Echezona Fuels Movement for Equality with “History Book”
Many artists use music as a tool for social change. For musician and rapper Echezona, that’s what “History Book” is. An individual who has seen the prevalence and effects of systemic racism in today’s communities, he’s launching his latest supercharged single with a battle cry that rings across music stratospheres.
The song, “History Book,” speaks a bold message against the racial discrimination that many African Americans suffer today. With the Black Lives Matter movement’s rise, more and more figures have raised their voice and arms to fight racism and their adverse effects on the black community. Musicians, business people, celebrities, and the general public have used their platforms to speak against the rising issue. Today, Echezona stands as one of those voices, using his music to spread a message that cries out for social reform.
“I reached out to my label, Koma Toast, and proposed the idea of dropping the song,” shares Echezona. “We then came to the conclusion of dropping a video with my lyrics on screen, but highlighting powerful black people who stood ‘ten toes down’ on their road to success.” The song’s music video has now been viewed over 8,000 times on YouTube in a little over a month.
Echezona is a dedicated and talented young rap artist who hails from Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were Nigerian immigrants who came to the United States for a better life. The musician began his career as a member of the hip-hop collective Studio Heat under the Blue Hill Boys and Girls Club in Dorchester. He recorded and performed extensively for a while until he decided to go solo and create music that he felt was more his style.
Growing up, Echezona was exposed to music regularly. He joined his church community’s choir at the age of four and would often listen to Nigerian cultural music at home. At ten years old, he would start developing his rap music, working on his flow, delivery, sound, and vocabulary. The rapper became a freestyler who created infectious melodies that had crowds mesmerized. The Boston-based rapper would eventually take his talents to other parts of the nation, traveling to places like New York City and Atlanta to perform on some of the most electric rap stages.
Echezona has performed in front of the underground hip-hop scene’s more notable crowds, including opening for Roc Nation’s Vic Mensa at Harvard University and Princeton University. The rapper has also developed a vast discography that includes high-quality rap music that has much to offer. Recently, he launched an album called Self Care Volume 1, a twelve-minute collection of seven hip hop tracks, including “Soon,” “Effortlessly,” “Let’s Be Grown,” “Finna,” “Cool It,” “All the Times,” and “Real Energy.” He has also published various singles, including “Talk About It,” “The Main Event,” “Spread Your Wings,” “7/20,” and many others.
Echezona’s latest single, “History Books,” draws inspiration from his experiences as a METCO student in the suburbs. “I was 16 when I first wrote this record,” shares the artist. “Mentally, I was in a place where I was starting to feel more isolated at school. I was beginning to feel like an outsider in friend groups mainly because I was black and didn’t conform to the type of black person they wanted me to be.” The song is a collaboration with Independent Music Award-nominated artist JPRiZM.
The artist hopes that “History Books” will add fuel to the movement and keep the flame of equality burning for all to see until racism is nothing but an entry in history books. To learn more about Echezona and listen to his music, visit his Instagram account and Spotify.
