Luke November is at the forefront of artists sculpting a new R&B and Drill fusion sound that breaks down borders between two genres once considered too disparate to coalesce coherently. He is an old soul with a forward-thinking mentality, bringing elements of two genres that inspired his artistry to form a flagship sound that has garnered the attention, and subsequent sampling, of artists like Kanye West and Pop Smoke. Now, following his breakout appearances on both DONDA & Faith, the eager East Londoner is once again in the epicentre of an experimental juncture of his career as his new track ‘Queen Bee’ climactically carves out the trajectory of his future as one of the most promising artists in his field.
Luke first captivated the attention of fledging fans and hardline hip-hop heads with the release of his high octane anthem ‘Call Me Bad’, the track that would later go on to form the bedrock of Kanye and Pop Smoke’s venerated collab ‘Tell The Vision’. Much like the duality cast by the meaning of his name, Luke meaning ‘light’ and November representing the darkest element of the year and his character, Luke has always balanced a delicate dichotomy of influences to handcraft a signature sound that draws on elements of US hip-hop, R&B, Trap and Drill yet somehow never feels cramped or constricted to the confines of any narrowly denied genre. His recent release, ‘Queen Bee’ in particular is just as identifiable by his effortlessly smooth vocals as it by his wicked penmanship, frantic flows and heavy basslines.
The indeterminate summation of his sound is the result of the wholehearted nature of his work, using his music as a total reflection of himself and the multilateral nature of his personality to create a body of work so far from monolithic that it can often be hard to pinpoint his next move. In his own words, Luke describes his music as his ‘Horcrux’ adding that he ‘puts a little piece of himself into every track and you get to open those Horcrux’s little by little with every listen.’
Besides his relatable love of Harry Potter, his rapidly growing audience can be further explained by the spellbinding nature of his cinematic visuals, pushing the budget and boundaries expected of budding artists associated with the UK trap scene. Queen Bee foregoes the tired trifecta of music video motifs (cars, cash and twerking models) to instead blend his sultry sonics with authentic storytelling, teleporting the viewer to a world of his creation. The intergalactic love story that unfolds throughout the video is courtesy of a carefully choreographed collaboration between Luke’s out of the box thinking and the cinematic ingenuity of multi-award-winning videographer Dego Visionz.
‘Queen Bee’ is our first hint at an upcoming EP from Luke November and sets the bar at a rarefied level the Londoner is beyond confident he will meet. Don’t miss out on the meteoric moves of being made by this Pop Smoke certified creator and check out the visuals for ‘Queen Bee’ above!
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Words: Chris Kelly