OVRKAST. RELEASES NEW VIDEO SINGLE “KNOCK” (FEAT. MAVI & SAMARA)
Acclaimed East Oakland rapper and producer Ovrkast. has just shared his new video single “KNOCK” (feat. MAVI & Samara Cyn) –– out now via three times LOUDER. On “KNOCK”, Ovrkast. swaps verses with frequent collaborators Samara Cyn and MAVI, conversing about the pressures and exploitative nature of the music industry over a playful, jazz-heavy melody. The video swaps between Ovrkast, Samara, and MAVI rapping their verses to each other at a table and speaking directly to the camera, with a backdrop of city streets and brick walls that make them. “KNOCK” lands as Ovrkast. closes in on the highly-anticipated forthcoming release of his new album STRIKING, which is due out on October 9th with other features from Joey Bada$$, Marco Plus and more.
“Knock” follows “PANE”, the latest single from a rollout Ovrkast. has been building since last spring. In the past year he has executive produced and appeared on Samara Cyn’s EP Detour, landed a placement on “Make Them Pay” from Drake’s ICEMAN album, brought the Khufu Najee-directed Striking short film to two-city screenings in Los Angeles and Oakland, and lined up production on Vince Staples’ latest album CRY BABY. His 2025 sophomore project While The Iron Is Hot, with contributions from Vince Staples, Samara Cyn, Saba, MAVI, Malaya, and Frsh Waters, paired his signature production with introspective lyricism, an intersection of Larry June’s confidence, Madlib and J Dilla’s chopped production, and Earl Sweatshirt’s diaristic calm, drawing critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, The FADER, and Hypebeast, along with a place on Billboard’s “The 50 Best Albums of 2025 (So Far)” and their July Rookie of the Month nod. Ovrkast. finished off the year on the road opening for Saba on The Big Picture Tour, then opened 2026 with “Wata” (feat. Niontay), an upbeat turn toward sharper, more modern drums, and “PLAY THIS”, where he pushes back on anyone claiming credit for his progress. Ovrkast. initially started the forthcoming STRIKING as a deluxe expansion of While The Iron Is Hot and grew it into a full new project over a year and a half of work, refining it at a week-long writing camp in Los Angeles with returning collaborator Michael Sneed, Grant Lapointe, Like (producer of Kendrick Lamar’s “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst”), and string arranger Aaron Paris. Niontay and Self Proclaimed Narcissist join that circle as new names, with “KNOCK” serving as the latest entry ahead of the project’s arrival next month.
STRIKING – Tracklist:
01. Intro by Ant Bankx
02. WINDO (feat. Michael Sneed)
03. STATIC (feat. Joey Bada$$ & Nali)
04. PANE (feat. Self Proclaimed Narcissist)
05. WASHEDOUT
06. HOME
07. ACTRANSIT/LEMME AT EM (feat. DavidTheTragic)
08. KNOCK (feat. Samara Cyn & MAVI)
09. Heroes & Villains (feat. Marco Plus & Ben Reilly)
10. Wata (feat. Niontay)
11. Hopecore!
12. PHREE (Swing) [feat. Amal Zenab]
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