GREY Area

Terrible.

just very much not my kind of music

Sick beats but the vocal flow got tiring.

Pretty good, but I don’t feel like writing a review right now. Again.

Hard

Mids

Brits can’t do this

“Boss” is a banger. 101FM is great too.

I enjoyed it. Nice to see a female artist grace the list. Never heard of her before but enjoyed her wordsmithing.

Another lousy rap album. The music was ok and it was short and not as obnoxious as some others.

Loved the music. Couldn’t get past the voice/accent.

There's something about UK hip hop that just hits a very specific vibe, and while I have HEARD of Little Simz, I'd never actually LISTENED to Little Simz. This is actually incredible, I think I love it. Four stars for discovery, an extra star held back in case it becomes a regular rotator.

Overall, not really my taste. I liked "Selfish" and "Flowers." And a few good lyrics I caught here and there in other things.

Overwhelming

Not!!! bad

British rapping just doesn’t sound right

she is really cool and the production value makes this musically interesting.

A great opening run that benefits from a short overall run time to give a concise overall package full of great production, amazing flow, and an overall solid debut to what may currently be the best female rapper of all time. Its subject is a bit repetitive, and in turn the back half can end up feeling a little redundant, but still a solid showcase of Little Simz's musical abilities.

4+

Introvert by Little Simz is an album I really like, so when this came up I was really excited to get into it - I’ve heard it before, but as I knew Introvert better that was my go to so this was always second. I have been living my life wrong - this is better and (I think) will be my first 5 star album from this list. It made me happy, it made me tear up, and most importantly it made me think of Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage. Favourite track: Sherbet Sunset.

She's after my own heart including Michael Kiwanuka on the final track. In all honesty, definitely one of the best "modern" rap albums I've listened--it's not a 90s esque sound, but it reminds me of the 90s in that the message is biting and the backing tracks are arrangements rather than beats. Favorite track: Flowers

Was expecting to be have to crawl through this one but it was pretty good! Sweet beats and her flow and rhymes are on point!

Big 3

No grey area here. Solid five star performance.

I really enjoyed this album. It's fresh.

I really like this. I'm seeing some negative reviews and wondering what's up, then I listen and my head is naturally bobbing along. I dunno, maybe they just don't like hip hop.

This album is good for what it is. The first track was really good. I generally like Rap and recognize the talent these artists have, but it's just not my jam.

Really interesting and distinct from every other album I’ve been listening to. I was surprised that I liked some of these songs and recognized “Venom.”

She is of this time. I probably am not.

Cool album Standout songs: Offence Therapy Venom

Haven't listened to this in a while, still hits pretty hard.

So good to see Simbi on the list! In terms of like, the *album* you should listen to, I think Introvert takes the cake, but these tracks are just pretty killer across the board. Such an enjoyable listening experience. Really magnetic youthful energy. Soft four and a half. Fave track: Boss

Never heard of this artist before but right out of the gate I kinda respect the bravado & swagger displayed. Little Simz talks a big game and lyrically flows nicely for the most part. I was a little worried that this bombastic lyrical onslaught was going to be the entire album for a bit, but things open up a bit and thankfully get a little more layered and vulnerable by the fourth track. Because of that, the album evolves quite nicely over the span of 35 minutes. The overall production and sampling is high quality as well. The UK rap/hip-hop scene is still largely unknown to me and so the lyrical delivery is still somewhat off-putting, but I can say that Little Simz is the best of the (small) bunch from what I've heard out of this regional genre thus far.

"Boss", "Venom", "101 FM", "Pressure", and "Therapy" are great tracks. Beautifully odd choice of samples. 4.3 stars rounded down.

good beats

Alright. Probably won't listen again.

This at least proves that female rap artists can be just as crap as their male counterparts. Score 1 for equality I guess. Just as all rap albums the problem is not so much the music but the awfully annoying vocals that makes this such an assault on the ears.

British rap, yep

About half these songs are interesting and the rest are a bit of a blur. Little Simz's brisk flow is impressive, if a bit emotionally flat, and it gets a bit tiring after a while. Happy to hear a strong, talented woman artist in this genre though. There aren't enough featured on here. Fave Songs: Selfish, Wounds, Flowers, 101 FM

this thing slaps 9/10

Liked this way more than expected. Some excellent beats and smooth lyricism.

Turn off I would put it into my rotation, but it was a nice listen for a 45 minute drive.

Grey Area presents a refreshing take on contemporary hip-hop. Surpassing initial expectations, Little Simz demonstrates a commendable flow throughout the album, delivering her verses with confidence and style. The backing tracks, while occasionally repetitive, offer an interesting sonic backdrop that adds depth to the listening experience. Little Simz's lyrical content delves into a variety of topics with honesty and authenticity, showcasing her growth as an artist. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 2 STAND OUT TRACK - Wounds

Liked, didn’t love

Sounded good.

