THE HEALING PROCESS BY RYAN PITKIN

Pg. 14 APR 22 - MAY 5, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM MUSIC FEATURE JAH FREEDOM (LEFT) AND KIL RIPKIN THE HEALING PROCESS New Kil Ripkin and Jah Freedom EP is a guide to self-discovery BY RYAN PITKIN

In the opening scene of Kil Ripkin and Jah Freedom’s new video for “Self Medicate,” the title track from the rapper/producer duo’s upcoming EP, the screen reads, “Purgatory, Laboratory, Mental Facility Case Study 538,” before Ripkin takes his seat to stake his claim as one of the most talented lyricists in Charlotte.

In front of him sit four jars of colored liquids that resemble fortified wine, which would lead one to make certain assumptions about what exactly the title of the song is referring to. However, they actually represent colors of the chakras. Green symbolizes the heart — love, peace and compassion. Red ties in with the base of the spine, symbolizing physical needs, passion and anger. Orange: joy, vitality, creativity, sexuality. Purple: peace and oneness.

It’s a range of emotions that all get covered in the new EP, the full release of which has been put on hold during the COVID-19 crisis. For the new video, released on April 3, Ripkin said he, Freedom and director Kevin Staggers wanted to give just a nod to the healing themes that they’re trying to express and advocate for in Self Medicate.

“Each bottle represents a different healing elixir for whatever ails you at the time,” Ripkin explained over the phone in the lead-up to the video premiere. “Hopefully, people will catch onto that. It’s a two-verse song, it’s not that long, so I didn’t want to put too much in such a short period of time, where you have people going all over the place trying to figure out what’s going on. Hopefully, what we was trying to get across worked. It’s really about the music and the lyrics. That was my approach.”

For Ripkin, a Brooklyn, New York, native who’s been living in Charlotte since 2006, Self Medicate is an opportunity to get back to that lyrical approach following his last album, The Force, which focused on his own personal struggles.

The new follow-up is meant to turn the focus around on the fans, giving them something to vibe to while confronting their own obstacles or anxieties.

Though it wasn’t planned that way, the goal became more relevant with the arrival of COVID-19.

“With this one I just wanted to heal and without even knowing that we’d be going through this crazy time and all of that, we had no idea this was going to take place,” Ripkin said. “My whole idea was just when people hit play it just takes them away from whatever’s stressing them out, without thinking too much.”

Ripkin’s longtime friend, Charlotte producer Jah Freedom, provided the perfect backdrop for Ripkin’s riffing flow, with a mix of boom-bap production and live instruments, which Freedom plays himself then lays over one another.

The two have worked together on every previous Ripkin project, so it was only right for them to get together for a full collaboration. It began with Freedom sending his friend a few beats, but once a theme came into play, the producer began building aural environments for Ripkin’s lyrics to live in comfortably.

“It was really freeing to just say, ‘Alright, I’m just going to experiment and play with sounds, textures and frequencies,’” said Freedom of the process. “I wanted the tracks to sound like a band playing them … and not just beats. I wanted to give him a soundscape for his vision so it has changes, bridges, instrumentation and flips of the beat at the end of songs.”

Close friends for more than 10 years, the two have built a partnership that Ripkin compares to classic rapper/producer duos like Pete Rock & CL Smooth or Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr.

“He’s one of my favorite producers of all time, bar none,” Ripkin said of Freedom. “I just think his style was made for me.”

His go-to comparisons are telling, as they represent an era of early ’90s New York hip-hop that Ripkin recalls in his songs. His effortless transitions from conscious content to street storytelling is a talent that’s hard to find on today’s mainstream rap radio stations.

In Self Medicate, Ripkin also transitions quickly between homages to his hometown and holding down Charlotte. At one point, he addresses BK gentrifiers, stating, “It’s for the ones who stole my land I think it’s time you returned it/ They say the flow’s so Brooklyn that’s enough to be concerned with,” and in the very next line pays respects to his current home: “I’m in the Q.C. with the Hornets swarm and the Panthers prowl/ We in the town where the people want the answers now.”

In the video, a clip shows protesters on the streets of Charlotte in September 2016 during the Charlotte Uprising. The quick switch is indicative of how Ripkin views his own story and the way his Brooklyn vibes play into his role as a Charlotte rapper.

