Rejjie Snow shuns the status of Ireland’s poster boy; tapping back into that inner child for his soulful sophomore album, ‘BAW BAW BLACK SHEEP’; bringing his far-out free-thinking to the very forefront.

Rejjie is truly in a world of his own for this fresh free-spirited project; and I, as well as many others, absolutely love it! The man has truly put two-fingers up to the norm and the sonic hold many try to encase him within; as the record seeing him push the boat further out than any of us expected; curating a ‘short film through music’ and taking the journey through it’s cultivation ‘light-heartedly’ as he puts it himself (oh, and of course with the helping hands of a few magical fun-guys in the mix too he mentions).

‘I just wanna be me’, the Irish wordsmith exclaims; earning to break-away from the ropes tying him down as Ireland’s figure-head to it’s scarce rap scene seeking a poster boy; an ongoing status the African-Irish musician sporting an American twang has been avidly refusing for a while now; and if this offering doesn’t embody that notion I’m not sure what quite will. Sonically this project utterly encapsulates the notion of being ‘the black sheep’ with its unpredictable soundscapes, abstract lyricism and overall; Rejjie’s animated imagination.

Rejjie’s inspiration derives from a childhood movie classic we can all probably relate to, going onto say;

“I always loved Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. I watch it all the time. I thought of Baw Baw Black Sheep like a soundtrack to it. I put the movie on with my album, and they synced up perfectly. I tried to tap into all of these feelings. The music is really colourful, and the lyrics are often happy, because that was my state of mind.”

‘Colourful, happy and light-hearted’; a perfect summary for this seamlessly unorthodox offering from the horse’s mouth itself, but if I was to chose a song to wholly represent those three words, it’d have to be none other than the universal sound that is ‘Relax’. Now when I say I wake up and listen to this one on REPEAT - I’m not lying, it’s literally on my morning playlist. See, I truly believe this one right here could bring the world together; with that woozy rolling melody, the warming bird chirps, Rejjie’s soothing vocals on that hook - ultimately it feels like a blissful stroll through nature all wrapped up in one flawless track.

Ensuing my obvious favourite (Relax), Rejjie gives Tyler a run for his money in the next mention; offering us possibly one of the smoothest transitions into a proceeding track we’ve heard for a minute with that seamless ‘Relax - Interlude’ into ‘Oreos’ switch up; seeing Rejjie and the high-pitched narrator transition from one busy venue playing Relax into the bustling streets; giving the two a moment to delve into an intimate monologue, allowing us the chance to really connect with the artists as he opens up about trust and prevail - all before he’s drawn into a jazz bar by the sound of a swinging baseline as he steps into the pensive ‘Oreos’.

Now, Rejjie’s second official album release may have seen a contrasting reception from reviewers; with some stating ‘it just doesn’t quite work’ and others (myself included) taking to it heavily. But bias aside I truly believe this body of work has done what it was set out to do; capture Rejjie’s vision. Many feel that artists nowadays should cater to their audiences’ taste, whether that be the kind of sound they prefer from said artist or what appearance they believe they should uphold.

Ultimately though, we originally tuned in because we loved this man’s quirky way around the mic and this project right here presents this loveable trait in its truest form; a flawlessly unrestricted labour of love from a man truly in a magical world of his own.