Being a young black male, born in a society of poverty and hardship Kojey wants to express his inner struggles via his music. Building a platform from those in the same position he one stood in, in society. Painting pictures against racism and suppression in the best way he can - via his art.
"The Tate seemed to have captured the new spirit of British creatives, who are unbound by any limits and experimenting with music, performance, art and literally ‘everything’ they want to." - NationofBillions.com
Kojey Radical did what not many people have done before, especially of his age and status in modern society...
The Tate Britain, usually associated with grand art pieces and contemporary movement pieces was completely changed for the one evening.
"On this particular Friday evening, there was one place in Britain where a new revolution was in the making. As the Tate Britain lit up into the night, the artist Kojey Radical made his immersive audio visual experience premiere – not online but in person.
Galleries can be somewhat a conservative and quiet affair but the Tate Britain is moving in step with the changing tide. Entering the gallery to the sound of black music echoing from the speakers into the halls and winding down the steps, we joined a queue of people patiently waiting to see the new video for ‘Open Hand’." - NationofBillions.com
Completely unknown to Kojey, who was performing in a tiny room within the gallery, whilst other artists he invited were performing elsewhere, the entire gallery was shutdown - gasping with people.
Kojey Radical Twitter
His performances were done in sets of 10 minutes as people were almost recycled in and out of the room - two live songs, followed by the premier of his new music video. Kojey's performance was utterly beautiful - although his music has somewhat loud, aggressive undertones he really brought the piece's to life by using an acoustic band and simply the projection of his voice to entertain. Whilst he was performing, behind him was a huge screen in which a digital artist was doing live painting in sync with the mood and music of Kojey's work. Finally his new music video was premiered to the first audience of the night (which luckily included me.)
I can truly admit that this event was one of my most favourable. A unique way of showcasing talent and a chance for creative to come together to view a piece of work live that we all appreciate.
In baring my own creation in mind, I wanted to take notes of the entire evening from the way Kojey Radical performed and greeted everyone to the music video that gave me inspiration and influenced by perception of dynamic creativity.
As many Underground artists are, Kojey was hugely impactful and expressive during his intimate performance however his usual self is of a more calm and timid matter. A very respectful artist that didn't seem to boast about his works but was rather incredibly humble and extremely grateful for the turn out that he had - admittedly seeming a bit nervous for his performances. This is how I built up our own artist IKE in my mind. No sense of glamour or fame but a real drive for the music and talent which is reflected in my work.
For example, the music video is of IKE in his simplest form, simply strolling the streets with short glimpses of his stage shoes. No signs of glamour, money or cars but the main focus is on the music and the video acts as a sort of accompaniment for the music. Maintaining the calm tone and mood. Also with the DigiPak I have ensured Ike would have a note of 'thank you' for his fans accompanying him on his journey - maintaining the humble character. Also the clothing of Kojey influenced my own character, simply dressed head to toe in black with a baseball cap on.
Kojey Radical in Live Performance Space
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