You must sometimes restart in order to achieve complete enlightenment and fulfillment. I’ve learned that the hard way–several times.

On “Start Again,” East LA artist Proclaim discusses just that, but quite a bit more maturely than someone who’s just crashing out would. Proclaim, like some of us in our thirties and forties, had a mid-life crisis. Many of us in this age group (young’uns, remember–I’m closer to 50 than 20) will get to a certain point and wonder “what now?” That leads to either an existential crisis or an identity crisis.

So, I won’t hold you: this LaRussell-assisted track speaks to me in a way only someone who’s like me could.

For me, my mid-life crisis was (as of right now; life be lifing sometimes) my 2020-2021. I know it’s cliched to say “the COVID years changed everything. But they really did change everything. I had a lot of positives. I was well mentally and physically, I was employed, I was an awesome father, I had come up in my company. Sounds pretty damn amazing, right? All that and I still contemplated my place in the world. Unlike my 20s, when reckless was my middle name, I stopped and didn’t crash out. I’m Black, a father and I’m in my 30s in the era of you-know-who. Crashing out is the last thing I had (or have) on my mind.

Instead, I focused in and worked on myself. After processing the “what now,” I began to heal from that era. Proclaim goes from that “I’m happy but not completely fulfilled” state and, well, starts again. I appreciate the honesty Proclaim and LaRussell provide. I also absolutely love and respect the strength it took to be personal to a degree. That’s because “Start” reminds me of a song I’d probably hear in my teens. It feels like an early 2000s alt-hip-hop cut I would’ve only heard because I liked sports games. Think “hip-hop from a THPS game or early-2000s Madden” mixed with contemporary commentary. Bar-wise, it doesn’t disappoint but still manages to have vibes one can jam with at almost any time. The song, in addition to discussing the effects of a mid-life crisis, delves into the effect of social media and how it affects our psyche. It doesn’t go “old man yells at cloud,” but does have a perspective we don’t often give or get in more mainstream hip-hop. We’re given a bit more of the “wiser elder statesmen” energies on this song.

Honestly, I’ve always felt that more artists should talk about their 30s and 40s–and beyond. The now is incredibly important, as it’s a result of the past and the plan for the future. That said, you can’t continue living just in the past or giving into what seems “trendy” or “right” in the world. Otherwise, you sound like a pretty well-known someone who is…not like any Cali artist or person. And that type of music is cool in the summer and you’ve got the melodies and everybody’s on their “sun’s out, buns out” tip. But I’m not trying to hear every artist doing that, all the time, every season.

Soapbox aside, the song may be focused on Older Millennials. Identity crises can happen at any age, though. That’s another part of the beauty of “Start Again”: it speaks directly to someone while also speaking to everyone. That, my friends, is dope music in its purest form. Take it in, cherish is, and check out “Start Again” above and support dope music in all its forms.