A pathogen created a pathway for West Coast-based rapper FervenC. The musician penned his newest single, “Good Morning” based on his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the California wildfires, rising from the ashes to reach redemption.
“This wasn’t a song I just sat and wrote. I had to revisit it over a long period of time, and there was a time I just couldn’t write. And then I was inspired to go back and finish it, because of all the situations we found ourselves in,” he said.
The devastation of the fires never settled and instead went looking for new turf. The National Interagency Fire Center reported that as of November 10, the majority of fires in active wildfire states are burning in National Forests or National Parks.
FervenC lives in Merced, CA, an hour away from the destruction caused by the fire at Sierra National Forest in Fresno, high-ranking on the list of forest fires in the state since the 1930s. Merced is also located about two hours away from Yosemite National Park, where more damage ensued.
“The sun was the color of blood; ashes were sprinkling all over the car and in the air. We couldn’t breathe. I’ve never been in a position where I had to be ready to vacate at any sudden moment. I was worried. We had surveyed the landscape of all dangers, and we had an exit strategy, had everything packed and ready to go by the garage door for us to pick up and leave along with our children and dogs,” he described.
To recoup from loss, the rapper turned to songwriting. Hiking in nature has dramatically aided his writing process.
“Hooks usually come to me when I’m outside, and I’m in a solitary state of mind. When I hear a beat, the beat’s in my head. With [“Good Morning”], when I went outside and sat, it was a good morning, and the sun was shining, and…I was like, wait a minute, that’s the hook of the song,” he said.
Songwriting has provided the father of four and man of God with an outlet for his anger. Raised by a single mother, FervenC recalls visiting his father in prison as young as five years old. Those visits formed his definition of manhood.
In time, the rapper began searching for other definitions outside of his father’s criminal lifestyle.
“I used to talk to older people I didn’t even know because I was searching for some kind of counsel… I was looking for a man. And when I found one, I held onto the advice that was given to me. I think that all of those seeds eventually gave birth,” he revealed.
Now, the West Coast-based songwriter values time more than ever before and teaches his children to do the same. His definition of manhood is neither concrete nor black and white. It’s a continual learning process of trial and error.
FervenC has passed down lessons to his children, such as the importance of the freedom to explore interests no matter what those interests are, value honesty, and understand what it means to provide and protect.
In coping with his father’s absence, FervenC has learned to be grateful, and on “Good Morning,” that gratitude is expressed through lyrics that evoke warmth and humility.
“I read Walking Through Anger by Dr. Christian Conte and there was a perspective I had never seen before. I just applied it to my life, and it worked. You have to practice it…when I’m angry I think the main thing I took from [the book] was asking myself why I’m angry and noticing what’s going on with my body. Gratitude brings me back to reality when I’m angry. Anger is just in the moment,” he explained.
“Good Morning” signifies a new beginning according to God’s mercy, while the entire album relates to struggle as a building block of success and faith as a tool toward achieving inner strength.
This wisdom is why FervenC’s upcoming album release for Testify in early January is an important moment in the musician’s life. He can start over, a revelation many others are arriving at amid the pandemic.
“I feel like there was a time that my gifts weren’t ready and they didn’t come out as fire, but now is the time,” he said.
Testify will be available January 7 on all streaming platforms. To pre-save the album, visit this link.
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This content is sponsored by FervenC.
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Photo credit: Album cover provided by FervenC.