YUNGMORPHEUS

Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00
Head Above the Water Feat. Goya Gumbani (Prod. August Fanon) 0:00

YUNGMORPHEUS

“I pay attention, even when I seem high.” It’s the last line on YUNGMORPHEUS’ new EP, Burnished Sums, and a fitting encapsulation of the Florida-raised, Los Angeles-based musician’s ethos–he’s always observing, thinking, digesting, keeping his eyes peeled even when they’re dilated.

The rapper and producer born Colby Campbell has been on a prolific run in the last year, releasing three acclaimed collaborative projects with producers Eyedress, Obijuan, and THERAVADA. Burnished Sums follows his latest, Up Against the Wall, by a matter of weeks, but this EP sees MORPH in a more insular headspace.

“Everything that I make is personal, but if it’s somebody else on the beats it’s guided in a sense. I’m gonna be picking through beats and being like, ‘Oh it sounds like this, maybe I feel like this,’” he says. “But there are still a certain amount of colors I’m working with because I’m working with somebody else. It’s like, boom, here’s the paint, as opposed to now I’m going to the store to pick the paint out. That’s like, ‘Oh shit, what colors do I like?’”

MORPHEUS studied sociology at Boston College, and knows firsthand how intellectual conversations can be bogged down with performative, exclusionary jargon. Rap music can be the same way, and Burnished Sums is an EP that consistently works on multiple levels, whether you want to dig into every word or just sit back and let the music swirl around you like smoke off a freshly lit joint.

“When I’m bumping shit, I’m tryna hear you say something, but don’t go collegiate on me, dog,” he says. “This is the music of the people. Throw a little gem in there, but don’t make it the fucking ‘You need to listen to me’ show, because who wants to do that?”

YUNGMORPHEUS Burnished Sums

YUNGMORPHEUS From Whence It Came

YUNGMORPHEUS Affable With Pointed Teeth