Reviews (page 5 of 7)
really uninspiring
This is #day709 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… at least I learned that Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Sylvian were the precursors of the so-called grime. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day710.
nope. this isn't entertaining. 2.25 out of 5 for me. I just don't get why this is even on this list. Oh, he's a British. Got it.
No 🙉
I cleaned my barbecue to this, it was below par
Well made and full of passion but the level of violent threats and sexism made me uncomfortable
Definitely NOT an album I needed to hear before I die. Contemporary hip hop is too bland for me. Pass.
Not a fan. Brits try to sound too tough when they rap and it just sounds hilarious.
Konnichiwa? More like Booyakasha!
The list has been on a real run of fucking mid lately.
From the Vault #24 (March 1, 2026) Man, I'm already in 2016. I breezed through the 80s and 90s hip-hop albums, fell into a horrific slump during the 2000s and am now flooring it to the finish line. I am so, so fucking close to the end of these hip-hop albums I can practically taste it. Once I'm through with these six remaining albums I'll never have to listen to another hip-hop song for a considerable portion of my natural-born life. When I go to hell it'll be a different story. I've never heard of this rap artist before, and that's how you can tell they're British. I guess I need to ready myself for another cockney accent coming from a Black man. Fuck my piece of shit life, dude. I hate being right. I can overlook these listmakers for being nepotistic freaks when it comes to including other forms of UK music, but having the gall to include UK hip-hop makes me want to go postal. It's just so fucking bad. The entire genre is the manifestation of that jocular kid from high school who was rewarded with all of the social validation and attention he could ever need from being physically attractive, so he adopts a foolhardy, airheaded persona in an act of complacency (i.e, me but without my divine intellect and ability to instantly wet the panties of every woman around with my insightful opinions on music). There isn't much to remark about this album when it comes to the actual music. The vocals suck - I hate them. The lyrics are insipid - I hate them. The instrumentals are unique - I am unfavourable to them, but occasionally feel mild pangs of interest. I'm not sure how to describe the sound of these backing tracks. Many of them have that classic, grandiose hip-hop feel, but with more of a looming quality. I kind of appreciate the creepy ambience. It definitely makes for a unique listen, though the trap beats go a long way in weakening the atmosphere of these tracks - I hate them. I've heard "Ladies Hit Squad" on the radio, surprisingly. This album isn't entirely irrelevant - go figure. I don't know who this guest vocalist is, but he sucks mondo dick. He sounds like he was thrashed about before getting on the mic with how breathy and lispy his vocals are. The lyrics are eye-rolling as usual, but the vocals have a solid flow during the chorus. The instrumental isn't particularly outstanding to me, though I do appreciate the general sound. The opulent, echoing, atmospheric background noise is kind of cool, though the trap beat does undermine the appeal. Overall, I suppose I didn't mind listening to this one. I don't have a scan of the 2018 or 2021 revisions of the book, so I can't consult the book entry for this album. Wikipedia says this album was produced in part by Pharell Williams, was the product of multiple delays, performed very well in the UK and charted all across the West and a little bit of Europe. It won the 2016 Mercury Prize (bleak) and was well-received by critics. My disdain for UK hip-hop makes it my personal obligation to scrub every incarnation of such an accursed genre from the list. Get da fuuuuck outta heyaaaah. In place of this album, I humbly submit "Apostrophe (')" by Frank Zappa. I haven't listened to the album, though I've remarked in some of my recent reviews that I think Zappa was undercut by only having three albums on the list, so we're turning that around. Apostrophe (') seems to be his next best album outside of the ones that we're included, hence why I'm letting it through.
I’ve definitely heard worse drill rap, but this record doesn’t fly too high above the others. Couldn’t be wait for it to be over not gonna lie. That’s why I’m giving it a two star.
From the uk grime I’ve heard previously I enjoyed most of what I heard. This felt like a parody I legitimately found myself laughing at the album at parts.
Mmh
4/10 It's hard work, for sure. Lyrically it's tedious and aggressive (why wouldn't it be), but there is something about the thump of the bass that gives it at least something. Nice to never have to listen to again
Not as bad as expected, not so essential as should be.
