, The Cure, Tears for Fears, Rick Rubin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, Bjork, Kanye West. Those come to my instinct and intuition when you ask “who” my most pivotal musical influences are, as a kind of shortlist. Honestly, anything critically acclaimed I am probably into, but I am always hungry for more knowledge. I really enjoy learning and researching “underground” topics, even though such a label, like most labels in the technical music criticism lexicon, is kind of ridiculous in today’s world with the internet. Everything is in the cloud, so underground perhaps means more word-of-mouth, conoscenti stuff. But perhaps labels are necessary to empower our understanding, organize, even if people don’t realize the language traps and games they are lost in, regardless of how much they know about the weight of worded significance. Your words hold more weight than one realizes! No need for abusive and arbitrary limitation. This is helpful limitative, if anything of the sort. 

I really have a proclivity for anything classic and highly original, so that is the torch I am carrying with my work. I am interested in the most classic examples of peak culture and doing it better than any generation before. I like paintings. I study literature. I read philosophy. I train LLMs. I collect a metaphysical ton of data and sources on whatever subject I need to solve, even down to being the most caring dad for my dog possible, for example. I truly live for enlightenment and wisdom, dawg. That is our responsibility, to be more enlightened and smarter. To learn from the masters of the past, and any great master understands that they are better when their students can surpass them. Humanity should consistently get more intelligent and wiser each generation, so I am faithfully leading the front. Morality, enlightenment, empowerment. This is also the language for the ages!

These days I have been listening to a lot of Saul Williams, Akai Solo, Stanley Turentine, R.A.P. Ferreira, Johnny Dynamite, Papertwin, Michael Fakesch, Four Tet, Earl Sweatshirt, Rhakim Ali, Sideshow, Yungmorpheus, Toro, Eyedress, Mark Badinson, Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, Cecil Taylor, Philip Glass, and just whatever is on the classical and jazz radio any given day. I want to know all the music!!! But, some things are better left unknown, right? Sometimes it is better that people don’t understand us.

How did it all start for you as an artist?

I always needed to make art. I had discovered a strong drive and need to express as early as I can remember; that is why the “Spongebob” memory is so formative. Living in Section 8. I was homeless before. My father exterminated his rights. I knew I was meant to make great work, or at least I felt it, as soon as I can remember. It was formative to my consciousness and interaction with the world. I was kind of private and reserved about this propensity as a child, but I was eager to learn piano, instruments, sing, and write as soon as I could. People thought I was talented and bright for better or for worse, but I was very careful and introspective. I was analytical. I loved to think through problems, read, watch shows, listen to music, play video games. I was advanced, excelled with school. My mom had got me a toy piano, and I would practice on that as a smaller child. I’d sneak to one of my neighbors' houses to play piano and teach myself. I was in choir, band. I started writing songs and stories before the age of ten. I started learning guitar, too. I befriended other artists, such as my lifelong friend and (metaphorical) brother, Ethan White, who puts music out as Madrigold, and started multiple bands with me, such as Lind Velmont. I was well received and challenged the norms; I feel this fact. . By the time I was in middle school, I knew it was my destiny for greatness, so that has been my adult functional in the world ever since. It’s about knowing you have something extraordinary and fighting for our rights to share it without entitlement. Individuality. I didn’t care for how far-fetched it seemed, I knew deep down I needed to do it, and I was meant to do exceptional work. Some people may have doubted me but I stayed faithful to my authenticity and have managed to dedicate my life to art, writing, creativity, and teaching.  Some Taylor Swift shhh… Haha. We need more people more than ever who are willing to sacrifice for the work that is significant and important for what the world needs. This is how it always has been and how it always will be. These are patterns. I only let quality into my circle. I had to learn strong boundaries to survive, so I don’t play games or mess with anyone. I have accomplished great work. My older stuff is still relevant, and always will be. I am only improving and getting more mature. I run, I do martial arts, I am getting stronger and more well-informed. We need those services. 

Did you produce this yourself, or did you work with an outside producer?

