NCVRD: How Jesse Jay created the visual world around Kirani Ayat’s ‘Aisha’s Sun’
“Everything done on this cover was deliberate”
In mid-September, Ghanaian rap artist Kirani Ayat finally released his long-delayed debut album, ‘Aisha’s Sun’. For a project that had been nearly half-a-decade in the making, and almost entirely scrapped for its current version, it came with the stakes of being a resounding statement, especially for an artist that had spent the more recent years of his career trying to move past the idea of what could have been.
‘Aisha’s Sun’ is one of the most inventive and self-assured rap albums from this side of the world in 2022. Leaning heavily into his Hausa heritage, tapping the distinct twang of its folk music and wholly embracing a culture shared across multiple countries in West Africa, Kirani Ayat presents himself as a man with his own identity, furnished by the support of his family, buoyed by the lessons he’s picked up in the years, and confident that he’s walking the path meant for him. Even if you don’t understand Hausa, the language he predominantly raps and sings in, the qualities of the album are palpable.
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(@kiraniayat)Just like the eyes are the window to the soul, the window to the soul of ‘Aisha’s Sun’ is its wonderful cover art. Vivid and smouldering, it aptly pre-empts the intensity of the album, as well as the rustic overtones that guide the project, both musically and parochially—via Kirani’s undying love for his hometown of Madina. “Everything done on this cover was deliberate,” cover art illustrator and designer Jesse Jay tells me over a Google Meet call, going on to breakdown the importance of the elements that make up the cover.
Before he got to illustrating, Jesse sat with Kirani Ayat, who gave him an in-depth view into his music journey and how it tied into ‘Aisha’s Sun’, creating a well of inspiration for the artist to draw from. Before that, the two had never met, only connecting through the production company Jesse works with, North Production.
A self-taught artist, Jesse Jay started off his art journey by doodling like many young kids, eventually using the internet as the tool to further his skill. “I just knew I loved art,” he tells me. Transitioning from portraiture to concept-fuelled work fairly recently, this cover for ‘Aisha’s Sun’ shows that his “blend of abstract and realism” is clearly driven by both his ability to create imaginatively and synthesise relevant information.
Our conversation with Jess Jay follows below and has been lightly edited for clarity.
NATIVE: Do you have a formal background in drawing?
Jesse Jay: No, I never went to art school or anything like that. I just knew I loved art. I always had screen savers of people’s art on my phone, I read a few articles on how to draw, how to paint, and started practicing. I mean, I did little sketches as a kid, like those chairs and tables that we did when we were younger. Then I progressed to drawing more complex stuff, like human beings, in a very minimal way. That’s how I evolved.
Can you remember your first commission when you started taking illustrating more serious?
My first commission was basically portraits of a few people. I just really transitioned into drawing concept illustration. The portrait work was like five years.
What was the motivation behind that transition?
For me, I’ve always loved to create illustrations that cannot be exactly mimicked on camera. I always like to have a blend of abstract and realism, so I can work with different colours, different textures and strokes.
For a self-taught artist, how did you know you were evolving on the right part?
Basically, I follow other artists who are really good and clearly have a lot of experience and skill. Like I said, I read articles and I watch videos, and I also practice a lot. That’s how I know I’m learning.
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What was your first music industry-related gig?
I did a cover art, just something I was playing with—it wasn’t commissioned. It was for a song by Medikal and Joey B, “Green Tea”, like two or three years ago. That was the beginning of my concept art journey with relation to music, it was more like an experimental process for me. It had some buzz, got some followers and recommendations here and there. Right now, I work with a team, North Productions, and that was a part of the process for me.
Is that how you connected with Kirani Ayat?
Yeah. I’d never met him, it was my boss at North Productions that introduced me to Kirani and gave me the opportunity to work on the cover art.
What was the process like for ‘Aisha’s Sun’?
It was a fun and interesting project. I enjoyed every bit of it, because it was more like him describing his story, what went on with his music career. Apparently, Kirani Ayat was living with his grandma, but his mum wasn’t supportive of his career as an artist, and his grandma later got influenced by his mum, so she also didn’t like the fact that he was in the music industry. Years after, they finally gave him that support and blessing for his music career, and they backed him spiritually with prayers. That was one of the things he described as a background for the cover, and we just went from there.
Were you able to sit with the music as well?
