-10-track album brings out the varied realities of an artiste who exists in a surrounding full of diverse energies
Image: Courtesy
Title: GREY Area
Artiste: Little Simz
Genre: Hip hop/ Rap
Release: March 1
Simbiatu "Simbi" Ajikawo is a 25-year-old English rapper, who has been in the hip hop scene for a significant amount of time now. More than any of her contemporaries, the artiste better known by her stage name Little Simz has carved out her own niche, delivering a sound quite unique to her. Her attempts to solidify her place in the music scene are gradually bearing fruits. She’s been eager to find her break, top charts or even better get the entire world to notice her, and now people are beginning to embrace her quality.
On previous projects like the 2015 release ‘A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons' and 2016’s ‘Stillness In Wonderland’, she managed to place herself among the ranks of artistic rappers of all time. And to exhibit her brilliance, she maintains an upward trajectory with every project she offers. She’s expressed and entertained and now she’s back with her third studio album, ‘GREY Area,’ which, arguably, is her most successful production ever since the outset of her impressive career.
The 10-track album kicks off with a drumline on the track “Offence”, which sees the artiste unapologetically go hard on her disparagers and detractors, giving them a piece of her mind with her mind-boggling lyricism. Little Simz has achieved quite a lot in her musical career, and she feels that she should assert her place in the music scene on the second track “Boss”. The rapper successfully combines efforts with fellow English singer Cleo Sol on “Selfish,” a track about self-love and appreciation.
Simbi, for the second time, teams up with Jamaican star Chronixx on “Wounds” to address the issue of gun violence, which seems to be on the rise. She goes hard on the bars on the exciting “Venom” and reminisces her come-up story in the rap game on “101 FM”. She recruits Little Dragon’s vocals on “Pressure” as she urges her listeners to ensure diligence in everything they set out to do, and never should they give up.
On “Therapy”, she basically addresses the concept of the entire album, which is the various things and ideas that make up a society. Little Simz digs deep into her emotions as she addresses the hurt caused by an ex-lover who left her to be with somebody else on “Sherbert Sunset”. English indie artiste Michael Kiwanuka joins Simz on the last track, “Flowers”, to highlight memories and self-doubt.
‘GREY Area’ is a concept that brings out the varied realities of an artiste who simply exists in a surrounding full of diverse energies. But beyond that and the fact that she's been approved by the very great Kendrick Lamar, she’s a gifted artiste capable of making her own moves without necessarily relying on a popular sound. She’s a wave, and that alone is all you need in this life.
Star Rating: 4 out of 5