Songs We Love: Rome Fortune, 'Blicka Blicka'

Rome Fortune may seem like an Atlanta anomaly. But that's only if your idea of the ATL is trapped inside a two-dimensional stereotype of the Southern rap capital. His newly released video for "Blicka Blicka" showcases the sojourn of an eccentric artist navigating his way through an industry fraught with potholes and a tendency to pigeonhole.

Wrapped in a soundscape as idiosyncratic as Fortune's plaid-on-plaid-kilt ensemble, the experimental track, produced by collaborator Cubby, features electro-pan-flute flourishes over synthy West African rhythms. But the real grabber here is the high-octane onomatopoeic hook: "blicka blicka bow bow." Like shots fired, the repetitious mantra is Fortune's way of flexing on the world for having ever doubted his eclectic appeal. This is the same dude, after all, whose cross-genre come up includes pairings with acts ranging from fellow Atlantan Young Thug to London's Four Tet.

The Anthony Supreme-directed video, which is being released along with two new remixes of the song by C.Z. and Cy Kosis, opens with Fortune awakening in a desert, lost and alone. To avoid a tragic ending, he has to tap into his spiritual reserve: "They said that this s*** would be difficult / To make it I needed a miracle," he raps. The standout song comes from his most personal project to date. Released almost one year ago on the Fool's Gold label, Jerome Raheem Fortune finds the artist reveling in his own human contradictions. But "Blicka Blicka" is his flag in the sand, a living testament to his own creative ambition and willingness to forge a path less traveled.

It's a horn Fortune has learned to toot for himself out of necessity. "I can say without ego that I've influenced many artists from Atlanta to embrace evolution and growth—visually, sonically, fashionably," he tells NPR. "This is the awakening of my awareness of how impactful I am and can become, whether being acknowledged for it initially or not."

Two new remixes of "Blicka Blicka" by C.Z. and Cy Kosi are out now via Fool's Gold.

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