After wrapping up an Australian tour with UK grime and hip-hop artist Stormzy last week, as well as tipping over a million views on his video for “Everyday” (and creeping up on 2mil for “Blowin Up”), Sydney-based artist and producer Manu Crooks gives you the video for his new single “Ridin’” – the first track off his upcoming EP mood forever.

Directed by Julian Machuca and produced by Kiran Dosanjh of aBp, the video also features rising Italian/Mauritian model and blogger Isabelle Impala and Aussie model Tara Linaker. Pre-order mood forever, here.

Manu Crooks exploded onto the international hip-hop scene last year with his debut track “Everyday”, before exceeding expectations again with the follow-up breakout single “Blowin’ Up” which, all jokes aside, BLEW. UP.

The clip has now amassed over 1.7 million views, and the track was added to triple J rotation, featured by Zane Lowe on Beats One, premiered by Hip-Hop’s biggest music news site The Fader, and earned the opportunity to open for both YG, Danny Brown, and Stormzy on their respective Australian tours, as well as an invite to Australia’s largest music conference BIGSOUND Festival.

This universal sound comes from growing up in Ghana, before finally settling as an Australian citizen in Sydney as a young teen. Because of this, Manu’s palette of influences is lush and diverse – he speaks two languages, is a producer, an artist, and a rapper. This comprehensive creativity perfectly showcases a new breed of beats coming out of Sydney, breaking the traditional structure of hip-hop in Australia to reveal an exciting and interesting new soundscape.

Early on in his career, Manu Crooks is bridging hip-hop hemispheres and representing a new era of music in Australia. Working with producers Miracle and DOPAM!NE for his upcoming EP mood forever, Manu Crooks’ has a fresh perspective and a continent full of hip hop fans who are ready to root for one of their own.

mood forever’ EP (produced by Miracle and DOPAM!INE) will be available August 18th
Pre-order the EP on iTunes HERE. “Ridin” is out now.