SOUTH LONDON’S NINO SLG HAS MADE HIS RETURN WITH THE RELEASE OF “BATTLE CRY”

South London’s fast-rising rap wunderkind Nino SLG has made his return with his latest single ‘Battle Cry’ following on from being selected by Stormzy for his Winter 22 issue of i-D Magazine.

Opening with haunting spoken word, the reflective single sees Nino consider his choices and muse on the complexities and unknowns of life’s path. With Nino moving deftly between vocals on the chorus and his trademark lyrical dexterity and playful wordplay through each hard-hitting verse, ‘Battle Cry’ is an emphatic statement of what’s to come from this versatile talent. Speaking on ‘Battle Cry’, Nino SLG said

“Battle Cry is an exclamation of fear about the future. It’s about me not knowing what may happen in all aspects of my life and the worry that comes from that…I know I’m not the only one that possesses thoughts like this. The spoken word at the start was inspired by a poem I wrote about looking out a window. I just felt as though a window can be personified as your perspective on the world. ‘Battle Cry’ is poetic in the imagery I use in some lyrics “who’s to blame that I could blossom in the dark…”. I hope it lets people know they are not enduring the pressure of life alone."

The nostalgic visual, shot on film by up and coming creatives J-L.A.Davis & Spike Silverton sees Nino clad in oversized vintage fits and harks back to the 90s with its aesthetic. The stylised piece features Nino and a younger version of himself reflecting on his choices surrounded by a group of masked friends, projections of photos from his childhood and props taken from his family home. With shots referencing iconic rap imagery from days gone by including the Straight Outta Compton album cover, this slick video shows the young artist has truly arrived on the scene. Directors J-L.A.Davis & Spike Silverton said -

“We decided to approach the ‘Battle Cry’ visuals from a surreal perspective. We wanted to play on the reflective aspect of the track by incorporating a level of nostalgia including a vintage aesthetic and elements such as film photography and props like the car to elevate the visuals into a realm that would echo Nino’s innate creativity and versatility as an artist”