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Our grandparents had Ruby and Ossie. Our parents had Ashford and Simpson. Our generation…Well, we have Will and Jada, Beyonce and Jay Z, and Aja and Fatin. Aja and Fatin you may ask? But outside of Philadelphia, they are better known as Kindred the Family Soul.
Kindred brought a fresh sound to the radio in 2003 with their début album Surrender to Love. Their sound, indicative of classic Philly soul, is rare in today’s music industry where misogyny, violence, and money dominate the airwaves. They are even more of a rarity when you consider that they have maintained their relationship, which seems to be temporal in today’s entertainment industry, and…are you ready? They have six children. No Brad and Angelina here; all six of their brood were born to the couple.
I first saw Kindred at The Black Lilly, the place to be at the time in Philadelphia to see up and coming artists like Floetry, Jazmine Sullivan or Kindred. It was also the place to see household names in the music industry like the Roots, Musiq, and Jill Scott. The Black Lilly is no longer, but the music still thrives. Kindred is not only a household name in Philadelphia, but a name that is recognized across the globe. To date, Kindred have put out three albums with Hidden Beach Recordings; the label that is also responsible for Jill Scott.
Surrender to Love
By far the album with the most success was the first, Surrender to Love, an album that deals with love on all levels, personal growth, family, and the hang-ups about everyday life. Bright spots on the album include the smash hit, Far Away, Surrender to Love and a cameo by a young Jazmine Sullivan and Ursula Rucker, legendary spoken word artist.
In This Life Together
They followed up Surrender to Love with the highly anticipated, In This Life Together (the same title as the autobiography of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis). This album gave us the hits Where Would I Be (the Question) and Struggle No More featuring India Irie. As I listen to this recording, I get a better glimpse of the Family that comprises Kindred the Family Soul; the struggles of maintaining a relationship and dealing with a growing family as well as an emphasis on the familial ties that extend beyond the household–community.
The Arrival
In 2008, the duo put out their third album, The Arrival. This didn’t get the same commercial success as their first outpouring, but it was classic Kindred: a new kind of old school. Again the couple play on their relationship and the songs are indicative of an enduring and renewed love. The album also expands on their level of consciousness and the need for us to get our minds free despite the hardships we face. My personal favourites are Alright and Just the Way You Are.
Six is It
Their latest project is a reality series called Six is It, a real-life look into Kindred’s life over the past few months leading up to the birth of their sixth and final child (according to them). After watching the first webisode, I’m highly anticipating the rest of the season. As I watched, I pondered why there isn’t more of this kind of material on TV stations like BET, TV1 or VH1. Instead, we are fed with train wrecks like Franki and Neffe, Jersey Shore, Flavor of Love, or I Love NY.
What differentiates this show from other reality TV is the format–the web–and there is no camera crew or network calling the shots. The show is shot by the couple themselves or friends and is edited by yet another friend. In essence, it’s a slightly edited, raw, home video. While watching, I could feel the love between Aja and Fatin as they dealt not only with everyday issues, such as inserting a car seat, but also preparing for shows on the road together. As a woman, Aja made being pregnant something to look forward to rather than a 9-month plague. She carried her pregnancy well and still belted out those tunes as if a new life wasn’t almost fully grown inside her.
You can watch their webisodes here. Enjoy!
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