Cambatta
Born: ???
Location: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Genre: Hip Hop, Psychedelic Hip Hop
Years Active: 2009 -
Real Name:
Meaning of the Name: Refers to an Ethiopian tribe
Way of Working: Raps over a producers beats
Essential Releases
L.S.D.: Lunar Solar
Density (2020)
Sonic LSD trip.
Listening to Cambatta's music is like taking psychedelics without the consequences. He blends spirituality and esoteric themes to create a sprawling, rambling epiphany that requires multiple listens to fully appreciate.
His lyrics are so tightly packed they initially appear impenetrable, yet they consistently offer insightful examples of lateral thinking, making connections others might overlook. For example, in Grand Number TheoRAM he explains that the fastest path between two points is a straight line, therefore the straight line (1), is the first number, because, as the fastest, it got there first.
Marijuana is the drug of choice for most rappers, and when listening to potent tracks such as Smokefest 99 or Hits From the Bong, the sticky green leaf practically inhabits the room. Cambatta's early releases, his Visionary mixtapes, from 2009 and 2010, are more standard hip hop fare with their boom bap beats and street themes. When Cambatta discovered LSD and magic mushrooms they irrevocably changed his worldview, as well as his music.
The rapper followed the white rabbit through the looking glass to perceive existence as a confluence of interchangeable energies, where life and death is replaced by transformation from one state into another. As his lyrics from The Shaman show "I wake up like yesterday gave birth to me, and I live like every day is the first for me. If I die just listen to this, I’ll be living through the words in every verse.
Cambatta's unique style of psychedelic hip hop comes with a profound philosophical edge that separates him from the vast majority of MC's. He's a trushseeker who isn't afraid to question the assumptions that underpin society, such as on his track 'Bones of Osiris' which features the lyrics: "Free not, everybody gotta pay to live. Laws were created by some racist pigs. You could never own a planet, but he made it his."
His songs frequently centre around a main theme, exploring concepts like numerology, duality, or even historical figures such as Nikola Tesla, Michael Jackson, and Jesus Christ in a deliberate attempt to understand and re-evaluate concepts we take for granted. Cambatta raps for people brave enough to question everything, which is why his work is so essential. His original ideas provide food for thought for every hip hop fan willing to engage their brains in the search for a meaning deeper than the apparent.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
35
Mental Impact
100
Originality
90
Artistry
80
Authenticity
60
Live
60
Production
85
Musicianship
60
Rapping
85
Songwriting
85
Danceability
25
Fun
30
Consistency
75
Range
40
Cool
65
Charisma
45
