Up until around six years ago, Niile’s presence was restricted to a handful of acoustic recordings on YouTube. Now, he’s considered one of the most popular rappers and producers amongst a growing pool of talent in his home country.
Featuring fellow Khartoum native, TooDope, his latest release, ‘Kalam’, sees him go all out, while subtely pulling in his wide range of influences, which include R&B, neo soul and even electronic music. The energetic track, which he also produced, tells it like it is, and could very easily be a diss track, with the punchy yet chill beat leaving just enough room for the rappers to take the spotlight.
The video – filmed and directed by Amin Salah - switches between shots of Niile spitting bars in front of a microphone, and in a room with TooDope, where the rappers seem to have noticeable chemistry. The rappers question the use of saying words that carry no wait and highlight that, in these cases, it’s better to be quiet instead. Incorporating English into his verse as he usually does, TooDope drops a couple of endearing pop culture references such as his desire to run like Forrest or fly like Norris.