I dont Like Rap, I dont do R n B NAH

I’m not a rap fan. Some of the more R&B type music seemed good. But I really hate to listen to rap music that uses vulgar language. I don’t really enjoy listening to songs that use bitch, ho, pussy, fuck and the N-word. Just not my thing. Plus rap music with a British accent just sounds so weird to me.

Listened Before? N Wow what a surprise! This album was on a whole nother level from all the other British rap I've heard in my life. She seems to have a great sense of self-awareness and is an excellent lyricist. Not sure who is responsible for the arrangements but the beats are also incredible. Highly enjoyed. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: 101 FM

lol this was the musical equivalent' of thos' memes trashy peopl' shar' on Faissbook when they don't' want' to admit' they're bottom feiders, and think everyon' araund them is the problem, holding them down. Just' a whol' heap of mindless "streit' philosophy" abaut' removing toxic peopl' from yauh lif' and being tru' to yaurself. EN TAJUA SANAAKAAN???? BLUV... puhu suomea.... HEI????? lingua finska.. noh hyvä produktio, fast raps-.. tekee mieli käsivartta taittaa 135 asteeseen osoittaa sormilla asetta ja heiluttaa sivulta sivulle nopeasti... going at supersonic speed aaa shamma lamma dumma lumma... six motherfucking seconds.. six bars... wounds

This is a never heard of her before album. Liked the beats and her accent made the lyrics go down a bit smoother.

Couldn’t get into it Little Simz. I’m sorry

Me gusta como cantabla. Hip hop rap rápido.

Best Song: Venom. An obvious hitter. Big fan of the sparse, percussive production, which give plenty of space for the vocals to bounce overtop with a beautifully staccato rhythm. Worst Song: Boss. I really don't like that blown-out vocal effect. Overall: She's got a helluva flow. I'd never heard this album before, but I get now why it had such a strong response. Really impressive, and one I'll definitely be returning to.

Even being from the UK, i'm not a fan of UK rap usually. The beats are often kind of clunky, same with the flows, and the lyricism is miserable. Luckily Little Simz is the exception to all of these, as the beats bang here and she has something to say, and says it well. Her next album is better than this but it's still a great listen.

UK rap really does sound different to its US counterpart. But I still don't like it. 1/4

good stuff. 4 stars.

Wish I could give it a zero

Little Simz is a good lyricist. I don’t love the beats. It’s a lot of drum machine. It’s sounds cold and inorganic. The beats fit better on slower or less aggressive songs like Wounds. Side B is better overall because it’s a bit more chill. While a great lyricist, I think she’s best when she slows down a bit 7.1/10

Great album, very diverse, very layered. Also an excellent crystal-clear production.

"Grey Area" by Little Simz is truly UK rap. Despite the rave reviews, this artist has been unable to transcend the Atlantic. Being the most recent album reviewed thus far, this was disappointing and painfully British.

Liked the beat and lofi samples, but can't stand the voice.

I enjoyed this. Reminded me a little of M.I.A. but not as fun.

Quite something, really

Not my scene, but I kinda get it. The production and the sounds are great, but to me the rhymes just don't sound good, there's very little art to them. Sure, the lyrics may be very meaningful, but meh. To me they sound like something scribbled on a napkin with no thought. Stream of consciousness isn't always genius. It's like modern art.

This is cool and fun!

Really like her beats and the minor keys she uses. Australian accent? Accent is cool too.

Little Simz, not my thing! Some good groovy bass in this album, "Selfish" is the highlight of it imo. 2/5

Favourite tracks: venom; flowers; 101 FM

Production-wise, this sounds really new and fresh. Her rapping is crazy impressive at times but kind of too frenetic for me.

Its alright

Never heard of this artist before, didn't make it half way through the album and changed to listening to their most popular songs on Spotify. Much better move. This list is kinda shit for real.

3.5

Never really enjoyed British rappers and Little Simz is no exception, I'm afraid.

Hey, I was sure I was going to hate it when I saw it's modern hip hop but it's actually pretty refreshing! The use of a large array of instrument instead of just relying on sampling was a great surprise. The songs are also pretty diverse and original from one another and the fact rhat they're all pretty short and its only a 30 min album allow things to stay pretty fresh throughout the listening 4/5

I didn't like it at all when I listened to it this morning but I kinda liked some songs when I was stoned so eh

good

This album does not start well. The first 2 songs are not enjoyable, screechy vocals, weird sound effects, I thought I would be in for a rough ride. But you know what, it really picks up after that. The latter 8 songs are all great, they are melodic, have amazing flow, and the lyrics touch on a lot of important issues. I really want to give this a 4, but unfortunately those first 2 songs really do drag it down to a 3 for me.

Groovy bass Kinda feels like all the songs are the same message

Not her best, but better than most anyway. Anyone who makes FM radio sound cool deserves a 4. 4/5. Only because I have to leave room for introvert to be better.

Back to the definitely-not-my-mum-coded albums again. Our Lottie can’t win them all. Listened to it many times so far this year but no harm in one more listen.

