GREY Area

Isn't exactly my style but it was a really good listen. Good beats and interesting instrumentation.

British rapper. Interesting, funky, kinda old school.

I know self confidence is something to be encouraged, but Little Simz really does think she's the bee's knees. This is a decent hip hop album with cool instrumentation and some contemporary themes, but I'm not sure the stratospheric levels of self-adulation are fully justified. 3/5

Loved the loops and beats but parts felt sophomoric at times. Little Simz had a strong presences but the choruses didn’t feel raw in an artistic sense; they felt under produced, just not on the same level. Lyrically, the content dives into some heavy places. I was torn at how much I fully like the album and, ultimately, decided on another round.

Good

3.5

GREY Area's brevity appears to be considered a strength in most reviewers. I'm ambivalent on the length: My copy of Stillness In Wonderland came as a double LP and I maintain it's an excellent record, with Simz's voice the standout factor. The followup is trimmer, slicker, and more varied in production: A wonderful vibes record, and meaty at that. But I still don't understand the superlatives. Granted, I listened to it for the first time in pretty bad conditions and found it boring. And it certainly isn't that.

-In "Offence" there is a bar that says "Got my team on deck taking out all pawns/And my knight got your queen in check, mate" which is a cool chess bar that *almost* makes sense -"Offence" also has a cool bass slide that's cool, and some solid fast flows -Oh, it's the "Venom" TikTok song. Also some great speedy bars in that song. Actually, the main part that is the TikTok sound is actually the least interesting part. The verses have great flow and rhymes, and the rap has a topic (not just rhyming random words and phrases) -"101 FM" is a bit too bri*ish for me" -Most tracks are like medium good, with "Offence" and "Venom" being solid. Not quite consistent enough for a 4, but one of the strongest hip hop albums I've heard in my opinion

Not my bag, but she obvisouly has talent

This was an interesting listen for me. The first time I wasn't sure if I quite liked it, but after a second time I dug it more! How talented is she?!?!

Oh, can Little Simz go fast or what! I think she's excellent, considering how fast she goes and how clear her rapping is! It was so cute to hear her British accent come through, too. Those lyrics definitely pack a punch--she doesn't hold back! This album was definitely worth the second listen I gave before assigning a vote. "Venom" demanded my attention during the first listen.

This was a new artist and album for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. Little Simz's rapping style had a very pleasing flow, and her vocals were interesting. This album felt very fresh, even compared to other recent hip hop albums. Sometimes on hip hop albums, I feel like all of the beats blend together and aren't distinguished enough, but that was not a problem here; each song stood well on its own and offered something to distinguish it from other songs on the album. I also found the album straight to the point as there were no interludes to be found on this album; in this case, I think that made the album stronger.

Bof. Pas ma came ce genre de hip hop

Starts really strong on the first couple of tracks but I feel it loses momentum whenever singing is brought into the choruses. I like it when she leans more towards the experimental. Beats are very moody and atmospheric and it's a real 3.5 for me but ultimately it feels more like an assemblage of fairly distinct singles than a cohesive album so I'm gonna round down.

very rad

3.5

Good album, enjoyed the production and the bass on first couple of tracks especially. Little Simz is clearly a good rapper, but that London accent starts to grate on me after a while (such Northern bias from me).

Don't really care about the words, but in terms of music, this album raps with dignity and respect to art.

3.5 stars. I might bump that after another listen. Really sweet grooves and beats.

Little Simz has been on fire with her newest album and this one is also solid. Very impressed with the lyricism and the beats. She’s probably one of the better female rappers without being only vulgar as well. 7.4/10

She's skilled, no doubt. Good production but not a lot of depth in lyrics or style. She's got to learn to dig deeper and take more chances, for this to be a good LP as opposed to a place to find one or two standout tracks.

Must confess: I had my finger hover over the skip button for this one - I did not need it. Great album. Nice production.

This album is proof that the difference between good hip hop and great hip hop is more than just the ability to spit rhymes, because that aspect is plenty good on this one. But the songs themselves are lackluster and monotonous.

Average+ rap. I liked the tone of her voice and the cockneyesque accent. I didn’t like excessive use of questionable language. The song “Selfish” was a highlight. 3.5 and rounding down.

Bueno. No creo que tenga suficiente peso aún para estar dentro de este listado. Le falta legado.

Hip hop

Will listen again. 3.5

Not my main style, but it was good. I particularly liked the last three tracks on the album- Therapy, Sherbert Sunset, and Flowers- as well as Wounds.

