Cleo Ice Queen releases Def Jam Africa debut ‘Leaders of the New School’ featuring artists from Zambia’s new era.
Cleo Ice Queen’s latest project titled Leaders of The New School is her first release under Def Jam Africa, who she signed with in the beginning of the year.
The rapper joins the likes of Cassper Nyovest, Nasty C, Boity and Stogie T on the franchise of the legendary American hip-hop label in Africa.
On the project, Cleo Ice Queen enlists talent from Zambia’s new crop of artists: Ryan Blaze, Killa, OREO, T-Low and many others.
“Leaders of The New School is about me and the kids, just us vibing; me tapping into their energy, them tapping into mine. Mutual exchange,” Cleo Ice Queen recently said in an interview on the That Zed Podcast.
As a result, the project shows an artist who’s in tune with current trends; while most of the project consists of trap and R&B production, traces of drill and amapiano can be picked up.
Cleo Ice Queen, who’s also a TV and radio presenter, has been in the game since the late 2000s. Her career kicked off in South Africa where she lived for a number of years. She appeared on the remix for Khuli Chana’s “Tswa Daar” in 2012 alongside the likes of AKA, Ice Prince, Reason, Maggz and Navio. Her breakout single “Big Dreams” featuring Zambian R&B star JK dropped in 2013. Her debut album would only drop in 2016. Leaders of the New School is the first project she has released since then.
Stream Leaders of The New School by Cleo Ice Queen on Apple Music and Spotify.