GUAP PREMIERE: [@GodKnowsRF] – ‘TWELVE 61’ ft. Jah Master

WHO: God Knows

FROM: Limerick, Ireland

GENRE: hip hop / zimdancehall

Premiering exclusively on GUAP, Limerick rapper God Knows has made his return with revitalising new single ‘TWELVE 61’. With the aid of his cousin and Zimdancehall legend Jah Master elevating the vocals alongside Cork-based producer BOKU on the instrumental, the track snaps into life with a historic and era-defining sample from God Knows’ family lineage.

The sample used in the track is titled ‘Vanhu VemuAfrica’, a song about African Unity dating back to the 60s; later made famous by God Knows’ uncle CDE Chinx Chingaira. The lyrics take us through God Knows’ experiences growing up. Accompanied by breathtaking visuals – a full-frame animation music video by Emma Murphy and Darragh Scott which perfectly encompasses the vibrancy and meaning behind the track – “It was a big undertaking and production took about 9 months”… “Zimbabwean painters like Portia Zvavahera and Kudzanai-Violet Hwami were big influences on the colour and art style.” 

God Knows enlightens us on the new single: “My friend and collaborator Ian (BOKU) read an article of me talking about my uncle Chinx Chingaira and decided to make a beat, sampling a song made famous by the latter. Fast forward a couple of weeks later, one of those rare times I found myself on Facebook and as luck would have it, another uncle of mine was congratulating Jah Master on his success and after consulting with my dad, I found out he too was a relative. We were in fact, cousins and he grew up blocks away from that ‘1261’ street number where my grandmother’s house is, hence the title of the song. I thought this was a great opportunity to reach out and the rest, as they say, is history, in the making. “

Jah Master adds: “It was growing up in the ghetto that helped us write the chorus of this song. We just had to write the reality of it. Everything that we had experienced before. I think it is every kid’s wish that when they grow up (especially from the ghetto), they go all the way to the top. It was mine, and I thank God that bit by bit I am managing to attain some of the things I wished for, although I feel like I haven’t reached the peak. I think that will make us keep on persevering until we reach our destiny. I’ve also been feeling like legends aren’t being celebrated enough in my home country, so I fell in love with the idea of doing something for one of our legends and I hope that other artists in this new generation will follow suit.”

‘Twelve 61’ will be followed by a new EP ‘We Move The Needle’ which will drop this July via Narolane records. In the meantime you can satisfy that earworm with some more bangers from the Limerick rapper below: