Native James has begun a new chapter in his career with the release of his latest single, “Never Been Afraid”which marks his first new music since signing with SharpTone Records. The song pairs the genre-defying artist with the grime heavyweight Friscothe Boy Better Know MCon a collaboration that bridges two of Britain’s most uncompromising musical worlds.
Driven by crushing riffs and razor-sharp lyrics, “Never Been Afraid” leans into the hybrid sound Native James has become known for, fusing metal, grime, punk and hip-hop into an adrenaline-fuelled anthem of resilience. The song is accompanied by a stark black-and-white music video directed by longtime collaborator Reece Selvadorai.
““Never Been Afraid” is what it says on the tin,” James said in a statement. “This song is for people who have felt a time when they need to overcome something, whether it’s your personal best, a degree, standing up to face challenges at work, life itself … it’s a power play for your inner self, to remind yourself that you can overcome anything you want.”
The single has already hit the festival circuit. During his Download Festival who last month surprised Native James fans by bringing Frisco on stage for the song’s live debut, drawing one of the most talked about audiences of the weekend Avalanche Internship. The performance also stood out as one of the festival’s rare moments where a rock artist shared the stage with a grime MC, underscoring Native James’ commitment to breaking down genre barriers.
NATIVE JAMES – Never Been Scared (feat. Frisco) (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
The release coincides with the announcement of ‘THE FALL’ rappers signed to SharpTone Records, whose roster includes boundary-pushing heavy acts such as Disgust, Inhumansand Last wish.
“I can honestly say it’s crazy that I’m signed to SharpTone,” Native James said. “Feels like this is going to be a crazy chapter for me. I’m stoked, I won’t lie to you and can’t wait to get to work bringing you more music.”
Echoing that enthusiasm, SharpTone recalls first seeing the artist perform in a small basement venue in East London before deciding they wanted to be part of his journey.
“Native embodies everything we strive for here at the label – originality, personality and pure talent,” the label said in a statement. “We can’t wait to enhance that talent in what will inevitably be a very bright future.”
The announcement caps off a busy year for Native James. Alongside his Download performance – where he also reunited with Professor Green to carry out their cooperation “BLOCK – RR” – he has continued to build momentum on the live circuit and shared stages with Enter Shikari, Don Broco, Nova Twinsand Hyphen.
His festival schedule shows no signs of slowing down, with performances lined up at 2000 trees, Latitude, Easter doll in the Netherlands, Rock La Mure? in Romania and Slovakia Pohoda Festivalfurther cementing his reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting crossover artists.
Download / Stream “Never Been Afraid” here
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