Think I’d need to listen to this a lot more to be able to differentiate the tracks and derive any real enjoyment of what’s going on. Probably won’t though.

If it wasn't for this list, I would never have been exposed to so much British rap. I've listened and concluded it's interesting and there is some good music and beats, but I still don't like it, similarly to most American rap. Not my jam, but I will taste it (listen) and move on...

The flows on this thing are impressive. There's a lot of rage and range, from social commentary to personal struggles. Love the aggressive, jazzy instrumentals as well. Favorite tracks: "Boss", "Pressure"

From 'Offence' through 'Selfish', 'Venom', and 'Therapy' there's basically nothing I would like to be different on 'GREY Area'. Little Simz is a phenomenon.

GREY Area is the album where you started to realize that Little Simz could be one of the greatest rappers of her generation.

Bring it. Production is so satisfying. Her lyrics and flow really get you into it and there’s nothing to take you out. However, after listening, I can’t help but to feel that there was more that could have been done to make the tracks memorable. Yet, I’m satisfied with my introduction to Little Simz. 4/5

throbbing bass pulsates bloody lips biting beats sour you are not worthy

I mean sure this was a fine album and I enjoyed listening to it. Some good beats and rap. However, a top 1001 album of all time? Not even close. 5/10 (2.5/5)

One of my favorite hip-hop album of the 2010's.

Pretty good, nice variety of songs.

Me gusta como cantabla. Hip hop rap rápido.

Awesome record - short poignant - aggressive in the beginning - introspective towards the end - kind of M.I.A without the conspiracy theories.

absolutely amazing love her sm

Her 2021 release, Sometime I Might Be Introvert, is better.

Nel suo genere, una sorpresa. Mi ricorda cosa di Ursula Rucker.

I had never heard of this artist and wasn't sure what to think. I probably wouldn't listen to this again, but I am glad I listened to it. I would be interested in hearing Little Simz's other albums, just to see the difference in the sound on this one and her other work. A pleasant surprise and I like that it's concise, which is something most artists can struggle to do. It's understandable since each artist has a "vision" and want to execute every part of that vision. Good album and worth a listen.

She is certainly a talented rapper just not really my style

Oh good another rap album.

A good rapping album which is well produced. Personally it wasn't for me but I can look beyond that and rate it for the quality of sound and lyrical content. Although it's not my music it's worthy of 3 stars

Did not like at all

Some gems in here!

Thought this was alright!

This is pretty damn sweet. She's got great flow.

Nothing here for me

This was pretty good for the genre.

This album has a lot to say in a very monotonous rap.

Better than I expected for never hearing Little Simz before

Modern classic

I suppose you should study the lyrics to make any sense of this. She can rap - that's no question - and she has a great sense for rhythm and putting words to rhythm. But for me there is nothing in the music.

Contemporary British artist, sweeping sounds, cutting lyrics, for the young hip youth but some beautiful music on this album. Flowers an absolute stand out. Will revisit

She's got talent but I can't imagine ever choosing to listen to any of this

Not my kinda rap

interesting

It's got good beats, and I like the cadence and rhythm, but is it necessary to insult me if I don't like certain things? Some of the songs start sounding the same after a while.

There is definitely something really promising in Little Simz style and flow. Selfish and Wounds really turns a corner on this album. It's a tight rap, minimalistic at times, but nicely layered with beats & atmosphere that makes it pretty interesting. Though the N word is featured prominently, i was really intrigued and excited. Nice surprise.

2/3

I like some of this for sure!

Music was fine but didn't enjoy the rapping style. Can't speak for the lyrics as I rarely pay attention to lyrics in songs in early listens

Really enjoyed it. Great voice, musically strong as well. Good variety, so not just good songs but a great album.

Strong flow on the album

Wicked - Little Simz doesn't miss a beat nor does she waste any time on this album

Killer stuff here, Kiwanuka solidified this as a 4

simz is amazing

I can hear the technical ability but this album isn’t for me, I’m optimistic about her other albums though Best song: Selfish Worst song: N/A

The album didn't hit me as hard as I expected. This could be much like my tendency to gravitate towards coming-of-age films about boys growing up, likely because of the prevalence of male protagonists in this genre. Maybe my familiarity with male voices in rap has shaped what I vibe with.

