Kae Tempest Unleashes Fiery Freestyle Raps with Unbridled Freedom

Listening to Self Titled evokes a taste of childhood, a first-person account from an artist recalling a specific time: the period transitioning from the end of high school to the beginning of what comes next.

One might think that Kae Tempest, aged 39, has always done just this: depict the transition into adulthood, describe the melancholy of a youth striving to survive amid the hardships of an uncertain everyday life, and speak about teenagers scarred by life’s trivial yet significant miseries, yet determined to challenge the status quo – “line” is a word that regularly surfaces in this fifth full-length album. I Stand on the Line, the opening track, resonates with The Line Is a Curve (2022).

Memories and Faces That Have Shaped Their Life

This is, of course, a misconception: Kae Tempest has never been about staying quietly in place. Their music overflows with zeal and hope, as well as a desire to advocate for freedom rather than accepting an undesired fate.

The artist embraces unpredictability, which is evident in their artistic choices. For instance, Self Titled was not intended to be this “love letter” to their younger self, a sort of dialogue between their past, present, and future. It wasn’t meant to be so intimate, relying on the memories or faces that have impacted their life.

It was Fraser T. Smith, invited to handle the production after two albums recorded with Rick Rubin, who encouraged them to take this direction. Following the EP We Were We Still Are (2023), where Kae Tempest performed the title track, the man behind albums by Stormzy, Dave, and Adele posed a simple question: “Who else can tell the story that you can tell?”

Powerful Melodies with Intelligent Variety

This led to spontaneous sessions where up to three demos were created daily for a week. The next steps involved refining and focusing the tracks around major themes (human flaws, romantic devotion, unacknowledged desires) and inviting other artists to join in on the vocals – a first for them!

This approach allows Kae Tempest not to be confined to a static form, to rejuvenate their music through contact with Neil Tennant (Sunshine on Catford), Tawiah (Bless the Bold Future), and Young Fathers during a one-take capture of Breathe in a freestyle session that one would have loved to witness from backstage. The intent was not voyeurism, but rather a desire to closely experience this intense thrill, watching with passion as complex emotions and topics (like neurodiversity in Diagnoses) unfold in playful, broad, powerful, and intelligently varied melodies.

There’s little in common between Statue in the Square, where Kae Tempest lays their flow over a powerful beat reminiscent of Dre’s 2001, and the minimalist Till Morning, except for the voice, vision, and words that never shy away from the surrounding chaos.

Self Titled (Island Records/Virgin Music France/Universal). Released on July 4. In concert at Days Off, Paris, on July 2 and October 13 at Élysée Montmartre, Paris.