King Khali - Everything Is Not Okay II (Single)
With the successful opening of his & his family's restaurant “Bussin Breakfast” getting raving reviews and attention on social media and the news, King Khali still had time to please his fanbase by releasing the first single of his upcoming album, which is a follow-up to one of his deepest cuts where he tears a bit deeper into his soul to give us less Khali and more Ashanti. I’ve spoken before of how I’ve cried to one track of his, and so it happens that part two has had the same effect on me. Khali doesn’t hold the lid on his emotions for “Everything Is Not Okay II” but instead vents on the record, spilling every inch of his heart and soul on the record. It’s a defining chapter in his story and one you must hear to understand how true artistry comes to life.
Linking back with Duvin in the cut, Khali begins to put his heart over the climactic production, first dealing with the pressure the devil has on him to fail. It’s not an option for him, and it’s a battle he faces every day to come out victorious. Even when dealing with that daily, Khali still grieves over the loss of his brother due to fentanyl, which is the reason why he stays sober, not letting pressure get to him. He sees family members getting older with thoughts of their presence no longer being there for him. On the other side of his mind, his patience runs thin from people he calls his twin or family, showing the other side of their faces in deceiving his trust. Dealing with all these things and yet keeping a smile on his face is too much to bear at times, not having time to see people locked down or not giving your time to people with getting in return that you’re a liar or not a good friend has a breaking point when your dealing with the world and more. Khali expresses that things aren’t alright, dealing with the emotions is taking its toll, but still, the fire in him burns. From the woes in his timeline of people acting fake or past relationships not going the way he planned, he still thinks about these things; even when he tries to find a place of peace, he still has these thoughts across his mind. Khali is spilling shit like a waiter with 8 soups on hand and still he has a lot more to go. He touches on the fact that if this doesn’t happen for him, all this hard work becomes for nothing; stress is like clothing for him; it carries throughout his day, weighing on him every moment. He closes his mind at night, and still, these things race through his psyche, still not finding peace.
“How I get these blessings, but I’m still stressed?”
Death comes to his mind daily; it’s tough, and we’ve been there, yet we find our coping process, but where is Khali’s? He talks about the loss of J. mundaca in the record which we know he took it very hard and still dealing with it shows that he still hasn’t found the time and energy to deal with it. Even while things look good online, it doesn’t mean everything is alright, a poetic conclusion but a story still unfinished. Khali took his humble approach and gave everything plus more, we’ve seen him open on tracks but this is next level shit, I don’t think I felt this emotionally invested into an artist since K. Dot, the track couldn’t have come at a better time too, just like many others, I had been dealing with struggles pertaining to stress and anxiety with the realization that nobody hears me or understands me, being alone in the world with no hope. Khali understands that, and while he deals with his own struggles he still lends that helping hand to have us deal with it through his music. Ashanti, thank you for everything, we give you flowers while you are here to enjoy them. Days will be better, we hear you cry and just like you, we’re here to help.