Pink Siifu.

Born Livingston Mathews in Birmingham, Alabama

Resides in Los Angeles, California

Recent Album: Negro

Description: Black anguish, police corruption, community rage, confrontationally punk, channeling Sun Ra Arkistra, controlled chaos, Allah, intense, riotous, repressed ire of Black America.

Influences: Sun-Ra, Malcolm X, Death (band), Amiri Baraka, MC Gonjasufi, Ras G

Original title: To Be Angry

Interview by Barrington Darius.
SMD Video courtesy of Pink Siifu, directed and edited by Dylan McGale.
Album art by Fary D. Charles
Photography by Ian Flanigan

Q: Who is Pink Siifu?

A: I would say Pink Siifu is a young, handsome, verum, Black young man from Birmingham, AL and Cincinnati, OH. And yeah just a real ass ni**a.


Q: Where do you live now?

A: Living in L.A. now. Fucking Los Angeles, CA

Q: What's it like being in the city coming from the South?

A: It’s way different. One because it’s way more to do. I think that's the difference but same type of people. Just so much more to do that it draws the snakey-gritty people out, mostly people not from here.


Q: Were you already secure with your creative vision before you came to the city or more influenced once you got here?

A: Both. I feel I bring my roots to wherever I'm at with my presence and my music, but since I moved out this way for the production I’ve definitely been inspired by what's going on around me.

Q: Where do your roots In music stem from, coming from a region so rich in music and culture?

A: I feel like jazz because my dad played sax. Grandfather played the trumpet and marching band is huge in the south. My parents were both in marching band so it's deep. Like my dad went to FAMU (Florida A&M Univ.) and brings up the band every time he get drunk type shit. When I first linked with Swarvy he was like “Bro you be scatting, like you rap like you be scatting.”


Q: If one was to dig thru your discography they’d come out with Pink Siifu the producer, Pink Siifu with Swarvy, Pink Siifu with B. Cool Aid which all lead to your debut album “NEGRO.” Unlike any other record you’ve done, were you making a statement waiting this long to put out your debut?

A: Nah this just a statement. I’ll probably never make another record like NEGRO truthfully. The process of my last record was a lot. For example having 20 beats for the project and consciously deciding to rap on all of them versus singing. This tape was about anti white supremacy and fuck the police which could have been delivered in the same fashion as a B. Cool Aid tape. But I wanted to express and open that lane to feel aggressive so it had to be punk. I'm a Bad Brains and Death type ni**a.