Liked this more than I thought I would. I liked the fusion of rap and hip hop with some Rasta sounds and motifs. Very interesting album.

wouldn't listen to again due to the explicit lyrics, but musically interesting

Fun British rap

Interesting enough

Not really my vibe, but I can understand where this gets some respect

Most of the beats are really nice, and the production is really clean too. That's about all that salvages a 3 for me. I just finished it and already can't really remember or differentiate any of the songs. Just "edgy" lyrics in an unconventional delivery with an accent. I'm sure there's probably some good content in there but I didn't catch it the first time through and won't bother to try again.

3. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of backing music and beats, made it an enjoyable listen. The first track had almost an industrial synth backing which grabbed my attention.

It's...okay. She has talent, but it's not quite what I'm feeling when it comes to rap.

Far better than I expected despite not really being my genre.

ENGLISH. hip hop.

Better sound than I thought, fine for background. 2.5/5

Ok. Tracks were either a complete miss, or just acceptable (for my tastes). ★★

Konnte nur bis zur hälfte hören aber ne schrecklich

There are some interesting songs with a bit of jazz influence but the rest of the album is really unpleasant. the type of rap I hate ! 1.5

the thing about being a conscious rapper is you'll get ecstatic five-star reivews from the british press and be shortlisted for every prize and then six years later your biggest contribution to culture is a guest spot on a late-stage koombaya coldplay song

IDK how to articulate the type of rap I like, but it's not this.

2.5 Dude is obsessed with mediocre British hip hop. Honestly, this is actually probably one of the better ones, but as soon as it ended (thankfully short), I had no desire to ever return to it again.

I was surprised to see a 2019 album, then realized this is yet another obscure Brit artist who no one on this side of the world has ever heard of. The listener counts are IMPRESSIVE, but why people were listening escapes me. Brits need to leave hip-hop to Americans. "Boss" was unlistenable. "Selfish", a highly listened to track, was boring. If he has a point and he's trying to make the listener aware of something it's lost because he talks too fast to get more than a word or two at a time ("Venom"). Yeah he raps fast, he's not threatening with that pre-teen voice, I have no idea what his message is, but I do know that not a single song is worthy of a second listen. 1 star

Perfectly pleasant UK hip-hop fare navigating well-worn millennial issues and first-world problems. Can't say I'll be listening again any time soon, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the target audience.

I cared about this album less than you did

Talented but far from my taste.

She is clearly very talented. The overall vibe is delicious. But for me music is like cinema - something to focus on and experience deeply - not wallpaper - something for the background to set a mood. So, listening to this series of computer generated rhythms overlayed by two or three musical snippets looped ad nauseam is like watching a dog chasing its tail; it's entertaining for a few seconds, but grows quickly tiresome. And I don't sit down at my stereo to listen to lyrics. If I want language, I grab a book. (I don't like Bob Dylan or Carol King for the same reason.) As accomplished as this album is, it ain't for me.

2.3 2x not my thing

We've listened to a lot of hip hop records at this point. Many of the older records are dense with samples. The newer ones, wildly overproduced. I enjoyed the restraint on GREY Area. The bass sounded good. The occassional guitar was pleasant. The strings, when not pounding out staccato chords on the beat, were, again, pleasant. Nothing exceptional in any regard, but neither anything to take exception to. What was noteworthy was the amount of space in the arrangement - this felt like real people playing. For me, at least, this gave the rapping of Little Simz a chance to really standout, not hemmed in by a strict sample looped or quantized beat. But, while I felt there was a refreshing looseness to her deliver, it merely highlighted the disadvantage of rapping as a technique: it falls on one plane, it is dependent on rhythmic complexity to maintain interest, it has to be concentrated and dense. So, even when the music is loose and alive, the rapping becomes monotonous over the course of a whole record. I liked her accent though. 2 Little Simz‘s rapping strikes me as rather one-dimensional. It’s a fast and deadpan confessional, with volleys of triple and quadruple rhymes, punctuated by moments of dramatic rage, and all very much like Kendrick Lamar when he does the same thing. That’s on this album at least - I confess this is the only work of hers I’ve ever heard. She’s a Londoner of course, which is nice, and her album is only 35 minutes long which earns an extra half star. No, I can’t do that. Sure Steely Dan was accounted no extra credit yesterday and their rotten album was even shorter than this. Sorry Little Simz. 1/5

Little (not Lil') Simz got something going here...a little bit. Not sure what the fascination is with being such a small artist these past few decades. GREY Area does not lie in that realm though, it is much more BLACK and white. Simz lays out her qualms and vulnerabilities. The tracks are clean but something is lacking from this quick hit. I do like a grimy guvna accent on an emcee and she has it...just doesn't quite nail the lyrical skills as some others. However, thus far from the list, she does stand out as one of the better rappers from across the pond. Still not sold on the spot for this album. Maybe this is a must listen for a Brit...2.2 stars.

