Ras and ToksikBeats’ 2020 song “Gold Skin” should be your morning alarm. You might have heard their chill ode to the early hours of the day during our Lazy Susan: Breakfast week on our Instagram stories. This record was a no-brainer for a morning meal playlist with Ras’ intricate bars following him “crackin’ eggs” and serving up lox (which sealed the deal for this Jew).
Ras has been sharing intimate stories like “Gold Skin” since 2015. The LA artist really does it all: composition, arrangements, lyrics, vocal performance, production, recording, mixing, and mastering. Although it’s super impressive to experience Ras’ solo work, it’s a beautiful thing when such capable musicians relinquish control over areas of the process they would normally have full command over. In 2020, Ras teamed up with producer ToksikBeats to create their raw EP Edgehill, the project that gave us “Gold Skin.”
We loved it! And who better to talk about it than the man himself.
Speaking on the song’s genesis, Ras said: I wrote gold skin one morning when I got up before everyone else in my home. I thought it was kinda funny cause I’m never the first awake. I got up just as the sun was creeping through my window and hitting my skin giving it a gold glow. This simple yet powerful moment is what inspired the song.
My favorite line is: sun creepin makin my skin glow gold.
It’s been less than a year since Edgehill was released and already Ras has dropped five more projects. He’s kept up the trend of collaboration by partnering with Shazzieshai, Lifted LoFi, and Corwin among others. If you enjoyed “Gold Skin,” check out Ras’ newest EP, Doorways, with Amon and Sarent. There’s no shortage of skilled work from this man, he’s “making sure we all fed.”
Ras:
ToksikBeats:
https://www.instagram.com/toksik.wav/
Lazy Susan: Breakfast: