“Play a victim or statistic they say, just tryna live for the moment like I’m Free or AJ”.
Ajani Jones and BoatHouse discovered an undeniable chemistry back in 2018, while working on Ajani’s debut EP, Cocoons. The stellar project nabbed Ajani Jones press accolades and fans, while firmly announcing him on Chicago Hip Hop’s scene. Since that drop, both BoatHouse and Ajani have worked steadily on making better music – and at times, it’s been a joint effort with studio sessions and long conversations.
Those sessions have turned into a slap in the face project, perfectly titled ONE PUNCH. The EP shows BoatHouse and Ajani both urgent in their respective fields. You can that urgency in BoatHouse’s slapping and dark production, as well as Ajani’s raps that weave through images of Chicago nights, city streets, and pop culture references further displaying just how clever and intricate he is with wordplay.
The duo released “FUTURAMA” as a warm-up in November, and followed it up with a packed show at The Empty Bottle. Today, the duo are back with “APEX”, a creepy and surging record in which Ajani forecasts things to come, envisions a way out, and again, reminds all why he’s an emcee not to be fucked with. Everything is done over BoatHouse drums and synths that are equally haunting and moving. The listener can almost see Ajani perhaps looking out a window or sitting on a porch, the cold Chicago night outside, reporting on what he sees and predicting things to come.
The song is available now on all platforms, and also arrives with the proper announcement of ONE PUNCH, which will release on January 29th. The full EP is produced by BoatHouse, raps by Ajani Jones, and with a lone feature from Kweku Collins.
Listen to the song below and Pre-order the EP here.
