The song carries a reflective, almost hypnotic energy, with minimal yet powerful production that allows the lyrics to take centre stage. Crookes’ warm, expressive vocals glide over gentle instrumentals, while Kano’s verse adds a raw, thoughtful layer to the track. The combination of her rich, vintage-inspired sound and his precise storytelling makes for a compelling contrast, capturing the feeling of two people trying to figure each other out. The chemistry between the two artists is effortless, making ‘Mathematics’ feel like a natural and well-crafted collaboration. 

The accompanying music video perfectly compliments the song’s themes, using stripped-back visuals to highlight the emotion in the lyrics. Set in moody, intimate location of a flat, the video follows a couple as they navigate the push-and-pull of their relationship. There’s a strong sense of nostalgia in the visuals, with warm lighting, slow-motion shots, and subtle details that make each frame feel like a snapshot of a fleeting moment ultimately ending with Crookes’ character in tears. The way the video captures distance and closeness between the two characters mirrors the song’s message, how love is never as simple as it seems. 

Joy Crookes has been making waves in the music industry since she first emerged in 2016 with her debut single ‘New Manhattan’. Her music blends elements of soul, R&B, and jazz, her breakthrough came in 2021 with her debut album ‘Skin’, which reached the UK Top 5 and earned her a BRIT Award nomination. Known for her deeply personal songwriting and distinctively rich voice, Crookes has built a reputation for music that feels both timeless and socially aware. 

Kano, on the other hand, has been a key figure in the UK rap and grime scene for over two decades. With classic albums like ‘Home Sweet Home’ and ‘Made in the Manor’, he’s known for his sharp lyricism and ability to tell powerful, introspective stories through his music. His addition to ‘Mathematics’ brings an extra layer of depth, making the song feel like a conversation between two people navigating love and communication in their own way. 

Looking ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Crookes. ‘Mathematics’ follows her recent collaboration with Vince Staples on ‘Pass The Salt’, and with her second studio album in the works, fans can expect more music soon. As she continues to push creative boundaries, this latest release proves she’s an artist who’s only getting started. 

With music as the films thematic centre, the latter half features Kano spending time in a record shop, singing in a familiar patois. After spinning a record and exchanging a few lyrics with the shopkeeper, the film cuts to a nightime shot, where the soundsystems roll out alongside the bag. Liquor gets spilt, spliffs get sparked, and Kano and Duppy Share’s brand new Duppy White rum get advertised in the dance.

The film is artfully shot and edited, with juxtaposition stylistically used to protray the islands multiplicity; the hustle-and-bustle of the daytime markets cuts to the high-energy rum-fuelled night club, then to a serene morning scene. The opening few minutes rapidly cut between the busy scenes in the street to the tranquil vibes further up the mountains, with Kano himself saying “feel like this today, feel like this tomorrow.” Despite the islands size, there is simply too much to portray in one ten minute film.

Speaking of the island’s impact, Kano says this toward the end of the film: “Jamaica must be like the smallest place with the hugest impact. They influence pop culture globally and we see that in the music, fashion, carnival, the way people speak, all come from Jamaica, and thats what I love about Jamaica: They will never lose their identity”

“Whatever I do it has to be done with heart, with truth, and integrity, and its only right that if I’m gonna create a rum, I come to Jamaica I get the stamp of approval from the people.”

After walking on stage and delivering his track “Squeeze” on his own, a tank was brought on stage for him to sit atop while running through the album cuts. His first guest of the night, grime legend Dizzee Rascal, joined him for album track “Fire and Brimstone”, spitting the adlibs as he wasn’t an original feature on the track. For “Sonya”, Ghetts was joined by Emeli Sande, curveballing a slow track amidst the albums typical high energy. The pacing of the show was praised, as Ghetts managed to balance the plethora of energies from the album. Listen to “Sonya” below:

Despite these two features being enough for a gig at the Roundhouse, Ghetts went even further to bring on Suspect on “Houdini”, Shakka on “Know my Ting”, and to complete this embarrasment of riches, grime legend Kano on “Class of Deja”. Bringing on both Kano and Dizzee for the same set, two stars that propelled grime into the force that it became, shows the draw that Ghetts has in UK music. After paying respect to the old school leaders, Ghetts honours the new, by bringing out Pa Salieu and BackRoad Gee on “No Mercy”, two long-time mutual collaborators. Honouring the new doesn’t last for long, however, as no one other than Giggs is brought out for “Crud”. Big Mike drew a massive reaction for coming out on “Skengman”, completing the feature list for the evening.

