Vancouver rapper Teon Gibbs releases new single about being mid-20s, in debt and black
Vancouver rapper Teon Gibbs is releasing a new song to coincide with Black History Month that pivots on three aspects of his life right now: being in his mid-20s, having debt and being part of a minority in North America.
The musician, who is originally from Botswana and grew up in Kelowna, said he thinks most people will be able to identify with at least one of the three elements in his new single, In My Head.
"Everyone universally has experiences where trying to find a job post-school is really difficult," Gibbs said. "And then, on top of that, living in Vancouver with the housing prices is really difficult — it's kind of stay afloat."
The song is being released Friday.
It's written and performed in a stream of consciousness style, Gibbs explained, to help unpack his experiences and, essentially, bring the audience into his head.
'Mapped from childhood'
Gibbs touches on some of the unfulfilled promises and expectations young people in the city face: go to university, get a good job, buy a nice house.
"The plan is kind of mapped out for you from childhood," he said. "But so many people are following the same plan."
Instead, Gibbs said, the narrative has changed. People often come out of school in their early 20s with 10s of thousands of dollars of debt and struggle to find employment.
"I have to trust the process, but it's really difficult when you seem to be drowning in debt and it's really hard to keep your head afloat," he said, referring to a pivotal line in the song.
They told me I should trust the process but how do I trust the process? All I see are losses. - Teon Gibbs, 'In My Head'
The story goes beyond being young with debt, though.
"It's about the process of equality and adding to the conversation of civil rights within the black community," he said.
"And that's where I kind of say it's hard to trust the process … I'm always hearing people being marginalized because of their ethnicity. It can be really difficult and disheartening."
Gibbs is at the heart of a CBC short film created by indie filmmaker Kenny Choi and the Creator Network that comes out the same day as his new single.
Watch the short film below:
