I was first introduced to Ady Suleiman during my time at university. He was playing a gig held in the first week of term on campus and it got me listening to his music and I joined a high-profile fan group of his that includes Joey Badass and Chance The Rapper.
Half Tanzanian and half English, he was born in the Nottingham suburbs and honed his craft in the East Midlands setup. He is no stranger to gigs at The Bodega and Rescue Rooms, but his debut album was only released last year, two years after joining Syco (and subsequently leaving the label and pursuing a unassisted music career).
This single, however, was my first glimpse into Suleiman’s talent and has stuck with me. Reggae sounds are knitted into the core of the track, lying underneath neo-soul, emotive vocals and a cacophony of instruments including a beautiful piano piece to open the song.
It’s refreshing to see that this song doesn’t feature on the album. It could be very easy for an artists to bulk out their debut album with their successful singles that established them, especially when that debut album has been as long in the making as Suleiman’s has been. This song now stands alone as it’s own entity, free of any album, and is representative of a piece of Suleiman’s past; a memory that hasn’t been regurgitated to boost album sales. His album (Memories for those wondering) is brilliant and I would highly recommend all of you to go and sample his music and enjoy his amazing, soul-heavy voice.
A Song A Day 