Dreamville Sudanese-American artist, Bas, starts the year off with his first release, “Smoke From Fire” with The Hics, out today. The Deputy produced track acts as an affirmation and reminder to never lose hope when facing adversity. “’Smoke from Fire’ is about coming out a destructive space and rising above it,” Bas explains. “Out of this fire, this destructive force, we rise above and we rebuild, reinvent and keep progressing.”
Listen HERE.
“Smoke From Fire” is the official theme song for Bas’ new podcast “The Messenger”. It focuses on prolific Ugandan musician-turned activist, Bobi Wine and chronicles his transition from iconic musician to a fearless politician leading a movement to highlight and challenge the current oppressive regime over Uganda.
This series puts a spotlight on the political revolutions emerging throughout Africa, often on the backs of successful artists who are using their audiences to unite and dismantle decades of political oppression, violence, and corruption. The podcast comes just in time for Uganda’s pivotal election on January 14th, 2021.
“The Messenger” is a co-production between Dreamville Studios, Awfully Nice Productions & Spotify, and is executive produced by Candace Rodney (President of Dreamville Studios), Adam Roy, Ibrahim Hamad, and Jermaine Cole for Dreamville; Jesse Burton for Awfully Nice.
About Bas
Always balancing his bravado with a relatable sense of humility, Dreamville’s first signee, Bas, continues to solidify himself as one of the most respected and authentic artists in the world. Since his debut album Last Winter in 2014 and the acclaimed follow-up Too Highto Riot in 2016, Bas has cultivated a dedicated fan community, known as the “Fiends,” and has included both his heritage and a global perspective into his soundscape. #17 on Billboard ’s Top Rap Albums of 2018, Milky Way , Bas’s latest album, was deemed his strongest and most sonically ambitious album to date. A power player on Dreamville’s 2019 historical #1 album, Revenge Of The Dreamers III, Bas received Grammy nominations, including “Best Rap Album” and “Best Rap Performance” for the stand-out single, “Down Bad.” Bas also earned his first Billboard Hot 100 placements with “Down Bad” and “Costa Rica.” Earlier in 2019, Bas branched out sonically with his EP, Spilled Milk I , which featured an outstanding supporting cast (Ari Lennox, Earthgang, J.I.D, Kidomminant, and Falcons) and strong collaborative projects like his single, “Risk” with French multi-instrumentalist artist FKJ. More of the unexpected is set to come from Bas as he prepares for his forthcoming album with longtime collaborators The Hics.
About The Hics
THE HICS are a London duo comprised of Sam Paul Evans and Rox Barker. They fuse their unique musical backgrounds and vocal styles to form a harmonic synergy, born from their love of Jazz, Soul, Electronic and Folk — THE HICS have become a one of a kind sophisti-pop soul duo.
