The respected independent hip hop producer and sound artist Blackmale Beats has returned to release a new single ‘Endz’ featuring Bar4Bar out 2nd Aug. The single is the first to be released from his forthcoming album ‘Black Atmosphere’ which will be released on 18th October.

The new single ‘Endz’ explores the duality of the Black Caribbean experience in London and Britain as a whole. The track, which is accompanied by a vibrant video, directed by White Negatives and filmed in Jamaica and Brixton, is a soulful drill and spiritual jazz inspired piece with hypnotic percussion, featuring Blackmale Beats’ signature slick production and the rap lyrics of Bar4Bar. The verses share the lived experiences in London with the powerful chorus “Not tryna get stuck in the endz, all day hearing police sirens, no rules better keep silent, no talking just deny it, no surprise if it ends in cuffs, they’ll paint the picture that you been violent, another day on this Brit island”

The forthcoming album ‘Black Atmosphere’ is a powerful body of work of 14 tracks that showcases the depth and range of the Blackmale Beats sound. From rap to spoken word, punctuated by the unique use of samples, to capture the breadth of the Black British Experience, representing post-Windrush and pan African diaspora 1st and 2nd generation experience, through the sounds of London’s inner city.

The project features various highly credible underground artists who help to bring the concept to life, including JJSoulx, Josh Osho, Stxkz, Art Daley, Caleb Femi, Pharoah, Abdoul Rose, Dozer & Levi, Shanna OG and Levi & Tookie, with highlight tracks including ‘Black & British’, ‘Swoosh’, ‘Supreme’, ‘London Jungle’, ‘Bun Babylon’ and ‘These Streets’.

Blackmale Beats said “My debut album ‘Black Atmosphere’ is a truthful expression of identity in modern times, told through the lens of the Black British experience. I was inspired to create this project to examine the state of Black British Music and culture, telling stories and using music as a sonic language that everyone can relate to. I am exploring the complex undertones of intersectionality with the use of sound symbolism to narrate. My roots are deeply cemented and derive from the inner city of Brixton, known for its vibrancy, cultural relevance, and socio-political resonance. This is where I drew inspiration to expressively create and delineate this piece of art. The single ‘Endz’ is a form of social commentary, with the ongoing questioning that a lot of people in the diaspora ask themselves, the daily challenges of getting by and the feeling of being stuck here, in the endz.”

Blackmale Beats is the enigmatic South London writer, composer, producer and multi-talented visual art and design creative Shem Lawrence, who over two decades has collaborated with leading lights in music, such as reggae legend Barrington Levy, MOBO award winning Blak Twang, Greentea Peng and has actively contributed to the public programmes of the Tate, Black Cultural Archives and The British Library, connecting his stories to wider diverse public audiences.

Blackmale Beats will also release ‘Black Atmosphere’ as a documentary, with more details to be released. The film will see Shem Lawrence add further context to the album and its meaning and significance, as a sound and visual time capsule of Black British experience. Black Atmosphere – The Documentary, explores the themes of identity and belonging through the lense of Blackmale Beats aka Shem Lawrence. It examines the relationship that Shem has with the country of his birth, while being part of the Caribbean Diaspora. And how these experiences coupled with the significant influence of multiple generations of his family, in particular his socio-politically conscious late Father, who have all helped shape the multilayered Artist, Father and Man we see today.