EXCLUSIVE:
ATO Delivers A Candid Tale Of His Own Inner
Turmoil In Two-Part “No Caroline” Video

Leeds rapper ATO is in his own lane. Crafting tracks filled with lyrically dense anecdotes over punchy, dance-ready productions, he keeps reaffirming why we should all be paying attention to him.

His latest track, “No Caroline”, is a vivid sonic experience that gently lulls us with the sound of his soft vocals and the easy electronic beats that carry the laid-back bars he delivers with his friends in the on-the-block visuals from directors Dominik Galleya and Clemens Niel.

Shortly after, this is all disrupted as the subject matter takes a bleak turn to a gritty page of his life story. The delicate production from Singular Balance that opened the track switches to an array of erratic D&B percussion and echoed screams. As ATO spits about the reality of Black men’s mental health and his own struggles with personal hardships, the visuals also switch, revealing close up shots of a young Black man, his chest painted red to mimic an England flag, quite literally struggling to keep his head above water.

ATO’s first full project, Man Of The House, came to us in 2017 and since then he’s continued to deliver poetic musings on the Black British identity as it relates to himself and the world around him. He has a lot to say with that strong voice of his, so make sure you tune into “No Caroline” below.

Words: Blessing Borode
Photography: Jasmina Wood


Posted on July 22, 2021