// Cyndi Celeste releases her debut Spoken Word EP, and of course it's dope //
Wassup wassup fam. I hope you all doing good. Today' we're going to talk about a prominent poet "Cyndi Celeste" and how she is adding her voice to the Barbadian poetry scene with her debut project, Cyndicated. Cyndicated is composed of 8 tracks which span topics of creative, cultural, and individual identity.
The 24-year-old writer and creative director described her EP as Afro-appreciative and Afro-critical, and that it's about learning about the self through not only the performance and celebration of identity, but also through the analysis of identity. The project, which was written by Cyndi Celeste and produced by Jamar Skeete and André Daniel, takes its influence from Afrobeat music, popular culture, and the lived experience of Barbadian people. “This project was an exercise in fully embracing my identity, a tribute to my creative family who made it all possible, and a gratitude to the poets I met while I was in South Africa for the Vrystaat Arts Festival in 2019.” Yes that's right, she was here in Bloemfontein last year, and was one of the dope poets who featured at the Poetic Justice League event (Check out her performance here).
The album includes ‘Tuk Talk’, a piece inspired by the tuk bands of Barbados. The poem explores the nuances of the Barbadian nation language, Bajan, likening elements of the dialect and attitudes to Bajan to instruments in the tuk ensemble. Adrian Green, Barbadian spoken word icon, mentor to Cyndi Celeste, and feature artist on the track ‘Prodigal’ noted that Cyndicated takes all the energy of performance poetry from the stage and elevates it through production. “Not only has it captured [that energy], the project has also boosted and amplified it, which is not a very easy thing to do.” Cyndicated is where social commentary, storytelling, and instrumentation meet, and is a catharsis and a learning experience for lovers of poetry and new listeners alike. The project is available for purchase or streaming on the Caribbean music platform Selecta Charts, and all major music platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music. I really struggled to pick my favorite poems because each poem has it's own unique level of potency, and I really like how the selection of instruments and effects complement her poetry. Anyway, my favorite has to be "When you hear creative", but in all honesty, I love every poem. This project is definitely worth 27 minutes of your time, and you are most likely to repeat each poem because she really delivered something amazing. Click on the image below to listen or purchase the EP, and make sure you follow Cyndi on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook.
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