Kojaque has shared new single ‘CABRA DRIVE’.
The Irish rapper has dominated 2022, sharing his latest album ‘Town’s Dead’ to widespread acclaim. In a review, Clash writer Rebecca Sibley noted that it is “an ambitious and genre-defying album, is woven around a narrative of a weird New Year’s Eve in Dublin, a love triangle, and references to anxiety, desire, insecurity, and violence.”
Hitting the road alongside Loyle Carner – who actually sampled Kojaque on recent powerhouse album ‘Hugo’ – the Irish artist then linked with soul collective Gotts Street Park on ‘BAMBI’.
New single ‘CABRA DRIVE’ takes it all back home, with Kojaque reflecting on a country in transition. The lyrics look at the demise of the Celtic Tiger, and the rapper’s lingering feeling that the ‘home’ he feels nostalgic for has utterly changed.
A discussing of class and identity and the pressures exerted on those on the sidelines, ‘CABRA DRIVE’ is a powerful single, one accompanied by visuals seemed by film maker Conor Bradley.
“It can feel weird coming back to your home after you’ve been away for a long time,” Kojaque comments. “Shit really does change, it can be hard to even know who you know anymore. It’s kind of alienating, you feel a bit like a caricature of yourself. I get really nostalgic for Dublin but each time I go back I recognise it less and less. I wanted to convey that visually. The character kind of unintentionally came out looking very Celtic tiger, considering the erasure of space, the emigration and the state of housing in Dublin at the moment it feels apt.”
“‘Cabra Drive’ is a nostalgic tune, it’s what I felt growing up in Cabra, wanting more from life. I had worked with Conor Bradley on the ‘Men On A Mission’ video last summer and I was really impressed with him and his whole crew. It was really heartening seeing such impressive work from the upcoming generation. I reached out to him and asked if he’d do a video for ‘Cabra Drive’ and we went back and forth on ideas before we came to the final one! That shit fills me with hope!”
Tune in now.
Photo Credit: Finnegan Travers
