A rapper who was signed - and later dropped - by music entrepreneur Jay-Z several years ago will shortly release a new single with a local urban duo.
St Albans-based LS One has filmed a music video featuring K Koke (Kevin Georgiou), a Greek-Cypriot who became the first British rapper to sign to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label.
Later this month their song Pray will be released, after being recorded at K Koke’s studio, with the video itself shot over a period of about six hours in Finchley Road.
The collaboration included input from songwriter and producer Joe 90 (Joseph Lawrence), whose clients include Union J and Syco Music.
LS One’s Ice Playa (aka Michael Lawrence) told the Herts Advertiser: “Passersby were asking what was going on, and we built up quite a big crowd, asking if K Koke was with us.
“We are among just a couple of artists he has worked with in the past 18 months.
“The video director who shot and directed us has also worked with Tinchy Stryder and Charlie Sloth [rapper and BBC Radio 1 Xtra presenter].”
K Koke hit the headlines back in 2011 when he was wrongly accused of attempted murder after a shooting in London. This affected his music career, which was put on hold as he spent seven months in custody – until the trial collapsed on the first day.
As it was proved that the singer was elsewhere at the time, he was acquitted and released.
Michael explained that one of his cousins knew K Koke and approached the rapper on behalf of him and the other half of LS One, Kristal (Chris Green), as “we wanted to keep the song hard and edgy, and because he is such a strong, hardcore artist – we just wanted to mix it up, and that style isn’t what we would normally do.”
K Koke, who teamed up with Rita Ora while with Roc Nation, reacted bitterly on social media when he parted company with the label in 2013, blaming the police.
Michael explained: “He felt the label betrayed him. It did have an impact and nowadays he finds it really hard to trust people in the music industry, because he feels that people have broken promises to him.
“I have always been a massive fan of his, so to be filming and be in the studio with him in London was a surreal feeling.
“We are looking forwards to more collaborations, and doing a concert in summer.”
For the YouTube video of the LS One ft K Koke studio session see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbykLC7Nq1o&noredirect=1
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