When I sat down to map out goals for the Train of Thought EPcampaign with the team, one of the main points I wanted to live up to was releasing more than one visual from the project! In large part dropping this is keeping the promise to myself and fulfilling the goals that myself and the team set out for ourselves!
But being the title track for the project it means much more than that too. The whole project has been about showing growth and it’s amazing to see how that’s been received.
Going from my Bedroom/Studio ramblings to award nominations is one hell of a progression.
But this video finally sees me publicly stepping into who I’m supposed to be as an artist! I just hope that people continue to catch my train of thought, cause like the song says, I’ve come a long way…but there’s still a long way to go!
I’m proper excited to announce that I’ll be playing an intimate set at one of the prestigious Sofar nights!
Having played host to some of the biggest names in the UK and indeed around the world; it’s a pleasure to be able to add my name to the list of artists who’ve frequented the platform. Names like Leon Bridges, Lianne La Havas, Rag’N’Bone Man to name a few.
Any how the typical Sofar style the events are at SECRET LOCATIONS announced the day before the event; so the most I can tell you is that it’s London show on 28th June! You’ll need to sign up to be in with a chance of getting tickets and it will sell out ’cause that’s what happens! LOL!
…But to celebrate this occasion Sofar have got a competition going on for you and a friend to potentially bag yourself some tickets! You’ll find details on Sofar’s Website.
So make sure you’re in with a chance to see me LIVE! • #NothingMoreNothingLess
This time last week I headed over to Conscious Radio to catch up with my homie Henrietta. We went to university together and ain’t caught up for a minute! It was dope to catch up on everything AKS and get a view of my musical career from her perspective.
I woke up this morning wanted to share something with y’all.
A few years ago I decided to take some time away from releasing music. For many differing reasons but mostly financial I told myself that I had to choose between pursuing some of the personal things I wanted to undertake as a man (the most important of which was getting married) and a musical career which until that point had been a relative liability. (You get out what you put in and all that jazz)
Anyway, in the midst of all that I was faced with obstacle after obstacle (life threatening health issues, family politics, lost studio sessions, corrupted hard drives etc), and loads of ppl telling me that I’d left it too long to put out a new project. I never stopped creating and albeit that I internalised some of those fears and problems…I never stopped believing!
Fast forward about 4 years and before releasing my sophomore EP I remember having convos with my business partners (Jason & Nii) about my goals with the project; the biggest of which was to transcend the achievements of my previous body of work! I took a leap of faith with the songs I’d written without a clear idea of how I’d meet every need but having faith that I would by God’s Grace.
Following months of successes since the project’s release; on Thursday night I hopped on stage at the inaugural Unsigned Music Awards, nominated for 2 awards including the biggest of the night and played to a full house audience of friends, fans, & movers and shakers in the industry.
Although I never walked away with the awards; I can’t deny how blessed I feel to have exceeded my goals.
And I say all that to say this:
The God of the mountain is the God of the valley. In each case He has a purpose.
Sometimes it’s better to take your time in the knowledge that the things God has set apart for you, will be yours!
This is a bit of a belated post to be honest. I didn’t really know how to put into words how things had progressed during the start of this October season, but undoubtedly I’m pretty happy about things right about now!
If I keep it 100% with y’all, the thing is that all of these forward motions happened at a time when I was trying to explain to some of those closest to me why I’m hardly at hand or present as much as they’d like me to be. It’s difficult to justify the time you’ve spent dedicated to something when people can’t readily see the fruits of your labour. I found it was even harder to walk people through the sacrifices we make as creatives and why “time” is one of those things.
Anyway…fast forward a few days and I get the news the title track for my recent EP, “Train of Thought“, is playlisted over at BBC 1XTRA courtesy of the great people at BBC Introducing. (Tune in all this week to catch #TOT getting spun).
Beyond that though, I also get the news that beyond a performance slot at this year’s inaugural Unsigned Music Awards, I’ve also been nominated for 2 awards!
The industry panel have me up for:
BEST ALBUM/EP/RECORD
BEST URBAN ACT
It’s extremely humbling to be up in the mix alongside some insanely talented individuals.
I’m here continually giving thanks, ecstatic and hoping I get to take the award home.
Big ups to everyone who’s been supporting and rocking out with the EP and just generally been following my career up until this point. I appreciate every single one of you.
I hope these recent events show just how dedicated I am and act as a smoke signal to others. To the peeps close to me, I’m sorry…but this is where my time’s gone, and long may it continue to yield dividends! Love y’all.
It’s crazy when you pass through a show doing what you do and get this kind of a response.
Fully enjoyed stepping out at Instros Only and meeting all the producers and judges. Special shout out to Focus…, J Hatch & Flukes who were judging the producer showcase on the night!
I’m a stickler for progressive moves, so when my homie Pino (@PinoProducer) gave me a shout to roll through to his Instros Only Producer Showcase and give an exclusive performance, undoubtedly the answer was yes.