I appreciate the brevity in a rap album. Little Simz made the wise choice to keep Grey Area limited to 10 tracks and avoided common cliches of skits and filler. It's nearly all her with only a couple of minor featured spots that are limited to chorus and backup than rap verses. Production is pretty limited but it gives you just enough for Little Simz to spit some lines uninterrupted. Her flow has a cadence to it that became recognizable pretty quickly. Nothing special but 101FM and Selfish were the songs I enjoyed the most. As usual its nice to get some exposure to a Gorillaz collaborator that I was only previously familiar with from a featured spot. Little Sims is nowhere near the top of the list but I can see why Albarn brought her in to the studio for a track. Her structured flow works well enough with some minimalist accompaniment to make it work. 2.49 stars

Not really my musical style but I can appreciate the attention and care that’s gone into this album. I respect there is an established style and lineage of uk rappers that is distinct from the North American style and she pays decent homage to the stormzy style super fast with some smart wordplay while being perhaps a bit more melodic than some. A solid 2 as it’s fundamentally not my cuppa tea!

I do not like it

1.5

No me mató. No lo volvería a escuchar

Grey Area wirkt trotz starker Momente oft unausgegoren. Die Mischung aus Grime‑Härte und introspektiven Passagen greift nicht immer sauber ineinander, und einige Tracks verlieren sich im Stilwechsel. Handwerklich solide, aber insgesamt weniger überzeugend.

Look, here's my hot take; The N word is North America-centric, like that's "our" word, hearing it said in a British accent seems strange, like they should have their own word: may I suggest bog-woddle?... sick beats, good enough flow and wordplay, but a little boring, luckily at 35 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome. Each individual song would be interesting if it popped up on a playlist, but as a whole it's a lot of not-that-much

I reviewed this album a little while back with some nerds I met over the internet, who I often partake in artist deep dives with. Here's what I had to say then, which still applies on this listen: Contrary to what seems to be the general feeling towards Stillness, I quite dig the more chilled out, expansive, densely layered vibe of that album, which went into some interesting places through its blending of different styles. This one channels a decent amount of those successes into a tighter, more direct and aggressive approach, closer in scope to the debut structurally whilst still showcasing some of the musical development of previous. However, I'm struggling with the lyricism to a greater extent than before, and am really not a fan of Simz’ rapping style for large parts of this one. Thematically it's further outside of my wheelhouse than ever, and I'm not sure I recall as many “N-bombs” rearing their head on the last two. Vocally I still wouldn't necessarily agree with the idea that anything about her performance feels inauthentic, but it did feel as though she was trying to get too much in at points and she is clearly more keen to be the centre-piece here. The aggressive style is kinda lost on me, whereas I think the more subtle approach offered up occasionally, and more frequently on Stillness, proves that Simz can still be an incisive presence without going for the jugular. "Wounds” and the closing couple of tracks “Sherbet Sunset” and “Flowers” ft. Michael Kiwanuka would probably be my highlights. More of that soulful approach of the latter two in particular could've swayed this further into my palate.

Sounds like all the other British rappers

Cool to see women succeed in rap/hiphop, they’re still too few in number. Simz has some lyrical weapons, but this album falls into the same trap that puts me off most of the genre: flat performance, monotony, the same subjects of guns, shitty men, getting paid, etc. Her voice is so drearily one-note that it becomes a drone. Doesn’t hook me.

Eh

Popular song venom here 👀

Boss Sdlfish 101 FM

Not really my flow

This is almost melodious, but it's a genre even Michael Kiwanuka can't save.

Solid two star album. In general not my cup of tea but this had a good flow and quality production.

Not a fan of this genre really, but this was certainly listenable and it was pretty short and the songs were concise - so that was nice. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but it definitely didn’t feel like anything I really “need” to listen to.

Brit rap = crap

This is never going to be my thing. At least it was short.

This is from an obscure (to me, anyhow) female British rapper. The background music is good, and the sound quality is fine. I enjoyed listening to the artist rap with a British accent, and if you’re into hip-hop and rap this album seems as though it is a good one. But again it’s not for me.

Not my thing

Individual songs are alright, but, arranged as an album, everything gets boring and samey.

2 5 revisit

I like a rap album that has a strong stylistic musical voice as this certainly does. Unfortunately I don’t think the performer was able to pull off raps with as much character and nuance as the backing tracks demonstrate.

