From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, songwriter, rapper, and hip-hop recording artist Yende Richard Mangum releases a deeply reflective and atmospheric single entitled "Loveless."
Yende Richard Mangum is currently in his second year at Princeton University, splitting his time between studying operations research and financial engineering and his music career. Mangum's award-winning sounds focus on piano and vocal improvisation, constantly keeping the listener on their toes.
Yende Richard Mangum recently released his 14-track album 'Reverse Psychology,' featuring the vibey and introspective third track, "Loveless." This song's sonics are like a breath of fresh air, but Mangum's bars are the perfect example of his vocal improvisations that speak of anything lingering in the dark corners of his mind. The song is rather short in length but carries this dominant and authoritative energy that keeps us hitting repeat.
Jumping into the track, "Loveless," we're met with a warm guitar sample and the smoothest lo-fi drum arrangements alongside fluttery and transcendent electronic synths. Once Yende Richard Mangum's bars begin to kick down our speakers, the sonics sink into this deeply atmospheric and wavy landscape that allows Mangum's performance to shine bright in the spotlight.
Expanding on Yende Richard Mangum's performance, he touches on several relatable themes and notions of feeling like he's soaring above the clouds one minute and out of love to give the next. "I produce illusions of confusion, I spit it no saliva let it energize ya;" this is a prime example of how Mangum fuels our fire with his energetic flow while triggering the mind to do some deeper thinking than what's on the surface.
Don't miss out on Yende Richard Mangum's thought-provoking release, "Loveless," now available on all digital streaming platforms through his 14-track album, 'Reverse Psychology.'
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Yende Richard Mangum. We love the vibe and atmosphere of your recent hit, "Loveless." What inspired your reflective and poetic bars in this track?
"Loveless" is the truest and holistic song I have written yet. When I make a beat, I title it using the words that come to mind in that exact moment, without judgment as to the title’s viability. This beat came to be after I played a series of instruments, without regard for how well I’d played them. I was trained as a pianist, so I could trust my ability to improvise well on the piano and synthesizer. I also recorded parts of me playing the bass and guitar.
Though sloppy, they were aligned with my previous improvisations. Then, I used Hip-Hop’s all too familiar method of sampling, taking something that already exists and using it to create something new. Here, I introduce to the world the concept of self-sampling, using what one has already created in order to introduce a new idea. I mapped certain actions of my playing to certain buttons on my keyboard controller, rearranging them rhythmically.
After reversing certain sounds, I heard what sounded like the whine of someone who is crying without tears. Thus, I titled the track “Loveless,” because it described exactly what I felt at that moment. Many months after creating this beat, when I found myself in a similar mood, I scoured my notes app for bits and pieces of clever lyrics that I felt to ring true to my more consistent feel.
Though certain lyrics were written months, even years apart, they seemed to mesh well together given the context of this song. When I recorded them over this beat, though I had created many lyrical sections with separate intentions, they all converged toward a more powerful meaning, descriptive of my life as a whole. This was self-sampling through lyrics. Instead of merely creating from the tools I could see, I stepped out of the perspective of my present moment in order to find what I could use best. I found these tools to have been with me all along.
What emotions or thoughts did you want to evoke in the listener when experiencing "Loveless?" What did you want them to take away from the track?
In “Loveless,” I seek not to impose my own meanings upon the unknown listener. I cannot speak on what I do not know, for then I would be lying. Instead, I present what I know to be true within the context of my own experience, allowing the listener to find their own meanings within the work I present. Regardless of interpretation, truth is truth. Though it may not always be what one desires to hear, there is always something to be gained from the truth. No individuals who see themselves as separate can have the same experiences at all times. Otherwise, they could not be separate. They would be the same being.
How does "Loveless" fit into the concept of your recent album, 'Reverse Psychology?'
“Reverse Psychology” is the story of my life, told through hip hop. I present not the being I want to be, rather the being I am in full honesty in each moment. It speaks to the idea that one need not seek to be anything other than one’s true self. This album helped me eliminate many negative self-perceptions, through deep, honest reflection. I was only able to achieve this by coming to terms with my own truth. It shows me that everywhere I’ve gone wrong in life has been in seeking to be something that I am not.
How do songs like "Loveless" represent who you are and your artistic brand? What do you want to make known with songs like this?
“Loveless” represents the idea that one need not seek perfection. One need only seek their own truths. It is easier to find perfection through truth than it is to find truth through perfection. This was one of the first songs in which I ignored the musician in me that sought a perfect sound. Rather, I’d found my own true sound. I am more than a mere musician, more than a mere person. I am who I am. And I am able to define that existence. I am not seeking to please any other person.
What's next for you?
I have recently published 30 pages of academic writing, uniting 12 major fields of human study through the basic idea that all life can be represented as energy. Everything that has energy has life. Therefore, everything in the universe is living. I believe that the universe represents a single consciousness, and the sooner that humans can realize that, the better our life will be going forward in time. My work can be found at yendemangum.com. I will continue to spread this message, as I believe it to be true. Outside of the linear context of time, one may find that genuine truth is not merely true in one moment. It has simultaneously always been true and will continue to be true forever.