Mississippi is known for many things, including being the birthplace of the blues. However, native KIRBY wants it to be known that the countryside landscapes have much more to admire — more specifically, the people.
KIRBY’s “Thick N Country” is a sensual thesis statement on the South’s sex appeal, and fellow Mississippi representative Akeem Ali pens the abstract. On the track “Thick N Country,” she taps longtime creative partner, producer Homer Steinweiss, to bring the funk.
Although her previous single “The Man” and “Thick N Country” appear to be in distant music universes, that is in fact false. Both tell a vivid story of Mississippi; “Thick N Country” is just the sexier chapter. Cinematographer Devin Blakely amplifies this beauty as KIRBY and Akeem Ali step into 1970s Mississippi.
“Country folk in an F-150 / Hundred folk in the backyard tipsy / Red cup sipping with my cousin in the back / Ripped up shorts in an old school / Cadillac / I’m thick & country / Ooh baby say he like my body like he like my accent, thick,” sings KIRBY.
Akeem Ali brings the Southern charm in his tantalizing verse. “Girl, you’re thicker than cold oatmeal / I know you’re a handful, but I need more feels / This Cadillac ain’t enough for you, honey, I need some more wheels / Cuz the wagon that you draggin’ got me past the flabbergasted phase / You bad, huh? Do you need an inhaler for all that a$$-ma,” rap Akeem.
In a statement shared with ENVERT, KIRBY spoke about the song’s hidden history lesson.
“My friend Justin Hardiman once told me that historians come to Mississippi and photograph it in black in white, as if they want us to be stuck in this time capsule or era,” she said. “So, when you show Mississippi, show it in color. ‘Thick n Country’ is me showing and singing about Mississippi in color.”
She continued: “I hope people put on this record and feel the humidity, the mosquito bites, the smoke off the grill, and immediately want to do a line dance. It’s juke joint funk, with a hook as sticky as the Mississippi air after a summer rain. ‘Thick n Country’ is simple and vibrant, but beautiful – and because of that, it sounds just like home.”
Listen to KIRBY’s new single “Thick N Country” featuring Akeem Ali below.
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