Issue 90 / July 2018

SPOTLIGHT
REMY JUDE
A social commentator who brings a dash of nu soul goodness to
Liverpool hip hop, along with an unflinching lyrical honesty.
“I want people
to sing and enjoy
my music as
much as I do”
“My musical style is like if someone totally unqualified stepped
into a room full of professionals, dressed in dungarees, toting a
blag CV.” REMY JUDE delivers his answers with the right amount
of self-depreciating humour, but don’t let him fool you; his CV
is impressive enough. The Liverpool-based soulful rapper first
jumped onto our radar when he performed his debut headline
show as part of Constellations’ Live Music Thursdays. Since then,
he’s immersed himself in Liverpool’s music scene, performing with
local favourites including fellow rapper and friend MC Nelson;
he has a Melodic Distraction radio show, Yes Music, with music
blogger Aiden Brady, in which they dissect and contextualise
the history behind their favourite tunes; and, perhaps most
impressively, he has held his own supporting jazz and hip hop
rising star Alfa Mist and electronic music innovators Mount Kimbie.
Dungarees or not, Remy Jude is serious about music.
Performing before Mount Kimbie at Invisible Wind Factory
was clearly a defining moment – “It made me think about what
the future could hold” – and with the recent release of Church
Parish Society, a 10-track, self-released mini-album, that future
certainly looks bright. The album’s strength lies in Remy Jude’s
poetic and carefully considered use of words: see “Imma picky
writer/With a handful of rhymes/Manipulate the city/’Til it’s
takeover time” in (Where U From?). This lyrical rapping, which
sometimes blends into the confessional, takes centre stage over
smooth, hip hop beats and simple melodies. His lyrics describe
his lived experience, which feels relatable and honest. “The world
I live in and interact with is what informs my songwriting. I try
and stay active and keep my ears to the ground.”
Remy Jude joins a number of male hip hop artists using
the genre as an almost cathartic exploration of the self: “I think
making music is how I express myself best. I can wean myself off
any negative train of thought by applying myself to music.”
When it comes to playing shows with his heroes, he isn’t shy
of nailing his colours to that mast. “King Krule [is] my absolute
idol; I’d move heaven and earth to play before the King.” Jude’s
album – especially on the title track and The Energy – would
also appeal to any readers who fell in love with Loyle Carner’s
stripped-back, easy listening brand of hip hop. He’s another
artist that Remy Jude would love to support: “I think Loyle Carner
would be a great fit for me. In 2015, I saw a very raw Loyle and
Rebel Kleff set at The Kazimier. A year later, I saw them steal
the limelight at Kitchen Street from a fairly high profile bill that
included Rejjie Snow.”
Ultimately, Remy Jude’s love of words, of music and of what
he does seeps into Church Parish Society and charms the listener.
He tells me that Band Bak 2Geva is his favourite track to perform
because the crowd often sing it back: “What does that say about
me? I suppose it says that I want people to sing and enjoy my
music as much as I do.”
Words: Maya Jones
Photography: Hannah Metcalfe / hannahmetcalfe.co.uk
remyjude.bandcamp.com
Church Parish Society is out now via Third School Records.
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