“Tell me, are you living?
I’m so alive
Tell me what you wishing
You wish wise”
Anak1n dropped his full length project, Wish Wisely. It is 13 tracks in length and he covers a lot of ground. Overall, there is a warm sound and smooth vibe, thanks in part to the production & mix, but Anak1n is raw and raps about serious, hard subjects with openness and feeling. Lyrically the project is dense, his wordplay is impressive. After seriously listening to Wish Wisely a few times, I emailed some questions to Anak1n. He answered them all in the thoughtful response below:
I’m from the southside of Chicago. I’m 21. The inspiration for “Wish Wisely” came from my uncles. I had 3 of them but two of them were killed in the past year and the other is in jail for 10 years. I grew up with them and I always loved to rap, they told me that I could do it. After the two oldest died I took that experience to make positive music about my experiences. “Wish Wisely” in its most common form is to make better choices for a better life. The intro song, “Better,” nails that message home from the beginning. I’ve been working on this project for a year and this is my debut project under the name Anak1n. My favorite tracks on there are my single, “Stay,”, “Insomnia,” “Life Is A Dream,” and “One Love,” because they were personal and really exhibit the music I want to make. I recorded most of it in Iowa where I went to school (University of Iowa). When I transferred to Columbia I recorded the rest at Kronos Studios with Sherpa. The project was mixed and mastered by them as well. With Wish Wisely I plan to communicate a feel good atmosphere with good vibrations. The production is boom bap/jazzy and soulful to bring forth those vibes and talk about my life in a nostalgic way similar to the 90’s, which did influence my style. Rappers like Common, Lupe Fiasco, and Twista brought forth alot of my inspiration as well. If I could describe the album in 5 words I would say it’s innovative, blissful, smooth, and thought provoking. These days I’m listening to Kendrick, Common’s Resurrection, a lot of Jimi Hendrix and some Alina Baraz (she is amazing). Shoutouts go to Sherpa, Roosevelt the Titan, Shao Doja, J-Louis, spACE, and P SOUL
Listening to this tape you hear someone who has honed their craft and now bends words at their will. Wish Wisely is an album to play all the way through, the most apparent strength being it’s lack of filler. If you really don’t have time to listen to everything, Tom Sawyer is an absolute banger, featuring Roosevelt The Titan who may have dropped one of his top 5 hardest verses on this gem. “Better” is the tape’s intro and is an upbeat, classic golden age feeling track that embodies Anak1n’s ethos and shows us a frequent character in K1n’s story: Shao Doja, a good friend from the University Of Iowa and fellow emcee who commands every single verse he has with an undeniable mic presence. “Drowning” is a “Dance With The Devil” esque story rap that takes a turn for the worst that will inevitably illicit some sort of reaction from the listener. “One Love” is a beautiful ode to Hip-Hop featuring lush vocals from Dyemond Junior. “Persephone” is the tape’s outro and has stunning production that makes one think of Clams Casino. Production credits for the project go to J-Louis, Luke Wright, Invorance, P Soul and DJ Oz. It is a unique voice & talent that can take such tough themes and transform them into the positive feel and vibe you hear throughout Wish Wisely. Chicago’s music scene is rich with talent, as we see some of our top local rappers go international, it is exciting to discover young rappers like Anak1n coming up behind them. Get to know Anak1n with this project, and remember to Wish Wisely.
