The young British rapper maintains a thrilling stage presence while tackling weighty topics in a bravura performance
It feels apt that, before poet-turned-rapper Kojey Radical takes to the stage for his sold-out show at east London’s cavernous Village Underground, some big hip-hop songs herald his arrival – Kendrick Lamar and Drake, for example, get a whirl from the DJ hyping the crowd. But it’s oddly more telling when, after the Hoxton-based artist leaves the stage, the first song to play is Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name. What makes Kojey Radical so striking is his extraordinary versatility, which sees him flitting between deft, heavyweight hip-hop, searing metal, even smooth, soulful sounds. He is bookended accordingly.
Kojey (real name Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah) makes earnest, conscious rap with a vitality that recalls everyone from Saul Williams, Ghostpoet, Kendrick, Loyle Carner and his dubbier, more industrial contemporary Gaika to, well, Zack de la Rocha. His musical catalogue is as likely to see people headbanging (he’s playing with an excellent, roaring live band tonight) or swaying their lighters and phones in the air as he sings with distinctly rich, gruff intonations.
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