McKinley Dixon released his fourth full-length record "Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?" in June of 2023. The album is named after the (unofficial) Beloved-trilogy by US-American author Toni Morrison and, similarly to the themes of the novels, explores feelings of love, loss, and pain found in the Black experience. NBHAP editor Felicia had the chance to sit down with the New York-based rapper to talk about family, the Harlem Renaissance, and remembrance.
Love is not a fairytale. It is definitely not the sweet, dreamy and safe place we are so often made believe it is all the time. The true reflection of it reveals a whole lot of other ingredients that are less flattering. When it comes to love, the beautiful disguise always seems more tempting than the actual great amount of work it usually requires. The magic only kicks in if you acknowledge that everything love has to offer has as much to do with the person in front of you as with yourself.