While the evening had enough features to justify a Conflict of Interest festival, the albums feature list is far more impressive, pulling Wretch 32, Dave, Stormzy, Skepta, and Ed Sheeran. With the unwieldy power Ghetts possessed in getting the biggest artists to hail from the UK to feature on the album, it is no surprise that he recruited an all-star cast for his final show on the album tour. This show will go down in legend, much like Drake and Skepta coming out for Section Boyz in 2016.

The album, Conflict of Interest, was released earlier in the year to critical acclaim. Listen below:

‘Tell Me A Ting‘ does not waste time. The single launches straight into a cacophony of pulse-quickening heavy base and drums. D Double wastes no time in asserting his characteristic flow and delivery all over the instrumental. It is clear that, from within the first thirty seconds of the single, ‘Tell Me A Ting‘ is a grime classic.

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tomorrow ting (@omygoshitsddoublee)

A post shared by Kano (@therealkano) on Sep 1, 2020 at 11:22am PDT

There is scarcely time to breathe in between the end of D Double E’s first verse and Kano’s introduction. It is the first time that Kano has released, or featured, on a track since his 2019 album ‘Hoodies All Summer‘. However, despite his hiatus, it is clear that he has not lost any of the skill that propelled him to the top of the grime scene. Kano uses his verse to remind the doubters of his undeniable talent.

D Double E and Kano released a visual alongside the single. The clip matches the singles intensity. It pictures the two artists in a dark surrounding, quad-bikes spin a cars cough smoke as they punch their respective verses.

‘Tell Me A Ting‘ witnesses the deadly combination of two grime scene legends. The result is an emphatic track, which displays the genre’s energy, and the two artist’s lyrical talent.

Be sure to take the single in below:

The four L’s stand for ‘Love Life Live Large‘, which is the track’s chorus. The two East London emcees delivered powerful verses over a typically energetic instrumental. Dizzee Rascal’s flow is imperious and it augments the track’s potency. Chip adds a dash of panache with his word-play.

The music video shows the pair living the high life in a stately home. Fast cars and jet-skis appear as Dizzee, dressed in a flash tweed suit, tries his hand at clay pigeon shooting. The result is a clip that crackles with vigour.

‘L.L.L.L‘ is the first single from Dizzee Rascal’s upcoming album, ‘E3 AF’. The project is set to be released on October the 9th. It will feature huge grime acts such as Ghetts, Kano and Frisco. Dizzee is a veteran. His new project is his 7th studio album, he rose to fame with his gritty debut ‘Boy in Da Corner‘ (2003).

Dizzee Rascal is British grime royalty. He pioneered the scene, alongside Wiley. E3 AF may become a triumphant homecoming, if the snarling ‘L.L.L.L‘ is anything to go by.

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On October 9th I’m dropping my 7th studio album it’s called E3 AF. I’ve spent the last 3 years losing and finding myself in music and I’ve made something Flawless. I made this album for YOU! I want you to play it at home, in your car or wherever you want but I want you to listen to it all the way through and you better have some BASS!! The link ups are mad and I didn’t come to play!! You’re welcome. Pre orders go live this Thursday, every format. Thank you #E3AF (e3AFrican).

A post shared by Dizzee Rascal (@dizzeerascal) on Aug 19, 2020 at 3:50am PDT

Fraser T.Smith is an esteemed producer and song-writer. He has worked alongside huge stars, and has used his contacts to flood ‘12 Questions‘ with famous featuring artists. The likes of Stormzy, Kano, Ghetts, Idris Elba and Arlo Parks appear on the album.

Smith grounds ‘12 Questions‘ on twelve interrogative sentences that he asked the project’s ensemble of stars. He then converted their responses into the album’s tracks. Smith labelled ‘12 Questions‘ as ‘the most ambitious, exciting and terrifying I’ve ever done‘.

Smith released the dual single ‘Do We Really Care? pt.1‘ and ‘Do We Really Care? pt.2‘. to accompany the announcement. The former features Tom Greenan and Tia Carys, whereas the latter draws upon the poetic skills of Simon Armitage. The conjoining tracks are enthused with frantic beats, poignant lyrics and expressive production.

Fraser T.Smith’s ‘12 Questions‘ looks set to be the year’s most creative album yet. Smith’s wealth of connections, as well as his endless talent as a producer, will illuminate the conceptual project. If the conjoined single ‘Do We Really Care’ is anything to go by, Fraser T. Smith may just inspire a new wave of free-thinking creatives.

