[PREMIERE] Kori James Redefines Atlanta’s Sound w/ New ‘Tomorrow’ EP + ‘N.E. Way’ Visual

Last we heard from Kori James was back in 2012 when he dropped his debut EP Write On, Kori. Now, the re-emerging artist has just unleashed his new EP entitled Tomorrow along with a fresh visual for his single “N.E. Way.”

Born to the streets of Miami, the FAMU musician has created a world of music, thoughts, and ideas that will lead his generation into a new era of sound and visual. About the EP, James says:

“Our thoughts. Our actions. Our prayers. Our sins– they all shape our future, our tomorrow. Life seems to be a constant battle between bad and good, joy and pain, love and hate. Sometimes, it feels like the balance is so off you can’t even recognize the world you’re living in. But, there’s always tomorrow. We all work for tomorrow. For our families, for our communities, for ourselves. The ‘Tomorrow’ EP is my message to all who will listen — it all will pay off tomorrow. The sleepless nights. The days on end that tend to blend together. When the world overlooks you and counts you out, keep going. Don’t quit. It will all pay off tomorrow.”

He continues:

“The ‘Tomorrow’ EP was born during a break in my creativity. I had a lot of moments where I faced crippling doubt about whether I was good enough to do music at all. I don’t have the sound that’s on the radio right now, and at 29, I’ve yet to get the coveted placement that solidifies a songwriter in the industry. I seriously contemplated conforming. Working my 9 to 5, and living for the few moments that made that reality “okay,” knowing it never made sense for me. That space was becoming even smaller, more claustrophobic, once you consider the rate so many black men, unarmed and innocent, have been murdered recently. My fear of becoming the next hashtag made me question whether any of my efforts would be in vain, if my fate was to end up dead at the hands of an officer. But, the melodies kept coming. I continued to create, most times, without any direction beyond raw emotion. I continued to write, and Tomorrow kept coming.”

Directed by Zu (@beyuism), the visual “N.E. Way” tie s into Tomorrow’s theme of time. “There is a lot of warping in the video,” he explains. “The subject matter is sensual and urgent. I wanted to go back in time and obviously since no one has revealed a time machine, we had to find a different way to get it done. The projector scene shows older movies that influenced the way society views sex, relationships, and intimacy through art. The other throwback was a nod to LL Cool J “Doin’ It” video. The peepshow scene was always iconic to me and to be able to recreate and show respect to a timeless work, is dope af to me.”

Watch below: