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Goddess Jihada has something to say in her debut single, “Chocolate Downloads.” Formerly known as a poet, Jihada has unveiled her passion and capability for music. “It came from frustration, I’ve really been wanting to create,” she states. Channeling inspiration from artists like Lauryn Hill, Jihada finds that after she designs a beat, the lyrics flow effortlessly.
Jihada’s initial conception for the single was that of a poem, “So high on your ego/ That you can’t see the people/ And you can’t see you’re hurting them/ All the fallacies you serve to them,” she rhymes in the first verse. The chorus came to her after drafting the opening lines. It made sense to follow through and so, Jihada penned an entire song.
“It’s really about … the government and just people who have higher power, and how they deceive people,” says Jihada when discussing the lyrics. “They have the power to control the media and they put out energy to make everyone feel like, we’re lower than what we really are. It’s just the state of confusion … and [we] kind of battle each other.”
Jihada offers a counter to this aversion by stressing her view of empowerment and divinity in oneself. “There is a god in a human form, like us, because we have free will, we can do things, we can create,” she says. “I feel like that’s power. I also feel like there’s a higher energy out there that we are all connected to, and we all draw from.”
Featured on the track is fellow local artist, Quis King Soul. “I recorded my first verse and sent it to him, and he went crazy,” Jihada laughs. “Ten minutes later, he sent me a video … at his job and recording himself playing it back and he recorded a verse right there on the spot.”
L.A.-based animator Kris Baldwin conceived the music video for “Chocolate Downloads.” His previous work has been featured on Adult Swim. The music video is set in the cosmos but draws on the themes of the track, following a narrative.
Though there’s no hard date set, Jihada plans to release an EP in a few short weeks and is excited for her audience to hear another track featuring King Soul.
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