Kojey Radical and Kopparberg launch new tee to support Music Venue Trust's #saveourvenues campaign

The new t-shirt launch coincides with the release of Kopparberg's Dark Fruit Rum, and sales will support independent music venues in the UK amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kojey Radical X Kopparberg has landed. Click the link in our bio to get your hands on a limited-edition t-shirt, designed by @kojeyradical and inspired by our new Dark Fruit Spiced Rum. All profits will go to independent music venues via the @musicvenuetrust. #DifferentInTheDark pic.twitter.com/tBknMal1T0

— kopparberguk (@KopparbergUK) August 28, 2020

The #saveourvenues campaign is raising money to support grassroots venues in the UK after the coronavirus pandemic left hundreds of music venues without a stable future.

Speaking to Metro about his decision to get involved, Kojey Radical said, "There are a lot of things in life that benefit me and they’re cool, I enjoy them. But sometimes, especially the world we live in today, what you can do for things that are bigger than you can help you get up in the morning."

"One of the venues on my tour actually closed down because of not being able to survive the pandemic and that was a big eye-opener for me because it’s such a personal thing as to why it’s important," Kojey Radical continued. "That was a venue at the beginning of my career - maybe 500 or 600 [capacity] - and I always wanted to sell it out. I tried three different times and I couldn’t sell it out until this time - maybe even quicker than London. I was like, "Wow, I finally done it". Manchester felt different to me than the 3,000 in London because I had to graft to be able to sell the venue out."

Kojey Radical added, "As soon as I did, it closed down because of Covid. It was a big eye-opener for me because it’s less about us getting back on stage, it’s so many memories lost with these venues closing down."

He also revealed that he fears that young black artists may struggle in the live music industry post-COVID, "As much as I think smaller venues will be taking a hit, I also think that the ability for young black artists to put on shows are going to struggle as well. But with every struggle, you can’t kill music. It will adapt and there will be a new system and way of doing things."

The rapper continued, "Before Covid, we were the only ones getting our shit checked with the forms and police."