In October 2016 the rapper Kid Cudi announced that he had gone into rehab for depression and suicidal urges. His message struck a chord on social media. However, along with Cudi, some of the biggest and most respected rappers have addressed depression and mental health in the past. The list includes Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Logic and J. Cole. All of which is unusual for a genre that’s competitive and fueled by machismo. Combined with the obsessive capitalism of the music business, hip-hop can be an environment where depression, suicidal tendencies or other mental health issues are brushed off as weaknesses. You can’t have any weaknesses when you’re calling yourself a boss. Well, yes you can. Especially now that the vulnerable aspects of these artists music, is what makes them so highly praised.
All of which brings us to Comatose Red Ivy. Her story is diverse, more complex, and much more dramatic than those described above. The knowledge of her back story, and her initiation into the game makes for chilling reading, and is essential in fully grasping the art of her craft.
Comatose Red Ivy is a transgender rapper, singer and songwriter. She began her music career on exactly: October 16 2020 at 5:43am, after being poisoned by, whom she calls, her ‘ex-not-boyfriend’, and left to die.
However, she managed to survive the forced overdose, and has been planning her retribution even since. Comatose Red Ivy has since completed 600+ songs, and is currently working on the release of her album “BOYFIFTY Produce Murder Scenes”.
Her latest single, “Eat The Beat (Syllable Freestyle)” is lifted from this very recording, and captures Comatose Red Ivy doing what she does best, pouring her heart out in front of a microphone – unfiltered, raw and on the fly.
Comatose Red Ivy, who has been writing anything from stories to poems for over 25 years, says she doesn’t even write anymore. “All of my lyrics are 100% really raw, out of my heart,” she says. “Every song is sung first try. Every try is front to back, from my heart to the microphone. Press stop, hit upload and done. Not a single edit,” she concludes. It’s interesting to note that Comatose Red Ivy is also a voice actor, this adds another dimension to her performances, which can be savored on “Eat The Beat (Syllable Freestyle)”.
Constantly tormented by suicidal thoughts, Comatose Red Ivy’s songs often come across with disturbed and haunting vibes, as her voice deep and resonating, worms its way into your mindset.
The music is atmospheric and soulful, the lyrics stark, blunt, and witty: “If you do not eat, you will die. I will die a lot sooner than you, if I do not eat my beats. I have to eat my beats, all day, every day.” Just by virtue of the art form, the lyrics hit you in a different way than a song that’s melodically sung.
How much you enjoy Comatose Red Ivy depends on how much you’re willing to repudiate mainstream conventions, traditions, formulas and prevailing customs. Comatose Red Ivy exists outside the system of boxes.
So you’ll need the courage to step out of your little box of boundaries and into a whole new world. A world of distressing realism, where money and endless possibilities are juxtaposed by the elusiveness of happiness, and the future offers no reason to be contemplated. Are you ready for Comatose Red Ivy?
OFFICIAL LINKS: INSTAGRAM – ALL STREAMS – SPOTIFY – APPLE MUSIC – YOUTUBE
