Rejjie Snow: ‘a lot of current rap out there can just be trash’

What preceded it was an EP called ‘Rejovich’ in 2013, a support slot on Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour, several mixtapes and a record deal with 300 Entertainment. This culminated in what is probably the highest honour for a young artist like himself, supporting Kendrick Lamar – widely regarded as the best rapper alive – on tour.

So when Rejjie speaks about rap, it comes from a place of experience and a keen sense and understanding. In terms of modern hip hop, what’s on offer is not totally enticing to him.

“I’d agree that a lot of rap can just be trash,” he told Hot Press.

“I just wanted to be myself with this record. I wanted to be weird and do freaky shit, and tap into my brain to see if I could tap into other people’s brains, you know? Because I think the way a lot of music consumed now isn’t made for a listening experience – everything’s too straight to the point. I wanted to go against that.”

Dear Annie is an exploration of love, loss and daily battles against oneself. Points in the record seem to be palpably desperate and anguished.

“A lot of the record is stories about friends of mine, a lot of them are personal stories and struggles. And yeah, there were a lot of times when I was super low, just because I live in my head and go to weird places.”

The full Rejjie Snow interview is available in the current issue of Hot Press