Wolverhampton – O R I G I N A L

NeONE The Wonderer initially appeared on our radar after releasing his first single Headphones On earlier this year. Since then we have been eagerly awaiting what this Wolverhampton based artist would have for us next. Today that wait has ended with the release of his latest track Never Die – and we love everything about it.

NeONE The Wonderer incorporates a variety of styles into his music enabling him to traverse a multitude of genres whilst still maintaining firm roots in hip-hop. Never Die is the second single from this singer/songwriter/rapper/producer (yes, he does it all!). On this track, he blends trap and drill beats that carry jazz-inspired undertones creating a truly dark and mysterious hip-hop fusion sound that falls somewhere between a dream and a nightmare.

He does not compromise on the integrity of the piece for even a moment. Every aspect of the track is of high-quality. With an impressive production element, he maintains the standard with his lyrical content too. NeONE handles all the vocals himself on the track, switching from the melodic chorus to his grittily conscious bars, where he comments on the disparities that black people experience throughout life. With the prevalence of police brutality and Black Lives Matter on all of our minds, Never Die has not ever been more fitting as it explores the themes of struggle, death, and the ongoing murder of black people from the perspective of “The Ferryman of The Hood” (a character who also features in the must-watch music video, that parties in peoples dreams, whilst he ferries the souls of the dead to the other side).

It is evident that NeONE’s skillset reaches further than just musical spheres as he both created and directed this seriously incredible music video to accompany Never Die using GTA 5’s Rockstar Editor. Here we follow “The Ferryman of The Hood” as he collects the souls of those that have died from across the hood LA. It is dark, it is powerful and it is important – fitting the song perfectly.

NeONE’s talent and potential are not going unnoticed as he was announced as a Y5 Future Bubbler which is a collaborative project between Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings and Arts Council England. With previous Future Bubblers including the likes of Yasmin Lacey, Skinny Pelembe, and Kinkai, we are excited to see what NeONE The Wonderer has in store next.