JELANI BLACKMAN
“One of the most exciting things out there right now” – Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
“Jelani Blackman is one of the most exciting new rappers out there” – Fraser T Smith
“A real wordsmith, a real lyricist, man like Jelani come round once every two years, it’s like a rare specimen these days, call him the unicorn” – Charlie Sloth
Jelani Blackman is heavily influenced by R&B and soul, yet came up at a time when grime was everywhere. Jelani’s sound swerves stereotypes, blending the hard with the soft, the dark with the light, reflected in an impressively diverse rollcall of collaborators that spans from Brian Eno to Burna Boy, Wolf Alice to Big Zuu, and, most recently, Gorillaz and Barrington Levy. In the past year inclusions in Radio 1’s Next Wave, DIY’s Class of 2021 and Notion’s Ones To Watch followed a collab with Ghetts and Fraser T Smith, a 1Xtra TOTW, as well as what was widely recognized as one of COLORS Studios’ best sessions. One of the most exciting, versatile and distinctive voices in the UK scene, 2022 is set to take Jelani Blackman to the next level.
13th May / Manchester / YES
17th May / Bristol / Bristol
27th May / Glasgow / SW3G Poetry Club
28th May / Leeds / Hyde Park Book Club
