Climbing Poetree
When interviewed by Vulture magazine about how she has stayed relevant in pop culture, the legendary Erykah Badu explained that it’s simply because she understands the kids. “What’s interesting to me about music and the younger generation,” Badu explained, “is that what we hear on the radio is more about frequency and sound than words. The kids need vibrations, because their attention span is about three seconds.” Badu’s sentiment rings true in a world of fading lyrical strength where EDM has risen to the top and emo-rap hangs lackluster lyrics on bass lines catching the attention of the youth.
Climbing Poetree
In the wake of the electronics heavy, delyricized musical soundscape of popular music, underground artists are clinging to the significance of words in the music industry. Climbing Poetree, a spoken word duo, has spent their decade-long career bringing words to life on stage. In their most recent iteration of poetic musings they have, for the first time, incorporated the element of music.
Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman, the members of Climbing Poetree, created a concoction of words and tones for their most recent album Intrinsic. The album combines a variety of cultural and musical influences to depict a greater story beyond the simplicity of spoken word poetry. Infusing collaborations with singer/songwriters, R&B musicians, violinists, hip-hop artists and drummers, the crew has put together a musical collage that weaves words back into sound waves.
Climbing Poetree’s work has always focused on social justice issues in America and around the world. Through their long career as poets, they have dealt with topics ranging from racial injustices to economic disparity to environmental chaos. Intrinsic continues this work and brings together a collection of artists whose creative spark comes from the deep-seeded need to illuminate the disharmonious ways of modern day living.
"They are Selling the Rain," a track from the album, is performed with Ayla Nereo. Nereo is a singer/songwriter best known for her strong vocals and lyrics that she uses to portray issues of environmental and social justice. This vocal collaboration revives the story of Standing Rock, and a people’s fight for their water, set to the tone of Nereo’s potently melodic backing vocals.
Climbing Poetree’s work has always focused on social justice issues in America and around the world. Through their long career as poets, they have dealt with topics ranging from racial injustices to economic disparity to environmental chaos.
In the midst of the heavy topics that are brought to life throughout the album, there is a lighter side to the music in the song "Can’t Help but Fly." A lighthearted love song planted in the midst of the acute and fierce social dialogue that fuels the album, "Can’t Help but Fly" is a story of two women falling in love. Within its brighter tones, the song sheds light on the issues of modern-day relationships, exploring the realms of monogamy and jealousy. The lyrics “Ownership is opposite of all that love has taught to me” and “Try out a brand new strategy, flip envy into ecstasy” are part of the telling of an open relationship which defies social boundaries to create a different kind of love that we are only beginning to explore in modern day society.
Millennial music stands on the solid base of well, solid bass, but it is through the strength of words and poetry that the injustices of our current society are brought to life. Intrinsic fuses the two ideas of musical soul, lyrics, and vibrations to produce an album which brings strong social justice sentiments to life with the strength of vibrational tones. The combination of vibrations Badu argued is the choice of the youth, alongside the power of words, creates a layered collage of poetry and sound.
