Rising Bronx rapper Kemba releases the video for “Nobody I Can Trust,”the lead single from his forthcoming Sounds Music/Republic debut, Gilda.
The visual for the track is set in the 60s. It satirizes American suburbia while breaking down the racial divides that often still plague this nation. It’s a video that is emblematic of Kemba’s keen observations of society’s struggles with inequality, observations which led him to march in Ferguson for Mike Brown and Baltimore for Freddie Gray.
“I think being socially conscious is part of who I am, so it felt good to get back to a familiar place especially at a time like this. I also have seen people who are like the main character, focusing on their own well-being and ignoring everyone else’s plight until it comes knocking at their own door,” Kemba explains.
In addition to the new single and video Kemba officially announces his new album, Gilda due later this summer. The project features cameos from Portugal. The Man, Smino, and Jagged Edge, among others. Executive produced by Brasstracks, Gilda grapples with stages of grief and the aftermath of loss, reflective of Kemba’s headspace in the wake of losing his mother (the project’s namesake) in February 2017. Kemba raps about family, love, and regret in a poignant, vulnerable way that shows growth from previous works such as Negus.
It makes perfect sense Kemba calls The Bronx—the birthplace of hip-hop—home. He literally carries the genre with him everywhere. Making a name for himself as a fan favorite under the name of YC The Cynic, he dropped a series of lauded projects and songs from 2010 through 2013. Adopting the moniker Kemba, he ignited his rise with the album Negus. In addition to a highly cited interview on Real Late W/Peter Rosenberg, he joined Kendrick Lamar on stage during an American Express-sponsored concert live-streamed online. He kept his head down and continued writing just as any true hip-hop hero would.
