5 For Friday: Kano, Knucks, Lava La Rue and more
After last week’s absence from new music Friday, we have returned reinvigorated and ready to embrace this weekend’s warmer weather as we lock in this week’s 5 For Friday. As always, we take a lucky dip into the latest sounds from all over and select a concise playlist that captures our select mood for the week. Tune in as we run you through our latest 5 For Friday.
Kano – Teardrops (Rated Awards)
One of Newham’s most prominent voices has blessed us with poignant visuals that do well to capture the mood on ‘Teardrops’, one of the highlights from last year’s critical success Hoodies All Summer. Kano uses his lyrical prowess to touch on several aspects of the black plight; from keeping close friends out of the law’s grasp, to reminding those who make it why they flex (to show the youth it can be done), to the age old ‘crabs in a bucket’ mentality and much more. This special visual cleverly displays some of the injustices that black people face daily at the hands of an unjust police force – showing that police brutality is a reality even in our shores. The message is powerful and the statistics that follow serve as a stark reminder that the police should be held accountable for its failings. Blue May and Jodi Milliner combine once again on production to provide the Newham poet with a sombre backdrop that samples Sizzla in chilling fashion.
Stormzy – Superheroes
As we continue on the current topic of black plight, it is near impossible to leave Stormzy out of the discussion. South London’s brightest star shines bright once again as he finds yet another way to use his platform to organically uplift the people. His animated visuals for ‘Superheroes’, courtesy of direction from Taz Tron Delix and gorgeous animation via 2veinte, brings life to the positive messages ingrained in the song taken from his sophomore album Heavy Is The Head. With references that range from Venus and Serena Williams and Malorie Blackman, to Little Simz and Michael Dapaah, lyrics such as “they’ll always hate me for my tone, for the shade of my skin and not the courage in my bones” resonate even more in this current climate.
Lava La Rue – G.O.Y.D
The 22 year old has been on a quiet hiatus following the release of her 2019 project STITCHES and of course the ongoing global pandemic. However, the genre-bending trailblazer has returned with her first song and visuals of the year with ‘G.O.Y.D’ (Girl Of Your Dreams), a breezy, hypnotic affair that find Lava musing about the early moments of being in love with her female love. Championed as a “queer anthem”, Lava blends her brand of singing and rapping over dreamy production served up by VEGYN. The DIY visuals are comprised of footage from the Summer Of Love 2.0 movement, a one-time project concerning the concept of the fluidity of love in times of isolation. A concept that is expressed beautifully on a song that is reminiscent of The Internet frontwoman Syd’s vibe, but is undoubtedly rooted in Lava’s creative persona.
Knucks – Your Worth
We could’ve selected any song on rapper-producer Knucks’ latest project London Class, a 12 track offering that further displays his ability as one of the ones to keep an eye on in this current crop of UK talent. But on ‘Your Worth’, the young Londoner gets into his introspective bag and speaks his truth on shady lawyers, run-ins with police, manifesting plans and much more as he urges whoever will give him an ear to consider their worth. Knucks’ storytelling is vivid and thoughtful, the blunt realities of his words are accentuated by the Dave Chappelle samples from his ‘8:46’ YouTube special, served up by producer Emil. Sombre in tone, yet weighty in its brief delivery.
Spillage Village, JID, EARTHGANG – Baptize
On a downtempo Olu, Hollywood JB and Christo instrumental, the OG members of Spillage Village – comprising of ATLiens EARTHGANG and JID – combine to great effect on their latest single. Titled ‘Baptize’, the trio take turns to embark on lyrical assault and literally baptize the song with lyrics cleverly centred on religious themes. The visuals are set in a church (obviously) and is thematically in tune with the song, even with an array of black beauties. If you listen close enough, you can hear a percussion pattern that is reminiscent of the classic ‘Waterfalls’ by TLC. Expect more of the same once the crew’s official debut album Spilligion drops on 25th September.
