February 28, 2023...'These Are Artists That Built Up Our Culture': Elijah Adekube on his Black Influences
(from York United FC website)
'THESE ARE ARTISTS THAT BUILT UP OUR CULTURE': ELIJAH ADEKUGBE ON HIS BLACK INFLUENCES
The York United FC midfielder discusses the importance of black history to his musical obsession.
MAKING MAGIC
He's starred as a midfielder in the Canadian Premier League over the past four years but Elijah Adekugbe is equally adept at stepping into a recording studio and making magic happen.
Steeped in music from an early age owing to his family's weekly church visits, he was constantly surrounded by melody and encouraged to embrace it. Given his parents' treasure trove of records from some of the finest artists of the 20th century, it's little wonder that Adekugbe has sought sanctuary in song.
"My parents are music-heads so I'm growing up on old school '70s: The Temptations, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire," he says.
"My Mom loves to sing, [she] loves Whitney Houston so she's belting those things out. For me, these are all artists that built up our culture. The reason I'm able to make music is because all these people have gone before me. These songs from the '70s and '80s - black soul music - there's so much feeling in them. If you hear a record, like Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind, you can hear it. We talk about racism today but 30, 40 years ago, it's way worse. For the best artists, their self-expression comes through their art."
An impressive homemade studio represents a safe space for Adekugbe. A place - away from the pitch - where he can retreat and give valuable time to curiosity and creation.
"I've been rapping since I was 12," he says.
"I was the kid with the headphones in, always listening to music and writing things. Clearly, I like to talk so the relationship between both of those things kinda just happened. One thing I've learned is that for music to really live it needs an audience. You need to find the type of people you're making it for. For me, that's other young black adults and black kids and people that went through similar situations. "
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