“Divine Timing”: The Paradox of Fame & Perspective as an Indie Artist
It’s funny how the world can morph into a completely different lens when you meet one of your idols. Or in this instance, how divine timing can align energies of inspiration together.
It’s crazier when you play ‘Marvel Rivals’ with them, send memes, and have the honor of being their very first interview. I was fortune enough to have this be the case with me and KingCarterSlums. A man who’s impact in the rap scene cannot be quantified by notoriety, but by the artistry. An artist’s music that played an important role in my poetics, music consumption, and appreciation. Who’s words spoke vulnerability and triumph to the forefront.
KingCarterSlums embodies the Brooklyn way to the fullest, with his pen name being an ode to King County, New York. The “Carter” comes from his favorite rapper being Lil Wayne.
KingCarterSlums: Wayne is my goat forreal. I listened to all the mixtapes and albums coming up. I remember asking my mom for Carter III.
SLUMS is the collective of artists and producers all around the same stage and age of their lives finding the meaning of life itself through music. He, MIKE, Mason, DJ Paradise, Jazz Jodi, and Ade Hakim (formally known as sixpress) collaborated extensively together and made beautiful music that not only represented the time of finding your way as a Black man in America, but in my humble opinion, planted a seed of conscious rap that gave this current generation of artists a lane to flourish in.
KCS: I was young then and I went to school with MIKE and Daryl (DJ Paradise). I met Ade through mutuals, but also through the Soundcloud community. Everyone has their talents and we did it together. We had got some good buzz.
My American name is Derrick. I say American because I’m African and Puerto Rican. So when the Super Bowl came on, that’s ME… He did a great representation of the Boricuas. But my name is Cheikhauna Bamba Fall. Many people back home have the name Cheikh in some capacity.
He gets the name “Bamba” from “Amadou Bamba.” With Senegalese and Boricua heritage, Cheikhauna has a melting pot of musical influences during his early childhood through artists such as the aforementioned Wayne, and Reggaeton artists Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, but through Reggaeton and Latino music through his Buschwick upbringing. Being so diverse in his own culture, but coming into a community with a diverse group of people not only allows growth within your own personal life, but empathy for the understanding of the cultures you’re coinciding with daily.
KCS: I’m in a weird spot because if you simply look at me, you’ll chalk me up as just African American. Which is cool because that’s where I’m from… When I’m walking through Buschwick, there’s Puerto Ricans who don’t look at me as if I’m Boricua. There’s Africans who see me and don’t look at me as African. That’s why I go so hard for Black culture, because whether you are cognizant to it or not, they inspired by this shit.
V: In your music, I could assume that you emphasized being emotionally aligned and at peace, was this instilled early on as a child, or has it molded with the experiences you faced up to this point?
KCS: To be honest, it wasn’t. I had a traumatic childhood. A lot of things I had to learn while being isolated and alone. It’s life and deep down in my soul, I was destined to be here. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to tools to live. It forced me to be very observant, noticed people’s moods. It did helped me be more vulnerable with my work. It was my escape to another world. It was safety, easy expression. That’s what rap is for me.
When I dropped “Divine Timing,” something hit me and told me, “I need to drop this right now.” Some joints are fresh, some I’ve been listening to for years that’ll be new to y’all. Even performing some of them on the low here and there.
Getting into “Divine Timing,” I absolutely loved it. The drop honestly shocked me being on the 1st of January on Bandcamp and Dec. 27th on Soundcloud. I initially heard it on the 1st while walking to work. From beginning to end, I can sense that the songs really resonated with Cheikhauna deeply and were a joy to make. This album is reflective, it’s a deep dive into aspects of trauma that has been experienced, and it’s the joyful walk from the other side. This is shown in the tracklist where you see introspective songs flowing into songs with lighthearted wit, fun beats, and a different sense of groove, like how “It Was Lonely,” “Success is My Birthright,” and “Blessings and Trauma,” flow well into “Contributions to the Game,” and “Born2Ball.” With artists that I gravitate to, I personally lean towards the deep, reflective, loops in my rap songs, but I’m a sucker for a song that’s a bop.
Songs like the intro “It Was Lonely,” dives into his life in ways like a manifesto of sorts. I believe this song embodies the battle of isolation— the actions that caused it and feeling as if it was the only option for peace.
