Music / rap
Rapper’s new track a ‘bold conversation starter for contemporary Britain’
Teddy Good’s new track Barbie sees him team up with artists Elijah Phillips and Komposa.
Earlier this year Good was featured in a Valentine’s Day music video showing the isolation of domestic abuse.
His new track explores “the layered experiences of cultural fetishisation, racial trauma and identity in modern
Britain.”
The track features artist Komposa – photo: Teddy Good
Birmingham/Bristol based visual artist Elijah Phillips who is known for ‘Black Anxiety‘ (2020) shot Barbie’s music video.
is needed now More than ever
Featured hip-hop artist Komposa has also been heavily involved in the Bristol creative scene, appearing on BBC Introducing and supporting Onyx at Lost Horizon earlier this year.
He delivers a verse on masculinity and mental health, paying homage to his elders whilst thinking about how he would raise a son and questioning if we have freedom of speech.
Filmed in a series of shots following Good and Komposa as they walk around town, the music video is honest and intimate.
When the artists stare into the camera to deliver their verses, it feels like you’re on the listening end of an important conversation.
Good’s new track explores racial trauma, cultural appropriation and mental health – photo: Teddy Good
The track is garnering attention with more than 7,500 pre-release streams through early social media teasers.
Speaking about why he wrote Barbie, Teddy Good said: “It felt like the right time to speak openly about the fetishisation of global majority cultures.
“Whether it’s the appropriation of Hindu practices or the glamorisation of the Black image, we’ve grown desensitised to how disrespect can manifest.
“But from the conversations I’ve had, many of us still don’t feel safe raising these issues, even among friends. Barbie became my way of confronting that.”
The track also poignantly covers themes of mental health, silence and suicide, exploring the psychological impacts of being a Person of Colour in Britain.
In a social media post Good said “it’s time we started ensuring a safe space for all people – check on your friends, protect your allies”.
Main photo: Courtesy of Teddy Good
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