I produced the album in DIY studios for the most part. I had some assistance with some of the tracks. My work is very process-oriented, so the world is my studio. I am writing all day every day. It is a 24/7 job, but of course, this is more than a job because it is about sharing the most lovable ideas. Real. Empowerment in realism and truthfulness. Enlightening and flourishing. Helpfulness. So much beyond-er. I must make a living and be a productive member of society, even if it I don’t play the games of convention or buy into bullsh*t. That is part of what being a mature adult is to me. You have a duty, and you increase the well-being of everyone for it. It is the quiet ones, when that is best, who keep their head down and do their work that hold society together. It is the backbone. This is integrity. This is some Marcus Aurelius philosophy. Haha. You see what I mean about this all being a constant flow state?

Are you performing live right now?

I am planning a tour for next year. I am always open to playing shows in the meantime! 

What's next for you now that this is out?

I’ve got the other album coming out. I am working on a third album of more “notebook and guitar” style tracks I have been working on for up to 4 years. My next musical agenda is to wrap that up. I probably have over a hundred songs or more that I have written for that. I spend most of my time writing, all day every day to be real with you. I figured I don’t want to waste my musical ability, which has been so foundational since youth. I also write, so I am focusing on cultural criticism and essays. I am working on some books, but those are probably literary nonfiction that I am not in a rush to finish or publish in the near future. David Eggers, where you at? I am only 25, and I want to ensure I have something wise and mature to say for a finished book. I want to keep making esteemed and critically acclaimed work that stands the test of time. Classic, G.O.A.T. behavior. Legend. Anne Waldman? Poetry? David Foster Wallace? Carrying the beat generation, but I have been reading James Baldwin again.

This is part of why I didn’t want to be famous when I was younger. I was cynical about the music industry, which is still corrupt in many ways, but more to come on revolutionizing that. Haha. 

I have a lot of love for a lot of people, man. Always opening for whatever ideas are wisest to execute at any given moment. Prepared. Ready. Usually, songs come to me when I need to get them out, so I am going in a more “writing” first direction where I need to speak truth. It often, if not entirely, feels like I am observing the blood in my veins or I am pooping. Food in goes out. Entirely instinctual feeling. That is how necessary this is. It is the whole digestive system; it is whatever system I need it to be. It is very “find enlightenment, flourishing, and fulfillment in the moment,” type beats, which are the same principles I have been writing these songs on for years — “Vault for the Ages” and “Enlightenment on the Outside of Grief” are abundant with this. I wasn’t rushing their release because this advice is timeless, self-governing. Internal validation and presence are now, not just next! Not overthinking the future when we don’t know for certain what has, yet, to come. Finishing, proactive cultural problem solver, fr!!! That is self. Storing on shelves, you know? Jumping from the fishbowl to the ocean of spiritual freedom. The spectrum of consciousness. Awakening. Enlightened decision-making. This is all awareness. Forgiveness, foreverness. Eternity. It is, feelings, whatever you need, at a whim. Sage path, daoistic, balance. Complete capability and competence. All necessary resource obtained. I need connection, dude. Community, get out there. I don’t want to get too into my own head, so I write and read at the library or something and ground myself in how my work is transforming the places around me. Reading more books. Being more proactive in the culture and making my voice useful to solve problems and improve the world for people who deserve it. Now or never, as many say. I am present and focused on breathing, usually. I meditate. I do philosophy. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thourea, instrumental for this lifestyle. Also, sometimes, I feel like making a beat or composition and seeing where it goes, or wanting to focus on music. Wanting to focus on life, you know? Many people crave to know that. I do visual art. I am interested in fashion, stylistic Media, content. My ideas are very helpful for many people. Realness. This is beyond what is needed. I liberate the world with the best ideas. Thriving. Getting what we need. Shoutout to Mamdani. Show your landlord they gotta do what is wisest for the market, bot you win more importantly by prioritizing the flourishing of human belonging in the now, presence is everything. Speaking truth to power and holding others accountable by showing them the right thing like not to backbite their spouse nor lovers. :x 

I don’t talk too much. I won’t get caught up in my ego more than what is necessary to function, and for the functions. The ego is a horse, and one must hold the reins of self-master to make the most liberating, flourishing decisions. 