“Success is My Birthright” felt similar to “It Was Lonely,” in a sense of deep reflection. In many ways, looking at himself or his past in the mirror. Having to come to terms with aspects of his life that cannot follow him if success is his future. It’s evident in this bar:
“I seen my demons upfront,
it was a staring contest”
“Spirit Cooking” is easily my favorite. This was a ballad of getting by and letting your heart follow you to peace. Pour into yourself, love yourself, and be patient with yourself. This song does something for me because I too have a hard time dealing with trauma and grief. Going to therapy, having to really sit with some of the pain, not only what was given to you, but pain caused to others at the expense of figuring out myself. If you understand the concepts of Supreme Mathematics and Knowledge of Self, I see this as an example of building and destroying. Trying to build positive energy around you, and destroy is the acts of self-destruction to your cipher, the people you let in, the vices, and ways of living that break you from the inside. Some of these bars encapsulated this perfectly:
“I’ve been out the way,
Self-care, I’ve been lovin’ on me,
Woke up this morning made tea
Sit in my crib and just think,
Wonder if this life is for me
Look at the light and it’s bleak
Ain’t tryna die in these streets”
“Dealing with demons and things,
How should I cope with this pain?
People just use you to gain,
People just use you to drain,
How do I deal with pain?
How am I stuck in my ways?
Double my cup with the drank,
Double it up with the gang”
V: Could you say that privacy and emphasis on it makes it easy to take time away?
K: Yeah, privacy definitely helped with my creative process. There’s people who put stuff out for the sake of putting it out and proving you can rap. But in actuality, what are you truly rapping about? The rhyme scheme cool, freestyles are great, but at the end of the day, it’s about making a project and body of work. What you gotta talk about? And is it real?
V: With “Divine Timing” and your previous release, it has some distance regarding personal drop dates. How has that time away contributed to growth, not only as an artist, but as a person?
K: Honestly that time away made me realize that, the industry ain’t shit. I assume you know me from being in SLUMS or the artists I’ve worked with. The industry just wasn’t what it seems. Relationships weren’t what it seems. And some people are willing to destroy to avoid accountability in the hardships… That time away gave me perspective and a new outlook on how to go about the rap shit.
With Cheikhauna being independent and not having the same resources as label-backed artists, a lot of the framework is done by him. Making connections with the producers, while there’s some he knew of, there’s some that he honestly found from YouTube. He took the time to find the producers and show love.
V: People will appreciate you for the artistry as well as the work you’ve put in.
K: That’s true. I think people idolize the spectacle of being an artist. “Why aren’t you chasing this or hanging with so and so?” know what I bring to the table and know what I’m called to do. You know during the time, we had the Earl Sweatshirt eyeball, so new fans, new fame and outlook. That can make people do peculiar things to obtain that fame… The people around me know I’m a pillar. I couldn’t do it alone, I couldn’t had done without my brothers.
The paradox of fame can make, break, and halt the moment a lot of artists will have in this game. For some cases, you get one chance and opportunity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone and the hype won’t repeat. But there are rare cases where an artist’s heart and intentions outshine the eyes that the art draw. Your art lives way after the critic, way after time can describe. I got love for the artists that feed their fans great tapes in abundance. I also appreciate the artist that takes months-to-years to drop. If the process of creating it stays ethical and intentional, you can tell the artist thoughtfully made the art. With music being saturated and with AI artists nonsense, it’s imperative that we create for the sake of retaining our voices. Keeping your sound. Being truly and authentically yourself. Because they will find a way to duplicate it. But you cannot analyze an impact that numbers or sales can’t emulate. That’s why fame for me will NEVER matter. There’s an artist that has 30 monthly listeners that are better than the mainstream artist mainly because of how they approach music as a whole. This isn’t a check, this a form of expression that money can’t take away unless your heart truly wasn’t in it. In his mind, he sometimes questions the fame that he has. I’d tell him he’s more famous than he realizes. The impact you’ve had making your art is deeper than follower count, song streams, etc.
I’m pretty biased when it comes to KingCarterSlums. He’s one of my personal favorite artists ever and being able to truly talk to one of my idols is crazy. Being his FIRST interview is just as inspiring. It was truly Divine Timing, taking every opportunity given and presented. But also being grateful for the time you get to share with others. So I’m forever indebted to Cheikhauna and the opportunity he gave me.
Do your ears the favor and check out his music. You absolutely wont regret it.