kwes e: fingers crossed

"I'm not old enough to remember when mainstream rap was a vessel for Black collectivism and neither are the budding emcees of today. The hip-hop we fell in love with was predicated on the self: self-preservation, self-aggrandizement, self-promotion. If you, like me, were really young and impressionable in the late 2000s, all it took was a maniac screaming 'bout Winn-Dixie bags full of money to become a devotee."

"kwes e, a Ghanian British twentysomething, fuses jerk rap, R&B, and alté with this in mind. His new album, fingers crossed, also positions itself as motivational-inspiring, even. He's made it now, so he reflects on his past and celebrates the present: Day trips to Paris, money spreads at the mall, blood diamonds on his skin. But he's at his best when he's just tryna tear the roof off the place."

Kwes e blends jerk rap, R&B, alté, and Afrobeats to shape a tape that balances luxury extravagance with coming-of-age sentimentality. Fingers crossed frames accomplishment as motivation while reflecting on past struggle and present celebration, listing day trips to Paris, mall money spreads, and blood diamonds. The album excels in high-energy tracks designed for dancing, led by the Afrobeats-inflected "lyk," which combines a murky synth, galloping kicks, jubilant claps, and a humming bassline. Vocally and sonically, kwes e pairs diasporic twang and tequila-drenched bravado and nods to ancestral influences with references to Fela.

Read at Pitchfork