The track-list is below:

1. Fear Or Faith Pt.1 feat. Alysia Harris
2.Promised Land feat. Mikky Ekko
3. Fear Or Faith Pt.2 feat. Idris Elba
4.How Much Is Enough? feat. Kojey Radical
5.Million$Bill feat. Kojey Radical, Easy Life
6.Do We Really Care? Pt.1 feat. Tom Grennan, Tia Carys
7.Do We Really Care? Pt.2 feat. Simon Armitage
8.What’s In A Name? feat. Bastille
9.Why Are We So Divided, When We’re So Connected? feat. Es Devlin
10.Children Of The Internet feat. Dave
11.How Do We Find Our Truth? feat. Stormzy, Beatrice Mushiya
12.What’s The Cost Of Freedom? feat. Albert Woodfox
13.Freedom feat. Kano
14.Mountain Girl feat. Ruelle
15.Is It Too Late To Save The Planet? feat. Katrin Fridriks
16.What Happens Next? / Way Back When feat. Lafawndah
17.Nature or Nurture? feat. Jelani Blackman, Ghetts
18.What Matters Most? feat. Arlo Parks
19.Stranger In The Night feat. Arlo Parks
20.What Is Love? feat. Duckworth
21.Fear or Faith Pt.3 feat. Alysia Harris

The blunder caused The Guardian further embarrassment, as it accompanied an opinion piece addressing Wiley’s antisemitic tweets.  An Instagram post outlined the publication’s regret at the mistake. It said: ‘The Guardian apologises unreservedly to Kano and our readers‘. The paper was quick to vindicate Owen Jones, the writer of the article, as he ‘was not involved in this error‘.

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A post shared by The Guardian (@guardian) on Jul 29, 2020 at 7:56am PDT

Kano defined his frustration at the incident through an Instagram post. The East London emcee uploaded a screenshot of the article, and captioned it: ‘I don’t want my likeness to be associated with this rhetoric for any longer than it already has. But YO @guardian/ @owenjones84, I’m the other rapper from East London. Fix Up‘. Kano underlines that the blunder has the potential to damage his image. This is because he has now, wrongly, been associated with Wiley’s racist outburst over Twitter. 

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Won’t leave this up because I don’t want my likeness to be associated with this rhetoric for any longer than it already has. But YO @guardian/ @owenjones84, I’m the other black rapper from East London. Fix up. (@variety and @bbc for that matter, too. It’s not okay. Do better.)

A post shared by Kano (@therealkano) on Jul 29, 2020 at 3:13am PDT

It is not the first time that a major media outlet has made an error of this kind. The Manchester Evening News published a photo of a completely different woman, in a printed tribute to the recently deceased singer Denise Johnson, on the 28th of July.

The mistake threatens The Guardian’s reputation as an independent, intellectual, broadsheet newspaper. It demonstrates an archaic lack of awareness, which has no place in modern journalism.  The publication’s mistake underlines that members of the press require further education and accountability, in order to combat the innate stereotyping that courses through British reporting.

As Kano succinctly pleas at the end of his post, the media need to simply ‘do better’.

You can keep updated with the further reaction to Wiley’s twitter outburst here

The 2020 #HyundaiMercuryPrize Shortlist has been revealed! Let’s take a deeper look at the 12 incredible albums that make up a snapshot in music over the past twelve months… pic.twitter.com/2xuP1WtMWG

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 23, 2020

On her BBC Radio 6 Music slot this morning, showhost Lauren Laverne revealed a record-breaking shortlist that for the first time in the award’s 29 year history included more women solo artists than men. Alongside mixed gender groups Sports Team, Porridge Radio and Lanterns on the Lake, five women were nominated for the award. In addition to Scottish composer Anna Meredith and English folk singer Laura Marling, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX and Georgia all hail from the pop sphere, though a pop album has not won the award since M People’s Elegant Slumming in 1994.

Charli was one of several artists to record their reaction from lockdown, saying that “it feels really good to be recognised, especially when there are so many incredible artists making so many bold steps and albums at the moment”. While the nominations have platformed Newcastle indie underdogs Lanterns on the Lake (frontwoman Hazel Wilde works a part-time job at Newcastle University to help fund the project), eyebrows have been raised at the omission of critical darlings Rina Sawayama and FKA twigs. Similarly, Guardian columnist Alexis Petridis lamented that despite Dave’s win last year, UK rap newcomer J Hus hadn’t got a look in so as to make way for genre staples Kano and Stormzy.  

