“Benjamin gave me a sense of pride as a young black boy growing up in the Midlands,” starts Brummie rapper Kofi Stone, speaking with the passion of a kid who’s met their hero, and is anything but disappointed. “He helped me to see creativity and art as a way to educate. As a young budding poet, I saw a man who looked like me in the curriculum and it gave me hope that I could do something similar one day,” he continues. Benjamin is Benjamin Zephaniah, the legendary poet from Birmingham, who sadly passed away at the age of 65 at the end of 2023. But as one of his latest musical projects, he partnered with Stone in his latest single, “May Sound Crazy.”

Born in east London and raised in the city of a thousand trades, Kofi made his name in Brummie’s rap scene as a captivating storyteller, exploring an introspective, relatable and deeply honest brand of hip-hop, a throwback to the genre’s golden era. From his first single, “Stories in Pyjamas,” he conquered the masses, partnered with industry giants and toured with Loyle Carner around the UK. Now, he’s back after a short hiatus to work on what’s coming next in his career ladder, a project we already look forward to getting our hands on. Here, we caught up with Kofi to discuss the importance of such collaboration for both his career and personal journey, his sources of inspiration and his expectations for 2024.

Congratulations on the new single! How are you feeling about the release?
Thank you! Very honoured. I’m so happy to be back and releasing music again.

Where did the idea of the collaboration with Benjamin first come from, and how did it get put into action?
As the song is an ode to Brum, my manager and I were discussing who we could get on the track from the city. When he suggested Benjamin, of course I agreed. I didn’t know where to start to get in contact with him but I was fortunate to bump into one of my friends and Birmingham artist, Soweto Kinch in the city centre. I asked him if he knew Benjamin or if he had his number. He replied “yes I do, you should give him a shout, he probably already knows who you are.” I texted Benjamin straight away but after a few days without a reply I decided to call him. It transpired that he was no longer using this number, and I had to re-strategise. I got in touch with my agent and asked him to reach out to Benjamin’s agent, who explained that he deals with music stuff on his own, but shared his contact details with me. I sent him the song and he loved it! He said he would love to be involved. The rest is history.

How do you measure his legacy, as a poet, a creative and a Brummie?
Benjamin’s legacy is one of a kind. His work was and continues to be incredibly meaningful to life – in a way that can’t be measured. The fact Benjamin was a Brummie gives an extra element of pride that I would say is important for a lot of Birmingham creatives, including myself.

How did he personally inspire you in your creativity, outlook and manner?
Benjamin gave me a sense of pride as a young black boy growing up in the Midlands. He helped me to see creativity and art as a way to educate. As a young budding poet, I saw a man who looked like me in the curriculum and it gave me hope that I could do something similar one day. In more recent conversations with him before his passing, I learnt about his care for the world and it changed the way I view the planet and our duty to it as human beings. Most importantly, he stood on his morals during a time when it wasn’t easy to.

Do you think there is still a lack of Midlands figures to inspire young people? If so, how can this change?
There are a lot of Midlands figures doing great things. However, I do feel we need more, and positive ones that truly care about pushing things forward. I think for this to change, we need more people breaking through in different areas and being supported by different platforms. The more kids from the Midlands that see people like them doing great things, the more they will be inspired.

What are you hoping to convey with the release?
I want to convey a sense of pride for the city I was raised in. I want to let people into my world and my story. The good bits and the not so pretty bits. I want people to leave feeling like they know me better and to understand me as a man, but also as an artist.

What does the song mean to you?
The song means a great deal to me, it’s me putting my city on. It’s me telling my story and hopefully making my city proud.

What’s next from you?
Lots of new music.