Birmingham-based rapper Kofi Stone is embarking on a new, deeply personal era with the release of two powerful singles: “Heartlands” and “Thorns,” the latter featuring the soulful vocals of Jacob Banks. The dual release marks the rapper’s first new music since his acclaimed 2024 album, A Man After God’s Own Heart, and finds him at his most vulnerable and unfiltered.
The first track, “Heartlands,” is a raw confrontation with a recent personal crisis. Kofi revealed that the song was born from a vow he made to himself after a difficult experience. “I wrote this song two weeks after getting out of hospital,” he explained. “I vowed to myself, once I came out, that I would live life to the fullest. I wanted to capture how I felt when I was bed bound, and how – even though I felt pretty helpless – I knew I still had a responsibility to stay alive to fulfill my purpose.” The song’s evocative music video, directed by Christoph Davis, unfolds in the quiet stillness of a hospital, visually capturing this sense of introspection and resolve.
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The second single, “Thorns,” is an equally probing and compassionate track, this time exploring the complex realities of mental health. Featuring a moving vocal performance from British-Nigerian singer Jacob Banks, the song delves into the specific struggles of schizophrenia. “I wanted to highlight mental health and the struggles faced specifically with schizophrenia,” Kofi added. “I approached the song from two perspectives – one from the point of view of a mother, and the other from my own.”
This introspective and narrative-driven approach to rap has been a hallmark of Kofi Stone’s career. Inspired by his grandfather’s poetry and a love for lyricists like Lupe Fiasco and Common, he carved his own lane in Birmingham, standing apart from the city’s grime resurgence. After his 2017 breakout single “Stories In Pyjamas,” he released his debut album Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does in 2019, an independent project that featured collaborations with Loyle Carner and Maverick Sabre and solidified his place as one of the UK’s most thoughtful rappers.
