South London producer Blackmale Beats, who was raised on Brixton’s Cowley estate, has released a new single, Endz, featuring Bar4Bar, with a video filmed in Jamaica and Brixton, and directed by White Negatives, showcasing notable landmarks and locals.
The release, part of a much larger project, marks Jamaica Independence Day, today, 6 August.
Blackmale Beats is writer, composer, producer and multi-talented visual art and design creative Shem Lawrence who, over two decades, has collaborated with leading lights in music, such as reggae legend Barrington Levy, MOBO award winning Blak Twang, and Greentea Peng.
He has contributed to the public programmes of the Tate, Black Cultural Archives and The British Library, connecting his stories to diverse public audiences.
His music is deeply influenced by his Jamaican and south London roots, as well as his late Jamaican father, a Maroon who came to England during the Windrush era, but repatriated to Africa, never feeling truly welcomed in the UK.
Endz is a soulful drill and spiritual jazz inspired track that delves into the duality of the Black Caribbean experience in London.
It is the first release from Blackmale Beats’ forthcoming debut album, Black Atmosphere, set to drop on 18 October, during Black History Month. The album promises “a compelling exploration of identity, culture, and the Black British narrative”.
The new single Endz features Blackmale Beats’ signature slick production and the rap lyrics of Bar4Bar. The verses share lived experiences in London with a powerful chorus “Not tryna get stuck in the endz, all day hearing police sirens, no rules better keep silent, no talking just deny it, no surprise if it ends in cuffs, they’ll paint the picture that you been violent, another day on this Brit island”.
Black Atmosphere has 14 tracks showcasing the depth and range of the Blackmale Beats’ sound – from rap to spoken word, punctuated by a unique use of samples to capture the breadth of the Black British experience through the sounds of London’s inner city.
The project features several underground artists who help to bring the concept to life, including JJSoulx, Josh Osho, Stxkz, Art Daley, Caleb Femi, Pharoah, Abdoul Rose, Dozer & Levi, Shanna OG, and Levi & Tookie.
The album “is a truthful expression of identity in modern times, told through the lens of the Black British experience,” says Blackmale Beats/
“I was inspired to create this project to examine the state of Black British music and culture, telling stories and using music as a sonic language that everyone can relate to.
“I am exploring the complex undertones of intersectionality with the use of sound symbolism to narrate.
“My roots are deeply cemented and derive from the inner city of Brixton, known for its vibrancy, cultural relevance, and socio-political resonance.
“This is where I drew inspiration to expressively create and delineate this piece of art. Endz is a form of social commentary, with the ongoing questioning that a lot of people in the diaspora ask themselves, the daily challenges of getting by and the feeling of being stuck here, in the endz.”
Blackmale Beats will also release Black Atmosphere as a documentary, with more details to be announced.
The film will see Shem Lawrence add further context to the album and its meaning and significance, as a sound and visual time capsule of Black British experience.
It will explore themes of identity and belonging and examine the relationship that Shem Lawrence has with the country of his birth, while being part of the Caribbean diaspora, and how these experiences, coupled with the significant influence of multiple generations of his family, in particular his late father, have helped shape the multi-layered artist, father and man he is today.
