From the Bronx comes the quirky indefinability of darkly poetic Kemba. And from Kemba comes Pisces: his third release of 2020 – his third release since 2019’s meandering thesis project, Gilda. Pisces feels both aggro – in its muffled, violent chorus and its sci-fi oriented beat – and laid-back – in Kemba’s effortless delivery that still manages to run at 100 mph. It’s a prime example of just the kind of lyrically intensive hip-hop that continues to lead the direction of New York’s youthful rap scene which also includes the understated intensity of Staten Island’s Lou the Human and Brooklyn’s Chuck Strangers.

 

Pisces is also just bizarre and experimental enough in both its production and Kemba’s cadence-changing delivery to draw comparisons to the similarly gothic and hyper-creative lane taken up by Ireland’s equally unnerving yet addicting Rejjie Snow. And for an artist like Kemba, still amidst the stages of a rebirth from prior alias, YC the Cynic, such a comparison could prove useful for consumers as more singles continue to roll out.