“Brooklyn is always going to be who I am, that’s how I move forward and how I carry myself, but definitely on the other hand, I rep Charlotte,” he said. “I try to rep it in my music and everywhere I go, because this is where I’ve been, and I’ve developed a lot of solid relationships here.”

Perhaps the strongest of those relationships has been with Jah Freedom, as the two share interests in a wide range of topics from the chakras to sneaker culture.

“You know when you meet certain people and the more you are around each other you realize, damn we’re like the same person?” asked Freedom. “Kil is a stand-up guy, intelligent, talented, but most of all real. That’s the main thing: no airs about him at all. Will he put your lights out if need be? Yes. But he’d rather sit and build with you about the community, bettering yourself and gaining knowledge and wisdom.”

Freedom cites Funkadelic’s “Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts,” as a citation for how that dynamic plays out in their personal and professional relationships.

The song is mostly instrumental, with contemplative, mantra-like lyrics sprinkled throughout, perfect for meditation, as Freedom points out. One verse states, “You can find the answer/ The solution lies within the problem/ The answer is in every question/ Dig it?/ An attitude is all you need to rise and walk away/ Inspire yourself/ Your life is yours/ It fits you like your skin.”

The theme fits with how Freedom would later describe the Self Medicate EP: as a guide in one’s search for self.

“We want people to take away that life can sometimes be hard or difficult but we can all selfmedicate, self-heal with positive things: music, art, creating, loving one another,” Freedom said.

All the more relevant in a time when countrywide stay-at-home orders and economic anxieties have everyone in their own heads, with lots to be concerned for and more than enough time to spend dwelling on it.

As for Ripkin, though he says Self Medicate is his best work yet, he’s splitting his quarantine efforts between spending that all-too-rare quality time with the wife and kids and getting in the right headspace to continue his progression once he’s let loose on the world again.

“When this is over with, it’s back to business again,” he said. “So I’m just trying to listen to what the ancestors are saying as far as what needs to be done at this time. I don’t think this is play time. This is a time to really just get your body in order, get your mind in order, and the things that you’ve been neglecting for the last couple of years, this is a time to really give them some attention.”

It’s all a part of the healing process. RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM

A DOSE OF VIRTUAL REALITY People have always relied on our Lifeline and Soundwave to give them ideas on what to do. We like to say there’s no excuse to stay at home, but now that’s not the case. However, there are still plenty of things to do from the comfort of your couch, and we’ve compiled a few ideas to help you pass the time.

