AKTHESAVIOR AND SAGUN COLLABORATE WITH MICK JENKINS FOR AKIRA-INSPIRED NEW SINGLE “TETSUO’S WAYS”

AKTHESAVIOR, sagun and Mick Jenkins (Photo Credit: Anthony Freeman)

LISTEN & WATCH THE VISUALIZER FEATURING THE TRIO HERE

THE LATEST SONG FROM AKTHESAVIOR & SAGUN’S FORTHCOMING JOINT ALBUM ARRIVING IN EARLY 2024 VIA PLATOON

December 15, 2023 (Los Angeles, CA) – Hip-hop artist AKTHESAVIOR (of The Underachievers) and lo-fi producer sagun have teamed up with Mick Jenkins for their new song “Tetsuo’s Ways,” out today via Platoon. Marking the second and latest single from AK & sagun’s forthcoming joint album, the meditative track draws inspiration from the cyberpunk anime film Akira as a parallel for a specific life experience: witnessing how the taste of power can corrupt a friendship. Listen & watch the visualizer featuring the trio now HERE.

“This song was inspired by the character Tetsuo from the animated movie Akira,” says AK about the track. “As soon as Tetsuo got a taste of power, he ended up betraying the people closest to him, eventually almost destroying his own world in the process. This movie was a huge metaphor for events that were happening in my own life when I wrote it – when I thought I had a genuine relationship with someone until they showed their real colors and true intentions.”

“Tetsuo’s Ways” follows the recently-released “No Scars,” the duo’s debut single from their upcoming full-length project which premiered via FLOOD Magazine last month. Blending both of AK & sagun’s styles into a drill-beat track that orbits around a silky vocal sample, “No Scars” focuses on the idea of seeing your adversity as the bricks that built you. Watch the official music video now HERE.

Along with the rest of the songs that will make up their forthcoming record, both “Tetsuo’s Ways” and “No Scars” find the pair bridging worlds. Not just between rap and lo-fi; but Brooklyn and Nepal, AK and sagun’s respective homes that have defined their sounds to-date. Finding common ground over things like anime and the inspiration they draw from the natural world, the duo bonded and collaborated via FaceTime from opposite ends of the planet before eventually relocating to Los Angeles and meeting in-person for the first time this year. It’s a project that seeks out connection with yourself and others in an era that feels increasingly disconnected.

Since the formation of The Underachievers with collaborator Issa Gold in 2011, AKTHESAVIOR has built a name for himself with a distinct brand of self-reflective lyricism and sonics inspired by psychedelia and New York hip-hop of the 90s. For over a decade, he’s delivered a consistent output albums and collaborations; including 2019’s Beast Coast album, Escape From New York, which included other powerhouse artists such as Joey Bada$$ and Flatbush Zombies. Launching his solo career with his debut mixtape Blessings in the Grey, AK has racked up 30+ million streams. Now on the heels of a sold-out 2022 tour with Erick the Architect, AK is currently out on a North American tour with Flatbush Zombies through December 2023.

Clocking in over 500+ million streams worldwide with several RIAA Gold-Certified records to his name, sagun has been an enigmatic linchpin of the lo-fi music scene since first emerging over six years ago with his debut song “I’ll Keep You Safe” featuring Shiloh Dynasty. Working with artists such as Pink Sweat$, Kali Claire, SYML and more, sagun translates the beauty of his surroundings into production while bringing out the best of his collaborators.