kenzo jae - SLOTH (Mixtape)

Bradford rapper, storyteller and creative multi hyphenate kenzo jae returns with his second mixtape, SLOTH, out now via EMI North Records label partner Launchpad+. Arriving alongside its title track, the project sees the rising artist continue to blur the lines between hip hop, indie and synth pop, delivering his most ambitious and personal work to date.

More than just a collection of songs, SLOTH explores the uncertainty of early adulthood, unpacking themes of ambition, anxiety, love and self-doubt through a distinctly cinematic lens. The opening title track sets the tone immediately with an energetic introduction that contrasts its name, inspired by a period of unemployment in Bradford that ultimately became the catalyst for the project.

For kenzo, SLOTH represents the second chapter of a long running creative trilogy. Standing for "Slow Life On The Hill", a nod to both his upbringing in Bradford and the slower pace of life that shaped him, the mixtape transforms a difficult period into a vivid, playful world influenced by everything from OutKast to film.

Across its runtime, SLOTH shifts effortlessly between moods and genres. Previous singles including end of the world, a right to lose, apocalypto, chicken bagel, mmpa and softlyhinted at the project's emotional range, balancing moments of vulnerability with sharp wit, nostalgia and warmth.

Produced primarily alongside fellow Bradford creative Karrtii, SLOTH builds on the foundations of kenzo's debut Sabretooth: Directors' Cut, further expanding the immersive universe he's been developing through music, visuals and storytelling via his independent production house, Arrogant Samaritan.

With support already coming from DIY, Clash and BBC Introducing, SLOTH feels like another defining step for one of Bradford's most exciting emerging voices, an artist whose world building is proving just as compelling as the music itself.