⭐⭐ Ganska bra egentligen, inget spår som känns uselt. Men tvekssam om detta albumet platsar på listan. Funderar på om jag ska ge en 3a men känner inte att jag kommer lyssna på det igen så det får bli en 2a.

chatão

I think i've outgrown this genre. I would have like this more 10yrs ago

I feel like this album wasn’t really written for me and I think that I am way not cool enough to listen to it. But listen to it I did and you know what some songs I really enjoyed like Selfish but others I didn’t gel with. But at least I can say that I am down with the kids and I have listened to a Little Simz album!

I guess I liked this. I remember enjoying it. But I don't remember any of the songs. I like when you can actually hear a British person's accent on a record for once. 2.49 starts.

Nice beats

Definitely not my style but it wasn't a bad listen

Not really the sound I like. Appreciate the artist though.

I tried but just not for me

This album is like going to primary school and learning about the importance of getting a job, then going home and dressing up in one of your dads suits, pretending like you’re a businessman.

Overrated af

OVERRATED

had some okay moments but overall, didn’t really enjoy it

Decidedly not my type of music.

again. not my cup of tea. i can see it being popular with the fans of the genre, but to me, the songs just seemed to blend in with each other.

Honestly the music was REALLY good. The bass, drums, occasional flute and what not. But the lyrics and style are an instant turnoff and I can't do it.

At least it was in English.

Wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Still not my cup of coffee. Personally, I don’t see what’s so special about this album. There are a million rap/hip-hop albums just like this.

It’s different, I’ll give it that. Brit atonal rap, with R&B tones and plenty of cute effects. No surprise the N-word and various cursing makes a regular appearance. Not my jam, but could be worse.

"I'm a feminist but..." I HATED this. Sorry.

Nice backing tracks but all the spoken word was very samey. Liked Boss and it was a relief to hear some actual singing on Selfish but that was Cleo Sol. Meh!

Not really my thing, some of the background and instrumentals are good but this genre doesn't appeal to me. I feel bad ranking it down but this is a personal ranking soooo...

not my type of music but they got some bars 💯

Not bad, but not my favorite style.

Nothing jumps out at me as being exceptional or different. There is however a strength in the vocals / rap but its delivery is fairly typical and unremarkable. Dont mind the lyrics either for the most part clearly gifted (some ganster bingo remains though). A positive of this album is the variety in the delivery of the songs. The whole package shifts between tracks. My lack of taste with regard to rap is still a defining feature for me to enjoy this album.

Meh. Was happy when it was over

Speaking as someone who fell off of popular music by the end of the 2010’s, this album didn’t do much to draw me back in. I appreciate that this album doesn’t drone on for an hour, like so many other hip-hop/rap albums do. But even at 36 minutes, it felt like a drag. I’m 29, and shit like this makes me feel like I’m 87, waving my cane at the young people, telling them to get the fuck off my lawn. If this list is going to pull more recent albums, I kind of want more than this. Favorite track: Selfish Other hits: Venom, 101 FM, Sherbet Sunset

Not what I usually listen to but I didn't mind it. Lyrically ok and any album that has Michael Kiwanuka on it can't be all bad!

Przez tą stronę nabrałem trochę więcej szacunku dla rapu, ale to już nie jest tak trafione. Całkiem sensowne rymy są pomieszane z bardzo nudnymi, powtarzającymi się. Co parę wersów płynność się kompletnie łamie.

Sampled music is great. Lyrics not so much

Her flow is good but UK rap never does it for me. Not as deep as I think she'd like her lyricism to sound.

Dette var stusslig

Not really my cup of tea, but couple of bangers.

not awful but generally not my thing

Rap feels largely foreign to me, and this album didn't get me a lot closer to understanding it. Some of the lyrics are brutally honest and self-reflective, and I respect that.

Ok. Not sure why this is on here. It's fine and all, but nothing on it stood out? I guess I'm not hearing what the author heard and thought that this is an album we all need to hear before we die. But then again, the author is VERY British-focused so let's see: Little Simz is British - Check Hip Hop from Britain is kind of zany - Check He ran out of crap to put on this list so just chose this - Check There we go. 2.25 / 5 stars. I really only liked a couple of songs on here.

not for me, but i appreciate it

Not really my bag but I can see why Little Simz won a Mercury. Some of the album was just way too grime(y)!

day 12: i’m conflicted on little simz since i know she’s well reviewed and critiqued but the couple albums i’ve heard before have done nothing much for me. open mind tho for this. unfortunately first couple songs ive quite disliked, the overdone vocal effects and beyoncé-esque bassy instrumentals on most songs here just aren’t for me. selfish is great tho! finally feeling nice. rest is whatever. finding that most of the writing comes half assed and kind of just meaningless? like anyone or their dog could come up with these lyrics. a lot of it is very ‘i’m 14 and this is deep.’ production on pressure sounds alright, i do love little dragon. beat on therapy sounds good as well, just uninterested in the vocals or writing. think i’m struggling most with the whole fast rap schtick. always have for most rap, feel like ive only ever heard twista pull it off consistently. concluding thoughts: just wish she had more vocal emotion and range, the deadpan one note delivery im already tired of after one song. the features with the nice backing soulful vocals littered across the album help massively but would be nice from simz herself. production is better in the 2nd half but some of the songs in the first half really have no redeeming factors.

