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Kojey Radical

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Kojey Radical
Kojey Radical for Hypebeast
Kojey Radical for Hypebeast
Background information
Birth nameKwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah
Born (1993-01-04) 4 January 1993 (age 31)
London, England, UK
OriginHoxton, London
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • rapper
  • poet
Websitehttp://kojeyradical.online/

Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah (born 4 January 1993), known professionally as Kojey Radical, is a British musician, creative director and mixed media visual artist.[2] His style has been described as a mix of grime hip hop, alternative rap, and spoken word. Since 2018, he has received six nominations at the MOBO Awards, including Best Newcomer. He also performed at the 2020 and 2022 MOBO ceremonies.

Early life

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Radical was raised in Shoreditch and Hoxton, London, the son of Ghanaian immigrants.[3] He began his artistic work a spoken word poet and mixed media illustrator, graduating from the London College of Fashion with a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Fashion Illustration.[4][5]

Career

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2014–2016: Career beginnings

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In 2014, Radical released his first musical project Dear Daisy: Opium just after graduating.[6] The project touches on topics of love, social media, and religion.[7] It was inspired by a book with the same name that Radical was illustrating during his time at university. Radical then started collaborating with UK artist and record producer Jay Prince, who produced Radical's first official record, The Garden Party.[8] Radical followed up with a song called "Bambu", which subsequently became the first single on his sophomore EP, 23Winters. "Bambu" made use of blackface, and was a persona Radical would later adopt in majority of his early visuals.

After supporting Young Fathers on tour, Radical later released "Open Hand", a record that saw him adopt a more political stance in his music, premiering the visual at Tate Britain in 2015.[9] Radical claimed to offer an alternative outlook on socio-political issues.[10] He followed up with a record called "Kwame Nkrumah", before releasing his 23Winters EP in February 2016. "Kwame Nkrumah" was written in honour of the first Ghanaian president and Ghana's independence.

The 23Winters EP is about the relationship between a father and son, with themes of religion, society, family, love, new-age revolution, and African diaspora narrated by Radical's father.[11] The project includes production from KZ The Producer, Fwdslxsh, Lupus Cain, Mike Keyz, Selvsse, Niels Kirk, and New Machine as well as collaborations with Tom Grennan, Ray Blk, and Bobii Lewis. It has been described as "a supreme phonic proclamation of one’s ethnicity, history, and future."[11] In an interview with The Source, Radical stated his intention was to "create a body of work that voices [his] ideas and philosophies while also offering another sense of perspective."[11] 23Winters also saw Radical nominated for two MOBO Awards, one for Best Newcomer and one for Best Video.[6] The project debuted in the top three on the UK Rap & Hip Hop Albums Charts and also entered the UK top 40.[12]

2017–2021: In Gods Body and Cashmere Tears

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In 2017, Radical returned with his third EP, In Gods Body.[13] It includes features from Shola Ama, Ghetts, Tamera Foster, Miloh Smith, dance music producer Potè, Obongjayar, and actress and screenwriter Michaela Coel. Coel recites a poem written by Radical that serves as a central narration to the project.[14]

Media commentators saw the project as a continuation of 23Winters, honing in on some of the messages recited by Radical's father developing into a journey of self-discovery.[15] It deconstructs the politics of black identity and race while introducing conversations about sexuality and love.[16] Since the release of 23Winters, Radical has toured in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, and Europe.[17] Radical has a brand relationship with Adidas which began in 2017.[18] In 2018, Radical collaborated with Mahalia on her single "Water", which was featured on the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 19.[19] This was followed up with another collaboration on her single "One Night Only." The track featured on Mahalia's EP, Seasons.[20] During the same period, Radical and MJ Cole collaborated on the track "Soak It Up".[21] Radical and Adidas collaborated to create a short film about mental health and depression alongside director Max Luz and fashion retailer SSENSE.[22]

In 2019, Radical created bottle designs for the liquor brand 1800 Tequila.[23] In late 2019, Radical released his fourth EP, Cashmere Tears. In a review by NME, it received five out of five stars and was described as a "tale of deeply emotional tales of everyday life".[24] In January 2020, Radical collaborated with American musician Mereba on his single "Same Boat".[25]

Radical was a nominee at the MOBO Awards in 2020 in the Best Video category.[26] He was one of the headliners at the ceremony in December 2020.[27] He released the single "Good" in late 2020, which was part of a wider collaboration with Sony with their 360 Reality Audio mixing.[28]

2022–present: Reason To Smile

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Radical released his debut album Reason To Smile in March 2022.[29] The album was shortlisted for a Mercury Prize and included in both the Album and Video of the Year categories at the 2022 MOBO Awards, with Radical being nominated for Best Hip Hop Act.[30][31] In 2023, Radical was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2023 Brit Awards and at the Ivor Novello Awards for Best Contemporary Song for "Payback".[32][33][34]

Other media

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On 2 January 2024, Radical took part in the New Year's Treat special of Taskmaster, finishing in 3rd place.

