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Image via Roberto Rossellini
When we first met the anonymous Nok from the Future over a year ago, he had officially quit real life. His post-modern approach to hip-hop took trends current at the time and pushed them even further into the surreal world of the internet. Ever since, he’s been outgrowing his URL roots to create something that doesn’t just look at the world of hip-hop in general, but the very genesis of music itself. On “Up North” Nok is determined to make it clear what this peculiar approach entails.
Featuring three distinct movements as well as two of 2015’s most exciting rappers, Cousin Stizz and Night Lovell, “Up North” is the most ambitious thing to come from Nok yet. Expanding upon the icy medieval atmosphere he’s previously explored, “Up North” sees Nok in full-on conductor mode. Wanting to shift the way people look at the structuring of modern hip-hop, Nok says that “Up North” came from a desire to see people doing things differently.
“I want to shift the structure and order of how music is done,” he says, explaining how the track came to be. “I see people around me becoming stagnant and crippled by repetitive patterns whether it’s their day to day or their music. I’m not sure if this is the most effective method possible—I just want to see people doing different.” Further elaborating, he says, “I think we could all embrace a more dynamic approach to life. I know I could and I’m actively working on it.”
“Up North” will be available to download as part of P&P’s upcoming compilation, I Like It, What Is It?, which will be available as a free download on December 22. Listen to the premiere of “Up North” below, and look out for Nok’s debut album early next year.
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