Ma1co1m, a young member of the Rastafari faith, is an artist difficult to categorize. His maternal heritage Ugandan, his paternal Norwegian, and he himself currently residing in Stockholm, Sweden. Ma1co1m hails from a new generation of RasTafari musicians, who, although rooted in the ancient foundation of RasTafari reggae and inspired by the greats from Bob to Bunny to Prince Fari, his principal musical inspiration comes from the works of Vaughn Benjamin, aka Akae Beka / the voice of Midnite. It, therefore, goes without saying that Ma1co1m’s lyrical content is heavily steeped in mysticism, with an often ethereal quality, somewhere between prayer and poetry. 90’s born and raised against the backdrop of millennial culture, Ma1co1m has long followed a calling away from the virtues of the modern world and rooted himself in permaculture projects in Uganda, plant medicine, and a keen advocate of sports, athleticism, and fitness. Ma1co1m is an artist with a mission and a vision, in the divine inspiration of Haile Selassie I, ‘to become a member of a new race’.
Fi Di Kingdom is the first of many collaborations between Ma1co1m and London-based producer and sound system, Kibir La Amlak. A track that was allowed to become exactly what ‘it’ wanted to be, the riddim was built on a Friday, vocals recorded on Saturday, and video shot on Sunday. Just as with Ma1co1m as an artist, one will struggle to accurately confine this track to a specific genre, it’s definitely dub, but also hip-hop and trap, it’s slow in tempo but in places feels fast-paced, it’s electronic and acoustic, yet one thing which is undeniable is it’s heavy and deep. An enchanting mbira line summons ancestral forces, the nyabinghi drum sanctifies the ceremonial proceedings and the drum and bass roots the track like a tree well planted by a river of water, providing the perfect tapestry for Ma1co1m to deliver a combination of poetic, prayerful, chanting, rapping, singing, militant yet gentle word sound and power.
Released: February 11, 2022℗ 2022 Before Zero Records