This album did not make great first impression, but like the second half pretty well.

It just didn't do anything for me. I guess I found her delivery a bit, I don't know, self conscious? Or forced? Just nothing seemed to come together into much substance. Cover is nice, a solid 4/5, good composition very intimate.

leave rapping to the yanks tbh

I don’t hate this, but I’m not sure why it’s here. I guess I wonder that about a lot of these records. But this one just feels so…I dunno… average? I like the backing tracks alright. But I’m not sure what it is about the lyricism or flow or themes that stood out enough to include it on this project. It gets pretty monotonous pretty quick. 2.5/5

Nothing of note

Listening to a rapper with a London accent is wild. She rhymes words that wouldn't in an American accent. I'm also going to give her props for using largely instruments as opposed to sampling, et cetera. End of day, this was very interesting, quality recorded, mid rap/hip-hop album. I certainly didn't need to hear it before I die. Influence 0, quality 3, hits 0, I enjoyed it. 1.5

I debated with myself for a while about what to rate this album. Some of the beats are great, should I give it 5 stars? A lot of the lyrics are clunky and awkward, is this only a 1 star album? But the background vocals are really good, maybe 4 stars? At the end, (and I know this is ridiculous, feel free to hate on me) I just can't enjoy an emcee with a British accent, something about it just always sounds off to me, and so I think 2 stars feels right to me.

Not for me. Too vulgar and harsh.

Boring

No tracks that I would be embarrassed if they came up on shuffle (ok that’s not true, the beat on 101 FM is trash) but also no tracks that I’d be excited for

Not bad but not great.

It's ok, I probably won't listen to it again though.

it's okay. I wouldn't seek it out

Impressive and fast rap. I see the appeal but I'm simply not into HipHop, especially if it's not in German.

I did want to hate this after some of the verses, but the album is quite all right. 2 stars, yes, but only because I rate it with the idea that I apparently need to listen to this before I die. Well, I don't. It's still quite all right. There are some great beats on there and Little Simz is a better doubletimer than many other rappers. Yet I don't see much innovation here.

Still with the hip hop. No.

Not for me

Just okay

Couldn't get in to this

Some interesting beats but... not my kind of music. Got pretty boring, boring lyrics, etc.

Not for me.

интересные биты! но вопрос по отбору альбомов из 10-х по прежнему актуален!!! столько блять рэп-альбомов вышло как коммерческих крутых, так и культурно значимых, а берут вот эту ноунейм хуету

Het album heeft als voordeel dat het kort is, en in een paar nummers wordt iets muzikaals gedaan. Verder is er weinig te beleven. Een berg met krachttermen geplaagd geklets op zo'n verveeld kauwgomkauwtoontje. En als deze dame het brengt alsof het haar niet interesseert, waarom zou het mij dan boeien?

A little disappointed with this album. Surprisingly suave, I didn't connect with the album as much as i would've liked to. Definitely brings a unique spin to UK rap, but the songs I enjoyed the most were the ones that were harder and punchier. Not bad by any means, but not something I'd come back to. Top tracks: Venom, Pressure

sherbet sunset just sounds like a precursor to moonbeam ice cream

2/5

Gear: Letshuoer S12 PRO Artwork: 🥺🫦〰️ Production: 🎧🙂👌 Music: 📢🖍️📱 Rating: 🪫🪫/5

Side note As the awesome Throbbing Gristle keep being mentioned throughout various reviews, I tried it believing nothing could approach the levels of depravity mentioned wow was I wrong! Little Simz not for me, everything I don't like about rap

Not my jam.

Nothing about Little Simz's voice, cadence or pen is particularly interesting, and I'll honest about my predjuices and say that it's hard for me to take brittish rapping seriously.

Maso

..

Not my jam :( I try to enjoy all genres of music, this one wasn't something I would listen to again.

