Mitchell Cohen, more famously known as Merch, offers a unique approach to the conversation of racial inequality, police brutality, and implicit biases from the perspective of a teenage white kid. With the release of his latest EP, Son of Karen, Merch blends old and new elements of music to voice his reaction to the social injustices and systemic oppression that minorities have endured at the hands of white people throughout American history. This project serves as a representation of being a son of white America. Merch acknowledges that, in some places, society acts like racial inequality does not exist. His EP serves as a call-to-action for white people to stand with their minority brothers and sisters in the fight against oppressive systems in America.
Son of Karen hosts two features from J# (J Sharp) and Chocuba, people of color who have their own messages to white America. The EP starts off with “Wypipo”, where Merch responds directly to the death of George Floyd. He goes off for over 4 minutes, urging white America to break the cycle of complacency in regards to police brutality. Merch’s message is felt most when he lists off multiple names of people of color whose lives were lost at the hands of crooked police officers and the system (“Wypipo”).
This is followed up by “To Strip a Butterfly,” featuring J#, starts off with J#’s raw and emotional response to the death of George Floyd. Following J#’s verse, Merch apologizes for the way America has been destroyed by racist white people despite being built by people of color. The three-track EP then concludes with a percussive movement of “Now What,” where Merch and Chocuba plead with the Americans to stop the ongoing conflict between white people and minorities in America.
Son of Karen is out now on all major streaming platforms. Merch hopes that his message rings true across national and global communities. He wants to inspire change among the masses to finally eradicate the systemic oppression that American society has been struggling with since its inception.
Merch will continue to stand with oppressed, targetted, and underrepresented communities in America. He prides himself on being a strong ally of the minorities in America and wants to change the mindset of those who choose to remain ignorant to our country’s societal imbalances. As the cofounder and executive producer of Anthem Music Enterprises (AME), Merch has successfully spread his work to thousands of people around the world.
AME’s primary mission is to provide producers and artists the independent blueprint for navigating the music industry. Aspiring producers often lack the resources to have their projects compete with the industry standard, so AME works diligently in developing the largest vocal sample catalog in the Western United States, as a resource for those producers.
Merch continually brings value to his community and the music industry, while quickly becoming an inspirational figure in music and a voice to look up to. A model musician such as Merch deserves all the love he gets, and it’s only a matter of time until he takes on the mainstream and amplifies his own voice for the betterment of everyone around him.To listen to more of Merch’s music and find out more about Anthem Music Enterprises, visit their website.
