mary (feat. priscilla coronel and dansel honey)

this song is about my family. my great grandpa, richard tippin, wrote a song for his wife, mary. she was my great grandmother, and i was lucky enough to meet her and know her when i was young. when she passed, it was very meaningful to me that my family asked my brother and i to play music at her funeral. we played the funkadelic intro to maggot brain, and i played the first song i ever wrote. i was 14. it meant a lot to me as a songwriter, and it made me realize that music can connect life on a level beyond what we could comprehend.

i wanted to sample my grandfather's song and create something new. something timeless. i often think about how my family is within me, how their conscience guides me, and how i didn't hear that voice when i was younger. i wrote this song as a tribute to those that came before me, despite the flaws and hardships they faced. they led me to this moment.

this is why at the end of the song, i felt it would be darkly poignant to "summon" richard through the lyrics. i sampled his voice in a percussive pattern, and wrote a version as if we were communicating in the afterlife. it is dark, somewhat cheeky, but is meant to be an honest way of looking at life beyond this one. i wanted to talk to him how i'd talk to him. and i think he'd like how i talk.
shoutout to priscilla and aydan for doing background vocals, it felt like playing a radio in the background