Two of the UK's finest lyricists, Avelino and Dave, have just dropped a huge new collaboration called "Cassius Clay". The rappers last teamed up on "U Can Stand Up / Royal" on Avelino's NO BULLSHIT project in 2017, so it's about time they joined forces again. As you might expect from these two, the layered metaphors and references are densely packed and warrant more than a few listens to catch them all.
Everyone from Socrates and Picasso to King Midas and Whitney Houston gets a name-check — all carefully woven in to their impressively unpretentious rhymes. Ultimately, this is a verbal show of force with the kind of dexterity that Ali himself was known for (Rumble in the jungle, I'm from the land of brave).
The Charlie Sarsfield-directed video also keeps things grounded, filming shots around the blocks that raised them, thoughtfully illustrating a lot of the frustrations that sit at the heart of the track. Take it all in above.
