Curtis Roach Spills His Anxiety On The Table & Lets It Flow (Video)

Curtis Roach is a 19-year-old Detroiter whose talents are on full display with “Anxietea.” The song tackles our perennial pursuit of belonging and approval within the context of social anxiety, a trend exacerbated today by things like social media and viral culture. Time recently reported a 47% increase in rates of clinical depression among millennials, which suggests a huge spike in anxiety levels among young people. For creatives in particular, the desire to share parts of ourselves and receive praise can be all-consuming. Curtis leaves all of that on the table in the song and its video.

“‘Anxietea is a narrative of an artist who simply wants to be heard. The feeling of being overlooked and not having the recognition you deserve can be very frustrating. Especially if you feel like you make good content,” he tells Ambrosia For Heads. “After a while, you start to get anxious. Like, why isn’t it moving faster? Is it worth it? Why is this person popping and I’m not? Sh*t like that can, for real, crush an artist’s spirit.” However, in the song’s second verse, Curtis appears to make peace with his inner turmoil with the lyrics “It’s time to let go, I’m getting mine so get yours.” As he explains, “The best thing an artist can do for themselves is simply just be themselves.”

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In the black-and-white video, Curtis sits in a plain tee in a plain booth in a plain restaurant, all elements which together highlight the song’s lyrical message. It’s direct, poignant and simple. Directed by Xavier Cuevas (BarelyHispanic), it begins with Curtis appearing pensive, stressed out and making little eye contact. “Social anxiety got me f*ckin’ with none of y’all,” Curtis raps on the Ntourage-produced track. He orders only a cup of (anxie)tea, which begins to spill out onto the table as a visual metaphor. By the video’s end, Curtis is staring directly into the camera and the cup is empty.

“Anxietea” appears on Curtis Roach’s mixtape Highly Caffeinated, which arrived in late 2017.

Past Ambrosia For Heads “Ready Or Not” features.

About Ready Or Not: “Ready Or Not” is Ambrosia For Heads’s platform for showcasing new videos and having you, the people, decide whether they are ready for primetime. Each week, AFH will showcase music from artists on the verge, looking for their seat at the table among Hip-Hop’s elite.