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Music

Wasiu and High Klassified Go H.A.M on Stereotypes in "Angry Black Man"

"It's my response to that motherfucka in high school who said 'Why are you so mad, slavery and racism is over you're just being lazy.'"
Photo by Alex Dilem

Montreal's Wasiu is a sympathetic and wide-ranging collaborator, able to mold to the likes of Kaytranada while also bringing out new texture and approaches in such a skilled producer. Working with yet another Montreal native in High Klassified, Wasiu's latest single "Angry Black Man" tackles a long-standing stereotype with one of the producer's hardest ever beats. Wasiu tells Noisey that he's pretty sure no one has been this aggressive on a Klassified beat before and it's easy to believe him.

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"As a black man in North America, I constantly have to deal with fighting stereotypes," says Wasiu. "Amongst them is the "angry black man' one. As a kid I often found myself suppressing my feelings for fear of being labeled as such. But growing up I realized that I had every right to not only be mad but express my anger. That's exactly what this record is. An explosion of repressed aggression and expression. It's my response to that motherfucka in high school who said 'Why are you so mad, slavery and racism is over you're just being lazy.'" Stream "Angry Black Man" below.