Little Simz confirms hip hop supremacy with “Grey Area”

The ridiculously talented Brit artist has come to claim her rightful crown as the new Queen of Rap

It is just insane how female rappers like Nicki Minaj and Cardi B are as famous as they are today, while the supremely gifted Little Simz still hasn’t had her break. She has already received praise from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, brightened every song she has guest-featured on and put out a massive body of work of impressive quality in a few years.

Maybe the trashy ladies needed to open the gates for pussy power first, but Simz announces her intentions of dominance with the first two hard-hitting tracks: ” I said it with my chest and I don’t care who I offend ” and “I’m the Boss in a fucking dress!”

Simz’ flow, with her thick English accent, would still be mesmerising if she was spitting pure nonsense. But she tackles her various subjects, from defiant ego-tripping to gun violence to heartbreak to nostalgia, with poetic flair.

The mostly live backing music adds a highlighting halo to showcase her brilliant rapping. Courtesy of her longtime musical partner Inflo, it features hard popping drums and deep, fat bass, funky grooves, string flourishes and jazzy piano. It frequently has a cinematic quality, especially on tracks like the noirish “Wounds”, which features reggae superstar Chronixx. He is one of a short, highly selective list of collaborators (non of whom are rappers) that proves Simz vision and quality control: Swedish electro-soulsters Little Dragon (who continue to be better as guests than on their own works) and fellow English rising star Michael Kiwanuka.

GREY Area is a short, powerful statement of purpose crammed full with stunners. It should feature on the menu of any music gourmet.