I kind of like Selfish

Alternates between heavy industrial brooding beats that set a dark ominous atmosphere and jazzy RnB numbers with a warm relaxed feel. On one of the industrial tracks (Boss), the vocals are pushed into the red, distorting and fuzzing out, matching the intensity and aggression of the delivery. Venom has a tense string part and ride cymbal part that's there to ratchet up the anxiety underneath the heated quickfire verses. On the jazzy tracks (Wounds, Selfish) everything is buttery and smooth, a quick but deliberate unhurried flow taking turns with gospel/soul backing vocals. A real lush vibe from the bass and piano, horns and guitar, even some flute. 101 FM sounds like the hip hop take on the hold music for a Chinese Restaurant. Inflo's production is excellent, lots of live instruments that come through crystal clear and give a real sense of space and presence to the recording. Succinct, self-assured, and coherent without being repetitive, this is a super solid album I wouldnt otherwise have known to pick out from the crop of Little London rappers. Favorites: Selfish, Boss, Venom, Wounds

There are things about this album that are cool. Use of instruments to make the beats, some good flow and lyrics. But I don't care for Little Simz or the backing vocals on many of the songs and the music on a lot of tracks borders on annoying to me. I recognize some musically good things being done, but it doesn't work for me.

I do appreciate the aggression of this album and I also enjoy a lot of the synth work. Quite a few songs bounce into 'annoying noises' at times but there are also some super chill tracks.

Surprisingly FANTASTIC. LOVE THE BEATS. Can I give a 4.5?

I really liked this one;!

Maybe even a five…really happy to be introduced to this artist!

Meh. Not my thing

Just okay

This is a great album, a repeat for me.

Not bad

Mercifully short. Not really a genre I listen to often. Most song really didn't do it for me and I had to skip them, Boss being the worst. I did like Venom though.

Very much in my comfort zone. UK rap is one of my favorite genres. No skips, awesome album.

i like her attitude and sound

Badass. Added: Wounds

I liked it but will not play it again.

I like the groove of the music but I’m not a fan of her rapping. Ok but not something I’d add to my regular listening lists.

ich mag mich nicht stundenlang vollquatschen lassen

not too interesting musically. I suppose a fresh voice but could have been more interesting.

Oh hell yeah, something recent! I mean, I guess it was 5 years ago, but that's still a lot newer than 99% of the list. Anyways, this album's really good. The rapping style of Little Simz is definitely unique. I haven't really heard anything like it until now, but that's definitely not a bad thing. It's a rare case of a British rapper's raps not being overshadowed by the accent. The rhymes are usually really good too. Sure, you do have a few moments akin to rhyming the n-word with itself 8 times in a row, but those are few and far between and also not that egregious. The flow on the whole album is very nice. The beats are also quite well made. They have a nice vibe to it while still having each song sound a bit different. The features on this thing are also quite good. The last album that I got that was as recent as this one was from Michael Kiwanuka, which is funny because he actually has a feature on the last song of this album. His music work on that album was a 5/5, so obviously, he does a great job with his feature here too. The other features are also pretty good. Overall, this album is a great sign of things to come for this artist, and I can totally see why Fantano gave this a 9. High 4/5.

Good britrap. Loved the lyrics and enjoyed more than I expected to.

I feel like this is a good album but I didn't really get into it at all.

3/5 taki hiphopo smętne popowe coś. Może lecieć w tle

Ooh a new’un, and a good’un. Good candid lyrics, good varied beats. SIMBI (ha! I’ve literally just realised what that acronym spells 🤦‍♂️) is a good album too but I like that this one’s more consice and flab-free. I’ve always respected Little Simz from a distance but maybe it’s time to become a fully paid-up fan?

Loved the variety, low fi beats, subject matter and flow

Not my type

Very well made album! The lyrics were beautiful, so deep and full of stories. I listened to this album multiple times

The last rap album I got here was god awful so I went into Grey Area with heavy skepticism, but you know what, it turned out to be pretty damn good. Little Simz is the standout rapper along this project so far.