Cool sometimes but not my thing

Not super enjoyable to me. I’ve heard so many “emotionally raw” hip hop albums that the lyrics seem like I’ve heard it all before; nothing for me to connect to in them at all. But I can tell it’s well-produced hip hop, and some of the beats and music were cool.

not my thing

kinda avg

Holy cornball, some good instrumentals though

Ne mogu ozbiljno shvatiti ništa što zvuči kao rap iz The Gentlemen. Zvjezdica viška za poneku ok melodiju i Kiwanuku.

Some interesting lyrics but simply does not interest me at all. 2 stars or D.

☀︎mais voyons pourquoi autant de hip hop ces temps-ci ☀︎british :c ☀︎c’est vraiment meilleur que les trucs de Eminem, mais pareil j’aime pas ça. Selfish et Venom l’ont sauvé d’être 1.5☆

British people still should not be allowed to rap. (Gets a 2nd star because the beats on some of the tracks aren't bad.)

Dunno. Very British sounding. Kinda samey throughout. Good vocalist but production is pretty dull. Don't know enough about the artist to say if there's some historical reason for inclusion. Let's call it two stars.

82/1089 - I'm glad it was short and didn't have any skits.

Not my thing, but in terms of rap this wasn't terrible. Rather monotone vocals, but at least there was some kind of backing music. 2/5

I liked the first song but it was all a bit one paced for me. Not bad.

Thoughts before listening: British hip hop I think. I remember Little Simz being a big deal on end of year lists a few years ago, but I thought it was for a different record. Review: This is just okay to me. This is definitely in the vein of other British hip hop artists like the Streets and Dizzee Rascal...or maybe its just the accent thats making me think that. The best song on here is "Venom" which Spotify tells me is Little Simz's most listened to song. I'll add that to the playlist, but this album is 2-stars.

not my thing

Not a fan of this one. I really don't care for British hip hop in general, and I especially didn't like this, so I wasn't surprised to find out the main producer is part of Sault, whose album I rated a 1. This is album is better than the Sault album, however, but it just wasn't doing much for me. I'm curious if this will remain on the list in future editions because it's a bit forgettable, and I'm not sure it has the staying power of other recent albums on the list. Michael Kiwanuka's presence on "Flowers" was definitely a highlight, and it was far and away the best track on the album. There are much worse albums on this list, but this still wasn't great.

This album is medium. It’s cool to listen to the British style of hip hop and like the flow but it was distracting to me when she would rhyme the same words back to back to back. Boss is a great track. The main stand out for me.

Not sure what was supposed to make this album so great

I don’t know why a seemingly intelligent female UK rapper needs to use racist and misogynistic language from 1970s pornos. This album has well structured tunes and she has a good voice. Maybe she feels she needs to conform with the gun toting gangster US neanderthal rappers. I think she should grow up and do her own thing.

Not bad per se but sorry to say the UK is still baby brother when it comes to rap

I had never heard of her but it wasn't bad. Reminded me a little of Missy Elliott

Yelling does not equal rap. Neither does spoken word. Poorly executed even through it seems Little Simz has a nice voice. The entire album is a mess, no cohesion.

Just listened to this album, and it made no impression on me whatsoever. Kind of disappointing, honestly.

My initial response is not favourable. Anyone whose name is Little or Lil. British rap is a genre that I consistently hate. Time to start listening. The music is a lot better than most in this genre. Real instruments! But she sprays THAT word around and it's still just sometime talking. I don't want to listen to spoken word, I want music.

This feels like a crazy inclusion on this list, especially because it’s such a young album. I appreciate it in that there’s nothing else like it on the list… but it feels like it was only included because there’s nothing else like it on the list.

oouf

Two if i say so.

2/5

Not doing it for me

It was hard to make it through this one for me.

No private session used for Spotify. Wasn't sure what to expect. I did like the orchestration and wide use of instruments, though it did get repetitive after a few songs.

I wondered where I recognized her from, and it turns out she was part of Gorillaz's Humanz tour that I went to, cool. As always, cool with something new. I'm not big on rap in general and am quite picky, and unfortunately this wasn't to my taste at all. Sounds modern, but not in a good way as it leans too much into the seeming current trend of "have to get as many words in a bar as possible". The supposed most popular song of the record, 'Venom', did nothing for me and was actually among the worst songs, which I think tells me this is just not for me. 'Sherbet Sunset' and 'Selfish' was probably my favourite ones on the record, and also happens to be the ones that differs most from the rest.

I liked the backing rif in 101 FM. The flow is pretty nice on Sherbet Sunset and in general if you don’t pay too close attention to the lyrics it’s pleasant.

