Spillage Village
Atlanta, Community, Healing, Power
Spillage Village has grown through organic connections and expansions to include a roster of distinct artists who come together to craft a collective identity and a growing catalogue of playful, dark, and powerful EPs and albums.Group members Olu and WowGr8 (also known as Johnny Venus and Doctor Dot, respectively) met at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta, forming what would later become EARTHGANG; at Hampton University they met fellow Atlanta rapper J.I.D, and soon after connected with Hollywood JB and JordxnBryant. Mereba and 6lack subsequently joined the collective and, with the latest addition of Benji, Spillage Village is in its current form.
Each of the collective’s earlier musical releases—Bears Like This, Bears Like This Too, and Bears Like This Too Much—found members at turning points in their careers and often experimenting with new sounds and approaches to music.
For Spillage Village, the music always comes out of the love and community that is built, usually, out of group members living together. And its newest album, Spilligion, is no exception.
The 2020 project came together after J.I.D had initially rented a house to work on a solo album with the intention of inviting collaborators to drop in and record. However, as the COVID -19 pandemic forced the cancellation of public performances and limited travel, Spillage Village members used that unexpected opportunity to forge an extended stay at the house, and ultimately created a project that captures the energy and urgency of that difficult moment in time.
Spilligion is rooted in community, and it's about uniting around the collective faith that we have in music and art to uplift us in times of struggle. The notions of spirituality that come to light on the project highlight this, with track names and album art dedicated to deities and powers from a global array of traditions. By including these wide ranging spiritual references, the group shouts out the communities that give them the energy and support to put it all together. And the goals to give back are amplified, with each member of the group trying to find ways in which the fruit of their can be given back to the places where they grew up. Part of this effort involves trying to provide access to basic needs and helping people feel stable so they can pursue their ambitions; another part is creating art, a balm for strained and fraying mental and spiritual health.
The bear mask motif that permeates the design of Spilligion—a subtle nod to earlier Spillage Village releases—begs the question of each listener: “What front are you putting on?” In these times, we have been made to strip away some of our facades and examine who we are and what we want. And this album, created slowly to reflect our new pace, is something to listen to while you think, laugh and dance.
More at:
www.spilligion.com ↗︎
Each of the collective’s earlier musical releases—Bears Like This, Bears Like This Too, and Bears Like This Too Much—found members at turning points in their careers and often experimenting with new sounds and approaches to music.
For Spillage Village, the music always comes out of the love and community that is built, usually, out of group members living together. And its newest album, Spilligion, is no exception.
The 2020 project came together after J.I.D had initially rented a house to work on a solo album with the intention of inviting collaborators to drop in and record. However, as the COVID -19 pandemic forced the cancellation of public performances and limited travel, Spillage Village members used that unexpected opportunity to forge an extended stay at the house, and ultimately created a project that captures the energy and urgency of that difficult moment in time.
Spilligion is rooted in community, and it's about uniting around the collective faith that we have in music and art to uplift us in times of struggle. The notions of spirituality that come to light on the project highlight this, with track names and album art dedicated to deities and powers from a global array of traditions. By including these wide ranging spiritual references, the group shouts out the communities that give them the energy and support to put it all together. And the goals to give back are amplified, with each member of the group trying to find ways in which the fruit of their can be given back to the places where they grew up. Part of this effort involves trying to provide access to basic needs and helping people feel stable so they can pursue their ambitions; another part is creating art, a balm for strained and fraying mental and spiritual health.
The bear mask motif that permeates the design of Spilligion—a subtle nod to earlier Spillage Village releases—begs the question of each listener: “What front are you putting on?” In these times, we have been made to strip away some of our facades and examine who we are and what we want. And this album, created slowly to reflect our new pace, is something to listen to while you think, laugh and dance.
More at:
www.spilligion.com ↗︎
Statement by Omar El-Sabrout
Benji
“The creative process goes beyond sitting in a studio writing and recording. Life as we’ve come to experience in many ways is what the true creator taps into. Listening to others, how we feel, what we see, where we are, the trials we face, the triumphs...that’s how Spilligion came to be. We’re all human first and foremost.”
Olu
“We came together during a period of uncertainty and drastic change for the entire world. We were able to transmute that energy into something people needed. Channeling energy and redirecting it for something greater is the essence of art. I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
Hollywood JB
“The creative process for songwriting can start one of many ways, whether it be from a sound, a beat, a melody, a story, or a feeling. We all add our unique insight and perspective and the fun lies in shaping those singular ideas into something beautiful layered and complex. I believe the thought we put into our music translates to the listener on the other end and sparks their creativity to bring out their own point of view to help create something beautiful in world.”
Jurdan Bryant
“Crafting Spilligion was an incredible experience. I’d like to look at what we do with our music as sort of a deep sea or portal. Where you wouldn’t see, hear and/or feel things you would’ve never known or have experienced, yet.”
Mereba
“The process of making Spilligion was one that felt divine. For us all to have gathered to lend our gifts to a collective offering at the same exact time as our world was forever changing... felt like a sign and a mission we were sent on. I think we were supposed to be there together, right when we were. The music flowed from us so naturally, in part because of our comfort levels with each other that had been built over the years, but also because our feelings were so raw as we processed the news and the world outside. It was cathartic and it was healing to make the project, and I think it gives the same effect to listen to it too.”
Credits:
Graphic Designer: Fred Lozano
Photos in Church: Neriyah (@neri)
BTS photos/videos: (in house/on set) Hadas
Graphic Designer: Fred Lozano
Photos in Church: Neriyah (@neri)
BTS photos/videos: (in house/on set) Hadas
