Same Girls' Oakland empire
The bond of Bay Area band Same Girls; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Bay Area group Same Girls have been a bright ray of sun in the cosmic skies amid today’s turbulent winds. Lead by the prodigious Taifa Nia — their new album Embarrassment of Riches via Bay Area production/imprint collective powerhouse Text Me Records offers an ambitious tour de force of attitude vis-a-vis pop art fashioned auteurship. Descendant of a local influential media dynasty and surrounded by an inclusive collective of longtime collaborative friends; Taifa and company are making some of the biggest sounds to be arriving out of the Bay Area that we haven’t quite witnessed before (or at least in a longtime after the slow and sad demise of live music, bloated liver corporate cabaret license control, confederacies of creeps, festival circuit hubris, the RIP of DIY venues, et al). With the recent reveal of “Duster” from Embarrassment of Riches we are treated to the sound of something exciting again. Same Girls possess that particular serotonin saturated spark of heightened sentiment that overtakes the entirety of the being. It is a sound like that immediate rush of hearing your favorite band playing your favorite song in an amphitheater echo from a nearby distance, as you make haste on your way to the front of the stage. It is a sound that reminds you why you even or ever download music, not just a stream, but that bliss like copping that second/third hand compact disc you spent way too long looking for. It is a sound like discovering a hand-me-down tape deck player still operates (without eating a cassette you paid way too much for). Same Girls send out a bright aura beacon of hope, a subversive message that all and all we will get through this together. It is a message of love, support, equality, understanding and unity, shining a way to get beyond the toxicity of these times. It’s a reminder to love, listen, vote and vocalize. And with that we now proudly present a very special Week in Pop curation courtesy of Same Girls’ iconoclastic capitan.
Taifa Nia of Same Girls’ Week in Pop
Taifa Nia of Oakland’s very own Same Girls; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Musical Upbringing:
Coming from a background of parents involved in radio and music, I personally have always felt comfortable around music. There were rare moments in my early existence where I WASN’T being exposed to something musical. Both my parents worked for Bay Area radio stations and hosted a lot of musicians for live sessions. Aside from also being live DJ’s and hosting DMC battles, they also worked for labels and did a lot of work behind the scenes for artists I grew up to appreciate more with maturity. At a young age, I was meeting cool people — like E40, Yukmouth, Raphael Saadiq, and Beenie Man — and not even realizing it. It definitely helped shape the person I am today. Whenever I meet famous or clouted people, I never really get nervous or excited because it is what it is. My parents were an important part of hip-hop’s existence in the west coast and I wish they weren’t so stubborn and wrote a damn book about it all!.
Courtyard crew; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Same Gang:
Same Girls grew out of having the same gang. Growing up, my friend group really stuck to the same couple of heads. In middle school it came off as cute - in highschool, it came off as nerdy — but as soon as we were young adults, we thrived. That really was a remarkable part of my young adulthood. We kinda decided at a young age that we would just all be friends, and that we were all content with who we were as people. Of course that comes with it’s own issues.. It’s actually how we got the band name. Growing up we would always be interested in the same girls. In the moment it would cause conflicts, but after the matter was resolved, the friendships would become stronger. As an adult now I’m thankful for the choices I made in regards to who my friends are, because even if we don’t see each other every day, the times we do it’s like nothing has changed.
Same Girls live; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Dark Humor:
A funny ass thing that slowly and casually shaped us as a friend group (and later as a band) is how we all watched horror films growing up, all year round. I remember the beginning of it like it was yesterday. We would hit the store and grab hella energy drinks and candy, getting all hopped up to see a campy nightmare, and laugh over it the whole time as it was either ridiculous or traumatizing. Of course, the older we got, energy drinks and candy turned into other things but the core event stayed the same. A mutual gathering of bonding over fear, slowly desensitizing us to the dim realities of the world. It can be felt in our inside jokes and dark humor, and it can be felt in our artwork of Same Girls. Whenever we get the chance to play live shows with visuals, I’ll always ask for a compilation of classic horror films to be played in the background. If not available, there have been times where I’ve literally gone to the store and rented whatever I could find to fit the aesthetic. The contrast of our music over Leather Face dancing in a Texas field with his chainsaw is a sight you’ll never forget. And anytime I’m playing and I get to turn around to see it with the audiences’ faces, it cracks me up every time! Maybe one day I’ll finally get to direct and score my own horror film and I’ll give some geeked up teenagers a run for their money!
