RenzNiro has spent years building something singular in Manchesterâs alt underground - grime-adjacent but pushing well beyond it, blending experimental electronics, contemporary composition and world-building lyricism that deals in faith, identity and resilience without flinching.
Four projects in, and the fifth is the one that undeniably makes the case.
âNo Weapon Shall Prosperâ is a fifteen track mixtape built over several years and it sounds like it; not overworked, but considered.
The productions are subtle: vaporised grime textures, floating electronic tones, bass and snares pulled apart from each other, with the rhythmic drive often coming from the clip of Renzâs own vocal flow. Live guitar, viola and saxophone break through throughout, giving a cinematic depth to his storytelling instinct.
The collaborators - Klein, Space Afrika, Japanese duo Big Animal Theory, Ratiba Ayadi - are a statement of taste in themselves; afterhours digitalism meeting something transformative and autobiographical.
âAll the early mornings, late nights and stress in between has paid offâ, he says on the mixtape. âMy one wish is for people to listen deeply, live with it and grow with itâ. Itâs worth doing exactly that.
đ§ Listen to âNo Weapon Shall Prosperâ and watch the video for âXYZâ featuring Lenacha below