Photo: Alex The Way
Liberian-American artist Alex The Way’s just released debut single “Get Off the Ground” captures the mood of the 2020 summer of protests against the epidemic police brutality of Black people behind the backdrop of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
The song was conceived during the turbulent summer of 2020 and amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Singer Alex “The Way” Dweh released the song thru his multi-media company Sound Bird Studio, of which he is the founder and CEO. Dweh is also known within certain music circles as a talented sound engineer who has worked with the likes: of Chuck D, Will Smith, Living Colour, Saul Williams, Danny Brown, The Coup, Vintage Trouble, White Mandingos, DJ Lord, Sunny Gang,The Skins, Haitus Kaiyote Soundcheck, and Unlocking The Truth to name a few. He has engineered for music festivals like Afro Punk.
“Get Off Ground” has been released with an accompanying music video which explores the struggles Black people have in America with the criminal justice system—thru their initial contacts with police.
The video captures this thru a dramatization showing the artist becoming a victim of police profiling with a traffic stop and subsequent arrest. The video then shows the artist marching in one of the many police protests that rocked America, and the world in 2020.
Speaking of the police protests, Dweh said, “It raised my eyebrows and made me look at myself as a Black man, especially here in America. Wow. This thing could happen to me. Looking at my family, my kids…”
Dweh said he felt challenged to do something inspiring and uplifting as he witnessed the social uprising of the time taking place in America’s streets. He then reached out to poet\songwriter Ras Memnon who he collaborated with on writing the song.
Dweh knows about struggle well given the fact he fled his native Liberia during the country’s Second Civil War. For a time lived he as a refugee in the Ivory Coast, and in the Buduburam Refugee camp, in Ghana, until he came to America in December 2003. He said the COVID-19 pandemic in America reminded him of the awful health situations he witnessed as a young man living in the refugee camp.
The “Get Off The Ground” video was shot by “visual philosopher” Herman Jean-Noel of Neglakay Productions, a Brooklyn-based film production company. The music for “Get Off The Ground” was produced by Small Axe Music Productions.
Alex “The Way” Dweh says he is working on songs for a full album that he initially though would be released sometime in 2021. However, the disruption caused by COVID-19 has affected this timeline along with his other business ventures, like Sound Bird Studio, and altered his plans for when his full debut album will be finished. However, he does expect to release an EP album sometime later this year.
Currently, Dweh is also working on expanding his Sound Bird Studio brand. Those interested in the services Sound Bird Studio offers, which includes audio engineering, sound recording, mixing and mastering, field recording, and music production, can log on to www.soundbirdstudio.com
