Naomi Cowan teams with Idris Elba to ‘run the area’
Published:Thursday | June 8, 2023 | 1:20 AM
Singer and songwriter Naomi Cowan shows some sass on a new collaborative single, appropriately titled We Run the Area, with British actor and long-time DJ turned label-head Idris Elba, his DJ colleague, Toddla T, and North Londoner, Trinidadian D&B veteran, General Levy.
The song was released on June 5 on labels 7Wallace (Idris Elba) and Bell Brothers (Toddla T). No strangers to collaboration (Boasty and Yardie Mixtape track Yard in 2019) the two DJ pals enlisted the Caribbean talents to round off this infectious reggae sound system, bassline banger. Idris Elba founded 7Wallace in 2015 to break boundaries in hip hop and dance music. The label has released a slew of cuts with the likes of Idris Elba, Che Lingo, Little Simz, Q-Tip, Chip, Kah-Lo, Kojey Radical and more.
A press release sated, “From the UK to the Caribbean, the sun-drenched track draws influence from Jungle and drum and bass sounds with an accompanying visual featuring all four artistes shot in both Jamaica and London, all filmed and edited by directors Notty Cuts, Desmond Dakura & Abo Raj mostly via an iPhone 14, reflecting the DIY, collaborative nature of these four creatives.”
Speaking on We Run The Area, Toddla T said, “This is the posse cut I never knew I needed.”
Idris Elba added, “Big up all junglistmassive! Literally.”
The music video is as upbeat as the song itself and sees Naomi rocking a purple track suit which has her fans saying “I want one just like that.”
Naomi was also in England to perform at City Splash Festival at the end of May. Promoted as a celebration of reggae music, Caribbean food and high-vibe culture in the heart of Brixton in Brockwell Park, City Splash Festival “pays homage to the unmistakable influence of reggae on British culture and music genres birthing everything from jungle and dubstep to garage, with a line up of some of the baddest bands, sound systems, artistes and DJ’s alongside well-being workshops, panels and live discussions”.
Naomi, who jetted out of Europe on Wednesday, has been using her social media platforms to share We Run the Area with her fans.
Another big deal for Naomi was having a song on Easy Star All-Stars on which she was featured. A cover of David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream debuted at number seven on Rolling Stone’s ‘The 25 Best Cover Songs by Reggae Artists’.
The article stated that “Singer Naomi Cowan topped it all off with a Jamaican-centric interpretation – a little accent and patois, which was exactly what we were looking for.”