Pg. 15 APR 22 - MAY 5, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM CONNECTED ART WORKSHOP: GELATIN MONOPRINTING What: The McColl center invites you to explore print making virtually without using a press. Charlotte artist Laurie Smithwick teaches the basics of printing with a gelatin plate, including techniques for rolling ink, pulling a print, and pulling something called a ghost print, which sounds like it could involve ectoplasm and tarot cards. More: $80-85; Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.; mccollcenter.org/art-workshops CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG LIBRARY’S VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING What: Participate in virtual story time with your family, receive resume help from the comfort of your couch, partake in career coaching, join a book club, study health science or delve into the latest technology — it’s all an open book at the library. If we listed the full range of virtual programming available for children, teens and adults, there wouldn’t be room for anything else on this page. More: Free; days and times vary; cmlibrary.org/virtual-programming SATURDAY CHAT ‘N CHILL SERIES What: There’s a bevy of eye-catching attractions just up the virtual road from Charlotte. The Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau has been streaming Saturday visits with regional potters, local brewers, the proprietors of North Carolina’s scariest haunted woods and more on Facebook Live. This Saturday, Millstone Creek Orchards’ Beverly Mooney talks about how agritourism — tours, pick-your-ownfruit, hayrides, apple cider donuts and apple slushies — helped save her family farm. More: Free, Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m; tinyurl.com/ChatNChill CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY’S VIRTUAL SCREENING ROOM What: Too Hot to Handle, Netflix’s number one show, pits a pack of sexy narcissists against each other and dares them not to have sex. In other words, you’re stuck on a beach with boring assholes. For the perfect counter programming to this video hell, turn to Charlotte Film Society. They keep adding to their collection of foreign and indie art films that you can’t see anywhere else. The newest additions to their super cool slate include 1960s-set queer romance To the Stars and bruising coming of age drama Bull. More: $10-12 for 48-hour rentals; charlottefilmsociety.com CHARLOTTE MUSIC CHALLENGE What: Spearheaded by Charlotte musician Britt Drozda, the challenge inspires music lovers and creators to help out some of our city’s independent live music venues — Amos’ Southend, Petra’s, Evening Muse, Neighborhood Theatre and Visulite Theatre. On April 23, singer-songwriter T. Dubya performs a set of his favorite Bob Dylan tunes with Dubya Does Dylan. Then on April 30, the performer returns with his self-described Mixed Bag of Acoustic Jams. More: Donations accepted; Thursday, April 23, 5 p.m., tinyurl.com/TDubyaBDylan; Thursday, April 30, 5 p.m., tinyurl.com/TDubyaMixedBag CONNECTED ART WORKSHOP: COMMUNAL COLORING PROJECT What: Your mission: brainstorm, sketch and color. McColl Center alumna artist Andrea Vail invites you to be part of the virtual Communal Coloring Book Project. You’ll transform your own ideas into images, interact with others, and enjoy the challenge of the unexpected in this community-driven art project. More: $20-25; Thursday, April 23, 4 p.m.; mccollcenter.org/art-workshops QUARANTINE CONCERTS What: Launched in late March, QC Concerts hosts live-streamed mini-concerts and theatre chats to help keep the spotlight on the city’s theatre community while stages are currently dark. Upcoming shows include Mosaic Arts featuring Joshua Doyle and Kelly Hutchinson and JStage featuring Rebecca Gundersheim, Arella Flur, and Kacy Connon, as well as performances by local artists such as Traven Harrington and Ashani Smith and Hannah-Kathryn Wall. Don’t worry if you’ve missed a show. The curtain is always going up on past episodes which are archived their site. More: Free; Thursday-Saturday nights, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m.; qcconcerts.com TODD JOHNSON & THE REVOLVERS: ‘USE SOME COMPANY’ What: The Revolvers project is producer and artist Todd Johnson featuring a revolving lineup of musicians, naturally. With his fine-grained tenor and laid back yet swaggering Southern soul, Johnson sings songs of love, loss and redemption that suggest Thin Lizzie’s Carolina cousins fronted by Every Picture Tells a Story-era Rod Stewart. The Revolvers’ Use Some Company EP, which dropped in March, voices a sentiment we all can share in quarantine: A longing for connection and the day when we can all meet again. The accompanying video features Charlotte talent and video clips from friends and fans around the world. More: tinyurl.com/UseSomeCompany PLAZA MIDWOOD HISTORIC DISTRICT WALKING TOUR What: You’re allowed to leave the house every once in a while, and you should. Everyone’s favorite Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett has provided an online guide to all the interesting sights of Plaza Midwood. Follow him! (But not closely.) More: historysouth.org QUARANTUNES What: Even at his most introspective, singersongwriter and acoustic guitarist John Sullivan radiates a high-spirited yet laid-back sunniness. There’s a lot of jazz, blues and funk phrasing in his rock, folk and folk-rock tunes which might make you think a little of James Taylor or Michael Franks, but Sullivan’s his own man. Every Saturday he streams on Facebook Live sometime around 8. More: Free; Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m.; johnmichaelsullivanmusic.com/my-songs; tinyurl.com/SullivanQuarantunes A SYMPHONY A PART What: On Friday, April 17th, at 3 p.m., the musicians of the Charlotte Symphony each found their own space to perform simultaneously yet apart from each other. From a sidewalk in front of a South End home, a porch in NoDa, or a kitchen table in Plaza Midwood, each performed their part of the fifth movement of Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony. The music promises beauty and celebration after the storm, and the project illustrates that music can transcend fear. The Charlotte Symphony musicians put videos of the individual performances online. More: Free; asymphonyapart.com; #CSOatHome; facebook.com/CLTSymphonyMusicians STORYTIME WITH LEVINE MUSEUM What: In addition to highlighting current and past exhibits like Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers and Nuevolution: Latinos and the New South, Levine Museum of the New South has gathered some of the staff’s favorite books from home, local authors and Levine Museum’s gift shop, to share with families and their children. More: Free.; museumofthenewsouth.org/storytime

Pg. 16 APR 22 - MAY 5, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM FOOD & DRINK FEATURE OPEN UP IN A SHUTDOWN Two local restaurant owners move forward in turbulent times BY RYAN PITKIN

Despite everything he’s been through over the last month, Greg Collier can’t imagine he’ll ever have as trying a time as he did in 2014.

