Wrld of Jay, Icerp & Stati are the trio originating from the city of Blantrye, Malawi, churning out a blend of Afrofusion vibes with their latest EP titled “Not Our Concern”; fusing English, Chichewa & Tumbuka into the lyrics. The delivery switches between the three as they exchange cadence, delivery and local lingos – Chichewa & Tumbuka.
Not our Concerrrnnn, an Afro tape by Icerp, Wrld of Jay & Stati; is a diversion away from their usual genres of hip-hop/rap. They describe the tape as consisting of different types and eras of afro, giving the listener a chance to experience multiple emotions and appreciate the different tastes of the same genre.
“After consistently working on hip hop music it was high time for us(myself, Stati & Icerp) to bring something new to our audience. And being in the season where afro music dominates, we decided to record a five tracked extended playlist with songs including Nkhatabay, Composed, Crushed dialogue, Tattoo and Bonita.”
The afro tape draws its sound inspiration from different eras and styles of afro from artists such as Rema, Tecno and Victony. Individual songs were inspired by conversations had in the studio about life and the current events; you hear their reflections on the state of the Malawian economy and scammers if you listen to the lyrics of Composed, the first song.
“This project was inspired by different modern day sounds from different parts of the world e.g The song Tattoo was recorded right after we had a motivational chat in the studio about how Rema made his hit song Dumebi. By making up some melodic sounds with vibes only on the chorus without actually words which made us realize that making music is not all about being lyrical but attacking the beat with sounds of emotion and energy. Of course we never wanted to do it the Rema way, we still added words on the melodic vocals we recorded” – Wrld of Jay
Nkhatabay was a freestyle inspired by the most random thing and was recorded while they waiting to go on stage and perform together.
Crushed dialogue is a song about a gent being left by his lover who’s convinced by regular people that they are not perfect for each other. The trio took on the role of the gent and tried to reason with Rya (the female vocalist featured as the lover from the scenario, about not minding about what people say about their relationship because they don’t even care about them.
Wrld of Jay laughs at the notion of each of them understanding the assignment even though they have never gone through a situation like that in real life.
Wrld of Jay, Stati & Icerp found the process of exploring an unfamiliar genre, thrilling and exciting, working in an environment where everyone loves making music and brings in their different ideas and energy.
Working with artists who have the willingness to create more, hard working and diverse is something neither of them could have imagined 2 years ago. Ever since the trio met, they have had the studio time they always needed where they can lock themselves in sessions for weeks almost every week.
Stream Not Our Concernnn on & follow Icerp, Wrld of Jay and Stati.
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