"'Guide Me Home' is the third installment of a visual EP by AFIKA called BLK JON SNO -- After his appearance on Songland and gaining positive attention, it was time to get out the music that he and Christian Medice (P!NK, lovelytheband, Halsey) poured their heart and soul into. 'Guide Me Home' features TOTEM.
"BLK JON SNO was born from a love of Game of Thrones, and a desire to see more black royal themes. I was sitting at the hotel bar with one of the other Songland participants in March 2019, talking about all these songs I had in the vault, and talking about how I'd love to see a Black Game of Thrones—a show about ancient African kingdoms, filled with rich character storylines, drama, and the supernatural. Featuring a Black Jon Snow character. The friend at the bar turns to me and says "Dude. You know you gotta put out a project called Black Jon Snow, right?" This project as a body of work to represent where my head has been from 2015 to now, as a dedication to the land where I was conceived in the Kingdom of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), and to transition into this next phase of my artistry. The sonic branding is Cinematic Royal Rap." The first installment from BLK JON SNO, entitled “Chosen,” dropped on July 3rd of last year. The video was shot by Paul Brasil at Church Street Boxing Gym, the largest boxing gym in New York City. A month later, Afika dropped the second installment, “King’s Court,” which was produced by Medice and James Shelley. The video was shot my Derrick Trotman in Capitol Reef, Utah. More info on AFIKA below: “Every now and then, we come across gifted musicians who effortlessly experiment with new sounds and styles, while finding inspirations in what’s popular. Such skills can be found in newcomer Afika’s work.” - MTV Since his introduction to the New York music scene, the writer, producer, and performer =Afika= has crafted an electric sound fueled by pop sensibility, crafty lyricism, and a signature South African stacked vocal trademark, reminiscent of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and “Power”-era Kanye West. If it sounds unique, it certainly is—says his mentor Billy Mann, “Afika balances on the razor’s edge of alternative hip-hop and reggae. I don’t know what to call it, but I like it loud.” In a short but sweet season, =Afika= has seen his releases land on Spotify’s US Viral 50 chart, and more recently has tried on his influencer hat as a host with Rolling Stone’s digital platform. In 2018, he was awarded the competitive June Jordan Teaching Artist Fellowship for his proposal on a pop & social justice songwriting course, which he taught at Columbia University. And in 2019, the world was introduced to =Afika= as he debuted on season 1 of the hit NBC series Songland. With direct roots from South Africa and the Kingdom of eSwatini, the African continent’s last true monarchy, =Afika= intentionally engages royal African imagery in his tone and lyrics, focusing on epic syncopated drum patterns and potent lyrics laced with life lessons on rising above circumstances. Expect a Grammy-worthy catalog of work from this creative juggernaut. https://www.afika.life/
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