“His delivery is cool and calm with a biteā¦ Ikey takes this shit to the next level.” – Pigeons & Planes
“…continuing to impress hip-hop fans all over the globe with his melodic and confident flow.” – Okayplayer
āA bubbling MC you should definitely keep an ear open forā – HipHopWired
The Song:
“We fell instantly in love upon first listen of newcomerĀ Ikey‘sĀ ‘Return of King Jaffe,’”Ā i-DĀ said in their premiere post of the Maryland rapper’s latestĀ single.Ā “Return of King Jaffe”Ā features Ikey’s lyrically aggressive yet uplifting flow above the deep bass reminiscent of ’90s era Drum N Bass records. When asked by i-D if the song was inspired by James Earl Jones’ character King Jaffe in the movieĀ Coming to America, Ikey responded:Ā “It’s kinda dedicated to James Earl Jones. I used to rock a dope fur hat back in the day that kinda looked like the hat James Earl Jones wore inĀ Coming to America. Since I’m African, people used to call me King Jaffe…Ā James Earl Jones is definitely the Gawd tho.”
Ikey released hisĀ Green CardĀ EP at the top of the month viaĀ Complex, dissecting the American dream with his experiences as a Nigerian-American.Ā “Green CardĀ is a metaphor for anything that leads you to your dreams,” saidĀ Ikey, who came up with the idea when he was trying to get one for his mother. “To people in Third World countries, aĀ Greed CardĀ means an escape from a life of poverty an achieving the American Dream. Since everyone is looking for that one come up, I felt like they’d be able to relate to this theme.”
āIām just a young kid straight out of Lagos,ā Ikey says. āWhen I see peopleĀ likeĀ Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieĀ being sampled onĀ BeyonceĀ records, it makes me feel people want that true African story. I just feel there are a lot of Nigerian-Americans trying to tell that story, and Iām trying to tell it the right way.ā
Listen to “Return of King Jaffe”:Ā https://soundcloud.com/i-d-online-1/premiere-ikey-return-of-king-jaffe
Check out the i-DĀ premiere:Ā https://i-d.vice.com/en_gb/article/premiere-ikey-return-of-king-jaffe
Listen toĀ Green Card:Ā https://soundcloud.com/any-means-necessary/sets/green-card-ep/s-IclnV
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/204510987″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Please contact MichelleĀ or RoryĀ if interested in talking with Ikey.
For Ikey, itās all about the story. Born in New York, with roots in both Spanish Harlem and Lagos, Nigeria, Ike Obioha connected with music at an early age. The diverse palette of his fatherās music collection painted a musical canvas that pays homage to everything from Elton John and Journey to the Neville Brothers and Igbo Nigerian highlife singer Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe.
Ikeyās unique, 1.5 generation immigrant experience influenced both the subject matter and creation of his music. Despite pressure to embark upon a more scholarly career, Ikey would ultimately find himself opening for the likes of Big Sean and have his music covered in the Washington City Paper. He balances his penchant for music representing all aspects of the human experience over tracks representative of hip-hopās golden era while maintaining his unique Nigerian-American identity. āIām just a young kid straight out of Lagos,ā Ikey says. āWhen I see people likeĀ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie being sampled on Beyonce records, it makes me feel people want that true African story. I just feel there are a lot of Nigerian-Americans trying to tell that story, and Iām trying to tell it the right way.ā Ikey’s Green Card EP is out now.
official siteĀ |Ā twitterĀ |Ā facebookĀ |Ā youtube
“Return of King Jaffe”:Ā https://soundcloud.com/i-d-online-1/premiere-ikey-return-of-king-jaffe
Green Card:Ā https://soundcloud.com/any-means-necessary/sets/green-card-ep/s-IclnV
“Story, Story”:Ā https://soundcloud.com/any-means-necessary/story-story/s-nrB8
“When We Were Kings”:Ā https://soundcloud.com/any-means-necessary/when-we-were-kings/Ā //Ā https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYWM789hKcM
“Lord” (ft. Kami de Chukwu):Ā https://soundcloud.com/any-means-necessary/lord-feat-kami-de-chukwu/
“Timbuktu”:Ā https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TScKTDWl8g
“Olodo”:Ā https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEBszOh9hb0
Bio, photos, and more info on Ikey: http://audibletreats.com/ikey