Making a huge impact in 2022, Campbelltown Art Centre’s Conscious program is set to deliver the latest release from their current cohort of talented artists, with Western Sydney hip-hop artist Saif unveiling his new single Black Rose today, 6 July.
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Proudly following the path carved out by his main influences Tupac, J Cole, Nas and Nipsey Hussle, Saif seamlessly fuses intricate drill beats with moody jazz undertones to deliver a unique hip-hop/drill blend that aims to incorporate his worldly experiences through a grounded perspective.
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This remains the case in Saif‘s new single Black Rose, with the Bangladeshi-born artist hoping to shed light on the way that the media negatively portrays his home of Western Sydney by building a positive message about mental strength and resilience.
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“The song is about uplifting the listener from a situation they could feel like has beaten them,â€Â Saif explains. “It’s about energising people physically, spiritually and mentally whilst also commenting on the way the media portrays Western Sydney, often highlighting our negative aspects and not bringing to light the positive elements that we have to offer.â€
Mixed and mastered by Beats With Sheph, Black Rose was inspired by The Rose That Grew From Concrete, a collection of Tupac Shakur’s most intimate and honest thoughts, with the rose symbolising the importance of finding beauty within harsh realities.Â
This message speaks directly to Saif, who used music as a way to rebuild from an environment of substance use, negative circles as well as a lack of self esteem and identity. After overcoming these hardships, Saif has now dedicated his life to his craft, soaking up lessons and learnings from the industry greats, acting as a beacon of positivity and raw talent to inspire those around him.
A well-respected artist in his own right, Saif was an obvious choice for the Conscious program, and with the support of L-FRESH The LION, Village Boy Entertainment and Campbelltown Arts Centre, the hip-hop talent has come into his own. “I drew inspiration from the Conscious program and what it means for me to be chosen as one of their artists. I wanted to use the opportunity to send back a positive message for other people and my community and at the same time draw a little attention to the realities of where we’re from.â€
After Givitimy and P.Smid, Saif will be the third artist to release his single as part of this year’s Conscious program, with each participant given the opportunity to work closely with Sydney producer/hip hop artist and Conscious Artistic Director L-FRESH The LION and the Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C) team to evolve their sound and build important connections in the industry.
L-FRESH The LION states: “We’ve been working closely with each artist around creating and releasing a new single. We recognise the challenges of being an artist during a global pandemic and with that front of mind, Conscious provides individually tailored professional career development and will continue to get behind some of the finest emerging talent that Western Sydney has to offer.â€
Saif is passionate about his hometown of Western Sydney, dedicated to his craft and hungry for his time – all traits that Conscious recognises and respects, with the ultimate goal of getting the artist where he wants to be – bringing his bars, beats and lessons to the world stage.
Saif’s new single Black Rose is out today
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With thanks to Habit Music