It’s already a sell out affair, so I’m looking forward to hopping on stage and shelling in fron tf the producers in the house, which will include iStandard co-founder, J Hatch (Diddy, Rick Ross, 50 Cent), legendary producer, Focus…, (Dr Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce) and the UK’s very own Flukes (Crazy Cousinz).
Gonna be a night to remember, so if you’re lucky enough to have bagged yourselves a ticket…#ATrainApproaches.
It’s funny how things go in music. A couple of weeks back I’m just getting word that the Jay Electronica gig I’m booked as support for is getting put on hold while the organisers sort out some issues, and in that moment I’m pretty deflated as you can imagine. I tell myself it matters not, since I’ve got a headline showaround the corner. But fast forward 2 hours and some email exchanges and I’m booked to play this year’s Unsigned Music Awards.
I guess God got me, huh?
I’m pretty stoked to be in amongst the performers on the night, so make sure you tune in on October 27th to catch the train arrive on a bigger platform.
My brother, Sincerely Wilson, recently released a song that touched my conscience entitled “Chains“. It echoed a lot of the thoughts and feelings that we’ve all been having about the state of affairs between the black community and the police force, especially in America where a notable amount of black men and women have been murdered at the hands of so called law enforcement whilst being documented via social media and seemingly without much recourse.
In honesty it’s a subject I’ve been hesitant to approach on record. On some level I haven’t had the words. Only anger and sorrow at an untenable situation. But when Wilson put out a rallying call for artists to add a verse, I had to try and speak.
So here’s the result of that attempt. I hope it serves some purpose beyond being an outlet for me.
So at the back end of April I headed down to London’s Youtube offices to buck up with Mr Amaru Donhimself and have a chin-wag about my journey so far, the long hiatus, the new #TrainOfThoughtEP.
I always enjoy touching base with Amaru as I get to share beyond the veil of being an independent artist; and its great to be considered amongst the cast given the wealth of peeps in the forefront and the background of the scene he gets to chat with.
Peep PART 1 of my #INTROSPECTION in full via the video above; and make sure you head over and SUBSCRIBE to the AmaruDonTV Youtube Channelto peep their other interviews.
Today I’m remembering the kid who spent his evenings in a bedroom he shared with his younger brother & sister, tinkering away on Fruity Loops thinking one day he’d be able to grace the stage alongside some of Hip-Hop’s most formidable names.
I reckon Jay Electronica is one such name to write home about; so imagine my excitement at being asked to open for him over at The Coronet on July 23rd.
I mean, I only used to drive past it approaching Elephant & Castle in the early hours of the morning as I played passenger en-route to help out with my Dad’s night shift. Hometown glory and all that but I’ve never been inside! Kinda poetic…don’t you think?
Anyway…it’s a family affair as myself and LIMM label mate, J. the Exodus, joinMikel Ameen, and Paigey Cakey to play support to the Roc Nation heavyweight.
It’s sure to be a good show so make sure you’re topped up! #ATrainApproaches
This time last week I headed over to The Beat LDN 103.6 to catch up with my homies DJ Bones & Mr 13. They’ve been mad supportive since The Bus Stop EP. In what was one of my most in depth chats we caught up about my outlook on the game, everything that lead up to Train of Thought.
Hop on the train and peep the FULL INTERVIEW below:
I took a trip over to Radar Radio last week to catch up with the lovely Jade Aviacourtesy of my good friends over at Mixtape Madness. We chopped it up on the show whilst sipping on some Disaronno and spoke life, Red Bull Culture Clash and catching the Train of Thought.
I definitely had a blast with the first live interview whilst pushing this project, and Jade gives a little indication of how she found our brief interaction in the video above.
Hop on the train and peep the FULL INTERVIEW below:
PS. I still can’t believe that we premièred this video with the good people at Earmilk…now that’s something to write home about! LOVE! #StayWithMeAKS #TrainOfThoughtEP
OK, so those of you who follow me on Instagram would’ve seen that I recently hopped in the studio with UK based soul singer Sincerely Wilson.
I’ve been a fan of Wilson for many years now, after meeting him at a small show we we’re both on the bill for. He struck me then as a stand out artist as he laid soulful tones on a heartfelt track during his perforamnce. We got to talking after each of our sets (I remember calling him UK’s answer to Dwele, complements abound, but he’s evolved since then) and a friendship was born. The thing is we hadn’t worked on anything together musically and since we have a real friendship beyond music I really wanted to take the opportunity to do just that with this new record I’m working on.
It’s kind of funny how life goes sometimes. When I was a youngster, like most inner-city London kids I had a blinkered view on what was important in life. For the most part I couldn’t see far beyond “my endz” and the potential danger I’d be in if I was caught “slippin'” having drifted too far on my lonesome to another area in London.
Let me say this…I was never a “road” guy! Having an African disciplinarian as a father, I was fully dedicated to my academics, but I had no vision of what I was really working towards as the guys I saw around me, whom I perceived to have the things I longed for, were all of that “street” mentality, and albeit that I didn’t get lost in any of that, these were my friends. For them the road came with a certain sense of territory and inevitable issues with kids from neighbouring areas. One such area was “Peckham”.
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