Early that year, Greg and his wife Subrina had each welcomed their respective parents to live with them, putting them in a situation that would make for a great sitcom in a fictional world, but only added to the stress and tension of the tragedy that was to come. One Monday morning in August, Greg and Subrina woke up to find that their first restaurant, The Yolk in Rock Hill, had burned down overnight. In November, Greg’s youngest sister passed away unexpectedly.

“It was OK when I was going to work, we had things to do,” Collier recalls of that time six years ago, living in a full house. “Then the restaurant burned down in August. So we don’t have the money coming down, we’re not able to do the things that we love to do and we’re so passionate about. It’s kind of like now. We didn’t have to stay in the house, but I was so depressed, I didn’t have nothing else to do, I just stayed in my room every day.”

Fast forward to Tuesday, March 17, 2020, when the Colliers attended a meeting with management at Camp North End, where their new restaurant Leah & Louise was set to open on March 20. At a media preview night on the previous Friday, journalists and bloggers showed up at staggered times and sat away from one another, enjoying a slew of Greg’s dishes like Dirty Grits, Black Sheep smoked lamb ribs, Mud Island catfish stew and other Southern menu items.

At the March 17 meeting, as COVID-19 measures slowly clamped down on the city, the Colliers discussed their plan to open the restaurant slowly, with just 12 reservations each hour. Then as they wrapped up the meeting, Gov. Cooper announced that all restaurants and bars would need to shut down in a couple of days.

Greg remembers it as a matter-of-fact realization: “It was like, ‘Alright well, I guess we’re gonna do carryout.’”

Greg and Subrina began offering curbside pick-up that weekend. Then on April 14, they rolled out a lunch menu, which they hadn’t planned on offering up until June. Soon, they’ll introduce a supper-style dinner menu on weekends.

“We were going to roll that Sunday supper-style menu out in September when it got back cold,” Greg said, “but the situation calls for people wanting comfort food. People want smoked chicken, grilled fish, nothing crazy, so we’re going to expand our menu with that.”

It’s hard enough to open a restaurant and build momentum in normal times, but now and Greg and Subrina are doing so in the midst of a pandemic that will change the way society operates as a whole. And yet, the Colliers have continued to handle things as they come, each of them looking back on the tough times they went through in 2014 and, before that, their hardscrabble childhoods as proof that they can face any and all adversity together.

“This is tough, we’ve never seen anything like this before, but Subrina and I, we’re both from Memphis, not from the worst upbringing, but we’ve both had to navigate some things that other people in general don’t have to navigate — let alone people who end up opening a restaurant,” Greg said. “So we kind of handled this like that. We take it day by day, try our best to be good to folks and do right by people.”

That means giving back, even in these uncertain times. Greg’s Uptown Yolk restaurant has provided free breakfasts for people in need and participated in a Frontline Foods charity dinner for Novant Health employees in Huntersville.

As for the new restaurant, priorities have shifted. Leah & Louise was meant to be a throwback to Memphis juke joints, old-school Southern Black-owned establishments where plantation workers and sharecroppers would get together to blow off steam, play music, drink and eat. The atmosphere was meant to play a big role in the restaurant’s vibe.

Being forced to the curb as a takeout restaurant, however, has delayed the opportunity to cultivate that vibe. No worries, said Greg in his typical pragmatic style, as this now gives him a chance to get back to what’s most important: the food — whether it’s placed carefully on a plate or put in a to-go box.

“The thing for me that’s always been important is stuff tasting great,” he said. “You got some chefs that kind of focus on the pretty a little more than they focus on the flavor. The pretty is the last thing I’m thinking about. I spend a whole lot of time on making stuff taste good or making stuff resonate. Now more than ever … we have to give people what they want.

