"The Punishment of Sisyphus": Hermit and the Recluse (Ka and Animoss)
Production: Animoss
Album: Orpheus vs the Sirens
‘Learned many lessons from women, the biggest was forgiveness/ impossibly generosity taught me giving is the privilege.’
Ok, I’m just gonna say it. Ka is the master of the extended metaphor. Previous to his collaboration with Animoss on Orpheus vs the Sirens, Ka had already certified himself as a deft wordsmith who could construct parallels between his own experiences and the subject matter of his albums with ‘The Night’s Gambit’ and ‘Honor Killed the Samurai’. In his most recent project Ka delivers yet more inventive extended metaphors with the classical world and Greek mythology over perfectly tailored beats by Animoss. The Punishment of Sisyphus details a moment of learning in Ka’s life. Just like the Greek Myths themselves, the Brownsville rapper constructs a narrative that leaves the listener with a clear message at the end in a pithy bar, ‘where it’s clear, it’s never acceptable to turn to jakes/ I impress to you, become a vegetable or learn the stakes.’ It is a story of the fall of Sisyphus from regality and Ka’s futile attempts to reclaim the respect and glory of his ancestors. It is a moment of sobering humility.