a meeting point between electronic music and contemporary rap
Grammy Award-winning producer, artist and songwriter YOGI has released his new single ‘Ride or Die’, featuring Toronto rapper SadBoi and Tokyo-based rapper NENE.
The track marks YOGI’s return to the forefront as an artist.
While his earlier song ‘ANGREZE’ placed South Asian rhythms and British Asian identity at the heart of YOGI’s sound, ‘Ride or Die’ connects London’s underground electronic scene with emerging rap voices from Canada and Japan.
Built around distorted bass, clipped percussion and a dark, hypnotic rhythm, ‘Ride or Die’ delivers a relentless sound that draws on the intensity of UK club music and South Asian percussion.
The result is a meeting point between electronic music and contemporary rap, with both featured artists bringing their distinctive styles to YOGI’s uncompromising production.
Representing Toronto, SadBoi has established herself as a singer and rapper whose emotionally direct songwriting and confident delivery move between rap, R&B, dancehall, drill and Brazilian funk.
Raised in the city’s west end in a Caribbean household, she draws on Jamaican patois, sound system culture and Toronto’s underground nightlife to shape her sound.
Her 2024 project DRY CRY further established her distinctive, club-focused style. On ‘Ride or Die’, SadBoi brings a melodic delivery that balances seduction with defiance.
Joining her is NENE, the Tokyo rapper known for her boundary-pushing solo work and as one half of Japanese duo Yurufuwa Gang.
Her music blends hip-hop, hyperpop, UK garage and drum and bass, while her bold delivery and distinctive visual identity have helped set her apart within Japan’s rap scene.
NENE’s international collaborations include an appearance on The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Eve of Destruction’.
Meanwhile her more recent solo releases have seen her work alongside prominent Japanese artists such as Awich and Young Coco.
The collaboration brings together three different musical worlds, with the accompanying video reinforcing the connection through footage of SadBoi and NENE filmed in their respective hometowns.
The release also reflects YOGI’s position within a growing generation of British Asian artists making their mark on underground electronic music.
Rather than using South Asian influences as a passing reference, he places them at the foundation of his sound, bringing the intensity and physicality of the region’s percussion into darker, bass-driven territory.
His approach draws on the cultural diversity that has long shaped British club music while offering a personal perspective informed by immigrant identity, spirituality and the experience of navigating different cultures.
Watch ‘Ride or Die’
