If you’re not familiar with Saint Bodhi, you soon will be. The Los Angeles songwriter has been helping to create hits for many of your favorite artists — including Beyoncé, A$AP Rocky, Lecrae, Erykah Badu, Tinashe and Kevin Gates. Last summer, the genre-bending multi-talent then stepped out from behind the scenes to liberate her own new single — and trippy visual for — “FlowerChild,” a colorful ode to South Central that sees production from Lastnght, OmArr and J.LBS. The melodic cut features Saint Bodhi singing about the beautifully dark reality of her surroundings and the various barriers she faced from those around her:
“When I get older, I’ma get up out this b***h/
I’ma get rich, my daddy bangin’ on the walls/
N***a drunk, always throw another fit/
I go to 95th, South Central’s where I live/
Selling white widow to the kids, lord, get me out this b***h…/”
Now, she continues to build her momentum with a new track titled “Bad Mood,” a more aggressive number that shows off just how versatile Saint Bodhi is. This emotionally-charged play is a very direct message to anyone that’s looking to cross Bodhi while her temper’s flaring:
“I’m kinda aggy, yo, I’m PMS’ing/
My mood is flexing, you b***hes pressing/
Ya’ll b***hes testing, you’ll learn your lesson/
I f*** up blessings, s*** get depressing/
Get the f*** up out my way!/”
“Bad Mood” will also be featured on the next episode of Lena Waithe’s BET show “Twenties,” which sets a magnifying glass over 20-year-olds looking to make a break in Hollywood.
Through “Bad Mood” and “FlowerChild,” Saint Bodhi displays a deeper level of feeling not heard from many hip hop or R&B artists since Kelis, Missy Elliott or — more recently — Top Dawg Entertainment’s entire roster, using both lyrics and vocal inflection that forces you to feel the pain and anguish that she’s experienced from within the City of Angels. If these songs are any indication, fans can expect one of the most multi-layered, can’t-be-put-in-a-box-projects ever heard in modern times — something that’s sorely needed right now in today’s mess of a world.
Press play on “Bad Mood” below, and look out for much more from Saint Bodhi in the future.