Mala Leche is the debut hip hop record from Doves’ Jimi Goodwin, under the alias NightjaR. Jimi assembled some of his favourite MCs for the project, and for one night only, you can catch the debut live performance at Band on the Wall on Saturday 23 August 2025.
Taking the stage to perform songs from Mala Leche live for the very first time, anywhere, is a remarkable line-up:
Homeboy Sandman
“Homeboy Sandman is a fiercely prolific rapper from Elmhurst, Queens. Having released albums on Stones Throw Records and Mello Music Group, he continues to work with the finest producers in dropping magnificent projects – most recently Sonnyjim, Mono En Stereo, Illingsworth, Yeyts and Brand The Builder.”
Guilty Simpson
“Known for being one of J Dilla’s favourite rappers and a frequent collaborator of the legendary late producer, Detroit’s Son, Guilty Simpson, represents the Motor City to the world.”
Quelle Chris
“New York by-way-of Detroit’s Quelle Chris is a Grammy and Oscar nominated rapper, and an animator and ex-Blockbuster employee. He’s created work in several genres, and is known for uniquely crafted albums including recent works Death Tape 2 with Cavalier and Denmark Vessey, DEATHFAME with Chris Keys and Knwxledge, the hard hitting Guns and Eveything’s Fine with Jean Grae.”
Sonnyjim
“Known primarily for his lyricism, Sonnyjim has produced a new 10-track album with NYC wordsmith Homeboy Sandman entitled Soli Deo Gloria. Perhaps most well known for 2016 LP Mud In My Malbec and 2022’s White Girl Wasted with producer The Purist, where he laid down bars with Jay Electronica and MF DOOM, Sonnyjim is also one third of hard hitting outfit Pataka Boys, a celebration of hip hop and the Indian diasporic experience.”
Pruven
“With a sound that can best be described as quintessential hip hop, Pruven delivers thought-provoking, razor-sharp lyrics that just might cause folks to stop nodding their heads long enough to write an e-mail to their Congressman. The Va/Connecticut-based emcee now resides in the Bronx, NY and brings a soulful respect of hip hop’s heyday to the present-day.”
Vast Aire
“Vast Aire is a rapper from New York City, and half of the New York hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox, which consists of himself and Vordul Mega. He is also a member of the rap group Atoms Family. He was born in Mount Vernon, New York, then lived in Jamaica, Queens before moving to Harlem, where he became acquainted with the underground hip-hop scene, performing in many clubs while still a teenager. Vast Aire’s fame increased significantly as part of Cannibal Ox. Together with record producer El-P, their 2001 debut titled The Cold Vein was a critical success. Since then, Vast Aire has pursued solo interests including albums Look Mom… No Hands and The Best Damn Rap Show.”
Burgundy Blood
“A UK based crew conceptualised by rapper / plasterer / actor Burgundy Blood, made up of several different rap personas that lived inside the psyche of one deluded and vulnerable MC – a persona that extends to envelop MPC prince Richard Weedawn and production guru Roman Dave Moses.”
NightjaR
“Jimi Goodwin’s NightjaR is a murky, beat-driven aspect of Goodwin’s output that provides a useful alias in the process of him becoming completely himself. After providing 2 beats on Pan Amsterdam’s second LP ‘Ha Chu’ under the guise of Coup Diablo, Jimi honed the NightjaR sound to create the Album Mala Leche released to surprising acclaim from the the strangest corners! In 2024 which was fleshed out further by his reaching out to the illustrious MCs joining him for the project.”
NightjaR presents a murky, beat-driven side to Goodwin’s artistry—a chance to step further into a sound all his own. After contributing two beats to Pan Amsterdam’s second LP, ‘Ha Chu’ as Coup Diablo, Jimi developed the NightjaR identity and sound, expanded and elevated by the illustrious MCs joining him for this special occasion.
Jimi Goodwin will perform and provide musical direction/beats on the night, joined by fellow ‘Ha Chu’ collaborator and well-known Manchester selector, Agent J of Groovement.
Jimi shares:
“I make beats every day. It’s my passion. It also feeds into my songwriting, because it’s a completely different genre and allows me to express myself in a different way. This project has no expectations. There’s no agenda, nothing obscure or clever, it’s just instinctive. There came a point when I considered getting these rappers involved… to bring it out of it just being me on my own… YOU CAN’T DO THAT, JIMI! Turns out that I could! I love Hip Hop. Electro at 15, then hearing Rakim & Eric B and Public Enemy, Pete Rock and perhaps my biggest influence—A Tribe Called Quest. I reached out and got my Dream Team. Rappers I truly love and admire. On the night, there will be 10–15 sets from each rapper with DJs in between and then a 30-minute set from NightjaR.
This is my dream team of MCs, with me as producer and very much behind the boards, something I never thought would happen in a live scenario. But here we are – Band on the Wall, one night only. If you know the album Mala Leche, you know this is hip hop in the vein of my heroes. If you don’t know it yet, come along and join the family on the 23rd.”
You can join them on Saturday the 23rd at Band on The Wall Manchester. Doors open at 7:30pm and curfew is 10pm. Standing only tickets are available on Skiddle.com | bandonthewall.org.
Find them on Social Media: @nightjarofficial, @pruven1, @vastaire2090, @guiltysimpson, @burgundybloody, @mudinmymalbec, @quellechrist, @hydedaz73
Find out more on Band on The Wall (Click here for their website link!)