Little Simz is a skillful and impressive rapper, anyone who's into hip hop a little can recognize it right away. And the music on this album is excellent. I have minor gripes with a couple of more "middle of the road" neo-soul tracks in *Grey Area* (looking at you, "Selfish"), but there are no "fillers" to speak of in this tight, tight record, as many other reviewers in this app already pointed out. Please also check out her following album *Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert*, by the way. You do have a few "fillers" in this longer release, but the highlights are even MORE impressive. UK now has nothing to envy the US when it comes to good hip hop, that's for sure. Not that there are no stellar highlights in *Grey Area*, mind you, like its opener "Offence" and its spiky bass synth and hectic bridge section, or like the lush and smoooooth guitar-driven "Wounds", or like the Tamla Motown-inspired background vocal hooks of "Sherbet Sunset". And at the center of this record you have a perfect string of bangers. First there's the intense, dry-yet-voluble "Venom", using the best of the US trap scene without the clichés that will make the latter unavoidably age like poor wine. Little Simz' faster-than-lightining-rapping in the middle of that cut is a thing of wonder-- "pussy in power" indeed. And the serpentine, atonal *Psycho*-like string section on the track is a thing of wonder as well, scary as fuck. Then you have the fun oriental flourishes or *101FM* and the more introspective and soulful mode of *Pressure*. Inflo's production chops shine a lot in this record, just like they do in other Little Simz albums or songs by Michael Kiwanuka (performing in *Grey Area*'s closer "Flowers" and its mournful-yet-jazzy, saxophone-enhanced soundscape). It's nice to have recent albums like this on this app. I wish there were more of them, ideally, and in more varied styles that the ones represented in this list. There were *a lot* of stellar records released in 2019 for instance, and some of them were even better than this one. That said, I understand that you need to wait a little before deciding whether such or such album has grown to an "essential" status. So it feels to me those sorts of lists should either refrain from including albums from the last decade OR conversely, take a *real* chance and include FAR MANY MORE recent records. In that case, you'd just have to erase cheesy stuff by Dwight Yoakam, Bonnie Raitt, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock and the likes, lol -- this list has too many piles of turd like that, plus a few overall "OK" records from the distant past that are just weird curios today (like stuff by Carpenters or early Bee Gees). Anyway, Dimery's "solution" to just include a couple of records a year since 2010 is just a half-assed one to solve the problem of respecting the 1001 finite number for his "updated" project. Honestly, it feels like Dimery doesn't have a "team" of music experts with him these days, and that the recent additions in his latest book editions are just his personal, "subjective" choices. Nice that those choices include one Little Simz album. But a shame that there are no other recent important records by Big Thief, Fontaines DC, Idles, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey, Tyler The Creator, Low, Parquet Courts or Daughter, to only take a few 2019 examples. End of my rant about Robert Dimery's list. Giving a 4/5 grade to this Little Simz record, even if I'm gonna wait a little to decide whether I include it in my own ranking. I almost *never* do that for my own 4/5 albums. But I'd rather err on the side of caution for certain recent LPs. Number of albums left to review: 326 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 301 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 164 (including this one, OR *Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert--TWO Little Simz record might be overkill) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 218

Joy I enjoyed all of it too boss and there was another one the lyrics were a bit crude for my taste. But she's very melodic and some of the music and backing her up sounded great

Great album! Not an artist I would have recognized but great flow and beats.

vibey. like uk rap although don’t have much experience with the women side.

This is not an album anyone should ever have to listen to!!!

Brilliant. Was familiar with a couple of the lead singles, and really liked the follow-up album, Introvert. This is rock solid all the way through. Smart, highly attuned, empathic, moving.

I love listening to female rappers.

Not a bad album actually, I like the British-ness. Some songs were pretty basic though.

We need more hip-hop like this

Solid 3

Pussy in power

Really good album -- I was suprised. Little Simz has some great music. Love Venom.

More like Lil' Interest (from me)

She fucking rules.

Offence? Zersch denkt "hella yeah da tönt ja richtig geil" aber wtf macht de *Bugs Bunny running* Soundeffekt im Hintergrund?? I guess artistic liberty aber wer chan sich mit sowas im hintergrund die musik unironically geh? De rest findi aber echt sehr guet und han sogar es lied zwei uf mini liked playlist due. 4.7/5

He ich has recht läss gfunde und has au recht guet chene lose! Finds vom genre her au schön mal was anders z ghöre, drum sehr easy listening and was fun!

find die hässig art zum rappe und die verzerrt stimm seeehr geil. beats sind au heert geil. gad "boss" her extrem geili synths und so. und e geili bassline. selfish au extrem geile bass. plus sie zeigt ihri chli ruhiger stimm und chli de souliger flow type. venom goht duuumm de flow de text uiiii radio 101 sie seit "rizla smokesmoke" funny. finds extreem guet, text sind de hammer sie flowt huere geil und d instrumentals sind vo mega schön und jazzy bis hässig knackig. mega mega nice. starchs vieri

nooooooaml chunnt sie us london also vlt han ich zu höchi erwartige gha (han eifach venom kennt, rieseeebanger) aber leider isch das album halt eifach ok gsi und nöd meh es isch extrem vielsiitig und vlt wetts drum echli z vill? so oder so chan ich ehrlich gseit nödmal mega vill am album ussetze usser dass ich jz nöd mega begeisteret gsi bin (aber sie sehr cool)

Some of the songs sucked

Really liked Wounds, it’s a beautiful song. The rest was ok but really just not my cup of tea. She is definitely talented. This is a 3 for me because I appreciate the talent but don’t particularly enjoy the sound.

Not my kind of Music.

3 stars, like the production

Nicht so wirklich gut

You can really hear her accent in the vocals. The beats are unique and aren’t too repetitive. I listened all the way through twice on purpose

This was absolutely incredible. One of the best I've listened to since starting this. I immediately relistened to this album and then moved on to listening to other albums she's done. Incredible stuff

I’ll listen to it again

Some good production with enough variety to keep me engaged.

This wasn’t for me. The beats were serviceable, but there’s a lot to desire in the vocals. There just doesn’t seem to be much substance to this album. DNF.

I forgot how hard Little Simz is. One of the greatest females MCs ever.

A very talented artist. Album Flows well.Keeps listeners engaged. This is not my favorite genre but found it a good listen

I don’t relate to any of the lyrics but the beats were pretty good.

