Start Listening To: McKinley Dixon
McKinley Dixon has always used his music as a tool for healing, exploring, and unpacking the black experience. We spoke with him about his upcoming album, getting into animation and how music can be used as a healing source.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and a little bit about the music that you make?
I’m McKinley, I currently reside in Richmond, Virginia. I’m currently describing my music as a sort of chamber-pop rap, haha.
We love your new single! Can you tell us more about the lyrics in this track?
Moments I wanted to talk about that I verbally worked through learning the language to speak about them. Me figuring out in real-time how to think in moments of quick decisions and lasting actions.
This is the second single from your upcoming album For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her. What can you share with us about your new album?
My new album consists of things I wanted to hear in music. I wanted someone to approach rap with a certain sort of vulnerability and openness in their lyrics and inspiration. I also wanted rap music to be theatrical and this is my little way of fulfilling that. Music dedicated to younger me.
What is your songwriting process like?
I hear or experience things and stories and I write excerpts or lines I like from those moments and I separate them out in my notebook. So there will be a section of lines for some moment I couldn’t describe or even found more than one way to describe and once there are enough lines that accurately describe that moment, I put them together into a verse. From there, I’ll record the verse to a click, and send it to the instrumentalist I think of having on it. Once I have a bunch of individual stems and ideas back, I rearrange them into a song.
How did you produce your new single?
I approach the instrumental stylings of my music differently for each single. I’m sure it was a smorgasbord of instruments that I’ve received over a certain period of time that I then threw together and then checked to see if it sounded good or not. The instrumentals of my music have so much going on at all times and parts of their conception that I sometimes forget because of how focused I was on creating it.
How much is music a source of healing for you?
Music is a form of expression and allows for me to process things in a different language. I love thinking about ways to talk about experiences in a more interesting light. Learning how to speak this language provides the ability for me to heal and maybe normalize the things I’m going through for someone else.
How important are current political issues to your music?
Sometimes people tell me I’m very political in my music and I ask “why?” I sometimes forget that what I rap about has a certain stance in today’s “political climate.” I really just rap about my life and how things affect me and my loved ones. I found the language to talk about what I couldn’t and I guess others find language in my music. So current political issues don’t affect my music much. My life is constantly happening.
Which musicians do you admire?
I’m influenced by Kamasi Washington, Mos Def, and the greatest rapper of all time, Toni Morrison.
How has it been adapting to not playing live? Do you have plans for future shows?
I have been relieved to not have to sit in a van for long periods of time, but I really miss traveling. Touring is such an intimate form of travel that is hard to duplicate. I miss my friends I’ve met in different places, so not playing has me doing more video calls. I haven’t thought too hard on the future of my shows, but I do hope to eventually play when the time comes around.
What do you hate right now?
Not too much, I move at a nice enough pace. With the weather clearing up, it’s been nice to be outside and all I like to lay in the grass.
What do you love right now?
I love being able to sit and work on other projects besides music. I’ve been working on learning about animation and some entry level agriculture that has been a great source of expression in my life recently.
Is there any new music from 2021 that you’re enjoying?
I don’t really use Spotify or any of the streaming sites just because I never got around to really locking in how those work when they first started, so I currently still download music and upload it to my phone in sort of a grueling manner so catching up for me is hard. The most recent things I can think of that I enjoy are releases from Jhariah. I also really enjoy Pink Shift. Lots of younger cats shaking up their genres. Oceanator and Bartees are the homies too and have released things recently. Backxwash has something coming out I’m excited for.
What else can we expect from you in 2021? Any more releases planned?
Right now just the album. I’m in the process of thinking about where to begin with the next release, so I don’t know if there will be any explicitly new music, but definitely new content.
Do you have any final life lessons or tips for our readers?
Nah, I’m sure they’re doing a good job.