After he described the whole story, he shared a links to some of the project, because he was still wrapping things up. I listened to some of it, not the entire album, and it also really helped with inspiration.
The best way I can describe the cover is vivid. What were the intentions behind creating the cover?
Everything done on this cover was deliberate. I started off with the background. Kirani comes from the northern part of Ghana, it has lots of red dirt on the ground, so I was inspired by that and you can see it on the cover. Instead of a blue sky, I wanted to exaggerate so I made it a red sky and it matches the sort of dusty environment around him. The sun behind him is his grandma and mum. ‘Aisha’s Sun’ is a homophone of the word son, so if you are a sun, that means your parent or whoever is taking care of you is a sun. The sun depicts energy, it depicts life, it depicts family as a circle, and it depicts positivity and confidence.
Then there’s the little circle on his neck with chalk which flows into these wavey strokes, and that’s a representation of his sound. There’s a red scarf on his neck depicting bloodlines. If you look closely, the road is more like a triangle, a pointing arrow. There are huts on the sides, just like a depiction of community and to give some symmetry, and the cable in the back depicts the township.
Were you also responsible for the text selection, because that’s really eye-catching?
Yeah, it’s actually custom made for the album. It was done from scratch by me.
Did you have to go through multiple sketches of these parts for the cover?
Nah, it was just one take. We had a lot of references to go through—mostly pictures of Kirani—and the story he also provided was inspirational. The whole idea was to create some earthy and something traditional, because of the sound. With him shirtless on the cover also, it just fit that direction.
NCVRD: HOW SINALO NGCABA CREATED NATIVE SOUND SYSTEM’S ‘NATIVEWORLD’
Luwa.Mp4 Releases Riotous Debut Album, ‘punKstA*’
Across the album’s 12 tracks, Luwa.Mp4 continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock,...
Rising singer and rapper Luwa.Mp4 has released his debut album titled ‘punKstA*.’ The underground star who has been on a release spree all year long, announced the imminent arrival of his debut only a couple of days ago with a cryptic trailer video and an Instagram caption that simply read ‘PUNKSTA* MONDAY.’
Before the arrival of ‘punKstA*,’ the rising fusion star had been showcasing his diligence and talent with a consistent output that has seen him put out over a dozen songs since the start of the year. A string of singles led to a 6-pack titled ‘lore skooL,’ while a deluxe version that housed 5 new songs came just a month later.
His debut album’s lead single, “pUNK FANTASY,” arrived in late July, setting the stage for what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the underground star’s burgeoning career.
Across the album’s 12 tracks, the eclectic singer continues his fiery exploration and fusion of genres like Punk Rock, Afropop, Hyperpop, and Rap into something uniquely different. Tracks like “Pure Water,” which was previously teased on Cruel Santino’s Subaru Live Stream, the abrasive, Tecno-influenced “pROMISED NEVERLAND,” and the more laidback “pEEp MY RIDE” put on display the sort of varied, autotune-soaked approach that has set him apart and helped carve a growing niche.
While Luwa decided to go solo on his debut, credited as the only recording artist, the album was brought to life by a cast of talented producers like frequent collaborator TOPSY, Emyboi, JTRN, 3CB, FVKK.ANDI and Jeremy Cartier.
Listen to ‘punKstA*,’ here.
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Shekhinah Returns With Surprise Album, ‘Less Trouble’
The South African R&B star is at her most assertive on her first album in four years.
South African R&B and Pop singer Shekhinah has released a new surprise album titled ‘Less Trouble.’ The Durban star, who had been quiet for most of the year, took to social media shortly before midnight to share the new album’s cover, synopsis, and tracklist, simply stating, ‘If you’re seeing this my album LESS TROUBLE is out now at Midnight,’ in an Instagram caption.
The soulful singer first began teasing ‘Less Trouble,’ her first album in over four years, about a year ago when she released its lead single “Risk,” a bouncy Afropop-inspired collab with Ghanaian star MOLIY. A few months after the release of “Risk,” she put out “Steady,” a dreamy pop number that suggested that something bigger was on the horizon. But then it was largely radio silence about a project until its surprise arrival at midnight.
If 2021’s ‘Trouble In Paradise’ represented a coming-of-age for Shekhinah, subsisting some of the dreamy, youthful exuberance of her debut album for more measured musings on themes like heartbreak and grief, ‘Less Trouble’ finds her at her most assertive, writing and singing with the acuity of someone who is grown, decisive and discerning. The delicate opener “Break Up Season” sets the tone for the rest of the album as she shows little tolerance for shady behaviour and toxic patterns.
