Today, Chiedu Oraka shares his latest single ‘Counselling’, offering a new taste of his debut mixtape Misfit, out April 26 on EMI North partner Launchpad+.
Born from the belly of the beast in Hull’s council estates, Oraka’s bars are unflinching social poetry which portray the Black, working-class experience from the frontlines of the north – with lashings of its colourful slang for good measure. “The Black Yorkshireman” is a representative of a new sound and a fierce amplifier of stories yet to be told in the depth they deserve.
New single ‘Counselling’ is one of the most vulnerable tracks Oraka has released in his career. He addresses the silent crisis of Black men’s mental health, giving a voice to experiences that many struggle to articulate in the hope of empowering others like him to do the same. The collar-grabbing immediacy of UK rap is channelled through a new and necessary lens in this memoir of what he shared in his sessions.
Speaking on the track, he shares: “Before the country went into lockdown, I never thought that I would need or want any sort of counselling. However, being stuck indoors with nothing to do except go on 5k runs suddenly left me in a space where I had to reflect on past traumas. I needed a safe space where I could confront them and find ways to deal with them. I tried one session with a counsellor and hated it – we didn’t seem to gel at all. I found it awkward and I found him quite dismissive. The easy thing to do would be to give up, bottle up my issues and speak to no one. I was lucky enough to find a counsellor who I really bonded with. He made me feel comfortable and I was able to open up. With this song, I laid it all out on the page, left no stone unturned, and I hope now people know I’ve been for counselling, it will push other people from similar backgrounds to do the same.“
The single is a forerunner of his debut mixtape Misfit, a hard-won statement of the artist Chiedu Oraka has evolved into being after defying the odds. This time, he’s going deeper on both fronts – the anthems and the message – than ever before.
He says: “Misfit is a significant body of work which will be a pivotal moment in my career so far. This project will represent my life as an often-outsider but will also help celebrate the differences that make people unique. I intend to highlight the underrepresentation of northern Black artists in the mainstream music industry, to advocate for and represent Black creators who do not fit the conventional mould.”
1. Misfit Gang
2. Rhythm Of My Pain
3. Favourite Rapper
4. Helly Hansen 6
5. Mayne
6. Champs On My Grave
7. Own Kind (ft. Manga Saint Hilare)
8. Top 3
9. No Need
10. Counselling
11. If I Had A Fire In The Booth
12. Standing Ovation
Photo credit – Luke Hallett