Lights Out: An RnB Rap Retaliation of Resilience –

A trifecta of rap and RnB titans came together for what deserves to become the evocative stormer of the summer, Lights Out. Kinju, DNA Picasso and Keenan TreVon collaborated on a fiery, feverishly fresh contemporary RnB rap anthem which swaps out lingerings of lust for the spite of picking yourself up from the floor when the people around you trampled on you and counted you as down and out.

Everything from 90s pop boyband harmonies to blazing rock riffs to storming rap bars that amplify the sting of spiralling was poured into the alchemic cocktail of innovation, earworm appeal and visceral vocal layering. The ability to impart the emotional architecture of the lyrics into the production, and ultimately the listener, clearly isn’t something that evades Kinju. It’s the kind of track that fuels you with hate for the haters and leaves you under no illusion that Kinju and his collaborators are more than worth championing.

Lights Out hits with the force of a comeback sworn through clenched teeth, while the official video sharpens that sense of purpose into something visually lean and hard-hitting. Produced, mixed and mastered by Slumped, then directed and shot by Jacky Velvet, the single carries a polished bite without sanding down the raw nerve in the writing and performances.

Lights Out is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast