West London rapper and singer Jelani Blackman today unveils the new video for his latest single ‘Tricky‘ – watch here
The video continues a busy month that’s seen him release arguably his most personal track to date in ‘Tricky’, rack up over 350k Youtube views in a week for his performances on the esteemed COLORS Sessions, and be announced as featuring on a track with Ghetts for the forthcoming Fraser T Smith album 12 Questions.
Filmed in Jelani’s native west London, under the shadow of Grenfell, the video is a poignant and personal look into inequality in London, delving into the juxtaposition between different lives in the same area and offering a lyrical and visual insight into what it’s like to grow up as a black boy/man in our capital.
The video is about showing the contrast that you can find on the same road in London. Life isn’t equal and there are a lot of people who take that for granted. Different parts of the same country are considered more or less important, which makes the world a tricky place to live in because not everyone understands or cares how bad the world can be if you come from a certain background. The shot of the burned down Grenfell block seen in the backdrop of million pound houses is enough to tell you that,” Jelani explains.
Heavily influenced by r&b and soul, yet coming up at a time when Grime was everywhere; Jelani’s sound swerves stereotypes, blending the hard with the soft, the dark with the light; reflected in an impressively diverse rollcall of collaborators that spans from Brian Eno to Burna Boy and Wolf Alice to Big Zuu.
Having picked up a lofty list of supporters for 2019’s Average Joe EP, including the likes of Annie Mac, DJ Target, Rickie and Melvin, Maya Jama, The Fader, Complex, Dummy, Nick Grimshaw and The Line of Best Fit, things look ready to go to the next level for one of the most exciting and distinctive voices in the UK scene.