De los peores albumes que he escuchado en mi vida, realmente podria no haber escuchado este je
A bit repetitive music wise, some good lyrics but not really my kind of music
Don’t care much for grime, but my main takeaway is that I am disagreeing with the Mercury Prize panel on just about every award they’ve given. Bleh
not my cup of tea,
Yikes
UK hip hop, not good.
My boy went to Europe and we’ve got nothing but slop since he left. It was written in the stars. #comehomezachary Nah but yet again I’m finding myself super bored with some generic ass hip hop. And leave it to the 1001 gods to take a break from Brit Pop only to land in Brit-Hop. The song “lyrics” is kind of cool. I can’t tell if the dub step, 808 electro ass beats are cool or not yet. Okay nah this is just so fucking cringe. This guy really reminds me of some dude I got free mixtapes from at the state fair when I was 14. I wonder if bro made it. This is another record I think would’ve sounded a lot cooler a decade ago.
This is a fun time go hard music grime the skit with the gamer lobby was awesome the only good skit poetic the whole is just so jumbled it tries to be set up like tpab it just doesn’t work. I like some songs but I think skepta is a better feature and this isn’t really that interesting and there has been better grime since from what I’ve heard idk I wish I liked it more
Pretty neat
Aaaand another Rap album with bad skits, passable lyrics, beats, and production. Don't need to listen to dozens of them before I die. One is more than enough.
I would actually enjoy this. The post-song skit things were incredibly cringey, even if they’re a part of grime culture. I have to downgrade.
Not revolutionary, but not bad eifer innit?
Not my favorite style of music. I'm much more into early 90s hip hop or rap, than I am with what I believe is called Grime? Clearly a good lyricists, but a few tracks were just meandering skits.
1.5
I'm not too hot on grime to begin with, so this album is a bit of a tough sell for me. There were a few decent tracks (the first two were pretty good), but as the album went on, it definitely wore on me. 2.5 stars.
Not familiar with Skepta and I'm going to keep it that way :p The beats were fine enough. My main problem is that I had a lot of moments where the album had me tuning in and then immediately tuning out. Some of the chorus moments had me enjoying the album but I'm just not **fully-there I guess. Maybe on a third listen I'll appreciate something else about it or maybe Grime isn't a genre meant for me. 'Lyrics' is genuinely a very fun listen. Most of the tracks had me getting "bun" and feeling happy when I was "dun" with it. I blame that guy who was doin up tennis and callin man dennis he's a mennis. Y'know? The guy who is bigger than bennis. I blame him. Riding around in his rover. I can recognize the skill in both the production and lyrical performance. It's just sadly not for me. Also, Numbers is funny. Got me emoting. "THAT'S A THREE" yeeeesss brooooooo! ALSO ALSO, 'That's Not Me' was almost like 'Lyrics' for me but then some goofy showed up and shoved sour patch kids in my mouf. ALSO ALSO ALSO, 'Text Me Back' is good :D All in all, this album was not for me but still had some fun at least listening to it. T3: Lyrics, Text Me Back, Numbers
British rap feels silly. I can’t take it seriously as a “hard” genre with that accent. This was not great
Look when I give a reading it's not necessarily a reflection on the album in terms of objective good or bad. It's just subjective, like this is something I enjoy and I can see myself enjoying in the future? and for this album answer is no not really.
Не самый худший образец современного рэпа, но всё же мне не понравилось
fashionista over here
Rap is absolutely not my thing. Some of this was alright but the interlude chat was skippable
Key words: man, fam First time listening to british rap. Some beats and vibes were really enjoyable but the lyrics and accent threw me off. Is not a style I would willingly listen to.
:/
Lyrically good but not my sort of thing.
I vibed with some of the beats but these bars are Drake-tier (derogatory) cornball shit. 2/5.
фортнайт болз, айм гэй, ай лайк бойз, ай киднап аутистик кидз.
When it's grimy it's decent, but leans a little to much into American hip-hop and does not pull it off.
I didn't like the production style of this one
buuuuuu! buuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Gir meg ingenting, fam.
