Adelaide’s indigomerkaba hits listeners with pure wisdom on ‘HEAVENS EP/GODS WORK’

Following on from the release of his stellar 2021 album ‘Bushido’ and menacing February single ‘rubberbandman’, Adelaide’s indigomerkaba has returned with the instantly compelling ‘HEAVENS EP/GODS WORK’. The double release allows indigo the space to deeply connect with his listeners through his contemplative lyrics and through delving into themes of using one’s platform for positivity, the power of authenticity, and staying resilient to your path in spite of the temptations and challenges around you. ‘HEAVENS EP/GODS WORK’ reaffirms the Adelaide artist’s standing as a lyrically-adept rapper seeking to shift the cycles of negativity that keep people stuck in a system that has no desire to aid them, and with his album ‘Manifestation’ due out in the coming months, we know indigomerkaba is set to deliver something special and transformative to the Australian scene.

‘HEAVENS EP’ showcases indigomerkaba’s lyrical ingenuity over Houston rapper Lil Sho’s blissful ‘Pipe Down’ beat, with the humming and harmonies from the track’s instrumental lending perfectly to indigo’s intended message here. The Adelaide artist utilises the track to deliver to his listeners the wisdom and self-love he has accumulated through years of overcoming his own personal turmoil (“Double down and win again I turn my pain into peace”) in an effort to enliven their individual spirits: “If I can take a piece of my pain, turn it into something beautiful, maybe people could change”. Devoid of flashiness, but full of style, indigo reflects his own prowess as a rapper in wanting to open his listener’s eyes up to the realities he faces in being shunned by the Australian music industry, making reference to Acclaim’s 2022 All-Stars selection in the bar: “These trappers rap for acclaim, but fuck a list because my shit actually hits and makes an impact on your spirit”. For indigo, his purpose is to stay true to himself in order to ultimately aid in the betterment of others.

As ‘HEAVENS EP’ comes to an end, the listener is transitioned into ‘GODS WORK’, a track dedicated to staying true to yourself and seeing the truth in what you see around you. Produced by Nebs, the track samples lyrics from German-based producer Capt. McMurphy’s meditative track ‘Another World’ as the hook between indigo’s therapeutic verses. indigo’s cadence stands out here as he is precise and intricate with every bar, taking a similarly nuanced approach on ‘GODS WORK’ to his efforts on ‘HEAVENS EP’. Within ‘GODS WORK’, indigo deciphers illusionary ideas of what is worth aspiring to by calling out the glorifying of violence in hip-hop, “And all the kids neglected, they be looking up to weirdos flaunting all their weapons and they pick a weapon”, citing a responsibility that these rappers have to “teach them the opposite of bullshit” in order to facilitate growth and change. For indigo, frustration arises at seeing negativity and hate win out over goodness, “But it’s like these days positivity will never get accepted”, and he believes in the power of his platform, having actively called out behaviour of a similar ilk as a support on the Adelaide leg of Huskii’s ‘Antihero’ tour. Without a doubt, more people need to take heed of indigo’s words.

Words by Matthew Badrov