Kwoli Black: Musically Poetic ‘Til Infinity
“The duality of Kwoli Black is that I am all the things that I wish to be. In this venture, I think limiting yourself would be counter-productive. I am a rapper, a poet and much more.”
Hackney seems to be a melting pot of talent as we introduce yet another musician from the East side of London. Kwoli Black is a rapper who first fell in love with poetry, later finding that he could transfer his flow into the art of rap. Through reading Rudy Francisco, Reyna Biddy and Alysia Harris, Kwoli’s poetic ideas transpired into his own work, and he found the courage to take it to the stage. His first experience of performing started at an open mic with his rendition of Ab-Soul’s Sapiosexual.
After exploring poetry for over two years, the multifaceted artist decided to experiment more creatively with music. Inspired by Mos Def and Jill Scott, Kwoli finds himself to be "more of a reflection of them" through his redesigned flow and style.
Kwoli’s projects let us into the cracks of his openness and vulnerability; his music is expressive of his reality and experiences. After releasing his first ever singe Imagine.Free, Kwoli’s journey has continued to flourish while he mixes both passions of rap and poetry. When I first met Kwoli he introduced himself as a spoken word artist. Since then Kwoli has discovered the various overlaps between poetry and music, finding a merged interest in the two. Intrigued by his new found flair, I decided to catch up with him.
"I listen to jazz, hip-hop, and soul and I like to sculpt my music around these genres. I shift from neo-soul to house in my projects to reflect that I’m also a voice, not just a sound"
Nuprint Magazine: How did you first get into poetry?
Kwoli Black: I used to have a Tumblr page [where] I did poetry to express myself in a non-judgemental space. I showed a close friend who told me that I had a gift. I grew up thinking I was ordinary, so to hear that was crazy to me. It took off from there once I saw the reaction of people who listened to me for the first time.
How were you feeling before releasing Imagine.Free?
There was some nervousness because I was a complete novice. I'd never stepped in the studio before [or] written a full song but then I realised that there's always a starting point. Eventually, you evolve as you go on so I just decided to enjoy what I was doing.
Do you see yourself more as a poet or rapper?
I'm an artist, and art is free - I believe I can be both. The duality of Kwoli Black is that I am all the things that I wish to be. In this venture, I think limiting yourself would be counter-productive. I am a rapper, a poet and much more.
Some of your lyrics are quite intimate, especially those centred around love and relationships. Are those your real experiences?
Yeah, my art is a confession of my soul so [in the least cringy way] I write from a personal place. It helps me feel inspired to put something on paper. Everything comes from life, even if it's a day out with my friends, it gives the energy to create something.
After taking a short break from his own ventures and collaborating with friends on projects, A Quarantino Score (prod. Kente Kwame) and Rest and Recreation (prod. JSTRNGS), Kwoli has entered a "re-emergence chapter" with new single, Fly.
Is Fly part of a new project along with ‘Til Infinity and Monty?
Fly, 'Til Infinity and Monty are actually part of a trilogy that depicts love, pain and joy which you pick up on when you listen to them back to back. I'll be working on a project, which will be again derived from personal experiences but sound quite different from those three songs.
What can we expect from this upcoming project?
Definitely some growth, evolution and truth. It's a project about vulnerability - I've started to embrace that in my music because being authentic translates and relates. It's just good music as well, I can't lie. In striving to create art, there's no rule that says it has to be in one lane. My aim is to create projects within many areas and make the name Kwoli Black known everywhere.
Apart from doing more collaborations, Kwoli hopes to explore more of his artistic side in the future. His love for fashion and directing his own visuals has propelled him into venturing other creative fields like animation and direction.
Kwoli Black's new single Fly will be out on the 31st of July.