I’m glad that’s over. Too much rhyming.
His redeeming quality was that he didn’t have an American accent, but overall this is too grimy for my liking.
It's pretty funny British hip hop. Cleanly produced. Not for me, though.
2.5
Is it Hip-Hop, Grime, or Rap? And what's the difference? British rather than American, but I'm still not a fan.
# Album Name: Konnichiwa # Artist: Skepta # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: To think the british once had some of the greatest music of all time and then we start producing this shit. God damn. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No
Just awful. Aggressively bad. I get it by now, I'm like 175 albums deep into this thing and I understand the Brits need to be represented on here. I get it, I really do. But this is just one that doesn't need to be on this list. There's probably a truly great canonical rap album made by an American that's NOT on this list and could easily replace this one.
nah
I find British rap kind of corny.
Quit talking numbers, calculator Quit talking numbers Its a .... 2 This is something I was intrigued to hear. Grime, British hip hop. There are a few elements of it i like, but generally its fairly meh I get the idea of wanting to do skits, I really do, but they are always always always bad. A lot of phone calls, a lot of unnecessary parts I dont think its bad or anything like that, but id never want to listen to it again, but seems massively important to a genre that became big
Mas o menos, un rap medio raro
Some nice production can't save an album from a rapper with a one-gear flow who has nothing to say. Actually, I will give him credit or altering the rap around the beat, but Skepta sounds monotonous as the album goes on and there's nothing of substance lyrically, just the same aimless bravado you can hear from a thousand other MCs. Edit: I am made to understand the style of rapping here is something called "grime" and this album is one of it's exemplars. Okay, then.
No es mi género en concreto
#319/1001. i guess this is the first album here which talks about Instagram. And as often with rap (or I guess in this case Grime?) also other topics are also alien to me and my life, as a highly educated post 50-year white hetero male living in the happiest country in the world. Somehow it is even more relevant in this case since we are taking about a very British act, a very British social culture and atmosphere - the political situation of blacks in America as well as American rap, soul, funk and rnb is much more familiar to us who don't really follow the scene over here in Europe. So what can I talk about then? The music and the flow are good but also gets a bit repetitive. The visitors bring freshness in, but still they want nasty girls to twerk for them. That's about it for now.
This album has like one good song, otherwise it's ass. Complete Britslop, ban rapping in the UK
I just can't with all this rap or rap-like music.
Lots of Brit reviewers complaining about Americans here. Here's the thing: rap is American. We don't claim classical music, Afrikana, or a dozen other genres, but a few simply started in the U.S., and rap is one of them. Sorry, not sorry. So what we have here is a mid British rapper. There are good British rappers on this list, and at least one good French one I've heard, but this guy is mid at best. Also, this is not grime-rap. It's British grime, but for actual grime-rap see DMX, Onyx, et cetera. Influence 2. Hits 2. Intangibles 3. Quality 3. So tired of 2's 2.
Not my fave, I think the style is there but it’s not really for me. Has some decent tracks but won’t revisit likely. 2 stars
There are some great beats in this album, and some nice vocal flows, but otherwise it's not my cuppa. I'm not a fan of the skits, the subject matter, and find the tracks a bit samey.
I get it, but not for me
Not for me.
Two British rappers in a row has me feeling less than charitable. I’ll give it two stars, not because I liked it, but because it wasn’t quite as awful as The Streets.
Monotonous, machine gun-style rapping and boring, unimaginative beats full of ugly textures. Not as bad as the Travis Scott-ification of rap that would soon take over, but still emblematic of a genre lost in the wilderness.
So... the skits have now crossed the Atlantic, eh? Smashing! Seriously, that cringe needs to be chucked into the nearest rubbish bin, mate. On the plus side, there are a few catchy beats here, and I do find the videogame-sounding samples quite delightful. Is that enough to save this from failure? Maybe barely. I think grime just isn't my genre... though I did find this album more tolerable than M.I.A. and Dizzee Rascal (which were, admittedly, very low bars to clear).
A mixed bag. Listenable, but nothing I need to repeat.
Not really my thing. Heavy beat hip-hop which sounded cool enough but most of the actual rapping didn't really click for me.