Other standout cuts on the album like “Bare Minimum,” a sombre collab with fellow South African award-winning singer lordkez, the ethereal, in-your-face interlude “New Casanova,” and the percussive “What Are We,” where Shekhinah contemplates the nature of a relationship but ultimately demands all or nothing, all drive home a part of the album’s synopsis, which reads ‘A BOOK ON MORE HEARTBREAK BUT LESS HEARTACHE.’
Shekhinah invites a couple of new collaborators on ‘Less Trouble,’ featuring the aforementioned MOLIY and lordkez as well as multi-instrumentalist Mars Baby and Young Stunna across the album’s 11 tracks. Mpilo Shabangu handled the majority of the album’s production, while other producers like Michael Morare, her longtime collaborator, Mthintheki Mzizi, and Vuyo also contributed to the album.
Listen to ‘Less Trouble’ here.
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The NATIVE’s First Impressions Of Amaarae’s ‘Black Star’
‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for Amaarae, and The NATIVE team offer our thoughts after a...
Change has always been a constant theme in any discussion about the career of Ghanaian-American star, Amaarae. Since she emerged as a singular voice in the late 2010s, she has evolved from a sirenic Afropop-adjacent singer into a Punk-Pop firestarter with minimal fuss. ‘Fountain Baby,’ her 2023 sophomore album, was a sweeping departure from the lilting melodies and shapeshifing cadences of the hypnotic ‘The Angel You Don’t Know,’ emphasizing her commitment to charting new courses with her music.
In the lead-up to her new album, ‘Black Star,’ she has wholly embraced a Pop aesthetic and sheen that was reflected on the album’s promotional singles, “S.M.O.” and “Girlie-Pop!.” Now that the album has arrived, the singer has advised listeners not to go in expecting a continuation of the soundscape on ‘Fountain Baby.’ As keen followers of Amaarae’s career from its start, we are sure that ‘Black Star’ marks another evolutionary arc for her, and we offer our thoughts after a few listens.
WHAT WERE YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF AMAARAE GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?
Kemnachi: I had zero doubts that she would impress me again. Amaarae always comes correct. She is audacious with her choices, taking creative risks most artists would not dare to imagine, and somehow rendering them seamless, deliberate, and effortless. Her music has a way of enveloping me: it’s fluid, slightly dangerous, and yet irresistibly sensual. Every project feels like an immersive world she has curated down to the finest detail. With ‘Black Star,’ I knew it was not going to be a mere collection of songs but another meticulously constructed realm.
Bamise: I expected something fun, genre-bending, and sonically diverse in the fashion that Amaarae’s music typically is. I may have taken the album title a bit too literally, though, because listening made me realise I had an eye out for some Pan-African statements or something to spark discourse on African identity, but I didn’t quite catch any of that.
Boluwatife: Amaarae has largely delivered throughout her career, so I knew she was going to come correct again. She’s one of those forward-thinking artists who take the kind of risks most others wouldn’t, but she always manages to make it work. She’s proven to be a musical omnivore who constantly meshes her wide-ranging influences into something new, fluid, icy, and more often than not, sensual. I knew ‘Black Star’ wasn’t going to be any different.
WHAT SONGS STOOD OUT ON THE FIRST LISTEN?
Wale: I liked “Girlie-Pop!.” I feel like it captures Amaarae’s vision of pushing Afropop into the future. She’s also really grown comfortable with music and lyricism and will not dumb down her message for anybody. The instrumental for “Girlie-Pop!” is also a wonder; it’s so dense, but there are pockets for Amaarae to be emotive about her feelings. Top song!
Daniel Akins: I need to hear “B2B” at the next rave I’m at. Amaarae is in her Dance era, and I’m here for it. Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” with PinkPantheress is the collaboration I knew I needed, and I’m glad they finally linked up. It’s a clear standout on the project; their ethereal style complements each other.
Shina: “B2B” was the one that did it for me. That is my favourite track on the project. The number of times I ran it back was unhealthy for a first listen. It was also really fun to catch the Don Toliver “Best You Had” sample. I need to hear this outside!
HOW WELL YOU THINK THE GUEST APPEARANCES ENHANCED THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE?