Way better than what I thought it’d be which is always nice. The last track with Michael is nice and the whole album does have a good vibe and flo.

Saw Simz on later with jools. Liked what she done. Good album

No, no, no

Backing music is fine - good even. Quite enjoyed the less vocally aggressive tracks (eg 'Selfish') but the rest left me empty.

This is outside my normal music listening and much too modern for me! But I loved the music - particularly the basslines. I seemed to recognise a couple of tracks which I must have absorbed via osmosis from radio or TV. I've certainly hear of Little Simz a lot from the Mercury Prize win and You Tube music reviews. I only dimly know what the lyrics are about on first listening. But I hope I'll return to it again! I'm giving this a higher rating than my initial reaction of 3/5 because I reckon I'll like it even more once I've had a chance to listen to it more than once.

Pretty good

Very much enjoyed

Like the London Borough of Portishead

Not my favorite taste. Interesting instrumental arrangements

4/10

‘The British are terrible at Hip Hop, but they’re good at turning Hip Hop into other genre’s that they can do’ and ‘British rap music is so different from the Hip Hop we [American’s] know that it’s not even Hip Hop anymore’ are statements from Todd In The Shadows, a US based Youtube Music critic who I really respect, talking about Trip Hop and Grime respectively. What I find really interesting about the latter statement in particular is that the sound that American Hip Hop has been pursuing in recent years has been very influenced by Grime. Try as hard as you want, but you Damn Yankees can’t escape us, hahahahaha Despite my like of my country’s rap scene, Little Simz is an artists I’ve not had the opportunity to check out, despite all the acclaim for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Boy is that gonna change. This album is fantastic

AMAZING album!! some new favorites in there! Venom I knew from Reels but I didn't like as much as I expected to! Favorites were 101 FM, Sherbet Sunset, and Therapy, loved the musicality, the rap flows, the collabs! Very well tied together, I enjoyed a lot

Best bri'ish rapper I've heard so far.

just yes

Rating: 9/10 Amazing hip-hop album. Loved Little Simz' rapping abilities and lyricism, the lyrics were very personal and introspective. The production on this album was fantastic throughout, it really complemented Little Simz' rapping. Very consistent as well, not a single bad song on the entire album, one of the best rap albums from the 2010s. Favorite songs: Pretty much all of them. Least favorite song: Pressure.

Great and real lyrics. I love the jazz. Venom and Flowers are the two best songs.

better than 90s rap, still dont like it.

Very solid hip hop

this is just too vulgar for me

Super cool british female rapper. Great album, unique and very fun to listen to. 9/10

Me gusta como cantabla. Hip hop rap rápido.

I didn’t expect to like this so much. There are some moments musically that I could do without but I like her flow and how raw the lyrics are. I love Michael Kiwanuka too, so that brought this album from 4 to 5 for me. Favorite track: Venom

Not in my edition of the book! 2019. 2 stars. Average and occasionally foul mouthed (c)rap. Bonus point for the couple of decent tunes on it like Selfish and Venom. Probably only on the list because she's black, female and British. Not essential listening.

I'm skeptical whenever an album outside the original 1001 comes up, and having one so relatively recent is another eyebrow raiser, but god damn this was brilliant. Hard hitting from the first few seconds when the bass kick in and doesn't let up for the full 35 minutes, probably about as perfect as you'll come across in this list.

2019. A female rapper I hadn’t previously encountered. I listened to Wounds and Venom. I’d put her above Minaj and Azalea easily. She reminds me of a young Downtown Julie Brown.

Love the flow and poetry on display here. Cheers to the London rap and hip hop scene

Прикольный альбом. Такой поп-рэп альбом в духе Gorillaz. Есть клёвые мелодичные вещи, хотя жанр не совсем мой.

I don't hear the amazing "flow". It sounds like a GTA 3 radio station

Pretty bad. She claimed she had bars on the first track, but the majority were wack. Some of the beats are the only reason this is a 2.

Look. I was put off by the artist name. And I gave it : tracks. Shouty Angry Sweary. For the kids only.

It's something when EVERY song has the explicit filter. Guess the kids aren't listening to this then. Fun party game. Switch on the lyrics on your music app of choice and try to read the lyrics faster than she sings/raps them. You'll look like you've got Tourettes. Make it a drinking game, you'll be sozzled before the third song.

I am surprised how much I love this album. Listen to it again :)

Just not my type of music.

Qué bien empieza!!! En general me ha gustado y creo que merece una buena puntuación. Que sea imprescindible ya es más cuestionable. Creo que con los discos más recientes parecen estar incluidos para actualizar la lista y la realidad es que se necesita más tiempo para que algo llegue a ser necesario escucharlo antes de morir.

Not a fan

UK rap/hip hop album from a few years ago, did not know it. Music: not bad or so. Lyrics: not for me. It is short - a good thing compared to all those 90s/00s 80-minute albums.

