Brooklyn-based rapper SERIOUS VOICE isn't in it for riches, fame, or even love of the game. No—her wellspring of flow, wit, and wisdom is leveraged in the name of truth, praise, and salvation. Coming up on hard streets and an often harder home life, young Brigitte James found dual pillars of solace in her Christian faith and in the example of bold, black female rappers like Queen Latifah. Her faith soothed her struggles and challenged idols of the modern world, while her love of music offered her a medium of expression—apt to match those struggles and shatter those idols. After releasing her debut single as SERIOUS VOICE, James began making a name for herself in the New York rap scene. Sharpening her skills in performances across the boroughs, she eventually released her debut album Shofar, containing the track "Whoa"—which fatefully landed on Spike Lee's Netflix series She's Gotta Have It. Spreading the Word like wildfire in her unique manifestation, she landed a performance at SXSW on Sway in the Morning and began to garner a following that heartily received her homage to the strong women in her life, her 2021 album Beautiful. Now we anticipate her further revelations, due out later this year on her upcoming EP Back2Basics. Stay tuned for your spiritual tune-up with SERIOUS VOICE.

On her most recent single, "KILL THA KING," SERIOUS VOICE relays a modern transcription of the prophet Samuel's warnings of idolatry. It takes some serious wisdom and ingenuity to meaningfully interpret such a passage, and only an artist of SERIOUS VOICE's caliber can do so with such infectious energy. With the subtlety and coolness of Kendrick Lamar, she almost unnoticeably calls out our modern "kings": the substances and processes we worship and go to for salvation, like drink, sex, and validation. With a hook you can't help but chant along, she seals the deal by imprinting a message we can't ignore: if we don't kill these kings, we will be enslaved by them. Damn.

Encounter and contemplate your "kings" more deeply with the music video for SERIOUS VOICE's "KILL THA KING," directed by Kareem Caines. Set in the seductive drip of Miami Beach, we walk with SERIOUS VOICE through scenes of temptation, drunkenness, and social flaunting. Without being critical of the people involved, she calls out the futility of the patterns of praise we offer to our modern and hollow gods. Her sword of a tongue is geared toward those behaviors, while her embrace of hip-hop welcomes modern seekers into a new spirit of being. Director Caines holds nothing back in depictions of our devils so that viewers can confront their vices in the no-holds-barred context of SERIOUS VOICE's powerful words. Take a brave step towards your spiritual growth with a fearless friend at your side.

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