Premiere: Hackney Rapper Franklyn Shares Gospel-Tinged “A13”
Written by SOURCE on May 26, 2020
Hackney rapper, producer and musician Franklyn has pulled together a lot of surprising influences for his latest single “A13” and it’s given us a lot to unpack. Describing himself as the ghetto Wilfred Owen and the block’s Dickens, that’s just the beginning of the literary and musical references he pours into the track.
Firstly, the self-produced instrumental centres around a sample from Kirk Franklin’s “Melodies From Heaven”, from which the multi-hyphenate East Londoner takes the original’s rousing chord progression (adding additional vocals from Nneka and some extra keys from R&B maestro JayyAngelo) to paint a vivid picture of his hopes and dreams, as well as the pitfalls of street life.
Then there’s the video itself, directed by Jake Jones, which takes the simple concept of a nighttime drive and gives it a cinematic twist that calls to mind more than a few iconic film moments as he hurtles through the city streets, his mind racing just as fast.
None of this should come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed Franklyn’s career. Outside of music, he’s got a short film inspired by youth violence and his experiences in it, a second book and a touring theatre production all to come.
“A13” is taken from the Archives EP, which is out now.