Too many man so many man dems
Well there’s genres I don’t like, and then there’s Brit rap which is below that. I’ll give it a genuine chance, that’s why I’m doing this list. Post listen: still not my thing, but I recognize that there is something there people would grasp on to. 2/5 ⭐️ 73/1089
The beats and backing are kind of interesting. The lyrics are not. I did not need to listen to this before I die, fam.
4/10
Not a fan. I feel bad for British rappers.
It's ok. Not my fave genre, but I wasn't annoyed by it either. Well, a little too much gangsta crap in it. And the skits are atrocious. Usually you get sick of hearing them after a few times, but these were bad right out, Shrill or yelling. Know what I mean, fam? Unlike a lot of folks here, I really do like the British accent rapping. Brings a new dimension to it for me. There's some decent music behind most of the tracks. Some thumping bass. That's always a plus. I'd give it a 3 if it was a bit more experimental. This doesn't bring anything new to the table. The gangsta stuff is old/sad. Going with a 2 today!
I had no idea based on the cover what I was in for and I’m not sure I would have guessed rap. I enjoyed the lyrics and the beats but it was a bit too slow paced for me and I didn’t love his actual voice or enunciation.
Why is this hear? It was alright but wtf
Mad cringe fam
2 out of 5. Good flow.
Never heard of him/them. But a lot of other people have. No song has fewer than 12M listens, wow. There are tracks with 30M, 65M, 145M, 151M listens, that's impressive. Hit play... now I know why this was overlooked. British rap doesn't usually hit my radar, or anyone in the US really. What's going on with the government in England isn't typically a hot topic over here. I lost interest pretty quickly on this one. Not a huge rap fan, definitely not into thickly accented rap with average beats and staccato vocals. The songs had no hooks, no killer beats, no bottom end, just rapid spitting. The two big 'hits', "Shutdown" and "That's Not Me", didn't stand out from the other songs in anyway that I could tell. Again, we're seeing a heavily slanted Top 1001 list with albums popular on the island but didn't get airplay anywhere else. I didn't get anything from this other than a confirmation that Brit rap sucks.
Tu enlèves That’s not me, l’album est complètement anecdotique ? J’ai l’impression que c’est l’album de rap uk le plus basique possible désolé
I don't hate it, but normally the more I listen to an artist, the more I like them, but this has had the opposite effect. Loses points for skits.
I can absolutely see why it’s held up as a landmark grime release… even if it’s not really my world. The production is the standout: lean, icy, and confidently minimalist, with beats that snap hard without ever feeling cluttered. There’s an energy and urgency there that’s genuinely impressive. But the lyrics? Still carry that slight sheen of misogyny that grime often can’t seem to shake, and it stops the album from fully connecting emotionally. I can appreciate the craft, the flow, the cultural weight of what Skepta’s doing—but it never quite becomes likeable in a personal way.
It was fine, a little annoying at times.
Derivative of earlier american hip hop artists.
Listened over the course of two days. Day 1 I thought it was great; day 2 I wondered what I was thinking on day 1.
sounds interesting
Well produced. Music style interesting. Lyrics did nothing interesting.
There are interesting moments in this album but they are hard to find. Abrasive and although there is some originality there isn't enough to stop the skip button being deployed.
- Heel agressieve productie - Standaard uk-rap - ‘Crime Riddim’ en ‘It Ain’t Safe’ zijn bangers. - Niet veel nummers klinken uniek. - Pharrell feat. was mid.
Rapping in the UK should be punishable by death.
It's all perfectly decent but kinda forgettable rap. The skits are bad and their attempts at writing pop hooks are all pretty weak. It's not bad, I just don't really understand what it's doing on this list.
I was really liking this for a while but man the skits drag it down and also Drake's on here? nah
didnt really like it all much, just so boring and british
Not my kinda rap.
