Just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, Kushing gives us sixteen tracks gives us an inside perspective of living with a mental health disorder with a raw and one of a kind real life journey album. “Delusions and Grandeur” is a unique concept album that shares Kushing’s stories about his battles with mental illness. A deliberately cultivated work of artistry, side one represents living with depression and side two feature’s songs that represent what it is to live with mania.
With lyrics embedded with triggering, self-deprecating verbiage such as “You say there’s something wrong with me / Yeah no shit there’s something wrong with me / It’s obvious.” (Partying With Bills To Pay; Side 1), Kushing’s newest project brings to light the darkness of the raw, honest, and a clear reality for those living with mental health issues.
“How you take and hide your thoughts / In a mental place that you can’t even find the basement to / Yeah it goes on forever.” Kushing’s deep lyrics convey the message that bipolar depression can seem almost endless when unhealthy coping mechanisms are present instead of going through the proper channels to get help. “I do it myself / That’s how I know it so well / Everything DIY.” His lyrics provide a powerful message to listeners, inspiring others to seek help and not let their mental illness eat away at their own mind or relationships. Kushing’s deep pocket and even deeper lyrics make this song a Hip-Hop/R&B gem you absolutely can not skip.
Calling himself an introspective psychedelic indie, soul, rap artist, Kushing has creatively gifted us with a raw and authentic journey with his soulful, indie rap. His music is made up of rhythmic, levitating beats and his lyrics convey powerful, positive messages that uplift and inspire his audiences.
In his lyrics, Kushing uses an analytical approach to touch on deeply emotional subjects that are personal to him, including his own internal struggles and mental traumas. Using his expressiveness, Kushing’s music provides a sense of comfort and company to the mentally disturbed. His memorable and recognizable sound is a taste of the future of indie, soul, r&b rap music.