Honestly, I didn't get it large portions of this. I mean it was ok at best, but this was a hard sell; and I say this as someone who likes alot of hip hop. Also given that it's British almost immediately you know the quality is not going to be good. 4/10.

not for me

# 329 : Kind of cool, It was better then i was expecting. I'm not into British hip hop, modern hip hop, Rap, or even people with little in their names, but this wasn't bad. I'm not sure I'd listen to it again but i didn't hate it.

Don't like her rapping much at all. At least it was pretty brief compared to a lot of albums in the genre that are so very bloated.

the guy who compiled this list appears to love him some bri ish rap artists. the guy who is writing this review… not so much. although i will admit this one is better than the other offerings from bri ish rappers on this list so far. having said that, i’m still giving it two stars in that rapping in a bri ish accent will never not sound weird to me.

#351. I guess I never really thought about what British rap might sound like, but somehow this is exactly like what I probably would have guessed. 😂 Thanks guys, I really enjoyed this laugh on this early Monday morning. 🤣 Cheers, bruv, or whatever it is you say. 2/5: goofy ass shit 😂🤣😂

Not a genre I'm interested in, but I've heard worse.

This album has no business being in this list. British rappers tend to be annoying

No a great album overall but there’s a couple of songs I’ve actually heard before. Don’t like women rappers and they’re worse with a British accent

more british rap, yawn

The flow on these songs is quite repetitive, especially at the beginning. Music is good a diverse though. Good messages, lyrics. Selfish is a shining star. The non-rapping parts of Wounds is good too

What is rap these days

Little Simz released an album in 2021 that was making waves so I was interested in this one. I didn’t realize she was British though. Idk I can’t take British rapping seriously, it reminded me of the Streets album. I was pleasantly surprised by the Michael Kiwanuka feature. High 2.

STANDOUTS: Selfish OVERALL: 2.5/5; I love the album art though. Fun to see a NEW album on the list.

Since this came out in 2019 and I’d never heard of the artist, I was intrigued to listen to this. I liked 3-4 of these tracks for the music, but the similar vocal flow across most of the songs got old real quick. Not my jam.

Better than most UK Rap. But there is just a few things about it that really threw me off and took me out of it. Just doesn't feel like it should be on the list, most of the new entries aren't deserving. There have been a few that have caught my attention in a good way, but most of them just feel like an excuse to throw in some random artist he's into at the time.

Love Little Simz! But this is probably her worst.

I was wondering when I would get my first rap album. Expected Tupac, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Jay-Z, Biggie, or A Tribe Called Quest or any other of the pioneers of rap. Instead I got a modern British rapper that I’ve never heard of. Trying not to let that affect my rating, listening to this with an open mind, it still was just OK. UK rap is not my thing. 2.5⭐️

This is just an album by someone I have not heard of. It did not do anything to sway me to listen to more from her. She has nice flow. The beats are decent. She swears. I don’t hear a single. I want to hear a single to justify why an album is on this list. Choice cut: Selfish

My ears recoil when hearing rappers with a British accent. I'm not sure why exactly. I just don't like hearing it. Some of the other sounds on this are kind of good, and her fast rapping is impressive. On the other hand, all the n-words and other obscenities make me like this way less. Also, overloading the microphone on Boss is annoying as well. Her picture on the album cover looks like Jayden Smith's punchable face. All in all, it probably deserves a 1, but I give it a 2, who cares?

Not my style

Most of this felt pretty formulaic, and the times where it wasn't were mostly overbearing

A slight shift from the usual for this genre with passages that were tolerable.

Terrible.

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.

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

Overwhelming

She is of this time. I probably am not.

Alright. Probably won't listen again.

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.

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

"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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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...

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)

She is certainly a talented rapper just not really my style

Oh good another rap album.

Nothing here for me

This was pretty good for the genre.

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

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

Not my kinda rap

2/3

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

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.

Meh. Not my thing

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.

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

Not my type

More like Lil' Interest (from me)

Nicht so wirklich gut

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.

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

4/10

better than 90s rap, still dont like it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ew.

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.

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.

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

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

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

OK

2 starz no flow

Meh not good but not horrible

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

Hard to relate, not favorite genre, was half way through when realized it was a woman.

Just really didnt grab me at all. Passable and forgettable.

5 track in and I can honestly say musically I really like it. It's just a crying shame it's not an instrumental album. In one of the later track she says "It's hard talking about something you know nothing about". And that is all rapping is, talking. Usually there is a sort of rhythm and it ties in with the music, but with this she has a similar meter in every track and drowns out the music, completely ruining it.

Not totally unenjoyable; I did like "Selfish" best of all the songs.

Doesnt strike me as exceptional like the other albums here

Nothing seocial

Excellent music (samples and loops), but I can't take British rappers seriously.

