Napapijri launches its ‘Icons’ campaign, championing its most popular piece, the Rainforest Jacket. Coming in a wide range of colors, the windbreaker has been the centrepiece of Napapijri’s collections for years, evolving over time but still retaining its hardwearing features and distinctive design. To showcase the latest colorways, Napapijri have enlisted two of London’s most exciting icons in waiting to see what they think is necessary to stand the test of time and become a true icon.
‹ Choose an Icon ›
Hailing from the North London borough of Tottenham, rapper and poet Oscar #Worldpeace has made a name for himself by refusing to follow the rules. His unconventional style, visuals and approach to UK urban music has a distinctly DIY feel that’s helped him build a reputation as one of the city’s most interesting emerging artists.
Your music feels like it's pushing the evolution of London rap. As your career grows, where do you want to take the genre and your sound?
I’m just following God’s lead at this point. I feel my music has purpose and serves purpose. I just want it to reach people who need it, everything and anything else is a massive bonus.
It’s because of its diversity. Tottenham isn’t as massive as you would expect it to be, but there are small communities within one community and I think as an artist, whether that be music or any form of creativity, we express the diversity in our arts, which is able to to touch people worldwide.
How has coming from the same neighbourhood as the likes of JME and Skepta effected your approach to music? Why do you think Tottenham produces so much musical talent?
I just want to impress myself as much as I want to impress the world. It all starts from within. I always know when I’ve done something great, there’s a feeling within. I don’t know what it is, but there must be a science to it, it’s just a feeling I guess.
The videos for your singles "No White God" and "Tate Modern" are both very distinctive. What do you think it takes to create an iconic image? How do you tie these visuals into your overall sound?
I’m not a fan of genres nor am I fan of trying to do things differently. I used to believe those ideologies, but I believe everything should be a feeling. If you don’t feel it, don’t release it. If you don’t love it, don’t release it. If that makes me an alternative artist then I guess that’s what I am. There’s no magic tricks, just straight feeling and love for everything.
'Alternative grime' is a label that's been applied to you and seems to be rapidly gaining attention in the wider music world. Why do you think it's important to do things differently?
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Discover more about Napapijri’s icon series at the brand’s web store
What you see is what you get so there aren’t many surprises with me but I guess my degree in Anthropology is something outside of music that inspires everything I do within music. Representation, perspective, authority to tell a story, if that story is honest or biased, reading up before telling it at all. Considering these ideas when writing a song all comes through Anthropological ways of working and what I learnt through studying.
Your sound feels like it draws inspiration from a wide variety of places. Is there something unexpected that inspires you that you think might surprise people?
Each message is different, I think we are taught to understand so many concepts and ideologies in binary, it’s this or it’s that – choose a side! I think I want people to realise from my songs that the world is complex and nuanced and we should see it that way instead of always needing boxes to put things in.
You're refreshingly outspoken about politics and feminism in your music. What messages do you want people to take away from your songs?
Someone who speaks out and stands for something powerful and positive. I love Solange for that, I think Beyonce does it in her own way too. Using their influence to educate and uplift people.
Who are your musical heroes? What do you think it takes to become a musical icon?
By always changing, taking influence from the past and then reinventing itself. This makes it exciting because as each generation passes, it innovates a new space for music. The UK and especially London is so diverse, our blend of so many cultures helps us collaborate and create totally unique music.
Jazz is such a timeless, iconic genre, why do you think it's survived for decades and why do you think it's seeing a resurgence in the UK today?
Discover more about Napapijri’s icon series at the brand’s web store
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Melding a smooth, jazz-infused sound with refreshing, contemporary influences, South London singer songwriter Poppy Ajudha’s star is ascending rapidly. Covering a wide variety of topics with her perceptive, poetic lyricism, she’s leading the way for the swell of enthusiasm swirling around the new wave of young jazz singers, redefining the genre for 2018.
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Meet the Artists Redefining What it Means to be an Icon
@poppyajudha
@worldpeaceoscar
