Following on from the huge success of his previous single ‘Colors,’ which landed on Tidal’s Rising Hip-Hop playlist, and recent brass-filled jam ‘Cynicism,’ as well as becoming the first-ever artist to be invited to perform on Sofar Sounds Virtual Tour, LA-based singer and songwriter Sugi Dakks now returns to deliver his eagerly-awaited new EP ‘Deeply Rooted,’ led up by the new lead single ‘Not The Only One.’
As an artist that always looks to bring a bold and vibrant sound to everything he creates, ‘Deeply Rooted’ looks to cement that legacy with its fresh and intoxicating sound. Channeling the bright and soaring aesthetic of the classic funk and soul styles, before blending it with his own unique hip hop flow, his new collection is a strong and powerful endeavor that shines with positive and reassuring energy.
Describing the new EP, Sugi said, “‘Deeply Rooted’ is an EP that explores my personal identity, the identity of others, and how we come to shape our identities. When it comes to racism, self-hatred, prejudice, bias, discrimination, and all forms of inequality, all of these are deeply ingrained in our society and deeply ingrained in most everyone’s personal story. Through this EP, I was able to share my story of how I viewed myself, how it differed from the viewpoints of my peers and the general society, and how bigotry is such a destructive engine that ruins people’s lives, livelihood, and self-worth.”
In the build-up to this new release, Sugi Dakks also unveiled a brand new poem called ‘Manifesto Of The Human,’ which was inspired by the experiences that friends and family had gone through since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown.
Adding about the poem, he said, “As lead up to the EP, I had the great opportunity of sitting down with close friends and family to talk about how they’d been feeling through quarantine, have important discussions about race, and try to encourage others to talk to their inner circles and do the same.” Watch itHERE.
Sugi Dakks is the brainchild of Kyle Donald, originally from Lakeport, California and now based in Los Angeles. A college graduate in Jazz Piano and Cuspi National Slam Poetry finalist, his dual interests in poetry and music merged into the jazz-tinged hip-hop sound that is Sugi Dakks.
Drawing inspiration from Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Eminem and Miles Davis, his first singles have reached over 1 Million plays on Spotify, Soundcloud and Youtube. His work has been featured on This Song is Sick, Lyrical Lemonade, Dancing Astronaut, Your EDM, BBC Radio, LA on Lock, and #1 on Hype Machine among other publications.