The road so far
'Catharsis' EP - November 2020
moments of a post-separation cathartic process
"We’ve covered D.C. rapper Ya Minko a few times before but as he grows as an artist and a person, it becomes ever clearer that merely calling him a rapper doesn’t even remotely cover the gamut of his talent. Emmanuel Minko is a maestro of words, a maelstrom of wisdom. He raps with confidence, sings with beauty, arranges with fervor. His new EP Catharsis, four tracks split in both French and English, further proves that Ya Minko deserves all the love and more." - Savannah Davanzo - The Music Mermaid
RESET
"Ya Minko delivers some insightful vibe on “Reset.” Over a moody backdrop, he gives his own take on police brutality and systemic racism." - The Word Is Bond
"“TIRED” is a sleek, pumping hip-hop track flavored by jazzy elements, but beyond the music are the lyrics that matter to Ya Minko and both the community and culture he comes from. With clipped, repetitive lines, he tackles a range of “physical, mental, emotional, and social exhaustion,” referring in each verse to bullshit prejudice and men’s mediocrity. “TIRED” is as much of a fuck-you to the ideals Ya Minko was taught as it is an honest exploration of men’s role in women’s safety and comfort. At times, “TIRED” is uncomfortable, too jarring and too detailed in its name-dropping and self-reflection, but in a genre dominated by sexism, long-time fans of hip-hop and rap need reminders like this one that not all artists want to profit off of lewdness, and some are just as exhausted as us by it. At its simplest, though, “TIRED” is just a smooth, slinking effort built on steady drum pad beats, drowsy melody, and lax rap delivery."
