Mariah Parker may stand out as a familiar name to those in the Athens-Clarke community — they are the county commissioner, after all.
But Mariah is far more than just the county commissioner, spending much of their time invested in activism and politically charged hip hop music under the pseudonym, Linqua Franqa. It’s been five years since Linqua Franqa’s self-titled debut album dropped, yet it would be difficult to argue that they put this time to waste. Parker has teased us, recently dropping two singles for their upcoming album, Bellringer, along with high production value music videos to accompany the titular track, “Bellringer,” featuring New York punk artist, Jeff Rosenstock, and “Wurk.”
The video for this track starts with an overture, somber strings accompanying Parker’s serenade. Here, we witness the track really starting, transitioning us into a heavy, hard hitting hip hop instrumental, and rap lyrics about being racially profiled. This anthem brings a visceral energy, constantly referencing the grim reaper, and boldly proclaiming in the hook, “IF I DIE, DON’T PRAY! YOU BETTER RIOT!”
The second song that Linqua Franqa has seen fit to release for this project, “Wurk,” features a punchy hiphop instrumental, lower in energy than its predecessor. Yet, Parker still brings plenty of socially aware, anti-establishment lyricism to this track to make it another hard hitter.
Bellringer will be out via all streaming platforms on April 22, 2022.
