Nairobi-born, Berlin-based pop artist Kabeaushé unveils his audacious new single “I DON’T NEED YOU, SO YOU COULD TELL ME IF I’M GUD,” the first taste from his highly anticipated sophomore album IGGY SWAGGERING UNGRATEFUL INCESSANT LITTLE PEEEAAAAAAAA.
A funky monster with brass and bombast, the track showcases Kabeaushé’s signature sonic maximalism: multi-layered vocals crash into regal spinet sounds, high and exaggerated, interspersed with samples in beguiling simultaneity. It’s Baroque meets hip-hop, classical refinement colliding with contemporary chaos.
“It’s inspired a lot by Baroque, especially 17th-century French music,” Kabeaushé explains. “I started getting into classical after we did a show with the Berlin Komische Oper, but before that, I’d always loved the harpsichord/clavecin in French music. I found it very playful but regal.”
The song introduces Herr Iggy, an egomaniacal despot from the fictional Doerf Kingdom—a character born from Kabeaushé’s fascination with Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon. “I loved the costumes, the narration, and his music selection. He always used classical music… That’s where it all began. I had the idea for Herr Iggy back in 2020.”
Accompanied by striking black-and-white visuals inspired by 1920s German silent cinema (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dr. Mabuse), the single marks the beginning of a cinematic narrative exploring power, megalomania, and the cycle of rise and fall.