Not bad, but the rhythm of the rapping gets a bit repetitive and I'm not sure if the lyrics make up for that in any way. The beats and overall production are pretty good. The early collab tracks break the flow of the album somewhat, despite the variation they bring. In short, some pros, some cons, just okay.

I quite liked this music and rapping style.

Under 40 mins listening time. Slick lyrics and song writing. Definitely adding a few tracks to normal rotation

This album felt so try hard. None of it stuck with me at all. The instrumentation was pretty nice but the lyrics and voice were near grating.

2/5. Really not into the album at all. Thankfully it was short. It gets a bonus point for being a rap/hip-hop album with actual instruments.

Very surprised to see this new of an album on the list, but glad Simz is getting the attention. That being said if you waited a little longer I think her albums in 2021 and 2022 are even better

I'd even heard of little Simz. I really enjoyed the album. P power and all that. Some cool genre mixes. Lots of bravado.

This was great. Totally new to me. Never heard of her. Everything was good. Good groove, easy to listen to and enjoy. Quality all around. Very nice surprise.

It's not really my thing, but it's put together well enough. Plenty of weird and wonderful instruments and sounds. I'm not a fan of the rapping style and content.

not as bad as I thought

solid

Ew.

yeah this was pretty good! pleased to discover it wasn't mumble rap cause the release date had me nervous lol. it had moments of sounding like soundcloud rapper-y but it was good!

Refreshing succinct British rap. No skits. 35 mins. Not my chosen genre but fine

Favorite tracks: Venom, 101 FM, Therapy, Sherbet Sunset

Great delivery like Eminem, incredible grooves and catchy hooks and melodies to go with her MC. It's a short album, but truly not a weak one in the group.

Another Hip-Hop album, albeit from an English rapper (of Nigerian descent). Not as "in-your-face" as some other Hip-Hop albums, but I still just don't get it.

Excellent

Chill

What a flow! Opening track and venom are my favorites. She changes up her rhythm and tone a lot, which I like. Very cool album.

6/10 - Good hip hop album - Few classic beats on it

GREY Area is my first experience with London rap. The raps are good, and some of the background music is interesting and jazzy (checkout "Sherbet Sunset"). The problem is repetitiousness: over the course of the album, the raps, each one delivered at the same pace, begin to merge with the others. A producer might have stepped in and suggested that Little Simz change things up a bit, track-by-track.

This was a certified slapper. Just so good and after listening to all the old albums you can really see how modern artists take pieces from all and make something new.

Absolutely slaps, heck. The production is clever, flow is impeccable, album composition is perfect. Chefs kiss Highlights: Venom and Pressure

Is there an instrumental version of the album? That would be good.

It's decent. Good flow with some solid samples. But it sounds like she's repeating words to make the lines rhyme and it sounds repetitive. She's got talent and her voice is unique but the writing needs to improve. Still, it's listenable.

I think I conflated this in my mind for Little Mix, and thankfully it wasn't that. Some of the lyrics are what I believe the kids today would say "a bit cringe" but she makes up for this in flow and beats. An enjoyable listen.

Great flow and beats. Really enjoyed.

Not my taste

Not a big fan of London rap, but was surprised at how chill some of the songs were. Nice jazzy beats

Hot Eats. Cool treats. Dairy Queen.

My biggest issue with concious hip-hop, is the bar it sets for itself. Even good lyrics fall through when delivered with the sufficient level of importance. I prefer her mellow tracks, and Selfish is the by far best track on this album. 101 FM has a fun beat, which I like quite a bit. Aesthetically, Venom is not really my thing, but I have to say the track is well executed and successfull. The other tracks I either don't care for or don't care about. This album being essential listening is a stretch, and I don't think any of the tracks even reaches the heights of her catalogue (which is Two Worlds Apart from Sometimes I Might Be Introvert). 2.4

I liked it. It was someone I’d never heard of.

Great instrumentals

Rhymes weren't bad, language lets it down for me

I didn't really listen to the lyrics but the flow was good. Backing music was pretty chill. Rap is not my preferred style of music.

This is brand new to me, a few tracks on this I really liked, a few not so much. Overall pretty good. Will I listen to again: 40%

UK rap - hmmm. Wasn't impressed with the album introvert so hopefully this will be better. Actually really good. I much prefer it when she gets angry about stuff. The beats are really good as are some of the melodies

Highlights: Selfish, Wounds. Has an air of vulnerability. Feeling indifferent about the album. It’s not my kind of music. Overall: 4/10

Pretty good! Feels like a little bit older boom bap type shit.

I really enjoyed this. I had no idea who Little Simz was previously, but will be checking out her other releases.

I'd never heard of Little Simz before, and the album only being from 2019 still feels like not enough time to say whether it is truly one of 1001 albums someone must listen to... However, the album was good. It didn't grab me in any extraordinary way, and she's not going to be a new favorite, at least not based off this listen, but I will listen to it again and listen to some of her other stuff.

