UK emcee Avelino has started the new year strong with a brand new track entitled ‘2024 Freestyle.’ The North London native hailing from Tottenham, most known for his Fire In The Booth alongside Wretch 32, is one of the freshest hip-hop lyricists from the city and has been on the scene since 2014 when he released his second mixtape, Iconic Ambition.
Now, he has teamed up with the legendary US hip-hop producer Hit-Boy for his first release of the year. Hit-Boy was responsible for Nas’ comebacks and produced a series of projects, including Kings Disease III and Magic3.
The smooth yet minimalistic boom-bap-infused beat of Avelino’s freestyle works beautifully and we hear him rap lyrics such as, “I remember leaving the label and labelling myself as a flop / I’m my own worst critic, but I was critically wrong / God save the streets really saved me”, referring to his 2023 debut album, GOD SAVE THE STREETS.
The new track was also accompanied by visuals. Directed by NathanielMedia, the music video sees the London rapper in a Mercedes-Benz driving around North London, effortlessly rapping his lyrics. Towards the end of the video, he shows the multiple awards that he has won over the years.
This track is the first that Avelino (real name Achi Avelino) has released since his debut LP GOD SAVE THE STREETS, which he dropped in April last year. In an interview with NME about whether the album’s main message was about finding positives in the various negatives people on the streets of the UK face, the emcee responded, 100%.”
He continued, “Essentially, that’s the essence of GOD SAVE THE STREETS, the fact that the struggle, poverty, hardship, challenges, these things have a negative connotation, but depending on how you relate yourself to them, it’s very possible that these things are blessings.”
He concluded: “Without struggle, how do you get stronger? It encourages resourcefulness like maybe no other circumstances would, it pushes us to dig deep… it builds our character. There’s all these advantages of struggle and poverty, which is what essentially I’m tryna play on; all you gotta do is just shift your perspective accept your circumstances because you’re better off in your individual life relating yourself to a way where everything is now beneficial.”
