What a great piece of work I’ll be checking for anything Little Simz drops after this. I have no complaints other than the fact that I can never hear this one for the first time again. This is the first time I’ve ever listened to Little Simz I was just browsing through new releases on Apple Music after that AI generated Drake album and this one looked kind of interesting so I checked it out and god damn was I impressed. It just feels so powerful and full of heart. There’s a certain weight to this production that I can’t quite explain. The Agony and the Ecstasy by Smoky Robinson is one of my favorite songs ever and the creative way they cut the sample was super cool to me. Her flows and lyrics on literally every song were immaculate and the production sent me to another planet. It’s not often I’m straight up slack jawed by the end of an album but this one did that to me. I know that’s a pretty heavy claim but this was truly masterful. I hate going crazy for a project the day after it drops but oh my fucking god man this might be the best UK album I’ve heard period. She is a UK hip hop legend already as far as I’m concerned, and this is an album I can see myself waxing lyrical about in decades time. “Shit changed when I had a brief encounter with death Thought the pearly gates opened when that knife was in my chest Not the mental scars, the physical's all you see But the boy that stabbed me is just as damaged as me I could have been the reflection that he hated The part of him he wishes God did not waste time creating The broken homes in which we're coming from, but who's the blame when You're dealt the same cards from the system you're enslaved in? It's fucking mayhem” I could talk endlessly about the greatness of all the tracks here, but I’ll just focus on Little Q pt.2 - Sonically, it almost reminds me of old Kanye in a way, just sounds instantly classic. An absolute masterpiece of lyricism, arrangement, instrumentation, storytelling. Street: 09.Not only is this my AOTY, it’s probably my favourite hip hop album in about 5 years. Simbi Ajikawo, known popularly as Little Simz, assigns listeners homework in order to fully understand her new album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. The album flows from one song, one theme, one rhyme to the next so sensibly that Simz adds herself to the list of glowing women she rhymes about on “Woman.” Every aspect of this album is marinated with intention, starting with the cover art: Gradient amber weighted with the luster of pure gold surrounds Simz, as if she sits in a room lit solely by herself and the precious metal. Yellow and blue are both staple colors in kente cloth, a traditional African textile, along with loud patterns and contrasting colors. Simz offers a minimalistic nod to her Black heritage not only through the use of colors and patterns, but also with her hairstyle. R&B icons throughout history have referenced Black history in their cover art- Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun cover comes to mind with its earthy green, golden yellow and dusted red. Thus, another nod from Simz to her heritage as a female R&B artist. Despite all references, nods and inspirations, this album is entirely Simbi Ajikawo’s. Through painful honesty, durable strength and exceptional writing, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is worth the slow ride and the deep dive. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert opens with a rush of snares, horns and a choir rallying soldiers as they enter the battlefield: flags, dignity and cannons untethered and ready for the fight. Yang to “Simz the artist or Simbi the person” to working vs.
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