It has nice production but her flow and style honestly put me to sleep, even if the lyricism is good. Just not a preference

OK

Offence is fun! Good opening song... all of the others had a chill Cafe vibe to them.

Pretty decent. Offense, Boss, & Venom are highlights. Overall solid album, but we're not breaking any ground here, it's pretty standard stuff. I like grime, so I don't mean that in a bad way!

This was a really good album. If the second half had held up as well as the first it would have been a 5.

Dude bars and production. Hot damn.

4.3 the start of the album was the best for sure, it just became less of my thing but still objectively great faves: boss, offence

2 starz no flow

Meh

Simz is goated

I'm really glad that this album came up. I've heard a lot of great things about Little Simz, but I hadn't made myself really dive in and listen yet. All of the songs on this project were enjoyable. Wounds was particularly great. I loved its bass and twangy guitar heavy beat and I think Simz's flow complimented the beat perfectly. Sherbet Sunset was another great standout. I'll definitely come back and listen again. I want to check out later entries in here discography as well.

Little Simz’ flow and her production is immediately distinctive and excellent. I think i wish i clicked with her subject matter and style a bit more but i recognize this is a well made tight album

Little simz immediately slaps you in the face with a completely unique and even silly production on the song”offence”. She shows understanding and love for old school hiphop while nailing a completely new and modern take on “alt hiphop”. Some of the songs work the whole way through but because of their out there nature/goofiness I can see many of these tracks not holding up for multiple listen throughs. Female hiphop is in a renaissance and it’s easy to see why with artists like this spearheading the charge! Hopefully artists like Dave, stormzy, AJ Tracey and little simz can bring UK rap to the states!

Better than some in this genre, but not for me.

Loved the first song Offence and Therapy and liked the rest of it, but wasn’t over the moon about the rest. I was in kind of a grumpy mood when I listened to it though and don’t think it’s a good grumpy mood album for me at least.

Not music I would usually listen to, but still good. I think that it was really cool how personal they made this music to them. 3/5

This is for me

great record! good beats

simzin 2021ilmestyny levy oli täydellinen, tääkin on hyvä

Little Simz provides a refreshing perspective through her lyrics + "Wounds" sounds super slick.

GREAT album one of her best!

Low key precise verses delivered with raw intensity bring this Black British woman’s experiences to life in vivid color.

NOTES : That was a very wide spanning project as far as sounds & styles , I like that Little Simz performances were very similar to make up for the varied production , giving it a more grandiose feel as all of these sounds swell around her while she delivers these heart felt lyrics, The last song on the project " FLOWERS " was my personal favorite as that song in perticular not only has a beautifully majestic sound with the vocal swells & trumpet , but a grounded feeling with the drumbreaks to keep the tempo ( which the drumbreaks & production helped keep this record consistent in tone & energy ) . There were certain songs that I personnally got bored of , like " VENOM " & " 101FM " however the majority of the records were very well crafted , but I will say I don't see myself coming back to this project wholisticly to listen to it. I think overall this project was fun & beautifall listen from the mind of a young female creative trying to showcase her penmanship & take u for a ride thru the mind of Lil Simz

4/5. Never heard this before, production is really really cool and enjoyed the flow a lot.

At first I was not too excited, but it certainly exceeded my expectations. Selfish was exceptional

anyone who makes good music that doesn’t sound like what everyone else is doing is a win for me. Great instrumentation and songs, not really my thing as far as replay value but I recognize it is good

I LOVED this. This one slipped me by. Even in 2019 it feels like an artifact of a time quickly disappearing... the early/mid 2010s, when every rap album was as ambitious as this one. When ideas were adventurous, sampling was smart, often funny, whimsical. Every album its own world. Somewhere along the way I fell off the train of new hip hop releases because, frankly, many people stopped trying. Little Simz and Inflo are trying. The string arrangements, old Warner bros sfx, cheeky minimalist Moog and drums alone are worth the price of admission. I found it very immediate and compelling. Let's get back here. 4/5

Meh not good but not horrible

Very refreshing to hear this after NWA. Smart lyrics, questioning male authority, touching on deeper themes, different beats each song. Surprisingly enjoyed it.

Thank you I wouldn't normally listen to this genre, however I'm glad I did. I'm not 'converted' but I enjoyed it, and would happily listen to Little Simz again.

Female Earl Sweatshirt type of album. 2019

I really dig this. I liked the flow, I liked the beats. Never heard of Little Simz before. This was a great addition to my musical history.

Best track is selfish

Love her, listened to both SIMBI and NO THANK YOU, phenomenal artist

It's alright as far as rap goes, but not really my thing. 2 stars.

Consistent sound, nice bass. Enjoy her rapid-fire flow. SAVOUR: Offence, 101 FM

Third album from London rapper born of Nigerian immigrants. 10 songs in 35 minutes. Her dense flow makes her individualism known. Consider her a winner. Ditto producer Inflo's eclectic, sample-heavy beats.

Amazing artist. Stunning wordsmith