Part of London’s IRAY Movement and a key member of the flourishing UK Afrobeats/Bashment scene, Jaij Hollands has come a long way since dropping his big street single ‘PINGA’ which has now hit over 700K views on his own YouTube Channel. Now the young artist releases his first mixtape ‘IRAYMENTAL’ through NVA Music, alongside long awaited visuals for his banger ‘Ngozi Ft. Samini’.
With ‘Ngozi’ Jaij delivers a trademark floor filler showcasing his unique flow and deep, dancehall driven vocal delivery over a beat he co-produced. The natural choice for the lead single, he says;
“Ngozi is the only song on the album which has 3 producers on it; myself, Mundo and MB. It has elements of dancehall, bashment and afrobeats, so to me, I think it really stands out that way – The whole video is based around the message in the chorus ‘looking for the fine baby girl called Ngozi’ the rest is the mandems creativity.”
As Afrobeats inspired music continues to grow in the UK, a new breed of dynamic, hungry young producers and mcs have been honing a sound which mixes elements of bashment, dancehall, UK rap and grime into their own brand of music. Following the release of the critically acclaimed compilation album ‘MOVES’, curated by Afro B which features as the cream of the flourishing scene, including Jaij Holland’s ‘Gbelemo’, it’s an exciting time for all those involved as Jaij describes:
“Afrobeats as a whole is growing and the African influence on music and pop culture is really great to see. I’m inspired by the scene here in UK also and that motivates me and the team to push on and to make the dream work.”
‘Ngozi Ft. Simini’ and ‘IRAYMENTAL’ are out now on NVA Music across all digital outlets including iTunes & Spotify
Peep the visuals below
Stream Iraymental below
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