For anyone experiencing fatigue with current trends in hip-hop, look no further than James BKS’ latest single “New Breed,” which features dignitaries Q-Tip, Little Simz, and Idris Elba. The new track is only the second from the French Producer under his own name following his debut “Kwele” and shows off his penchant for blending diverse styles with flavors of his Cameroonian heritage.
Along with James BKS’ unique production aesthetic, “New Breed” has an empowering vibe to it with each artist offering a unique perspective of African influence in their own culture, whether in the U.S.A. or Europe. The track is accompanied by a fittingly stylish animated video directed by Stevie Gee and Essy May that follows James as he pilots a craft through space to find like-minded artists. He would be hard pressed to find a more potent trio than the multi-talented Elba who runs the label 7Wallace Records that released the track, Q-Tip who has made a career living on the cutting edge of hip-hop sensibilities, and Little Simz whose stock has been on a steady increase in recent years and who offers one of the more memorable lines of the song: “My melanin glowin’ for the world to see / your insecurities no concernin’ me / I mean, God is a woman, that’s my firm belief / and they want to burn it down to the third degree.” “New Breed” is a powerful release from James BKS, and with news of a forthcoming debut album on the way, his future looks enormously bright.
"New Breed" is available to stream or download here.
Connect with James BKS: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify
Q-Tip will be appearing at the 4XFar Festival on January 18-19, 2020 alongside an impressive lineup of artists including Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Mark Ronson, Young The Giant, and more. Tickets and more information can be found here.