What’s Important About These Items

Today, there is no shortage of ways to cope with sadness, frustration, and depression. Prescribed medication. Western medicine. Eastern medicine. Psychological and psychiatric treatments. Journaling. Yoga. And, for many of us, the arts are a source of more than kinesthetic, visual, and audible distractions and inspirations. For New Jersey-based MC GF Anon, like many renegades, visionaries, and icons in Hip Hop, he created his debut album “Canvas of a Radiant Child” when he was at his lowest. He told us how after having quit his job and being on the fence about creating music, he locked himself “in the studio and dedicated two to three months to craft the album.”

And bonus: “The love it received was unexpected.

This is not a surprise, based on what “Canvas of a Radiant Child” includes (full disclosure: your author has heard it). While GF Anon describes it being comprised of “different art pieces, with each art piece expressing a different sentiment or message,” it is more than an underground classic. It is inclusive, deeply honest, and candid in ways we may not realize we need. The fourth track, “Samo’s Loop,” this author heard not long after seeing the remarkable King Pleasure; the tune and the lyrics both reinforced and awakened my love of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work. You can hear this creative and visionary album (which the artist donated to the Universal Hip Hop Museum) and purchase it on Bandcamp.

Why GF Anon Donated These Items to the UHHM

GF Anon gave us another album – “Inshallah XXVII: Finding Self” – and it being only his second album, it is a remarkable one. He described going “left field with it,” which may be true relative to who the artist is. The album’s theme and subject matter – spirituality, self-awareness, only extracting truth from both – resonates hard. “Inshallah” translates from Arabic as “If God wills.” Whatever spirit we related to or rely upon, everyone can appreciate when they dug deep, or when they got to a place where we had to change course. When asked why he donated his signature albums, GF Anon stated, “The gift represents Hip Hop history and culture because the music I create, exemplified by my first two albums, embodies the soul, creativity, and art of Hip Hop.”

Truer words haven’t been said in a minute.

In GF Anon’s Words

“This donation helped me realize that I have a voice in the culture, and that everything that I’ve been creating throughout the years isn’t falling on deaf ears. Growing up with depression and self-doubt, Hip Hop provided an outlet and a safe haven to fully express myself. Hip Hop saved a lot of people’s lives, including mine. I will continue to strive and push the culture in the right direction.” – GF Anon