“Stop! Whoa!” Here’s @charli_xcx‘s reaction to making the 2020 Hyundai Mercury Prize Shortlist! #HyundaiMercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/aNJe9zEkOW

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 23, 2020

Marling’s Song for Our Daughter – an album addressed to a fictional, future daughter inspired by the concept of Maya Angelou’s book Letter to My Daughter (2009) – is the singer-songwriter’s fourth Mercury nomination, making her the joint second most nominated artist (level with PJ Harvey and the Arctic Monkeys) in the award’s history, just lagging behind Radiohead’s five. Like the Oxford five-piece, none of her previous entries have yet won her the £25,000 prize.

Fellow nominee (and bookies’ favourite) Michael Kiwanuka also matched previous award records, joining Coldplay and Anna Calvi in having all of his first three studio albums nominated. This year’s obligatory jazz nomination (made seemingly into an unwritten tradition in recent years) went to Moses Boyd’s Dark Matter. As of now, the awards ceremony is still set to take place on the 10th of September at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, though organisers will of course have to wait on future government guidance. Read the full list in alphabetical order below:

Moses Boyd – Dark Matter

Charli XCX – how i’m feeling now

Georgia – Seeking Thrills 

Kano – Hoodies All Summer

Michael Kiwanuka – KIWANUKA

Lanterns on the Lake – Spook the Herd

Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia

Laura Marling – Song for Our Daughter

Anna Meredith – FIBS

Porridge Radio – Every Bad 

Sports Team – Deep Down Happy

Stormzy – Heavy Is the Head

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[UPDATED] Tour Info: For those who pre-ordered Hoodies All Summer through the official shop, tour pre-sale codes have now been sent. If you haven’t received your code, contact the below: kanoearlyaccess@wmgcustomerservice.com

A post shared by Kano (@therealkano) on Jul 22, 2019 at 2:00am PDT

Along with the album, there will also be Hoodies All Summer merchandise including hoodies, collectable packs of chalk and vinyl copies of the tape which are available through his official website, kanomusic.com. This album comes after a three-year hiatus from the East London native, but with the recent release of two singles off the album, the gospel-inspired ‘Trouble’ and the classic grime ‘Class Of Deja’ Kano is back like he never left. Speaking to VICE earlier in the month on how Made In The Manor compares with the new album, Kano says, “That album was about me, this album is about ‘us.’”

Kano’s 2016 album Made In The Manor peaked at #8 on the U.K Album Charts and won best album at the MOBO Awards. We expect the highly anticipated Hoodies All Summer to achieve higher success and are in no doubt that it’s going to be worth the three-year wait.

Hoodies All Summer U.K tour dates and venues below:

02/10/2019 – The Old Fruitmarket – Glasgow
04/10/ – The Albert Hall – Manchester
05/10/ – Town Hall – Birmingham
06/10/ – Brighton Dome – Brighton
07/10/ – Royal Albert Hall – London

You can watch Kano’s latest short film for his two singles ‘Trouble’ and ‘Class Of Deja (Ft. Ghetts & D Double E)’ below:

The upbeat and soulful piano-led instrumental aims to downplay the seriousness of Kano’s politically charged bars. Speaking on the harsh reality of life in the inner city laced with endless metaphors, Kano highlights the struggles that youth’s go through daily “Postcode warring that’s the thing now, young bucks beefin’ over street signs.”

Directed by BAFTA nominee Aneil Karia, this short film follows Nate, a young teen that has been sent to pick up groceries from the local shop. On route, Nate bumps into his friends; Karia effortlessly mixes camera shots with mobile phone footage providing emphasis on the current digital age. Upon exiting the store, the group is approached by a car and in a case of misidentification, Nate is picked out and attacked resulting in his death.

Amongst the mourners at Nate’s wake are East London OGs Kano, D Double E and Ghetts. Here, we get a preview of an iconic collaboration between three of the best MCs in the game which will be featured on the new album, entitled ‘Class Of Deja’. D Double E begins with his legendary introductory adlibs before Kano and Ghetts go back-to-back with straight bars filled with energy over a hard-hitting grime beat.

Kano’s 2016 album Made In The Manor peaked at #8 on the U.K Album Charts and won best album at the MOBO Awards. We expect the highly anticipated Hoodies All Summer to achieve higher success and are in no doubt that it’s going to be worth the three-year wait.

You can watch Kano’s short film for ‘Trouble’ below: