Persistence And Patience: Kojey Radical Talks 'In Gods Body'
Monday, 11 September 2017
Written by Milly McMahon
Photo: Ejiro Dafe
Kojey Radical endeavours to educate his audiences by offering new and original perspectives on life. He presents ideas that challenge our ideals and promotes change through the rejection of societal norms and any sense of political dictatorship.
Debating moral dilemmas and frequently delving into his soul to discuss the sources of his angst, Kojey is an expansive vocalist, producer and writer who wants to liberate by fostering self-belief, freedom of speech and patience.
The rapper and poet points to seeing spoken word artist Suli Breaks perform at his college as a turning point in the conception of his art, with his writing focused on exploration of politics, manhood, love, solitude, and sexuality across his new record, ‘In Gods Body’.
The release features collaborations with Ghetts, on its standout track, Mood, Shola Ama, Collard, Obongjayar and Michaela Coel, among others. We chatted with Kojey about ‘In Gods Body’ and why now is the time for him to break into the popular consciousness.
Do you hope to break through to mainstream audiences or remain more on the periphery with your music?
I feel like one of the biggest things I learned while making ‘In Gods Body’ was to stop seeing anything I do as local or small, and to start considering it as being on the world stage because I think the messages and the thoughts and feelings I’m trying to put across in the music are important to hear everywhere. We can be unified in our thoughts.
Are you more inspired to write when you are living an introverted or extroverted life?
I think because my inspiration comes from everyday life, it doesn't matter. Becoming more extroverted gives me new things to be inspired by because I’m experiencing new people.
You’ve stated that your principles guide your music. What has influenced your best work, in your opinion?
Letting go of fear was a big one. Learning to be unafraid helped me approach speaking about a multitude of topics a lot more openly. That goes from talking about everything from politics, to fear and to love in the same way. Learning to let go is an important principle.
This year feels like the point at which you have committed to launching your work on wider scale. Why is now the right time?
I don’t think it was a conscious decision, but I feel a lot more people are becoming open to a lot more sounds, especially those that are coming out of the UK. I’m fortunate to be coming up when people’s ears are a lot more open. But I would have continued to progress regardless as persistence and patience are all you need to achieve success.
Who are PUSHCRAYONS for those unfamiliar?
PUSHCRAYONS is the creative collective and agency that I head up. It was created around the idea of an open collective and people coming together to work on important things. Over the years, it has taken on many different incarnations but ultimately what PUSHCRAYONS comes down to is work.
What video plans do you have? Who would you like to collaborate with?
We create everything in-house. I am lucky enough to have some of the best creative minds working beside me. That includes Lewis and Alex of The Rest. Charlie Di Placido, Craig Arthur. These people inspire me to create at my highest potential. We want to create visuals that are representative of people’s lives and tell more stories.
You walked for Oliver Spencer and Maharishi at London Fashion Week. How did you find the experience?
It felt cool. I’ve always been influenced by and a part of fashion. I studied at London College of Fashion. The opportunity to work and be a part of the shows in the spotlight rather than behind the scenes was something I will always cherish. I want to do more in fashion and those experiences will hopefully open the door to let me do more.
What projects outside of music are you keen to pursue next?
I wouldn’t mind getting into film, maybe either in front of the camera or behind the camera. That’s something that is a lot later down the line. I have more to achieve in my music.
Kojey Radical Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Wed October 25 2017 - LONDON Village Underground
Thu October 26 2017 - BRISTOL Exchange
Fri October 27 2017 - MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
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