My Anger Is My Friend (feat. Yaeji)

What does anger look like? In Yaeji’s case, the answer is simple: a fearsome, bedazzled hammer. At least, that’s the idea behind her forthcoming debut album. “It's a story about me and my anger,” says Yaeji. “My anger is materialized into this hammer that I befriend.” In this episode, Hanif sits down with Yaeji to talk about her songwriting process, her debut album, and the usefulness, the beauty, and the complicated nature of anger. Hanif closes the episode with a final thought: when we stop pushing away our anger and listen to what it is telling us, what greater acts of love, service, and creativity can that anger propel us towards? For the playlist of songs curated for this episode head over to https://bit.ly/oos-yaeji.Music In This Week’s Episode:When I Grow Up - YaejiHit ‘Em Up Style - Blue CantrellYou Oughta Know - Alanis MorissetteCaught Out There - KelisNever Again - Kelly ClarksonBreaking Point - Keri HilsonWhat About - Janet Jackson Show Notes: Hanif’s essay collection, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, was released just over a year ago. Check out the music video for ‘29,’ Yaeji’s recent single with OHHYUK, where she appears wielding a hammer. Recently, Yaeji has been reading Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.You can see Jiji in all her cuteness on Yaeji’s instagram.Credits:This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Kathleen Ottinger, Rhiannon Corby, and by Hanif Abdurraqib. The show is mixed by Sam Bair. Extra gratitude to Joe Dawson and Saidah Blount at Sonos.