Since the release of his 2014 debut album ‘Everybody Down’, Kae Tempest has consistently provided some of the UK’s most incisive, sharp-tongued social commentary. Until now, though, the full, unbridled story of the person behind these lyrics – which have won various accolades including the 2024 Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song, two Mercury Prize shortlists and a BRIT nomination in 2018 — hasn’t always been examined in plain sight.
On the south London poet/rapper’s fifth studio album ‘Self Titled’, we’re plunged deeper into his personal life than ever before. The mental processes, emotions, and reflections that have defined a transformative period, and the years that preceded it, all come to life here.
That’s the case early on, with the record’s dramatic, film score-esque opening track ‘I Stand On The Line’ accepting how Tempest’s true identity “was too big to look at square on” – a nod to the inspiring process that he’s embarked on in recent years. The artist came out as non-binary in 2020 before medically transitioning and sharing earlier this year that he identifies as a trans man.
It’s a journey he depicts in the bars that follow, ones that are pressing and urgent during a time when trans and non-binary people are under relentless attack. “At 37, going through a second puberty / Out in the limelight, like please nobody look at me,” he breathes, with vulnerability and clarity. “I’m looking for myself, all I’m seeing is the bitterness / Coming my way when I’m using the facilities.”
The ferocious swagger of ‘Statue in a Square’, which is laced with trappy hi-hats, sirens, and beefy, menacing NWA-like piano lines, highlights the enriched sense of self-confidence with which Tempest tackles his situation. A memorable hook (“They never wanted people like me round here / But when I’m dead, they’ll put my statue in a square“) is delivered in a typically methodical, measured style, with the heavier vocal gravel brought on by hormone treatment a healthy tonal addition. Later, the second verse sees him dip into rapid, skippy rap flows that underline a sturdy grounding in grime and hip-hop (and reflect a clear desire for fresh technical challenges).
‘Know Yourself’ is a powerful combination of two voices: Kae today, and Kae years ago, billed as “a dialogue between selves across time, in real time” tracking the process of shifting identity via a sample of an old lyric. Amid these internal battles is a clear vision of the chaotic world outside, too; ‘Bless The Bold Future’ is a nuanced rumination on the dangers of bringing new life onto a planet in turmoil, while critiques of wealth inequality and social isolation continue to chime through in tracks like ‘Hyperdistillation, where he raps “I watch it flow, the old river / Empty penthouses but still the lone figure“.
A rich array of fellow innovators star on the album, from Edinburgh trio Young Fathers (‘Breathe’) to Pet Shop Boys legend Neil Tennant (‘Sunshine on Catford’). But the most important contributor is acclaimed producer Fraser T Smith, whom Tempest has praised effusively. Speaking to NME in April, he recalled Smith pushing him creatively, focusing on answering the question: “What is it only I can say, that no other lyricist in the UK can say?” On those terms, ‘Self Titled’ is an unmitigated success.
Details
- Record label: Island Records
- Release date: July 4, 2025