Here’s new music from UK-based Ghanaian rapper Kofi Stone. Titled ‘Nothing Ain’t Free’, it features on his upcoming 8-track E.P “Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does”.
The joint comes off the heels of “Stories in Pyjamas”, and was produced by Jake Milliner. It was also co-directed by the rapper.
“I like to have a input in the directing of my videos. I have directed a few other videos of mine. For example, “Stories in Pyjamas” was partly directed by myself along with Dir Lx.”, Stone explains to ENEWSGH about his decision to be co-direct the piece.
The song addresses daily behaviour of people, something the rapper is confident resonates with all: “With Nothing Ain’t Free, I wanted it to speak to the viewer and be relatable to their everyday lives. That’s why I had the price above my head aswell as going through life spending as it’s something we all do”.
Watch it below:
Bio
Just 24, rapper Kofi Stone is widely described as the future, and his sound, refreshingly alternative hiphop. A fusion of archetypal Boom Bap and such soulful elements as jazz, soul, blues, and Fela-esque Afrobeat, no labels are quite accurate enough in describing what he brings to contemporary music.
Formerly trading by MoB (Man of the Dream), the London- born recently reinvented himself as Kofi Stone, which is homage to his Volta roots. In Ghana, males born on Friday are referred to as Kofi, and “Stone”is an anglicisation of “Ekpe”, which is Ewe for “water stone”. That last name was given to him by his grandfather in acknowledgement of Kofi’s sheer will to live despite doctor’s expectations about his birth.
Fascinated by his grandfather’s poetry at a tender age, it would prove to be primary initiation into his current path –that, coupled with the fact that Nina Simone, Nat King Cole, Miles Davis, and Fela Kuti constantly played in the house. Surely, the thrill of hearing hiphop collective Sugar Hill Gang for the very first time too…
It perhaps accounts for why jazz is so prominent in his music, and ultimately, why he is such an old soul: he cites acts as A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Taleb Kweli, Andre 3000, and Jay Z as key influences, though Lupe Fiasco, Kany West, and J. Cole also constitute idols for him.
In recent years, majority of the UK sound seems to lean towards the now global Afrobeats, with Mr Eazi, Wizkid, Juls, Davido among others enjoying huge prominence. Still, Kofi stays rooted in hiphop like no other, stressing that authenticity is the key to all success.
Kofi has authored two EPs and a mixtape: Say Less and Do More, OKFI (with Princess Slayer), and Nobody Cares Till They Do.
He looks to, via his craft, serve as a link between music form the UK and Ghana, which make up his identity. He holds that it is important to shed light on various kinds of music as in the end, Ghanaian people want as much as they can be given.