Kabul Fire 2

The first iteration of Kabul Fire offered a bold journey through producer Farhot's musical influences, inspirations and a sense of home away from home. Born in Kabul, but brought up in Germany, his music explores the intersection between being immersed in hip-hop on the streets of Hamburg while feeling an earnest and heartfelt connection to his Afghani heritage.

Kabul Fire 2 continues to explore these themes, but with a more unified focus. Farhot powerfully evokes displacement and reads his duality through a broad array of samples taken from Afghani documentaries, film and folk song. Its opener employs material from Siddiq Barmak's film Opium Wars – a key inspiration for the album – while prominent resistant fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud breaks through on ‘Yak Sher’ as the serene strings fade.

His impressive roster of guests add to, rather than detract from, the album's intent. Maverick Sabre soars on ‘Feel Ugly’, a deep rumination on love and longing. And, on ‘Check’, German-American rapper JuJu Rogers polemicises against hollow celebrity, questioning success over social responsibility: ‘f*ck my success as an individual/what's a wavy line when two-thirds are out here thirsty?' Poignant questions are posed throughout, and Farhot's masterful melding of Afghani history and hip-hop sensibility makes this message even more compelling.