I am very passionate about journalism and criticism. I want to expand my media empire with Zeni(X) Magazine. Some artists want to start record labels, but I want to liberate the culture with credibility, truth, and sagacity. Real innovative art magazine and media shh. ACCOUNTABILITY: speak up and solve the problem. Be real about what you notice. Tell the ones who care about you the truth. Take care of the cared for and aboutness. What goes around comes back around. Don’t expect a thing. No assumptions. Respect, respectable. I teach, too. I want to do lectures, workshops, and discussions or something along those lines. Some people ask me how I am so good with children as well? People notify that I tend to overwork, and my brain is running, so I often feel burnt out and like I need extra sleep. Really, I am focused on what I need to do, and anything else is overtime for me. So writing, music, art, and teaching are my primary niches and identities, purposes. Summon. That is what is most necessary. I feel like I have over a million ideas a day. Thanks! Clocking in. That’s from an older song of mine. It would be pleasant to see people finding it. Look. People care about what is right for them. Be the seeker, but most of all, be the truth. Be empowered by wisdom. All these points are still relevant to this day. 

What would you say people can expect from this release?

No expectations. 

What would you want to say to fans of the music?

I will start by saying I don’t particularly like having special attention or being in the spotlight. I was born this way to a certain extent, and I am doing my best as any rational person does. I am not superior. Honorable ones. I feel a tremendous duty and responsibility to share this, without entitlement to being put on a pedestal. That has made a fool out of history’s weakest men. I like to stay hidden, but my work commands attention, so I acknowledge that I am responsible for that and must share it to enlighten their spirits. This is the power of purest love and expression. This is what the generation needs, but I am not gonna be fake humble about it, nor am I arrogant. Politeness will go a long way in this world, but don’t fake anything. Respect will take you far. 

Y’all are probably super insightful and into the depths, smart! You go deep into culture and like the niche stuff that you gotta tell people about. Y’all are seriously the best, and I don’t say that to everyone. This is the kind of stuff you listen to when you care about self-improvement, enlightenment, and self-actualization, so it’s self-evident! Self-mastered, internally validate, no need for too much external validation, fuck the games of society. If you have the means and care about the importance of this work, please consider buying merch, paying for the tour tickets, donating, and sharing the word to your people! This is not self-important. This is how we artists make a living. Thank you! I feel weird talking to an “audience,” but this work feels very focused, almost unilaterally, on individuality, introspective, and necessity, flourishing, and joy. As some might say, you are writing this for yourself. Classical Enlightenment ideologies, but without distortion or overly-biased delusion. It is conscious mastery, enlightening the shadows of mystery, even just what is within; this is something we all have immediately available for us to apprehend, now. Internal, now, all things, now all. It is confident. Bursting bubbles of the damned and ignorant, special ops missions. Free a slave, on that E Lucid. And thus, that is the one place everyone can belong, but not everyone likes what I do, and I don’t give a f*ck about that. I care about what everyone needs. I want to be a doctor, a surgeon, a construction worker. I want to help the world in the best way, but of course those roles are not the wisest decision in my cards. This is for the prisoner’s rehabilitating, but didn’t know it was right untill it was too late. We still have a chance, we always do. This is not performative, in the trendy sense of the term especially. This is necessary art. Our brightness shall not be forgotten or missed. We are the most out of this opportunity, that is ever presence as all your opportunities are from now on. “Every real one knows the difference” — Vince Staples. We hit the targets. We accomplish our rehabilitation and accountability processes.

I don’t act entitled, you know? I do not obsess myself with what I feel I deserve. Unentitled generosity is the most powerful path forward. This is strongest nature, lead. That is traditional Buddhist, yogic, and Zen scripture. I study prophecies of the times of grand. Human blood is ancient, man. Deep history, hundreds of thousands of years, billions for the observable universe. These codes go way back. What do we know? This is higher actualization purpose. Purity instinct. This has been very true to me since before anyone knew, so I am incredibly grateful and appreciative for all the feedback. Truly, thankful for y'all. You are the greatest fans. Have faith. Sometimes that is more correct than doubtful probabilities. Make resourceful, thoughtful decisions and don’t waste your life with unnecessary trouble. Appreciate the feedback and feel confident. You are winners. You are successful. Let’s bond together, securely, now. 

It’s everything love. 

Transform.

Thanks so much again for taking the time to talk with us! 

https://youtu.be/RknitXCGlmw

Vault for the Ages - Album by Suburban Downe | Spotify

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