Mr Eazi’s Choplife Soundsystem drops By Force video

The song, a motivational anthem about ridding oneself of bad energy, features South African rappers Focalistic and Anatii. The video, directed by JM Films director Mollana Burke, follows the adventures of three eccentric and sharply-dressed debt collectors as they make their runs across London. As they move through the city, we learn that they’re not bagging cash but rather helping those they encounter free themselves of their negative baggage.

Led by Afropop superstar Mr Eazi and British-Kenyan selector DJ Edu (of BBC 1Xtra fame), ChopLife SoundSystem is both a studio project and a touring rave, putting a unique African spin on the mobile sound systems that are the backbone of Jamaican dancehall culture. Mr Eazi is the MC, serving as the leader of the collective’s free-form parties as well as the primary vocalist on its recordings. He’s joined by DJ Edu, who anchors ChopLife’s performances with a mix of amapiano, Afrobeats and Afro-dance sounds, along with guest artists and DJs.

Focused on the amapiano sound that has exploded out of South Africa in the past three years and onto the world stage, Chop Life, Vol. 1: Mzansi Chronicles was recorded entirely in Cape Town and Johannesburg with a wide-ranging cast of some of South Africa’s most exciting talents. Previous singles from the project include ‘Patek’ and ‘Wena’ featuring Ami Faku.

Mr Eazi told Music In Africa last month that a successor album is due next year, noting that while the creative process allows for freedom, the fundamental essence of the music will always remain deeply rooted in Africa.

On the process of creating original music as a collective, he said: “We go to the club, we hear songs we like, we Shazam them, we reach out to the artist, we reach out to producers. Everybody comes together in a room where we’re having fun. We record music and we start trying to mix them like we were at the party, and we select the songs that go well together, tell a story and mix well into each other. That’s it really.”

The group, which kicked off its Summer tour in Barcelona on 7 July, heads to the US this month for a cross-country run of dates kicking off on 25 August in San Francisco at 1015 Folsom running through 15 September in New York at Webster Hall.

Tickets are available here.