Gaining recognition through various features and live shows, Yugen has been on the SA scene for over a decade. After joining indie label Iapetus Records in 2009, home to artists such as the late great Robo, Hymphatic Thabs and Fifi the RaiBlaster, she teamed up with Sampletologist Kanif the Jhatmaster, releasing several videos and singles, leading up to her debut album.
‘Return of the Astro-Goth’ (2013) was well received by the Hip-Hop community worldwide, receiving several five star ratings, and caught the attention of renowned Hip-Hop veterans such as Chuck D and Sage Francis. It also saw her nominated three times at the 2014 SA Hip-Hop awards, in the best Lyricist, best Newcomer and best Female categories.
Having toured Europe several times, Yugen has opened for Hip-Hop legends such as MC Lyte (Germany/Switzerland), Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Denmark) and Edo G (Austria), and was the opening act at world renowned Hip-Hop Kemp in Czech Republic in 2016.
Back home in SA she has performed alongside names such as Public Enemy (2012), Sage Francis (2015) and Jeru the Damaja (2016).
She has also featured on several international collaborations, releasing music with artists such as Jak Progresso, Naomi Pilgrim, Copywrite, Von Poe VII and Bradata of Dusted Wax Kingdom.
Her sound is a mix of sci-fi soundscapes, hard drums and meditative melodies, over which Blakrok’s words command vivid attention. Live the room often moves as one, as in a trance, led through the acoustic void.
Currently perfecting her spells and putting final touches to her follow up album deep in the basements of Iapetus, she sometimes emerges to collect writing paper or moonbeams.
Land of Gray
Yugen Blakrok Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I read secrets in the hand, from birth to cemetery
Blessed like Silent Mary, the mind͛'s my secret monastery
Dressed in sky clothes, I leave corpses
For vultures to eviscerate and run untamed like wild horses
Home is on a distant star
Blistering with dry heat, so I blaze like crematoria
Make peace with the air and dust, then blast from an iron lung
Blue bird in the centre of my universe, sing for me
Bittersweet symphonies the void and I are similes
Phoenix out the ashes, see the poor girl͛s never broken
Alone but never lonesome, I sleep with third eye open
And dream dreams of battlefields where crows feast on carrion
And carry on, fully-armed Blakrok, red-blooded barbarian
Dead leaves swirling around my feet like dervishes
I'm Atlas with the globe, chip on my shoulder where the burden is
Cloudy visions can't see where light begins and I desist
The wind shifts the sands we wilt away like dying irises
Breathe the breath of life I'm mother to rebels and outcasts
Footprints of light illuminate the darkest path
So I wear this cloak of raven feathers, holding a sceptre
As letters from the ether fall like rain on arid deserts
Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease
And Man's awakening is accompanied by grief
So I wear this cloak of raven feathers, holding a sceptre
As letters from the ether fall like rain on arid deserts
Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease
And Man's awakening is accompanied by grief
See the self...bent at the spine, a thousand year old heroine
The Muse of classic novelists and Elohim
Dissecting structure physically, to trace my struggle patterns
Why in the deepest darkness my soul beams like a lantern
Engineered in female form...silent carrier of the force
I'm a sandstorm in desert dunes, a shadow with a torch
As tombstones whisper my name across graveyards
Familiar like spiky words that pierce through heavy hearts
I breathe smoke particles
My attitude shifting with moon, open-book, gods read me like an article
Celestial, my rhyme-style blasts like a cannon
As rare as a moment of clarity, I'm a mammoth
Ambling thru space-time and elephant boneyards
Emotional equivalent of Mozart
Classic. How verbal blades can dismember a fascist
Seven active chakras so the prana travels fastest
To a future imagined, transform bad energies
Electric symphonies I play conductor in magnetic fields
Note the coded notes, it's superstrings and entities
Whose strategies in quiet storms, speak in lightning streaks
So I wear this cloak of raven feathers, holding a sceptre
As letters from the ether fall like rain on arid deserts
Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease
And Man's awakening is accompanied by grief
So I wear this cloak of raven feathers, holding a sceptre
As letters from the ether fall like rain on arid deserts
Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease
And Man's awakening is accompanied by grief
In "Land of Gray," Yugen Blakrok narrates her journey as a self-reliant, empowered person who travels through different realms while embracing her past, present, and future. She uses metaphors and imagery to depict her experiences and emotions. The song begins with her “reading secrets in the hand” as she observes life from birth to death. Yugen Blakrok describes herself as a “red-blooded barbarian” who seeks peace but is always prepared for war. She also references a distant star where she considers her real home, suggesting the feeling of not belonging or feeling lost on earth.
Throughout the song, Yugen Blakrok emphasizes the beauty in balance and duality. She describes herself as a dreamer and a rebel, and she also embodies the pain and joy that come with life. She portrays an image of herself as a leader, holding a scepter with her black cloak made of raven feathers. She acknowledges the grayness of life while still choosing to stand strong in it. She seems to be inviting listeners to join her in the "land of gray" and face life’s adversities together.
Overall, "Land of Gray" is a powerful expression of resilience and self-acceptance while acknowledging the importance of embracing both the shadow and light aspects of one's self.
Line by Line Meaning
I read secrets in the hand, from birth to cemetery
I have the ability to read a person's life story from beginning to end just by studying their hands.
Blessed like Silent Mary, the mind͛'s my secret monastery
Just as a place of worship is sacred and revered, my mind is a sacred place where I keep secrets and meditate.
