Over the years, scientists have failed to explain to us where the British accent magically disappears to when several British artists sing or rap. We have seen this with the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse and The unforgettable Beatles, just to name a few. Not Kojey though, Kojey enjoys rapping in his British accent.
If you’re listening and paying attention to the positive side of pop culture, you might have to agree that a decent amount of British musicians have started making use of their received pronunciation in their songs. This transition isn’t only about embracing the British accent but it could mean a whole new sound from the UK to the rest of the world.
Kwado Adu Genfi, better known as Kojey Radical, seems to be one of the artists in the forefront who are behind the new sound that the Brits have to offer.
Radical expresses himself as a musician, creative director and a mixed media visual artist. For his latest offering and debut album, Reason To Smile, he personifies a sense of royalty, heritage and a breakthrough.
From just listening to this project, you get to explore the 29-year-old rapper’s personality. A few songs in and you are already exposed to his vulnerable side, his heart’s desires and his gratitude towards the things that life has to offer.
This project is likely to distract us from the most dominant aspect of pop culture; small moments, drugs, strippers and the haunting sounds of auto-tune on trap beats. He uses what sounds like skits of his mother’s voice in some of the songs. I would imagine this is one way to embrace his Ghanaian heritage, where his parents were born and raised.
One of the songs that caught my attention was “Pressure”, a heartfelt and poetically written piece. He gives voice to the pressures that comes with newly found fame such as betrayal, impatience and the importance of being content through it all. The song is given more soul and meaning by Shae Universe who sings her heart out on the chorus.
In this song, it is as if Radical is choosing to trade his personal life for the “game”, I for one can imagine how much pressure that comes with. This piece is decorated with perfectly timed wordplay, “2020 came, I made a mil before lunch”.
I’ll confidently take a wild guess and say he was definitely pulling some double entendre there. The use of the world “mil” is mostly shortened for “million” but “mil” also happens to be homophonous to the word “meal”, catchy and smart of him to do that if you ask me. It makes it easier for the listener to understand what he’s trying to say.
One of the fans on a YouTube video from The Public Reacts couldn’t hold back her excitement after hearing Kojey’s new album. According to her, “Kojey never misses, he speaks to us”. Her reaction can be justified and maybe it is safe to say this album gave her a ‘Reason To Smile’.
Another fan believes that Kojey’s new project is “one of the most musical albums from a rap artist from the UK, no one comes closer”. The commonality between the two reviews is very clear and that’s what any artist wants, exceeding the expectations of the listener.
Not only was he able to impress the listeners with his rapping abilities, his features were out of this world. He features the Jamaican-American musician Masego on a smooth record entitled “Silk”. A song about self-love and self-appreciation.
Basically something you’d want to listen to when you wake in morning to get your day started. The message behind “Silk” is about breaking out of modesty and creating the life that you want. This song feels right; it might be the answer to achieving true happiness.
I’ll go ahead and drop one more spoiler for you, one word, “Anywhere”, a love song featuring the soulfully sounding Ego Ella May.
This piece was beautifully designed, it’s almost like they’re having a conversation. A beautifully scripted dialogue between the duo. What makes this one unique is that it doesn’t sound like a regular collaboration, a lot of effort and creativity was invested.
It’s probably safe to address Kojey as an awesome musician considering his ability to put together a finely-calibrated project. If he maintains the same energy for future projects, he might find himself rapping with the big boys in no time.
Listen to Kojey Radical’s Reason To Smile album below and purchase it here.
Words by Paballo Tshilo
