That Thang - Lauryn Hill Flip

On July 5, 2016, I defended my doctoral dissertation at the University of North Carolina. The next day, approximately 1100 miles away, Philando Castile was shot and killed in Minnesota. Each one of these shootings has taken a toll on me, but for some reason, this one leveled me. Maybe it was because there was a little girl in the car during the shooting. Maybe it was because I knew that it would happen again soon. Whatever the reasons, I suddenly felt everything all at once: fear, helplessness, anger, grief.
I wrote this song as a reminder – to myself and to others – that my education is not a shield, and that I could be next.


Produced by Gabriel Reynolds
Additional production by Sara Musetti and Alex Thompson
Engineered by Jason Merritt at Overdub Lane, Durham, NC and Gabriel Reynolds at Lake Lure, NC
Mixed by Jason Merritt
Mastered by Nicholas T. Petersen at Track and Field Recording
Guitar/vocals: Keenan Jenkins
Keyboards: Gabriel Reynolds 
Synthesizers: Gabriel Reynolds & Joe MacPhail
Bass: TJ Richardson
Drums: Joe MacPhail

Right On

Keenan Jenkins’ musical career began during his Ph.D. studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he played open mics and local showcases between long days on the third floor of the psychology building. By the time he’d finished his degree, drained and discontent, his musical moonlighting had meanwhile bloomed in full color. He took the cue and dove headfirst into the rich music scene in Carrboro, NC.

Jenkins now performs as XOXOK, crafting atmospheric soul music that is conceived on the fretboard, cultivated at the microphone, and cradled in headphones. The guitar and vocal influences are far-flung, but cohesive—see Jeff Buckley, Moses Sumney, and Anna Calvi, among others. His live performance is a model of intimacy and presence; armed with “sweet, ringing vocals” (Queen City Nerve), XOXOK delivers impassioned songs with unabashed conviction.

XOXOK’s debut EP Worthy is both a lush soundscape and an exercise in growth. On the opening track, “Nancy, M.D.”, he declares, “I need you / more than your patients will ever need you as their medic”. However, by the final song (the title track, “Worthy”), he has changed his tune: “I don’t need you to love me / I just want to be worthy”.

Right On

XOXOK

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