February 15, 2018
Quite Defiant Records
Produced by Turkish. Happiness was written and recorded when AWATE was on bail for two years, fighting four cases against the police which he eventually won. AWATE is a MOBO supported rapper and producer from Maiden Lane Estate in Camden. Honing his craft from the age of 12, he made a name for himself at the legendary hip-hop spot, Deal Real at the age of 15. Awate learned from mentors such as Poisonous Poets rappers, Stylah and Lowkey, BBC 1Xtra's DJ Semtex and one of his heroes, Yasiin Bey. As a refugee from Eritrea via Saudi Arabia, Awate's lyrics are a complex train of thought on subjects like self-esteem, racism, pride and class. Building a reputation as an electrifying and engaging live performer, Awate has toured worldwide with Lowkey since 2010 and has supported the likes of Jay Electronica, Ghetts, Big Daddy Kane and Black Star. He has also headlined and performed regularly at The Roundhouse as a Resident Artist at the iconic venue. Awate's long awaited first release, 2016's Shine Ancient EP was premiered on Complex with features on Noisey, Huck, AFROPUNK, OkayAfrica and premiere's on BBC 6 Music with Gilles Peterson, Jamie Kennedy on Radio X as well as support from DJ MK and Shortee Blitz on KISS. 2018 will see the release of AWATE's debut LP, Happiness. For fans of Mos Def, Kanye West and 50 Cent.