La dulce vita & Same Girls; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Inspirations:
As a songwriter, I always just wanted to do weird and different shit. I’ve always been inspired by people who take things and build on them, making them their own. It takes strong personalities to do that, and I am nowhere short in that department. I’m not supposed to praise the guy but Morrissey is a great example, same with Robert Smith & Ian Curtis (on a healthier yet somehow depressing note). They both took the platforms of music of the time and used it as jumping off points for their own unique visions. In the modern day, I’m completely amazed by Tyler, the Creator’s transformation as an artist. Tyler continues to bend the genre he’s in, in amazing ways. Aside from what he produces sonically, he’s also quite the story teller! No matter what the images be at that time in his life that fit him.
The inimitable Tyler, the Creator; press photo.
As a songwriter, I want to make music that takes you away from reality and puts you somewhere I imagined for you. Whether it be melodies that make you feel things, transitions and interludes that take you away, or instrumentation that knocks you back — I want you to feel something and forget where you are. I’m an escapist at heart and I love a great moment to step outside of realty. This upcoming Same Girls album feels exactly like that. A great blend of what I imagined, brought to my homies and what we developed together into a complete experience. In the future, with the right means, I’d love to create visuals that would fully increase the creative experience. But you can’t rush art.
Posting up with Same Girls; photographed by @theroadtohannah
Alternative music & POC:
Jimi almighty; press photo.
I don’t know when it happened exactly, but something dawned on me. I realized I had unique fascinations for people who did weird and cool shit who looked like me. When I first discovered the work of Jimi Hendrix & The Isley Brothers as a kid, I lost my mind, immediately grew an Afro, and took guitar writing very seriously. It wasn’t really what they were playing, but how they were playing.
The Isley Brothers; press photo.
As I got older and got more jaded, I was really fond of Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Erika Badu, Outkast, The Fugees and anyone else who had black/brown skin, doing something outside of the box. When SoundCloud got weird and mf’s started mumble and emo rapping, I was beyond ready for it. I was raised to be conscious of the stereotypes and pitfalls set forward for African Americans, so anything that immediately put people OUTSIDE of that box of discrimination, I was immediately infected by.
From left center, Kid Kudi & Kanye West; press photo.
There’s always something beautiful about the art African Americans make. It comes from a place of generational struggles to survive, move on and to thrive. Truthfully, even if I never become big off this shit, I just hope to inspire other people who need that first push into doing something different, as a black person, like I needed. At this level, I get to have real conversations with listeners and see how the work affects them. It’s honestly amazing. People outside of the bubble don’t get it, but when you’re growing up wearing Vans and skinny jeans listening to My Bloody Valentine and No Doubt on the same playlist; it took a lot of courage to step out and be yourself. In the end, as a 24 year old, I’m glad I never switched up and just continued to be weird. Now I may be cool for it when in fact I was always a nerd and will always be a nerd at heart.
As I get older and become more intersectional, understanding the trials and tribulations of all types of people, I’ve expanded my scope beyond wanting to inspire African Americans, but instead all people Queer/PoC, anyone who doesn’t fit the mold of Amerikkka’s bullshit, I want to be the spark for you to do something that expresses yourself. Art has always been the best form of protest. That’s why I’ll never compromise my artistry and I tell everyone I meet the same thing.
Styling with Same Girls; photographed by @theroadtohannah
The Future:
I’m secretly really stoked on the future. I can’t wait to see the innovations that come with the attempts of saving a failing society. I watch a lot of science fiction, to escape the hell-scape we live in today. One of my favorites, Star Trek, is so casually perfect. People moving beyond humans current ignorant squabbles, to band together into the universe under the sole interest of exploring and preserving life. That shit is the most gangsta idea I’ve ever heard.
I can’t wait to make music in the future. It becomes easier every day, as the tools do more and more of the work for you — but it gets harder and harder to be unique. No matter how advanced the AI’s and algorithm’s get though, some of the best things humans ever made are art, cooking and culture. It’s what makes us human! I’m learning to take things I’m good at, and use them as jumping off points for things I haven’t necessarily tried before. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, I love it. With 7+ billion people in the world, the odds are that you can’t be that truly unique ray of light that you think you are, but that’s okay! Somebody out there is ready to give with you and the future will get you one step closer to them, every day! I’m already making art that’s different from what this new Same Girls’ album is and it’s made me fall in love with music all over again.
Embarrassment of Riches arrives this November via Text Me Records.