“Not Today”, “Roof”, “Never Fall Off”, “Drug Supplier”, “The Business”, “All I Need”, “Gas Face”, “Promised”, “Still Here”, “New Truths”, “Grape Soda” – lots of stand-outs and no real weaknesses on Half God. Features from Earl Sweatshirt (on the fantastic “All I Need “), MIKE, and others add extra flavor. Similar to the album cover, Wiki’s content is a jumble of ideas and thoughts, but his relatable lyrics are thought-provoking and/or entertaining and Half God manages to captivate from start to finish.
Navy Blue’s stripped-down but hypnotizing instrumentals have heart and soul and they bring out the best in Wiki, whose pen game is better than ever before – it’s good to see a young artist demonstrating artistic growth and increasing maturity like Wiki does here.
Wiki’s previous releases all were strong projects, but Half God is his best work yet, a fully realized work containing 16 full songs and an hour of music. Like with another substance currently having a moment, turmeric, you can get your dose by eating or drinking it, though Zeitlin says drinking it as a tea, how it was initially intended, provides all the benefits without the added calories.Wiki is an emcee from NYC and Half God is his fourth full-length LP, entirely produced by Navy Blue. One-1/2 teaspoon serving of matcha, no more than once daily, is certainly a valuable addition to any diet, says Zeitlin. “The tendency is to imagine that more is better, and that's just not the case.” “It's easy to get lost in the hype,” says Zeitlin. It seems matcha has more going for it than coconut oil, but it’s not a magical elixir to OD on. In fact, these adverse effects may be three times as likely to occur when drinking matcha as opposed to brewed green tea,” she says. “Consuming too much of this potent antioxidant has been linked to decreased iron absorption, lead contamination, liver damage if taken with acetaminophen and to altered effectiveness of prescription medications. Though matcha is a “nutritional powerhouse,” Janie Zeitlin, a registered dietitian in White Plains, NY and New York City, says it’s not for everyone, and that pregnant and nursing women should skip it altogether. The darker the matcha, the older the matcha, and its beneficial properties weaken over time. To get the best quality matcha (according to the matcha set, it matters), make sure your matcha is bright green - the greener, the better. Matcha is not just exotic in sound but in formulation, ranging from lower “cooking grade” powders to more expensive “ceremonial grade” powders, with enough selection to agonize over when choosing one to top your chia pudding. “Samurai warriors drank matcha green tea before going into battle because of its energizing properties, and Zen Buddhist monks drank it as a way to flow through meditation while remaining alert,” reads the website.
Oxford’s Living Dictionary cites its origins in Japan as a combo of two terms, “from matsu ‘to rub’ + cha ‘tea’, from Chinese (Mandarin dialect) chá (see tea).” Matcha masters House of Matcha say the beverage is steeped in history. It’s basically green tea, derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, finely ground.
But first, let’s clarify what matcha is to begin with - in case you were trapped under something heavy these past few years. Evidence pointing to a boost exists in abundance.