Discography

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Studio albums

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Extended plays

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  • Dear Daisy: Opium (2014)
  • 23Winters (2016)
  • In Gods Body (2017)
  • Cashmere Tears (2019)

Awards and nominations

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Organisation Year Category Nominee Result Ref.
Brit Awards 2023 Best New Artist Kojey Radical Nominated [32]
Ivor Novello Awards 2019 Best Contemporary Song "Black Rose" Nominated [33]
2023 Best Contemporary Song "Payback" Nominated [34]
Mercury Prize 2022 Album Of The Year Reason to Smile Nominated [31]
MOBO Awards 2018 Best Newcomer Kojey Radical Nominated [6]
Best Video Kojey Radical Nominated [6]
2020 Best Video "20/20" Nominated [26]
2022 Album of the Year Reason to Smile Nominated [35][36]
Video of the Year "Payback" Nominated [35][36]
Best Hip Hop Act Kojey Radical Nominated [35][36]
Rated Awards 2022 Album of the Year Reason to Smile Nominated [37]
Visionary Arts Awards 2023 Song of the Year "FUBU" Won [38]

References

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  1. ^ Vinti, Mike (29 January 2016). "Beyond Grime: Why You Need to be Paying Attention to Britain's Other Rap Scenes". Vice. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. ^ Hutchinson, Kate (20 August 2017). "One to watch: Kojey Radical". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  3. ^ Ekpoudom, Aniefiok (24 October 2017). "Kojey Radical and the Search for Inner Peace". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Kojo Amponsah". London College of Fashion | Showtime. 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018.
  5. ^ Ekpoudom, Aniefiok (25 June 2020). "Rodney P meets Kojey Radical: 'I don't want my son to always have to fight'". The Guardian.
  6. ^ a b c d Kemp-Habib, Alice (16 December 2016). "2017 artist to watch: Kojey Radical". gal-dem. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. ^ Wood, Mike (11 May 2014). "Kojey Radical premieres his brilliant new EP 'Dear Daisy : Opium' [Premiere]". EARMILK. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  8. ^ Weis, Jeff (11 May 2017). "I'm Always Going to do What I Want to do": An Interview with Kojey Radical". Passion of the Weis. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Fresh From Premiering Over at the Tate Britain, Here's Kojey Radical's "Open Hand"". Noisey. Vice. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  10. ^ Mensah, Andrew (19 October 2015). "Stamp TV: Kojey Radical: An Open Hand Revolution -". STW. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Garofalo, Jack (23 February 2016). "First Listen: Kojey Radical '23Winters' EP". The Source. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  12. ^ Wallace, Eleanor (16 March 2016). "Kojey Radical '23 Winters' – EP REVIEW". GIGsoup. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018.
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (1 September 2017). "Kojey Radical Talks To Clash About 'In God's Body'". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  14. ^ Ofei, Akua (1 September 2017). "Kojey Radical Returns 'In God's Body'". A Nation of Billions. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  15. ^ Stanley, Jack (1 September 2017). "Kojey Radical, the London Artist Ascending the Throne on His Own Terms". Hypebeast.
  16. ^ Abiade, Yemi (1 September 2017). "New Music: Kojey Radical - IN GODS BODY EP". DMY. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  17. ^ Phillips, Aimee (24 November 2017). "Kojey Radical Speaks to FAULT About Latest Project, 'In Gods Body'". FAULT Magazine. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  18. ^ Davies, Nicola (9 November 2017). "Are Brand Co-Signs More Impactful Than Artist Co-Signs?". Pigeons and Planes. Complex. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  19. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (24 May 2018). "Kojey Radical is the renaissance man". The Independent.
  20. ^ Kent-Smith, Jasmine (18 November 2018). "Mahalia and Kojey Radical drop cinematic new visual for 'One Night Only'". Mixmag.
  21. ^ Renshaw, David (18 July 2018). "MJ Cole and Kojey Radical's "Soak It Up" is an exploration of grief". The FADER.
  22. ^ "Infinite Silence: A Film for Adidas". SSENSE. 5 January 2017.
  23. ^ Empire, Kitty (28 September 2019). "Kojey Radical review – flexing his musicality big time". The Guardian.
  24. ^ Williams, Kyann-Sian (13 September 2019). "Kojey Radical – 'Cashmere Tears' review: an extraordinary tale of turmoil, love – and funk". NME.
  25. ^ Caraan, Sophie (16 June 2020). "Kojey Radical Enlists Mereba for New Single "Same Boat"". Hypebeast.
  26. ^ a b "MOBO Awards 2020: See the Full List of Nominees!". MOBO Organisation. 23 November 2020.
  27. ^ "MOBOs 2020: 'More important than ever to showcase black culture'". BBC. 24 November 2020.
  28. ^ "How immersive audio will transform virtual experiences". Wired UK. 22 December 2020.
  29. ^ Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (24 November 2021). "Kojey Radical Announces Debut Album Reason to Smile". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  30. ^ "MOBO AWARDS in association with Lucozade announces HOTLY-TIPPED STAR PERFORMERS FOR 25th ANNIVERSARY SHOW". MOBO Organisation. 17 November 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  31. ^ a b Trendell, Andrew (27 July 2022). "Kojey Radical on his Mercury-nominated album: "This is what's going to bring UK hip-hop to the next level"". NME. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  32. ^ a b "2023 Best New Artist nominees announced". The BRIT Awards 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  33. ^ a b Wynter, Courtney (24 April 2019). "Ghetts, Kojey Racial & Jorja Smith Nominated For Prestigious Ivor Novello Award". GRM Daily. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  34. ^ a b Ophelia, Maya (18 April 2023). "Nominations announced for The Ivors with Amazon Music 2023". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  35. ^ a b c Rackham, Annabel (11 November 2022). "MOBOs 2022: Rapper and producer Knucks leads nominations". BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  36. ^ a b c Waters, Lowenna (2 December 2022). "MOBO Awards 2022: Full winners list including Little Simz and Ezra Collective". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  37. ^ "2022 Rated Awards: Here's The Full List Of This Year's Winners". GRM Daily. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  38. ^ "Winners of the Visionary Arts Awards 2023 announced!". Visionary Arts Foundation. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
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