GutterPutter

British hip hop is on the rise to claim its stake in the great sphere of music since the early 2000s. With many notable names like Dave, slowthai, or Stormzy, the scene is growing in stature from each passing day. Despite the acknowledgement of such facts, the UK-based emcees haven’t left too much of an impression on the more established American scene sans some veterans like M.I.A.. Simbiatu ‘Little Simz’ Ajikawo (or Simbi for short) is one of the contemporary exceptions to such as her largely ambitious & less specified commentaries on her conscious hip-hop records have helped make her a stalwart favourite. Her last album back in 2019 with Grey Area have put her on the map as being one of the most anticipated artists of her genre; its varied style & her smooth expression of pride earns her the love of nearly anyone. Now, we get to the point of Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, her highly anticipated release to which earns borderline-unanimous acclaim once more from the critics – perhaps even more so than Grey Area. At the time of writing, I have this album on loop for what can be best described as a few days straight since I first heard it. It might easily be the best album I have ever listened to this year.

At first listen, one of the strong points that you can identify in an instant was the luxurious production & beats with much of the album being run by an orchestral instrumental such as in ‘Introvert’ or ‘Standing Ovation’. The drive that you can listen in the album is further enhanced by the easy-listening jazz of ‘I See You’, the child-like sing-along of ‘Little Q, Pt. 2’, the bass-accented aggression of ‘Speed’ or the afrobeat of ‘Fear No Man’. Suffice to say, each track never feels the same as another & that leads to a diverse record with a lot of potential favourites to pick from just based on the other genres you enjoy. Even the interludes is filled to the brim with personality with its highly cinematic arrangements & angelic humming. If we’re talking about the pure depth of the influences, it almost feel befitting for such a varied abundance of instrumentals to be taken from Britain’s past context. Many would like to comment of the Caribbean sounds on much of British hip hop or the largely conservative culture of the nation as shown through the popularity of classical music. In Sometimes I Might Be Introvert however, they all compliment each other well without coming off as being all over the place.

Another point around the album is that it has a bit of everything to show off both the depth & the breadth of what makes Little Simz an admirable emcee to begin with. Her flow, cadence and wit has help build the lyrical framework of what makes the album highly enjoyable with a large variety of topics being dealt with. That would range from a love-hate relationship with her father in ‘I Love You, I Hate You’ to oft-kilter feminist ode in ‘Woman’ to the nigh-prevalent liberty of ‘Point and Kill’. The second verse in ‘Speed’ is utterly slick in how Simbi use the assonances to add character to her braggadocio. ‘Influential as f*ck, I should ink in my skin/ All the sink in my pen is what led me to win’ – purely infectious that bar is. Even the interludes, which tend to serve as a way to ensure a smooth transition between the tracks, has a handful of poignant lines. Take ‘Gems—Interlude’ as an example.

‘I’m tryna to live up to the expectations

Puttin’ everything I can into what I create

I’m tryna be the best version of myself

I’m tryna be the greatest version of myself

I know I’ve got a lot to learn and I can be stuck in my ways, yes

But honestly more time I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place’

Little Simz, ‘Gems – Interlude’, Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert

It’s not unheard of for a rapper to talk about how they’re the greatest of all time or how they strive to be among the legends. It’s also unheard of for the rappers to bemoan about the sacrifices they have to endure during their newfound fame & the strains it has on their personal lives. What I rarely see often is when that very rapper is right on the crossroad between being an international sensation & being a face in the underground scene. That being to represent not just the fears of falling under the pressure of her fame, but even acknowledge the possibility that her flaws can leave her biggest dreams dangle on in front of her. In intertwining both introspection & ambition together, Little Simz succeeds in presenting a relatable image that depicts the fear of coming just short of realising your goals.

This leads to what I consider to be one of the album’s most heartfelt strengths. It never set its eyes away from the unifying subject matter amidst all its sonic direction & that is Simbi’s search for her freedom & herself. The whole record can be best described as being a tug-of-war between her ambitions as being among the greatest emcee of her generation, her past struggles to chase her dream & her position in her community. Thanks to the dynamic range of her rapping voice, she can shift between being at her most egotistical & at her most vulnerable. What should’ve been a sign of shallowness is addressed with ease by intertwining both ends to the point of being indistinguishable. A particularly good extract to show how well the two mix in execution can be heard at the end of ‘Miss Understood’:

‘I probably let my anger get the best of me

When it comes to family, see now, you [her older sisters] testing me

You want my everything until there’s nothing left of me

I just wanted you to call me, saying, “Hey, sis, how’s your day been?

How’s your love life, who you datin’?

Oh, he f*cked up? Girl, I had the same thing

But there’s a bigger picture God is painting”

It’s hard mixing family and business

I really wanted it to work and God is my witness’

Little Simz, ‘Miss Understood’ Verse 2, Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert

A reoccurring theme that runs through the album is that of the division between Simbi & her family & this extract offers a heart-rending conclusion to the whole album. From her perspective & in the context of the song, she recalls a bout of falling out with her older sister when she ‘left the global empire’ (i.e leaving the closed-off world that is being in her familial community for her career). In showing her accepting her responsibility in worsening her relationship with her sister through her anger, we once again see another angle of her humanity that is rare in so many rappers. However, she doesn’t just submit into her guilt & instead stands her ground with the note that her sister ‘want [her] everything’, initially creating a potential of a rivalry that’s fuelled by a one-sided jealousy on the older sister’s side.

That is all subverted by the next few lines which is more alike to a casual chat between siblings than it is congratulatory for her dreams. This is a moving twist as it ultimately shows that Simbi truly cares about her personal relationships & life as much as she does her career in contrast with most rappers. In ending her verse (& by extension, the album) in a small bit of prayer, we are left not with a larger-than-life figure, but an ordinary woman of Nigerian ancestry with a knack of rapping.

There are even more aspects about the album I can talk about that is worthy of the praise it deserves. The featured singer in Cleo Sol enables an organic neo-soul chorus in ‘Woman’ which is heavenly in itself & yet, it compliments with Little Simz’s verse well like a glove as she bemuses on the liberty of the idealised life of a woman. Obongjayar, on the other hand, provides a catchy hook in ‘Point and Kill’ that makes for a danceable piece comparable to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘King Kunta’. The slightly choppy samples conjures a spectre of complication around Simbi’s feeling for her father in ‘I Love You, I Hate You’ which adds to its emotional resonance. Even what could’ve considered to be too grandiose in some interludes like ‘The Rapper That Came To Tea’ left me enchanted with its contemplations. A lot of the album can be described as being as much a love letter to British hip hop as it does a reflection on everything that Little Simz has done so far.

To put it thus, I’m utterly convinced that Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the best album I have ever listened to for this year. It possesses a vibrant production, some of the most brilliant verses I have ever listened to as of late, great choruses & hooks & the themes struck the balance between relevant & timeless. The signs of flaunting Little Simz’s skills is balanced out by her genuine demonstration of admittances & none of the track ever feel unneeded all the way through. British hip hop has acquired itself a collection of classics ever since its explosion in the 2000s, but Little Simz might have well show the potential to leave a mark in the near future at an instance. Based on my evaluation, she truly deserves every inch of her praise.