Mowalola Hit & Run (2024)
As motor vehicles became more popular in the late 19th century, the problem of identifying particular automobiles arose. Car models looked alike and as drivers wore caps and large goggles, they were difficult to tell apart. So in case of an accident, perpetrators could easily flee the scene as long as their car wasn‘t totaled.
License plates were invented to address this issue, among other reasons. In 1893, France was the first country to introduce registration plates. In the United States, plates have been mandatory in the State of New York since 1903 after first ordering drivers to write their initials on the back of their vehicles. Thanks to license plates it was much easier to track and prosecute delinquents who left the scene of an accident without fulfilling their legal obligations—so-called hit-and-run crashes.
Despite the increased risk of being caught by law enforcement, hit-and-run accidents are still relatively common these days. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there are around 737,100 hit-and-run crashes each year in the United States. And the numbers are rising.
The idea of hit-and-run accidents seems to have inspired the sought-after fashion designer and musician Mowalola. A couple of weeks ago, the Lagos-born and London-based artist, who was appointed by Kanye West to head the Yeezy Gap design team back in 2020, released a grungy single on which she keeps mumbling: “Just another hit and run … I hope nobody hits me …” It is our track of the day.
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