Jehst - 'Here I Am'

Kicking off 2024, Jehst reiterates that he's nobody's fool by proclaiming "Here I Am. Boarding the measured piston pump of Apollo's production, immersed in a drab grayscale, the British hip-hop legend effortlessly exercises his superiority as he battles the drag of modern life and the downward, post-glam construction of his fellow champion of nature. Referencing Ace Rimmer, Biggie, Grand Puba and Shaquille O'Neal and diced with raw cuts, Jehst flexes - "this is strictly top shelf, better raise the bracket" - confounds - "what ya doing down the deep end if you don't swim?" - and provides slow-burning release and relief for the new year.

Jehst's "Mork Calling Orson" LP received widespread support throughout 2023, garnering praise from Brooklyn Vegan, Okayplayer ("a seamless body of work"), Bandcamp, Clash ("Jehst's voice feels three-dimensional"), PopMatters ("another jewel in the venerable MC's crown"), and The Wire ("a series of hazy transmissions from a strange, alien world"). Radio coverage ranged from Radio X to Kiss FM, and the album's crowning achievement, "One Horse Town" featuring Eva Lazarus and Confucius MC, was on the BBC 6 Music playlist for four weeks. Jehst also curated 6 Music's post-midnight 'Lose Yourself' mix and was featured on Radio 2's For The Love Of Hip-Hop, where host Romesh Ranganathan described Jehst as "a living legend - perhaps the most influential name in British hip-hop". Jehst is back on tour in the UK with seven headline dates, starting at London's Jazz Café.