Dreamy lo-fi vibes and colourful progressions back up the boldly poetic, sharp bars and ideas of Tha Koala. The alternative hip hop roots of his sound ring loud throughout a multitude of original projects – not least of all the 2021 single-track debut album The Garden.
Inspired by all things creative hip hop, with influences meandering between the likes of Kanye and Childish Gambino, Tha Koala blends aspects of melody and rap throughout a consistently shifting artistic landscape and series of flows.
The storytelling intrigues and fascinates, the music connects and keeps you enthralled, the ideas feel both heartfelt and outlandish on occasion – holding tight to the listener’s interest, and keeping things engaging but also impossible to predict. We get falsetto hooks, threads of RnB, stop-start rhythms and ethereal fragments of design, all united across an ever-changing tapestry of expressive performance.
Devoted to the topic of naivety and innocence, The Garden marked a fine introduction to the introspective and purposeful, distinct style of Tha Koala, and in the years since, the artist has continued to evolve along this pathway. A passion for hip hop and his own natural roots in the African diaspora resounds through releases like The Spirit, from which a plethora of striking indie hits emerged.
Never knowing what to expect is a key part of the creative experience of Tha Koala. For SHINE, we hear the anthemic Kanye influence, the bold vocals and a heavy bass, beat and guitar combo driving with a less dreamy but more gritty and performative edge. The ideas still create a sense of uniquely thoughtful exploration, pairing sharp and smart bars with personal anecdotes, and consistently carving out a lane that feels genuinely original in both story and sentiment.
Consider also the profoundly heartfelt and melodic the woman, a personal highlight – a beautifully immersive, calming yet thought-provoking guitar-led track, as passionate as ever but more delicate and intimate in its romanticised, spiritual and conscious take on contemporary hip hop.
Artistic freedom then reigns again, as we move into the spiralling hypnotic chaos and softness of prince – another ode to the theatrical and contemplative nature of rap’s alternative heroes.
Elsewhere Tha Koala presented more of those African roots and artistic depths for the album GHOST. In example, the warped vocals and soulful old school backdrop of INSANE highlights another shift towards creative expression firmly connected to its underlying story and mood. The music feels natural, alluring and enjoyable, yet once again completely different from anything else you’ve come to hear from Tha Koala.
Finally, from the GHOST album again, CRY NEVA is a rhythmically tribal ode to the listing rap format, with piano and groove paving the way for an ever-changing performance of sheer and sharp bars from Tha Koala. It’s a gripping delivery, mellow to intense, and quickly prompts a re-listen, as you scramble to gather and understand every reference and theme.
These qualities are true for the entire catalogue of Tha Koala’s music, a creative instrumental prowess intertwined with intelligent, literary writing, and a modest but effective vocal style that naturally gets you tuning in more closely to really escape into the sound.
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