“We don’t have the opportunity to give people interesting food or

“WE

DON’T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

TO GIVE PEOPLE INTERESTING FOOD OR THOUGHT-PROVOKING

FOOD, WE JUST GOTTA GIVE PEOPLE COMFORT.” -Greg Collier, co-owner, Leah & Louise CURBSIDE TAKEOUT AT LEAH & LOUISE. SIP DELTA FRIED CATFISH FROM THE LUNCH MENU PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN

Pg. 17 APR 22 - MAY 5, 2020 - QCNERVE.COM FOOD & DRINK FEATURE thought-provoking food, we just gotta give people comfort,” he continued. “Telling my story through food is very important, so not being able to tell that story is just like, ‘Hey, go back to cooking the best food you can cook,’ and I think that’s probably the biggest change.”

A 15-mile drive southwest from Leah & Louise, at the corner of Main and Dover streets in Pineville, sits a new restaurant with a familiar name.

Unwind Tea & Co ee House celebrated its  fth anniversary in Pineville’s historic downtown area in April. At the end of 2019, owner and operator Wendy Favreau decided to mark that milestone by chasing her dream, moving two doors down from the original 700-square-foot location into a corner space more than four times that size and expanding her little co ee shop into a cafe.

In her half-decade on Main Street, she saw a need for the downtown area that wasn’t being  lled, despite multiple tries.

“I have seen a few restaurants in the space that we’re in come and go, and I feel as though I’ve gotten a good idea of what is needed down here,” Favreau told Queen City Nerve.

She moved over to the new location and put together a low-key menu that would cater to downtown shoppers and those looking for eats after trips to Pintville next door: di erent styles of avocado toasts in the morning;  atbreads, salads and sandwiches for lunch; and bar bites at night, including a warm pretzel with housemade pimento cheese.

The full scope of Favreau’s dream, however, would be put on hold. Her  nal inspection was approved on March 23. She opened on March 24, a week after restaurants were ordered to serve takeout only and the same day that residents were ordered to stay at home.

It was clear what was coming long before then, she said, as regular Unwind customers came in to check out the new space.

“We had a lot of our regulars come in and pretty much everyone that was coming in was talking about it and started talking about how the stayat-home order was coming,” she said. “It was pretty obvious that  rst week that things were going to change drastically.”

Favreau took things in stride and quickly adapted. On the Dover Street side of her old brick building was a service window going directly to the kitchen. It had long ago been sealed shut and painted over, but Favreau saw an opportunity.

“I was like, ‘I’m sure I can get that window open.’ I started working on it with a razor blade,” she said.

She was eventually able to open the window for walk-up service.

“It was good to get that window open and cleaned up and in use, and ever since the day we started using it, people absolutely love it,” she said. “We’ve got more and more foot tra c with people walking their dogs and things, so it’s been great.”

Despite her adaptations, the downtown area she’s come to love as a small-business owner still looks desolate on a daily basis. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, few cars were passing through what is supposed to be the most busy street in town.

“It’s scary, to be honest,” she said. “We always had a lot of foot tra c. There is still a good bit of the local people walking their dogs and running and things like that, but we would always have a lot of people come and park and walk up and down WENDY FAVREAU PATIENTLY AWAITS THE DAY SHE CAN ALLOW FOLKS TO DINE IN FOR THE FIRST TIME. PHOTO BY RYAN PITKIN www.calvinscraftcookies.com info@calvinscraftcookies.com @calvinscraftcookies Calvin'sCraftCookies GivingBack 15%ofproceeds donatedtolocal animalrescue groupstohelppets inneed CleanLabel High-quality, human-grade ingredientswithno fillersor preservatives Eco-Friendly Sustainablymade withupcycled brewer'sgrains& packagedin recyclablecans It's time for a better dog treat! Calvin The Cookie Boss Main Street shopping, and they would stop to get a co ee or something to eat, and we don’t have that anymore. So it’s pretty quiet and lonely. It’s a little scary to see.”

And still, Favreau remains optimistic that her deferred dream will eventually come to fruition. She has plans to expand the menu with more sandwiches and salads when she’s  nally allowed to open her dining room, but until then, she’ll continue to serve her neighbors as they need her.

“As things have changed, what I’ve seen is that we are part of a normalcy for everything. Quite a few people have said that still being able to come and get their co ee was a part of normal life that they could maintain,” she said. “I’m a very optimistic person to begin with and I believe that when you hold the vision in your mind it actually does come true. So I’m holding the vision with great hope that it actually does end up the way we worked so hard to get to.” RPITKIN@QCNERVE.COM