The emerging UK rapper BXKS returns to share her dancehall-inflected single ‘Bones To Pick’ and announce the release of her forthcoming sophomore mixtape ‘Hack The Planet,’ out Friday 5th November via Marathon Artists.
A sonic homage to her Jamaican roots following the lively, nostalgic Timbaland ‘esque statement of intent ‘Mean Amount,’ this latest offering sees BXKS continue to flex her lyrical dexterity as she raps about honing her craft. A sentiment reflected throughout sonics and lyrics of the new forthcoming project, ‘Hack The Planet’ will see BXKS’ sound level up and firmly establish herself and the most exciting new voice in UK Hip Hop.
Speaking on the single, BXKS says: “‘Bones To Pick’ is basically a mixture of UK rap infused with a bit of dancehall. I’m Jamaican so I wanted to add a bit of my roots to the song! Samotypebeat and idntmttr made the beat. The process of making the song was a steady one, we added some live instruments and some sound boy reggae samples to the beat some more flavour.“
Growing up in Luton in an artistic family of Jamaican heritage (her dad was born in Jamaica, and her mum in the UK – whose parents came over during the Windrush), music was always a part of her life and she was exposed to a rich concoction of sounds from a young age. Her dad was a bass guitarist and engineer in their local church and her mum – a ballerina – had a massive record collection that BXKS first whet her sonic appetite on; now counting Jamaican MC culture as something which has inspired her and her clever, dexterous wordplay.
A self-professed “class clown” at school and a county sprinter that favored art classes (she loves animé) and tried every instrument in the book (from piano to cello to the guitar – nothing stuck!), BXKS never thought being a musician or rapper was possible for her until her quick wit was put on the spot once with friends in a car, leading to a studio session and then a viral, Skepta co-signed Mixtape Madness freestyle as part of their Next Up? series. Quickly being adopted by the drill scene, it all moved too quickly and in one sonic direction so BXKS decided to take a step back to really hone her sound which you hear today.
A considered, thoughtful artist that wants autonomy over their sound and story, refusing to jump on the hype and regroup is an approach indicative of the story she tells visually too. Her recent mixtapes artwork and accompanying singles channel the style of animé classic ‘Neon Genesis’ with the most recent single ‘Mean Amount’ nodding to Akira.