Dressed in sky clothes, I leave corpses
I am adorned in clothing that resembles the sky, and I leave behind my dead body for scavengers to consume.
For vultures to eviscerate and run untamed like wild horses
I allow for vultures to tear apart my remains, and they are free to roam wild and untamed.
Home is on a distant star
My true home is on a far-off celestial body.
Blistering with dry heat, so I blaze like crematoria
The environment of my true home is unbearably hot, so much so that everything there is set ablaze.
When I see death from afar, sing the war-cries my idols sung
When I anticipate an impending death, I sing the battle cries of my idols.
Make peace with the air and dust, then blast from an iron lung
I make peace with my surroundings, then I exhale intensely from my lungs to make a powerful sound.
Blue bird in the centre of my universe, sing for me
A blue bird symbolizes an important entity in the center of my universe, and I request that they sing for me.
Bittersweet symphonies the void and I are similes
The emptiness within me is like a bittersweet symphony, and the void that surrounds me is similar in nature.
Phoenix out the ashes, see the poor girl͛'s never broken
Like a phoenix emerging from its ashes, I am not broken despite facing many trials and tribulations.
Alone but never lonesome, I sleep with third eye open
I am always alone but never lonely, and I sleep with my third eye open, always alert and aware.
And dream dreams of battlefields where crows feast on carrion
I dream of battlefields where crows feed on decaying flesh, symbolizing the harsh realities of war.
And carry on, fully-armed Blakrok, red-blooded barbarian
I continue on through life, always armed and ready for whatever challenges come my way, embodying strength and power.
Dead leaves swirling around my feet like dervishes
Leaves that have fallen from trees swirl around me like dervishes caught in a trance.
I'm Atlas with the globe, chip on my shoulder where the burden is
I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders like Atlas, but I have a chip on my shoulder where the burden lies.
Cloudy visions can't see where light begins and I desist
My unclear visions make it impossible to see where the light starts, so I give up trying.
The wind shifts the sands we wilt away like dying irises
The wind causes sand to shift and we gradually die away like dying irises, losing our beauty and vibrancy.
Breathe the breath of life I'm mother to rebels and outcasts
I breathe life into rebels and outcasts, becoming a mother-like figure to them.
Footprints of light illuminate the darkest path
My footprints shine bright like light, illuminating even the darkest paths that I tread.
See the self...bent at the spine, a thousand year old heroine
I see myself as a heroine, bent but not broken by the weight of the world, with thousands of years of experience and wisdom behind me.
The Muse of classic novelists and Elohim
I am seen as the inspiration to classic novelists, and I am also attributed with divine powers like the Elohim.
Dissecting structure physically, to trace my struggle patterns
I analyze the physical structures around me to understand and trace the patterns of my struggles.
Why in the deepest darkness my soul beams like a lantern
Even in the darkest depths of my soul and experience, a light shines like a beam from a lantern.
Engineered in female form...silent carrier of the force
I am engineered in a female form and silently carry inner strength and power within me.
I'm a sandstorm in desert dunes, a shadow with a torch
I am like a sandstorm in a desert, and like a shadow carrying a source of light.
As tombstones whisper my name across graveyards
Even from beyond the grave, tombstones seem to call out and whisper my name across graveyards.
Familiar like spiky words that pierce through heavy hearts
I am familiar like the feeling of sharp words that cause pain and pierce through heavy hearts.
I breathe smoke particles
I inhale smoke particles, possibly indicating a form of meditation or ritual.
My attitude shifting with moon, open-book, gods read me like an article
My attitude shifts like the phases of the moon, and even the divine entities can read and interpret me like an open book.
Celestial, my rhyme-style blasts like a cannon
My style of rhyming is celestial, and it has the same explosive impact as firing a cannon.
As rare as a moment of clarity, I'm a mammoth
I'm rare and unique like a moment of clarity, and I am strong like a mammoth.
Ambling thru space-time and elephant boneyards
I wander through the dimensions of space-time, even roaming through elephant boneyards.
Emotional equivalent of Mozart
I am the emotional equivalent of the legendary composer, Mozart.
Classic. How verbal blades can dismember a fascist
My words cut like blades and can dismantle the harmful forces of fascism.
Seven active chakras so the prana travels fastest
I have seven active chakras, allowing my prana, or life force, to flow smoothly and quickly throughout my body.
To a future imagined, transform bad energies
I work toward a future that I have envisioned, transforming negative energies into positive ones.
Electric symphonies I play conductor in magnetic fields
I create electrifying symphonies and act as the conductor in the magnetic fields around me, directing forces and energies.
Note the coded notes, it's superstrings and entities
Pay attention to the hidden messages in my words, which contain secrets of the superstrings and other entities.
Whose strategies in quiet storms, speak in lightning streaks
These entities use their strategies during peaceful times, and their voices are as striking and powerful as lightning bolts.
Welcome to the land of gray where troubles never cease
You have arrived in a place where everything is uncertain and nothing is black and white, where struggles and challenges never seem to end.
And Man's awakening is accompanied by grief
Along with man's quest to find enlightenment comes pain and grief, as we confront the harsh realities of experience and existence.
So I wear this cloak of raven feathers, holding a sceptre
I am adorned in a cloak made of raven feathers and hold a sceptre, symbolizing my power and authority.
As letters from the ether fall like rain on arid deserts
As messages and insights from the universe fall down like rain, nourishing the desert-like conditions of our lives.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Nokuthula Qaqamba Ndodana
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brooklyn Carter
on Medusa Complex
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