UK alternative hip-hop world-builder Roseland En Why Cee (pron. NYC), the alias of London rapper-producer Nathan Jamal, is ready to share his most ambitious project yet.
There has always been a close bond between hip-hop and cinema. From sprawling concept albums to alter-egos, skits and imaginary worlds, generations of artists, from MF DOOM and Wu-Tang Clan to CASSIDEAD and Little Simz, have used the album format to blur the line between soundtrack and storytelling. For London rapper and producer Roseland En Why Cee, that tradition becomes the foundation for his most ambitious work to date. The result is MY LIFE’S A (low budget art) MOVIE, releasing on Wednesday 11 November. It is Roseland’s first fully fledged narrative album, following an aspiring filmmaker as he tries to make his mark on the world. Along the way, he wrestles with ego, artistic compromise, and the temptation to sell out, all while searching for the passion that first set him on his path. The fiction carries something deeply personal beneath it: a celebration of the emotionally brutal, financially questionable, yet endlessly rewarding reality of life as an independent artist.
Following his 2024 album B-Side Soul, which was backed by Notion, Clash, Femi Koleoso and Worldwide FM, Roseland has narrowed his focus. He has set aside his restless genre-hopping and committed fully to a leftfield, alternative hip-hop sound that sits somewhere between Alfa Mist, The Silhouettes Project and Louis Culture. The tone has shifted too. The record is playful, surreal and knowingly tongue-in-cheek. “I’m not taking myself too seriously,” Roseland explains, “making space for subtle humour as I try to find some personal truths through this fictional character.”
The lead single, “Dream Sequence”, opens the door to the protagonist’s subconscious. Through a blend of Grifton Forbes-Amos’s spectral trumpet and understated storytelling, the track explores dreams and surrealism. Early support has come from tastemakers including Tina Edwards on Bandcamp Selects and Jyoty on Homegrown FM. MC and producer MAX GRISE features on the single and returns on “Netflix Budget”, a bravado-fuelled cut in which the protagonist finally catches his big break. The story closes with “All I Need”, which explores the break not quite being what it seemed, and the need to rediscover the fun and community that started the journey in the first place.
The album’s sound grew from a simple, human place. “The beat inspired the idea,” Roseland recalls. “I was playing around with live drums we recorded for ‘Netflix Budget’, and there was some bleed from my vocals on one of the tracks. It reminded me of being a teenager, recording with all my friends in the room. Not much concern for quality, but so much chemistry and energy. I really wanted that to come through in the sound, and I wanted to recreate that for myself. So I got my day-one friends in a room, passing around an SM58 in a cypher.”
That spirit of collaboration runs through the whole record. Max Grise contributes production or vocals to four of the album’s five tracks. The mixing is handled by MOBO Award-winning engineer Adam Wren, whose credits include Bashy’s acclaimed “Being Poor Is Expensive”, and the mastering is handled by Joker, who works with him on the same high standard.
MY LIFES A (low-budget art) MOVIE is out on Wednesday 11 November. It is a story about chasing a dream on a modest budget, told with humour, honesty and heart, and it is well worth your time.
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Images courtesy of DeepWater Records
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