Birmingham: the city of industry, multiculturalism and Cadbury World. It’s also the city of KOFI STONE, the thoughtful MC stirring an old-skool flavour into UK Rap’s melting pot. Following a hiatus from solo material since 2021, this year has seen Kofi reinstalled as one of British Hip-Hop’s most prominent emissaries; releasing a smattering of singles as he builds assuredly to his some-time-this-summer sophomore record. “It’s been a nice welcome back to the music game,” he breezes. “I feel like I’ve been away for a bit.”

Kofi logs into Zoom, 120 miles or so north west of me, nestled comfortably in his hometown’s habitat. Warm and unassuming in manner, the rapper’s Brum-tinged cadence is noticeable but unembroidered, perhaps in part down to being born and spending the first five years of his life in East London, as well as an additional stint in the capital at university. “There was a stage when I thought I wanted to move to London, I really liked the idea of it,” he replies when I enquire as to why he hasn’t made the permanent move south that Midlands creatives are prone to. “I did spend some time in London at uni, I was there for four years and had my time there. Then I thought to myself – if I can build something [in Birmingham] it’d be cool. I’m going to make my decision after this second album, and see where I end up with things.”

Since his late teens, Kofi has been ingrained in the Brum Rap circuit, a scene that continues to turn up the heat on the city’s otherwise lukewarm musical climate. Kofi has never stylistically succumbed to its majority Grime-leaning sonic bourgeoisie, though. Rich and Jazz-inflected throwback Hip-Hop is the sonic territory he pursues around, whilst there’s honesty, vitality and thematic conceptualisation to his songwriting. It’s a far cry from the approach of his fellow leading Brum contemporaries: the abrasive retrospection of Jaykae, the booming mischief of MIST or the sinister sincerity of M1llionz.

“I feel like there’s different ways in Rap to express yourself,” he philosophises. “When you’re vulnerable or more conceptual, it does take longer because there’s more to it. I’ve tried to write more straightforward, and it is a little easier and the output is quicker. But if I make something that speaks on an issue that someone can relate to or something that’s happening in the world, it speaks to people more than bravado or looking like the cool guy. The intention is bigger. I’d definitely say that we need variety in UK Rap because it elevates the genre as a whole and shows how multidimensional it is.”

Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does, Kofi’s 2019 debut album, is a classic piece of modern UK Hip-Hop. From its golden era Jazz-meets-‘90s Boom Bap production, to its clever features selections in Ady Suleiman, Maverick Sabre and Loyle Carner, and Kofi’s own crisp and characterful showmanship, the record is an expressive, luxurious and colourful body of work. The LP was released five years ago, and Kofi hadn’t released any solo work since “I Wish / On The 1st Day”, a double-sided single in 2021. It’s a gap longer than most industry professionals would advise to take between albums, but it’s time that Kofi has needed to answer his own questions. “I think it was finding myself a bit more musically and understanding the direction that I wanted to go, and what I wanted to say. Being transparent on records is important to me.”

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