Israel: The guest features on Black Star aren’t mere flexes. They’re strategic, theatrical, and sometimes emotionally resonant. They enhance, yes, but they do so on Amaarae’s terms. A standout for me was PinkPantheress on “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” The tradeoff is that a few songs feel like dazzling cameos rather than an integrated conversation, yet overall they enhance the album’s drama, texture, and bravado with precision.
Daniel Banjoko: Everyone showed up and delivered, no weak links here. Instead of just guest spots, they felt like vital pieces of a bigger puzzle. Charlie Wilson on “Dream Scenario” nailed his part especially, making the track sound exactly like its name promises.
Moore: The guest appearances on ‘Black Star’ feel very intentional; each one enhances the album’s world without overshadowing Amaarae’s vision. PinkPantheress’s signature airy delivery meshes with Amaarae’s experimental pop sound. Naomi Campbell’s commanding voice on “ms60” is an unexpected but powerful addition, adding drama to the track. Each feature feels carefully chosen.
WHAT SONG IS THE BIGGEST SKIP?
Bamise: Not to be a party pooper, but I don’t get the PinkPantheress collab, “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.” It feels like a PinkPantheress song with less pop in it, and just borrows the title of the iconic Soulja Boy song but has no other similarities. It’s between that and “ms60.” For me, the chorus of that sounds like something I’ve heard from Amaarae before, and I doubt its absence would have diminished the album.
Shina: I feel like biggest skip is a strong word for a solid project, but if I have to pick a song to skip, it’ll be “ms60.” I think it’s easily forgettable.
Wale: It’s hard to single out a song that stuck out to me, but hearing Naomi Campbell on “ms60” threw me off. It’s just too contrived to bear for me.
WHAT SONG HAS THE BIGGEST HIT POTENTIAL?
Boluwatife: My gut answer would probably be “She Is My Drug,” just because of how she beautifully reworks the melodies from Cher’s “Believe.” DJ remixes of this song could go crazy. But if I were to think a bit more logically, TikTok would probably lap up “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2.”
Daniel Banjoko: “Kiss Me Thru the Phone pt 2” goes crazy. Amaarae and PinkPantheress are the perfect match. This collab feels like it was destined to happen, and it delivers in full. Honestly, I can’t believe it took this long, and now I just need more tracks from these two, ASAP.
Moore: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone pt 2” has the biggest hit potential on the album. The song has a nostalgic, sad party girl vibe that makes it appealing, and it’s also catchy and well-produced. PinkPantheress consistently performs well on platforms like TikTok, and her fanbase overlaps in a really interesting way with Amaarae’s. The collaboration feels organic and exciting, and will likely create a lot of buzz.
OVERALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Wale: There is a very visceral quality to how Amaarae expresses desire that I don’t hear very often in a lot of music. It’s abstracted and warped in futuristic textures, but it’s very profoundly human, and it’s always great to hear that even as she advances the sonics of her delivery. I do, however, have an issue with the thematic scope of ‘Black Star.’ I thought there would be overt references to her experiences of navigating her Ghanaian identity, but those references are limited to samples and interpolations. It’s still an incisive listen and a triumph for finding ways to advance music from Africa.
Bamise: It’s Amaarae; she can never go wrong. But for me, this is the album that excites me the least from her catalogue. Other than how bass-heavy some songs on the album are, like “S.M.O.” and “She Is My Drug” among others, it feels similar to other projects I’ve heard from her in a way that’s not exactly refreshing or mind-bending. I may have gotten spoiled by how diverse and eclectic Amaarae’s music tends to be, but I wanted more from her. I expected more gangster, Hip-Hop Amaarae. Thematically, I didn’t get anything that gives the Black Star of Ghana, or black stars are ruling the world. Will I listen again and enjoy every bit of it still, though? Yes, I will.
Shina: So first off, this is a solid body of work. I love the fact that Amaarae stuck with the Dance, Electro-Pop route she was going with throughout the album. The features also played their part, adding their unique touches to each record. I would say, though, a feature I would’ve loved to hear on this project is 070Shake. I think she would have been perfect on “100DRUM,” but we don’t always get what we want, do we? Thematically, I think Amaarae could’ve leaned heavily on her Ghanaian heritage, seeing as the title and cover of the album are a nod to that. Maybe Amaarae just wants us to dance, and that’s what I’m just gonna do, and you should too.
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