Have you ever seen the embodiment a low frequency wave, powdered in cacao, with a smile that shoots out sunrays, and a laugh that reminds you of a carefree child running through the park? If you ever need an example of what that embodiment is, look no further than Syd Tha Kyd from The Internet.
Her energy is as soothing as the sound of a bass guitar playing in a New York City summer’s day while sitting on a remote rock in Central Park. Upon entering the room, you can feel her mellow energy and hear the smoothness of her honey glazed voice. Her demeanor, posture and form of talking portrays her as someone that is down to earth, a characteristic she even attributed to herself.
With no intentional efforts, Syd is an icon for women and the black community. To set this narrative in scene, Syd was participating in a Q&A session hosted by the Black Student Union of New York University. When she walked in she told the audience that she had just finished using the bathroom, and that she had lotion because “well, you know, we black.” This commentary was merited with laughter from the audience.
Having brought up the concept of race so early on, despite it being in a joking manner, the conversation soon turned into politics. However, it was evident that it was a topic of conversation she prefered to shy away from. She relayed that she doesn’t like to talk about politics. She even argued that her fans probably wouldn’t want to listen to that in her music. She expressed that she rather convey an emotion. Even if it is a politically driven emotion, she rather leave the politics out because feelings like angst are universal. She rather have her listeners pick up on the feeling of the song, rather than blatantly speak about politics.
She expressed that the purpose of the music is heal people. She commented on the fact that she can’t believe it when people say that they see themselves in her music. She furthers her disbelief that her music resonates with people by saying that she finds it interesting that she can write a song and realize that people feel exactly the way she does. She can’t seem to fathom that people can feel the same she does, even though she finds herself doing the same with her favorite artists.
Syd revealed that she sets out to heal people with her music through through the honesty of her lyrics. She adds that given the current situation (and one can assume she is referring to our current president) people could use healing. Without heavily dwelling into a dense topic like politics, Syd is able to address one of the issues plaguing our nation. During the Q&A she hinted at the fact that People of Color are looked down upon and that she wants her band to be an example that we can all work together.
This lead to the question about competition versus collaboration. A question that has probably been asked to her on several occasions surfaced; what is the difference between OFWGKTA and The Internet. Her response was logical and heart warming. The Internet is a collective where each band member has a different goal; a different sound they aim to produce. Because of this, there is never really any competition. All they can do is support each other and work together. She states that on the other hand, OFWGKTA was a group of all rappers. She compares this dynamic to her school in California, where everyone was there to be a musician so the competition pushed her and her friend Chris to start their band.
Having heard her speak so positively about her band, the audience wanted to know the dynamics of her role in the industry. The topic of discussion? Being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Her response? Probably what you expected. She told the audience not to see it as male or female. Her mellow energy became vibrant as she spoke about her experience. “Being gay or a woman is not like anything. It’s the same thing! People just want to make a situation what it isn’t. I just want people to like me because my music is fire, you know? Not because I’m gay or because I’m a woman. I mean of course I like that I can inspire people that look up to me because of that, but I just want people to like my music. But it’s not like anything, no one cares that I’m gay, it’s just what it is.” The crowd cheered her on for her optimism. I know I found myself wanting to view myself for my worth, talents and abilities and not my gender.
As the Q and A come to an end, Syd revealed the origins behind their band name; The Internet. She met one of the band members on MySpace. When he moved to California people kept asking him where he was from, to which he responded; the internet because he was getting tired of getting asked the same question. The idea became catchy, and he thought; “Wouldn’t it be cool if our name was the internet, that way when you searched up ‘the internet’ we would come up.” Syd looked at the audience, smiled and said; “It’s true guys, we’re on google.”
All in all, Syd is a humble artist who is fully invested in producing the best music that she can with her band. Even when mentioning that she has a three story house with a home studio on each floor, she came across as down to earth. She didn’t mention this luxury to boast, she mentioned it to inform the audience that she is taking all measures necessary to produce the best music that she can. Fin may have just came out, but I’m ready for another masterpiece.
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