Kooley High Keep Ascending & Will Never Come Down (Video Premiere)

From the hills of Raleigh, North Carolina, Kooley High have ascended with Never Come Down, a 14-track album with features from fellow Tar Heels Rapsody and Carlitta Durand and 9th Wonder as executive producer. The quintet made up of MCs Charlie Smarts and Tab-One; producers Foolery and The Sinopsis; and DJ Ill Digitz has been open about the absence felt in the wake of Rap’s departure from the group but has opted, always, to channel focus into uplifting Hip-Hop music.

“As a group, we endured a change of personnel when Rapsody went solo and we each had our own struggles personally and creatively that we had to overcome to make this project come to fruition,” the group tells Ambrosia For Heads of Never Come Down in a statement. In an interview with Indyweek, Foolery says that Rapsody’s pursuit of a solo career was never indicative of her departure from the Kooley High family and 9th Wonder’s contribution to their latest album is also not surprising. “Rapsody and 9th have always been here with us. It’s not a situation where Rapsody left town and we haven’t heard from her, and all of the sudden she and 9th graced us with their presence after their successes,” he said.

Kooley High Reach For The Ceiling In The Group’s Newest Video

Never Come Down‘s very existence speaks to its theme of steadfast determination; the group has been making music together for over a decade, withstanding the pursuit of individual solo careers in place of collective output. On the T-Mos produced title track, Kooley High acknowledge the three-year hiatus since 2015’s Heights and also emphasize the desire to prove they’re here to stay. “The song serves as a focal point on the recurring theme of staying motivated through hardship. The song is an acknowledgment of perseverance for us and our fans,” the group says.

Today (June 13), Kooley High premieres the video for “Never Come Down” with AFH. Directed by Jordan Kornegay & The Part Time Astronauts, the clip makes striking use of architecture and color. Clad in all black, the group stands tall against splashes of oranges, blues and whites before venturing onto a dark black set.

Never Come Down arrived on March 30 via M.E.C.C.A. Records.