NEWS
EVENTS
The Escapades of Kojey Radical
RnB/Hip Hop | Friday 30th May 2014 | Chloe
“Batman inspires me, I fuck with Batman,” Kojey says coyly smiling at the waiter as he brings him his hot chocolate, after collectively rolling in on his vibrantly decorated skateboard. I’m sat with the comic obsessed, London born artist Kojey Radical in #GuardianCoffee café in the heart of Shoreditch; surrounded by trendy hipsters debating current affairs and browsing through the public iPads.
Kojey, best-known in “the ends” for his impeccable abilities in spoken word performance, is a multi-talented and accomplished Jack-of-all-Trades artist, studying illustration in his final year at London College of Fashion. The 21 year old poet, who doesn’t believe in segregating art-forms, starts by telling me how he accidentally became a lyricist. “The story is quite funny. At school in year five, some people came to my school and we were told we had to write a poem, and the best one got published and… mine got picked.” He tells me how he wrote a lovely five-lined poem in a bid to create one of those generic war poems that we all had to when we were younger, and somehow succeeded and was published at the age of ten.
“Then a guy called Sonny Brakes came to my college and performed some poetry, and me being a cocky cunt thought; ‘I could do that’. So he told me, ‘Go ahead then, write a poem about feet.’ So I did.” Stirring his hot chocolate and gazing around the room, he confidently describes how his peers immediately took a shine to his work. “I performed in the canteen and it went alright, people cared. But, I didn’t wanna be known as the feet guy so I started writing better stuff, other projects. And then I wrote Chapter Two.”
His work is articulate and passionate, a talent which his time living in London has undoubtedly developed. By spending so much time doing what the artist describes as “just chillin”, he’s seen what works, and knows how to relate to his audience. As a result, the tone of work is immediately recognisable as it often orchestrates an emotional and vivid trip through London town.
Kojey reflects a generation of young Londoner’s affected by debt, racial and societal issues. He writes about and uses concepts in his art that are largely influenced by the strong aesthetics of his hometown; to him, London is very special. “I would never denounce London, it’s me. I could write nice fancy poems and move about, but I’m from the blocks. I’d never forget London because that would be like forgetting me”. His home leaks into his art and his dress sense. When I meet him, he’s dressed like a dapper London bloke; in skinny jeans and trilby hat that he combines with a pair of Nike Roshe Runs that suggest there is something unashamedly urban about him.
He’s frank about his lifestyle and admits that he even tried his hand at graffiti but gave up because it never looked right and he always had embarrassing names that were inspired by B-Boy movies. “I had a horrific name back in the day, you know. My name was ‘Kojey Dorkyrock’ - all one word, basically I was watching old movies, and started giving myself nicknames, and then my mates called me Dorkyrock and unfortunately it stuck.” He also describes how he used to rebel in the name of art, stealing equipment from school to feed his painting addiction, “Fuck it. I’ve stopped buying utensils, nearly all of my equipment has been stolen from secondary school but I’m not there anymore they can’t come get me. Double jeopardy.”
And despite the fact that he harbours a nonchalant “fuck it” mentality and appears as tough as old boots, there is something sentimental about every word Kojey says to me and with hesitation; he confesses that some of his best work has come from a dark place. “The deepest poems come from when I’m really emotional obviously, but I hate admitting that I have emotions. I just try to thug it out.” And even though, he will openly tell you that he puts on a front to seem detached from his feelings, there is something brutally honest about the content of his artwork.
More recently, he has been focusing on gearing his art towards the music scene and finishing his EP that will be released this summer and managing his art collective ‘Push Crayons’. “I want to nurture people that have the same motivations and ideals that I do and focus on more of our creative people as Push is getting a lot of recognition”. However, he explains that concentrating mainly on his upcoming EP is proving difficult because he has purposely surrounded himself by people who inspire him but doesn’t want them to impact his own voice. “I’ve been trying not to listen to anyone because of my EP, I don’t wanna be influenced”.
Kojey’s material is part of a new movement led by a circle of youth that through online collectives are supporting and fostering one another in a bid to solidify their place in the industry today.
Words by Chloe Mickelborough
