Arohanui Whānau
Just over a month since the release of his last single, ‘Hit That (Or Nah)‘, New Zealand rapper, and songwriter Kings is back with latest single, ‘R.I.P’.
With the track’s title, Kings takes the ubiquitous acronym and reimagines it to mean to overcome suicidal thoughts in order to be able to sleep well and rest in peace, literally.
‘R.I.P’ aims to tackle the various stigmas surrounding mental health issues and suicide by encouraging people of all walks of life to realise they are not alone, and that to speak out about one’s struggles is a sign of strength.
On the track and its lyricism, Kings, real name Kingdon Chapple-Wilson, said:
“This song is an open letter to myself. I’ve experienced suicidal thoughts and I’m happy to say I haven’t felt that way in a long time. The line ‘I lose myself and I can’t find my way back’ is a direct reference to how I was feeling during those times. I want to show people who are struggling that I stand with them. As artists we have a responsibility to talk about the hard stuff and do what we can to help.”
For the song, Kings teamed up with Key To Life – a community peer support group based in New Zealand.
Key To Life founder Mike King said of King’s support with the track:
“What he is doing is going to make such a difference to the people of Aotearoa (New Zealand). We need to get more people talking about mental health.”
But it is hoped that people around the globe, not just New Zealand, will listen to and share ‘R.I.P’ as a means of igniting a discussion around mental health.
Alongside its release, Kings also dropped an emotional music video, that, while upsetting in parts, does well to highlight the importance of ‘R.I.P’‘s underlying message.
‘R.I.P’ is out now through King’s record label, Arch Angel Records.
For all the latest news on Kings, make sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
