The Silhouettes Project Volume II

Ahead of their sold-out headline London show at KOKO in March, the East London collective deliver their highly anticipated second album The Silhouettes Project Volume II – dropped independently via The Orchard.

A true testament to the evolving alt-rap sounds of the UK’s music capital, The Silhouettes Project Volume II offers an artistically raw insight into the creative minds that are pushing the scene. Enlisting some of the most culturally resonant artists in the UK incl. Kojey Radical, Jords, Meron T, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Elisa Imperilee, Nix Northwest, KeepVibesNear and 40+ producers, rappers and vocalists, The Silhouettes Project’s ethos of equality and longevity in collaboration remains as clear as the frequencies coursing through this 18-track project. With a vigorous flow of releases that has already brought attention from COLOURSXSTUDIOS to CRACK MAGAZINE, the collective is making good on their promise to bring alternative hip-hop culture back to the ends.

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Through the conceptual artwork created by Colombian artist SagaUno, bursting with striking imagery representing the complexities and layers of modern society, a fist of solidarity emerges front and centre with the mantra “Power 2D People” – placed to inspire their community and the rising voices who proudly challenge the status quo.

Commanding attention with the opening track “Be Myself”, Nix Northwest utilises his chilling cadence to cut through all the negative energy surrounding him; a mellow pattern that gradually dissolves into the vibrant, guitar-driven track “Shade” ft. Karl Benjamin & Elisa Imperilee. “No Fumar” quickly follows suit with Paraguayan heritage artist Danny Sanchez supplying smooth Spanish licks as Hackney-raised rapper C.REM joins the fold with shining authenticity. The duo paint vivid pictures of their lifestyles and the candid pursuit of a new love interest, breezing past complexities to journey towards self-realisation.

Nikhil Beats’ immaculate production on the sultry cut “Play It Back Again” ft. Meron T and Kieron Boothe continues to set pace before South London emcee Jords pounces on “Ends On My Back”, delivering a serious lyrical performance over Srigala’s sleek, bass-heavy production.

Further highlights come from the warm, uplifting “West End” ft. Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn and Turt, the intimacy of “Venus” ft. Talulah Ruby and KeepVibesNear, the jazz-infused “Cheap Cigars” ft. Tertia May and the hazy “Let It Go” ft. Goya Gumbani and Anjelo Disons: “Keep moving along, I know we could be so free” he pleads.

Manoeuvring through the explosive lead track “Hocus Pocus”, connecting the highly-acclaimed, Mercury Prize nominated Kojey Radical and rap pioneer MANIK MC, The Silhouettes Project Volume II draws to a close with the blossoming UKG-laced “Learning To Swim” ft. Desta French and Natty Wylah and infectious rap offering “That’s Nice” ft. Deema – encapsulating the collective’s genre-fluidity and the effortless story-telling of inspired creatives across the city and beyond.

Speaking on the lead track “Hocus Pocus”, MANIK MC mentions: “We started in Paya’s bedroom building ideas and by the evening we were in the studio with the beat laid out. It was a proper fun challenge going bar for bar with someone as talented as Kojey Radical and I feel like we both pushed each other to raise the levels.”

With a clear desire to create music with true impact while spotlighting the diverse stories being told across London’s underground, The Silhouettes Project is creating a thriving ecosystem on its own terms. Formed in 2018 by Asher Korner (Asher Kosher) and Jaden Osei-Bonsu (Eerf Evil), the collective has become a vital new space for artists to connect and create, touching on community, alternative industry structures, the grassroots hip-hop scene and raising top-level talent across the creative arts. Finding refuge at the ROOT 73 Studio, the group represents community engagement at the highest level while exploring a new industry model that allows them to reinvest funding into apprenticeship schemes for local talents. With a true artist equality ethos, each artist on the project takes an equal split of royalties, no matter their size – a truly ground-breaking financial model that values input rather than output.

Embodying the importance of collaborative spaces, ROOT 73 was founded in 2015 as a non-profit arts organisation and industry-standard recording studio nestled within the infamous Total Refreshments Centre in Hackney. The space opened doors for artists including breakout star ENNY, allowing emerging talent access to high-quality equipment and a free-flowing environment to write, record and collaborate with like-minded people across the creative arts.

Utilising money earned to support the next generation of youth in music, ROOT 73 funds an apprenticeship scheme called From The Ground Up, which has grown into a fully-fledged development hub for young people to learn skills in artist management, marketing, event curation as well as free studio access to develop their musical talents. A sustainable infrastructure that feeds directly back into the community, The Silhouettes Project stand as a testament to the power of collective determination and will continue to disrupt the music industry’s major label setup, beckoning new talent across the city.

The Silhouettes Project released their first album in 2020, championing some of the most exciting artists emerging across the UK including ENNY, Kofi Stone, Bel Cobain and Lex Amor to name a few. A pivotal moment which catapulted their intimate community into the international spotlight, the project collected well over 50M+ streams, major tastemaker acclaim across the likes of THE GUARDIAN, HIGHSNOBIETY and CLASH, and saw key performances across Glastonbury and the Tate Modern to The Jazz Cafe and Hackney Church.

Delivering fresh, impactful sounds at the heart of London’s thriving cultural scene, The Silhouettes Project is becoming one of the most important and innovative communities across the landscape. With a plethora of live shows to come this year, get ready to hear and see a whole lot more.