Heavyweight

First Word Records is incredibly proud to bring you new music from Essa, accompanied by Pitch 92. 'Heavyweight' is the first track taken from a new full-length project from the duo, to be released in 2024.

Essa last released a track on Juneteenth 2020 entitled 'Justice', as a powerful reaction to George Floyd and the BLM movement. It saw support from the likes of Gilles Peterson, and raised money for an assortment of access-to-justice organisations.

This was his first material for several years prior to that, and the beginning of a new chapter in his recording career. A lyricist, lawyer and a Londoner, Essa initially released music under the name Yungun in the early noughties, in the midst of UK hip hop's own "golden era". He earned praise from artists such as Nas and Mark Ronson, and performed and recorded with such luminaries as De La Soul, Wu-Tang Clan, Guru, Slum Village and Pharoahe Monch.

His classic debut album 'The Essance' dropped whilst he was at law school, 20 years ago next year. This was followed with a collaborative album with DJ Mr Thing ('Grown Man Business'), then some years later on First Word with 'The Misadventures of a Middle Man' in 2014.

Joining Essa on the boards throughout this new project, and a delight to welcome him to First Word, is acclaimed producer and DJ, Pitch 92.

Born in Dublin in 1992, Pitch grew up in Germany & Switzerland, where the sounds of Madlib & Dilla fired up his neurons. Under the encouragement of friends ASM, he began experimenting with an MPC at the ripe old age of 12. He relocated to the UK in the late noughties, where he was quickly engulfed into the Manchester hip hop scene, becoming a longtime member of The Mouse Outfit, touring across Europe and featuring heavily on their first two albums.

Since going solo in 2017, he's released full album projects with Verb T on High Focus, Illaman on Potent Funk and MC DRS on Space Cadet, as well as two solo albums ('Intervals' & '3rd Culture') and production work for artists such as Ocean Wisdom, Jehst, Confucius MC, Foreign Beggars, The Four Owls and First Word family, Ruby Wood and Tyler Daley (Children of Zeus), to name just a few!

This first track from the duo is co-produced, mixed and mastered by Viva Cee, an extraordinarily versatile up and coming writer/producer, known for fusing international sounds with contemporary black music styles. Expect big things from this exceptional talent – remember where you heard first!

In Essa's words "as an identity explorer, I've always wanted to do a 'solo posse cut' - one MC, multiple voices. This banger from Pitch was the perfect platform. He really brought me out of the wilderness. I was focussed on legal work and fatherhood but his beats called me back to the mic. 'Heavyweight' is the first of many from us. It's co-produced by Viva Cee – a musical genie who can conjure any sound you wish for. The energy reminded me of 'Push' from my first album, so we decided to re-release that as a b-side."

'Heavyweight / Push' is released digitally worldwide via First Word on November 17th 2023.