Liv.e & Pink Siifu: Celebrating The Birthday of Gil Scott-Heron

Inside the tribute showcase at SOBs with performances by Liv.e, Pink Siifu, and more.

Photography by Uma Fodar

The night of April 1 was a celebration of the eponymous poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron at SOBs, the legendary New York City music venue where Scott-Heron was a longtime friend and performer since first taking the stage in 1991. The night consisted of genre-blending performances from alternative R&B, soul, and hip-hop artists Pink Siifu, Liv.e, and supporting act Liim. With a live band accompanying Siifu’s raps and Liv.e and Liim’s engaging performances, the celebration was a warm tribute to music, art, and activism.

Much like Scott-Heron himself, the artists on the bill carried forward a spirit of creative freedom, collaboration, and social consciousness—whether through sound, process, or the community they continue to build.

I sat down with Siifu right before his set to talk about his latest project, BLACK’!ANTIQUE, his experience on Mavi’s shadowbox tour, and what it means to create alongside close friends and favorite artists like Kal Banx and HiTech. Afterward, I caught up with Liv.e post-performance to discuss her collaborations with MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt, the challenges she faces while recording, and the lessons she’s carried through each of her past projects.

Before-Show Talk with Pink Siifu

How are you feeling about performing at SOBs tonight, celebrating Gil Scott-Heron’s birthday?

I’m feeling good. I feel like it’s going to be a good night. It’s gonna be quick. It’s already 7:21, my first time at SOBs, too. It’s Gil Scott’s birthday.

I was about to ask, I know you, Liv.e, and Fly Anakin had sampled Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘Rivers Of My Fathers’ on your song ‘Mind Right.’ What drew you to that sample?

Oh yeah, Jay Versace actually sampled that shit. I think Jay had sent maybe two or three beats. We were looking for another joint for Liv.e, but at the time, it sounded like the best joint for her. Also, we really just loved the beat. And the original beat, we didn’t put it on the album, but the original he was singing on it. He was doing some weird shit in the background, and we really loved it.

What are some of your favorite things to do in New York?

Kick it with the homies. Work. Studio. Shoot videos and photos. When I do get time, I like to get some food with some friends and pull up on some DJ homies—mostly to the studio.

I actually saw you live a few months ago at Mavi’s shadowbox tour. What was that experience like supporting him?

Oh, man, that’s little bro. That’s like little cousin. It was just good to support, bro, for real. And while he was on the road promoting that beautiful ass album, I feel like that was up there with good intention and it’s a good listen. That was a great album. I love shadowbox. My favorite album last year was Blue Lips, but maybe shadowbox is up there from our peers. That shit was fun, but for the whole tour, I did six shows with him. Me, Ahmir, and Messiah (MESSIAH!) really kicked it. Messiah and I haven’t kicked it since we lived in LA. I lowkey wish we had a little more time, but it was good to have that time. That’s like some of the best shit when you’re on tour; when you’re not doing the shows and you kick it at the BNB, talk, watch movies, or go out and do random shit. We went to some random ass strip club. That shit was like a Tarantino movie. It was like it was in Kansas, in the middle of nowhere.

It must’ve been an interesting experience! Let’s talk about your latest album BLACK’!ANTIQUE. You have a lot of amazing features, including Liv.e, 454, Vayda, and Turich Benjy, whom I actually met in London last August. What was it like having all these amazing artists and friends on the album and making music with them?

Oh, it’s an honor. It's an honor and a privilege. They’re amazing. All of them in their own right. And I’m always blessed that when any of them answer the phone, they send something back. I want to do a lot of features, so it’s always a blessing to get a feature. If I want to get you on one of my songs for my album, that means you’re one of my favorite artists. I really love your music, and I really love what you’re about.

You also have the incredible producer Kal Banx on this project. What was the story behind your collaboration?

We got a few joints, bro. I don’t really know how we met. We had some mutuals. I might have met him at his studio, but I'm like, ‘how the fuck did I get there?’ We just started from there. Musically, we bonded off our first couple of tracks. That second one, we were like, ‘this is hard.’ That doesn’t happen a lot. Sometimes you gotta cook up with a nigga, and by the fifth, sixth, maybe eighth track, y’all have a vibe. It was easy as hell. We have a lot coming for sure—but I love Kal. He is one of my favorites. I love everything he did with Baby Keem. I love everything he did with Isaiah’s (Rashad) shit, and on the Doechii shit. He’s definitely my favorite producer over at TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) right now. He’s keeping the torch up. That shit he did for Doechii about two, three years ago on ‘Crazy.’ It's still one of my favorite Doechii tracks today.

No way, I actually listen to that song almost every day.

Kal went bananas with that beat. That’s also why he’s one of my favorite producers. He can paint on any canvas with any style. Those are the types of niggas I like to keep around me when I’m working, too—just pushing each other the whole time.

Speaking of your collaborators, I am always excited to see you and HiTech collaborating. Those three always bring energy to a song and in real life. What is the production process like working with them?

HiTech is the future. I let them handle everything. Sometimes they ask me about the sequence and if it’s gonna go on my album. They give me drums here and there, but I let them go crazy. I don’t direct anything other than the sequence of the tracks we do. Pulling up on a HiTech session and trying to direct, like even on some Ye shit, he wouldn’t do that. But I love HiTech’s sound and energy. ‘WYWD..'!?’ and ‘FACECARD’!’ They gave me those tracks. It’s like old-school shit though. It’s like how N.E.R.D used to pull up to sessions—sometimes they pull up on me like that. I’ll have a hook done, everything done, and I gotta pop in and do my verse. I love them. They’re my babies. Man, West shit too. Detroit, Ohio, that’s how we bond.

Lastly, a fun question: If BLACK’!ANTIQUE was a movie. What movie would it be?

It gotta be badass. Honestly, I would say Tarantino, but it’s like a sci-fi Tarantino. It ain't out yet, but it’s as if Tarantino did a sci-fi that was just as chaotic as Pulp Fiction or some shit. I love The Matrix, though, as well as The Revenant and The Dark Knight. I was watching all that shit while I was making the album. So yeah, everybody’s dressed like The Matrix, but chaotic Tarantino shit. There’s probably some sci-fi shit going on.

Post-Show Talk with Liv.e

Photography by Uma Fodar

How are you feeling after performing?

Girl, I’m feeling excellent now. I was so nervous earlier, but then it was over.

You shared the stage with Siifu. I talked to him about your guys’ sample of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘Rivers Of My Fathers’ on ‘Mind Right’ with Fly Anakin.

Oh, yeah, we did. What’s so funny is that Jay Versace did that. Jay Versace snapped on that shit. He ate.

I just want to say I love your music, especially your amazing collaborations with Siifu, MIKE, and Earl (Sweatshirt). What's the process behind that?

Thank you. There is no process. They’re like, ‘Liv.e, can you get on this song?’ And I’d be like, ‘Sure.’ I literally only do it for them because I love them too. We have a real relationship.

When making music, what is the most challenging part for you while recording, producing, or songwriting?

I try not to be perfect about everything, and I finish it. I’ve been exploring this a lot. It’s like when you’re running through a track and then you see the finish line and you’re like, ‘Actually, I'm gonna walk.’ As an artist, are you ever really done?

Talented Chicago rapper Kaicrewsade just released a song called ‘Slow Dancing to Liv.e.’ What do you think is the best Liv.e song to slow dance to?

Aw, yeah. So I have a lot of versions of songs. So it’s kind of like a song within all the other songs.

I was gonna say ‘Plottin.’

That one’s cute. It’s a throwback. But it’s that one song where I’m like, ‘Te quiero tu amor.’ That one’s good, it’s soft. I feel like a lot of my newer joints are like that.

What are some of your biggest takeaways from all of your past projects up until now?

Aw. I feel like I keep reminding myself of one thing in all these processes: to have fun, bro. When you asked me the other question on the most challenging part of producing, trying not to be perfect in this shit is really hard. So, I’m really trying to have fun, and that's it. I’m getting too caught up in the consumerism part of it all, and it’s really hard because I will be caring, kind of, but then I actually don’t really care.