I find most British hip-hop (or whatever hyphenated subgenre this is) wears out it's welcome after a few tracks. There is just no variation to the flow. It's relentless. This mixes it up a bit but still feel like the same song over and over and over.
just not in my wheelhouse
Not a big fan of rap music
1.5
2.0
I hate those days when you get excited to see an album you don't recognize but the cover looks like it might be interesting. Then it turns out to be something you know you're going to hate before grudgingly pressing play on the album. This was one of those days. So a few songs in and it's not as bad as it could be. I mean it's all the same beat, nothing changes at all except the lyrics. The lyrics have the typical self aggrandizing that for some reason is a defining characteristic of hip hop. But, so far, the misogyny and violence are (more than others) mostly absent. I could see why American fans of hip hop would hate this but that's also hilarious to me because it's basically exactly the same as any hip hop record for the past 25 years. Oh my god the skits need to stop. How that got to be a staple in hip hop records is beyond me, it's so dumb. It doesn't make you look awesome and dangerous. It makes you look like a child trying to be awesome and dangerous. Yeah it's still not for me but it's not as intolerable as some of the hip hop records out there. 2/5
British rap is kinda lame, not gonna lie, although this album has something going on for it on the production side. You can die without listening to it.
Fine. I don;t think this is landmark in the history of rap though it took grime commercial (even in UK context surely massive black rapper breaout would go to stormzy)? Smooth production, fine beats, flows are ok, content is not particularly hard hitting or memorable. meh. I just also care zero for grime
Beats were good. But the rest is just...generic trap. It increasingly feels like a "1001 albums that have been popular in Britain over the years" list.
cool rap album. i liked the different sounds
I was a bit skepta going into this one :drumroll: It’s Grime, UK hip hop over garage beats. Grime had its moment when it came out, I remember Dizzee Rascal hitting it big. The genre is kinda cool. I get that this guy is a founding member of the genre but the songs are kinda weak and honestly one album from this genre ever is enough.
That’s more British ska hip-hop rap than I need in my life.
Worth reading about grimes history, Skepta and his place in it before or after listening. Sheds a light on why this is included. It’s the rebirth of the grime genre. It’s decent, but grime has never been a genre that produces great albums.
Is that how you pronounce Konnichiwa? I don’t think so. Is this one to the top albums of my life? No. Did he have a conversation and say ‘fam’ too much? Perhaps. Did he use the term ‘Pussyhole”? Yes. Yes he did.
Interesting. Kind of an addictive beat…when in the mood. 2.5
nicht so meine Musikrichtung
An okay album, not my usual style of music and no real standouts.
For a group that talks about how original they are, they sure repeat a lot of lyrics.
Kekkodesu
2 - ok
I really wanted to like this - beats and production were really good but I can't get past the UK rap accent unfortunately. Shutdown was good though.
I don’t know how it goes in England, but in America we all decorate our own Christmas trees. Santa brings us presents, he doesn’t do anything with the tree. That being said, this guy has some bars but I didn’t love the album. The production was great, but some of the hooks were god awful, like painful to listen to. And the skit where the guy said fam 70,000 times was obnoxious.
#793. Nah big dog, I learned my lesson with the other 3 British rap albums I listened to for this thing. That shit is terrible on a very basic level and I will not be wasting my time listening to this. 2/5: just pop it in the bin, love
The universal awfulness of skits on hip hop albums spans an entire ocean.
Eh, I wish I liked rap more. Yes it's better for being understandable.
This is the first hip hop album I've gotten that's pretty bad. I'm not necessarily against British hip hop, but this is not a good case for it. Favorite track: Numbers 1.5/5
I listened, I suffered. It's been a hard genre run over the past few weeks.
2.5
Not a lot for me to get excited about here. If it caught me in a different mood, maybe I'd like it more, but I gave it a few tries and . . . meh.
There were at very least a couple of better hip hop records in 2016, including Coloring Book. I feel like hip hop is where you most feel the author’s predisposition toward British artists. I liked a couple of tracks but the production and flow get repetitive to me. I appreciate the relative economy of the 44min runtime.
A charity 2 because I couldn't make myself listen to the second half, which seems a little unfair. But I did not enjoy this at all.
2/5 - Didn’t care for this at all. Production was monotonous, and the songs were boring. It finally ended.
Once again I find myself unable to engage with grime. Sorry, