Like Chris Paul snaking around a pick and roll for a languid fadeaway free-throw jumper, or Carmelo Anthony pulling up off the dribble into a form-perfect 3-pointer – so does Josef slide, effortlessly smooth, over It Takes A Village.
A genuine and thankful debut, It Takes A Village moves with deep acknowledgement of the importance and power of relationships. Not only golden-age Sportscentre basketball players – both CP3 and Melo are shouted out on the record – but the web of friends, family and collaborators that made Josef the artist and the person he is. A classic coming-of-age portrait debut, Josef doesn’t shy away from the growing pains that led him there, but he looks back with poise; a deep-sighed but comfortable understanding.
It’s a solace that Josef wears uniquely in his totally unhurried delivery, laid-back but not without a deceptively deft flow that picks step by step through each turmoil, memory and breakthrough. It Takes A Village is an intimate and inviting experience, Josef’s hushed delivery like a murmur of a memory, ruminated on a wistful afternoon. Buttered over with a warm, analogue nostalgia, the production understands the assignment perfectly. A sonic world of perfectly chopped samples with a touch of soulful elegance, courtesy of producer Tee8, and a gorgeous beat from Zzarni on ‘Melo’.
The record is released through community-focused label and collective Beat Kitchen Records, with features from well-regarded scene rappers MALI JO$E and Yibby. It’s a genuine family affair, but the record starts and finishes with just Josef, alone, singing gently with just an acoustic guitar. It took a village to bring Josef to where he is now, but this is his story to tell, and his time to shine.
Words by Lindsay Riley