Innovative hip-hop duo EARTHGANG have released Cool Me Down, a new single written and created in response to the extreme heat caused by the climate crisis. The aptly titled song arrives after one of the hottest and driest summers on record for many people across the globe, and amid predictions that 2027 could be hotter still.
Featuring sounds drawn from the natural world, Cool Me Down sees the Atlanta duo become the first major hip-hop act to credit NATURE on a release, thereby redirecting a proportion of the royalties towards projects helping address the unfolding climate emergency.
“Cool Me Down is electric and hypnotizing. Every sound and word was intentionally chosen to add to the rhythm of nature and enjoyment of life,” explain EARTHGANG. “Also, saving the planet should be fun.”
Check out the In The Studio video documenting the making of the song here.
Cool Me Down is out now, at the beginning of New York Climate Week. The single will be supported by a speaking and playback session at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as part of the UN General Assembly, billboards in Times Square, Spotify on-platform promotion, and further events and activations.
Cool Me Down is released and supported by Sounds Right, a groundbreaking global initiative that has established NATURE as a credited artist on all major music streaming platforms, with royalties flowing directly to frontline conservation. It is led by The Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, and EarthPercent, the environmental charity co-founded by Brian Eno and made possible by Wellcome, a global charitable foundation working towards a healthier future for everyone. It is the lead single in a collection of Sounds Right releases around Climate Week. The collection also features new music from; Ichiko Aoba, the Japanese folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her dream-inspired acoustic music and use of field recordings; Shallou, the Los Angeles-based singer, producer and DJ; London-based musician and artist, Josephine Illingworth; hip-hop children’s group Alphabet Rockers and Nordic ambient collective, Halo Music.
EARTHGANG are a pioneering rap duo known for creating their own trends rather than following industry conventions. Comprising Olu and WowGr8, the pair met as freshmen at Mays High School in Atlanta, Georgia, and formed EARTHGANG in 2008.
Drawing on hip-hop, R&B, jazz, gospel and funk, EARTHGANG have developed a distinctive, ever-evolving sound that has attracted a devoted global following, with numerous songs amassing tens – and in some cases hundreds – of millions of streams.
After joining J. Cole’s Dreamville Records in 2017, the duo achieved significant commercial and critical success. Their singles Down Bad and Collide, their collaboration with Tiana Major9, earned Grammy Award nominations, while EARTHGANG were named Best Group at the 2022 BET Awards.
More recently, EARTHGANG entered a new chapter with Perfect Fantasy, their first independently released album and the concluding instalment in their futuristic EARTHGANG vs. the Algorithm series. The project reaffirmed their commitment to artistic independence, experimentation and forging their own path.
Throughout their career, EARTHGANG have collaborated with several high profile peers including Gorillaz, Pharrell Williams, Mac Miller, Future, Young Thug, Snakehips and Snoop Dogg, while consistently pushing beyond conventional musical and creative boundaries.
Reflecting the duo’s belief in connection and collective action, the EARTHGANG name represents a desire to bring people together. That purpose also informs their EARTHGANG Foundation, which works to combat environmental injustice through climate action, environmental conservation and community engagement.
