North Kingsley teamed up with Wu Tang Clan’s RZA to deliver a politically charged bop, “False Idols.” North Kingsley being a newer artistic project created by System of a Down’s bass player Shavo Odadjian alongside frontman and lyricist Ray Hawthorn and producer Saro Paparian. Known for their bass driven rap, the fledgling trio released their debut project, three-track extended play Vol. 1, back when they formed in August of this year. Today, Vol. 2 is out, and it similarly features three tracks, but this time around, the air of overt political themes that surrounds the grooves of almost all of their music is hyper focused.

“False Idols” features one of the groups actual idyllic artists RZA of whom they have been vocal about drawing inspiration from. The video features the group sporting masks of political figures. The song is bookended by a government PSA which is bounded by a tasty surfing bass line and laid back but intricate rap bars that critique the current state of American social struggles and the tension that ready to spring for bystanders.

Hawthorn spits during the pre-chorus, “And the foresight is my sight/And I’ll talk light when I fight/Just be about if you been about it/We don’t gotta act all polite.”

Elaborating on the lyrical context, “We, as individuals, empower and idolize people who care for their own interests above ours,” Hawthorn said, “We need to recognize that. We need to look at things from all angles, and decide on our own what we agree and disagree with. We can’t continue to fall in line with the false idols that we bring upon ourselves. They’re coming from more places than you may think.”

For more on North Kingsley, check out another one of their political statement pieces off of their first EP, “Shotguns.” And for more on System of a Down, check out their first new music in 15 Years with “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz.”

photo credit: Owen Ela