is something of a throwback to a bygone era of UK rap. He’s an artist who has cut his teeth on the traditions of pirate radio, tracing back to the likes of Wiley and Dizzee Rascal. His absurdist punchlines allow him to connect instantly with his listeners, so much so that OGs JME and Skepta called for his reloads and Dave described him as the ‘Victory Lap Warrior’.

As a kid from Harrow, Kibo took an interest in creating comic books and cartoons, but was held back from his ambitions by a lack of drawing ability. It was Wu-Tang Clan who bridged the gap between visual and musical worldbuilding. “I remember thinking it was the gnarliest shit I’d ever heard. It sounded like a Toonami episode or something,” he tells CLASH. “From the minute I discovered them, I instantly became a participant.” 

This kind of world building feeds into Kibo’s work, especially on his new project, . ‘Kwengletaria’ (or ‘Kwengletarianism’) is an artistic ethos coined by Kibo, which he defines as “​​trying to find your personal paradise in amongst mundanity, and doing that by injecting your own sense of fantasy, magic and myth into your everyday life.” Growing up in North West London, Kibo mythologises a quintessentially British working class upbringing where he’d cut about with his mates and “get up to shenanigans”. His music lives up to his paracosmic, comic book roots; creating the realm of ‘Ragamyff’ to add a level of fantastical, ‘Tolkien-esque’ folklore to an otherwise typical existence.

This big picture thinking would fall flat in the hands of a lesser rapper, but Kibo’s diverse use of production coupled with unpredictable lyricism make for a whirlwind listening experience. The rapper sounds comfortable across drill, UKG, donk, and jungle, his offerings steeped in the modern history of UK rap and its adjacent genres.

Kibo’s bars reference everyone from Magikarp to Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink, similar to UK-derived, internet-age artists like PinkPantheress, whose sample-heavy music has become a transatlantic success story. “There’s a dichotomy of being outside doing nothing every day, and then being online where it feels like there’s everything going on,” Kibo shares. “It’s taking 1,000,001 stimuli to the face 24/7, and absorbing nonsensical levels of information to the brain. That’s why my approach feels kaleidoscopic.”

The man from HA3 has enough of a grasp on the reins to curate a sound that is undeniably individual and accessible. There’s a freedom at the root of it Kibo hopes translates to his listeners. “I’m just having fun with this shit,” he states plainly. “I feel like I’m at my best when I’m just having a laugh. It’s just craic, and I think people want to see someone who genuinely enjoys what they’re doing.”

Unhinged, fantastical, perennially-online UK Rap
North West London
3 Songs: ‘ShubzOnline’, ‘Red Starz’, ‘Chancer’