WHY?

Depression, disease and illness are explored at unnerving length by Yoni Wolf, the creative force behind Cincinnati alternative hip-hop outfit WHY?, on Mumps, etc., their fourth full-length release. Paradoxically, this record marks a new lease of life for Wolf as opposed to wallowing in morbid reflection, returning to rap having taken a measured sombre excursion to humourless gallows on Eskimo Snow.

Revelling in what is clearly his element, Yoni could assume a mantle far greater than ‘minor star’, effortlessly twisting fact and fiction to produce eminently quotable lines that form his sardonic yet sincere confessional narratives. Wolf explains that the use of embellishment and creative licence is central to accurately conveying the sentiment of the songs; ‘It’s based more on my emotional life than anything else. You might be painting a portrait of the Duke of whatever-the-fuck but you might decide to change his shirt colour from red to green, because it gives the background better, or you might decide to change the background to suit the colour of his outfit.’

 ‘Sometimes I’ll get into a character, which is part of myself. Like on ‘Shag Carpet’, that’s definitely a part of myself.’ Wolf’s characters expose the darker facets of himself, utilising fictional personas to give unforced straight-faced deliveries of painfully brutal yet revealing lyrics. On Alopecia, Wolf illustrated the lows by recounting ‘jerking off in an art museum john till my dick hurts’, whereas on ‘Strawberries’ (featured on Mumps, etc.) he is rejuvenated, embracing the inherent risk inseparable from living freely, rapping that ‘I don’t wear rubbers and I don’t wear sunscreen / I want to heat my hide, not hide under something’.

There’s a comic darkness bound up in Wolf’s wit, and he explains that crafting lyrics that seamlessly combine wordplay and phrasing while retaining the intended meaning and feel are the most satisfying. ‘I really like that line from ‘Shag Carpet’, when I thought of it I was like “yes!”: “teen night, over at the roller rink / Rehearsing slow lewd winks, nude, at the men’s room sink, y’all”. The way the alliteration and rhyming go, and the meaning – it explains who that guy is without having to describe him. My sense of humour tends to be dark and twisted sometimes, but that’s what it is. My favourite lines are the ones that make me want to laugh and cry at the same time.’

The level of honesty in Yoni’s lyrics reaches refreshing levels, to the extent that his use of fictional personas candidly reveals the multiple elements of darkness and vulnerability his unified persona, without him even beginning to feel a shred of self-consciousness. ‘That’s just what an artist is. That’s what an artist does for society; releases tender moments and sort of strips down things to a real form or exposes things. I think if you’re not being honest on even an emotional level, then you’re doing everyone a disservice. You might as well be selling sports socks instead of albums.’

Perhaps sheer openness combined with a talent for phrasing and communication is what makes WHY? appeal to a wide demographic, Wolf noting that their live audience is progressively ‘getting younger and younger’. But what is it precisely about frank insights into the life and mind of Yoni Wolf that attracts such a young and dedicated following? ‘I was asking myself that yesterday at my therapist’s office. What is it about me? I mean, there are things about myself that I feel are probably young and/or immature. I don’t know, maybe since I’m older and more seasoned than them, yet of the same generation. Maybe I’ve thought of some things to say that they haven’t thought of yet, but can relate to.’