One of the most influential architects of UK rap, Klashnekoff is back with news of a long-awaited new album, IONA. The new project will be his first in seven long years, following 2012's F**k The Long Talk (FTLT), so to sweeten the deal he's also dropped off IONA's first single, "M.B.K.", which honestly feels like he never left. Klashnekoff's layered wordplay and poised flow are as sharp as ever and his gift for storytelling has only improved in those intervening years. Backing up the Hackney rhymer's calmly-executed lyrics on this one is a mellow, guitar-led instrumental that provides all the space in the world for him to look inward and get to the heart of things.
IONA, which is due out on Nov. 8, was written during a particularly dark period in the rapper's life following his mother's passing, and is dedicated to her memory. Fittingly, features on the project have been kept to a minimum—K9, Ricko and Maverick Sabre—to leave room for what is shaping up to be one of his most visceral and profoundly honest works to date.
UPDATE (Oct. 10): The official video has just landed.