Intro song was dope, Boss made me want to rip my ears off holy shit that was brutal. 6 songs in and I don't feel like I needed to listen to this before I died. Just finished, album finished strong. I love hip-hip, but this is my least fav album I’ve heard so far (only about a week in). Offence hands down best song 2/5

Felt very "rappy". Overall always appreciate listening to new types of music but this in particular wasn't really my vibe.

Some beats were good but UK hip hop is one of my least favourite genres to listen to, this was tolerable.

hate rap finally...

Selfish tiene una bonita melodía, Flowers no está mal, el resto no se diferencia mucho la típica brasa hiphopera de otros lanzamientos de este estilo.

Jälleen yllättävän heikko suoritus näinkin tuoreelta levyltä. Ei tarjonnut mitään mullistavaa kuuntelukokemusta ja vaihteli viihdyttävästä joutavaan.

Erikoista jälleen, et näin uus levy ”keskinkertaisuudessaan” päässyt listalle. Ei missään nimessä huono, jopa yks tuttu biisikin löyty. Kuitenkin se ”jokin” puuttui ja jäädään puhtaasti alle kolmeen tähteen

It had its moments but its a one and done for me.

Surprising number of textures in this hip hop rap pop rock record. I wish the cursing language wasn’t there but that’s more a sign of my old age than an indictment on this album. Carelessly offending people is a hallmark of being successful in rock & roll.

-have never heard of little simz before so im excited -i like everything in the background while shes rapping -theres so much going on in the background like with the sounds and i LOVE it -selfish is really nice and chill -VENOMMM i’ve heard this song before -101 fm was kinda slow for me -i do like how honest and real she is in thesw lyrics -overall this album was cool but i didn’t love it and i probably wouldn’t listen to it again so 2 stars

not for me

Talented rapping, interesting music and various rhythms. She's good at what he she does. But personally I find this kind of music overwhelming after a few songs. It's tiring to read the lyrics/rapping and focus on the music, too, perhaps because I'm not a native speaker.

Not usually a rap fan, but I like it. Musically interesting. Got pretty stressful to listen for more than a few songs though.

I don’t know- I think the music aspect was good but her voice was what I just couldn’t get into that much. Length was perfect and nothing else to complain about but her voice just wasn’t it.

De la nova fornada del hip hop de finals dels 10s, començaments dels 20s. Reverenciada un pél massa, però cert és que la seva proposta està un o dos esglaons per sobre de la majoria de figures de la seva generació. Aquí és on va començar a despuntar

Eheää alusta loppuun, mutta varsinaisesti hienona erottuu vain Venom. Vaatii keskittymistä, johon en pysty

Tämä menee musiikillisesti hieman yliyrittämiseksi, vaikka en sinänsä vihaakaan levyn kokeiluja. Melko hyvä yhden kuuntelukerran tulkinta modernista räpistä - point taken.

Disco de hip hop dos menos irritantes.

I know Little Simz and that she probably pioneered a certain style of rap, but I could not get into any of these songs.

Started ok. Fell away. Not my bag really

Pretty good, but not my thing

Jotenkin liian tai liian vähän jotakin 2/5

Höh ei kyllä lähtenyt. Kiinnostava artisti ja olin onnellinen, kun piti kuunnella. Ehkä jotain toista levyä pitää vielä kokeilla.

I honestly didn’t hate it

Cafe music

Digging the bass lines. Listening to Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn...and then this is thrown at me. Only being out 4 years should disqualify it from being on the list. Favorite Track : Sherbet Sunset 2 / 5

Musically much better than most of what passes under the hip-hop bridge, but still nothing I would willingly listen to.

Second listen: First time it was a 1/5 for me. This time around I found the song "Boss" to be exceptional and so far, that one song has saved this album. Standouts: Boss Others: Selfish, 101 FM, Therapy, Rating: 2.5/5

I don’t get it. Not a single jam and not something I’ll tell my kids to listen to.

This is an album that probably will be retconned from the list on one of the next editions. British hip hop record, with no original style or beats, and pretty interesting way of rapping by Little Simz, but in general GREY Area doesn't bring anything new or exceptional to the table. Few songs like Sunset Sorbet, or Venom were pretty good, mostly on the lyrical side, with some nice changes to the tempo as well. Interesting, but in my opinion it doesn't belong to the list of greatest albums in anything (maybe other than contemporary hip hop).

Fine British rap, wouldn’t skip any songs if they came up in a playlist . Not my particular style and really lost me with the lyric about people being unaware because they haven’t read the alchemist, followed by “we live in a society..” 2.5/5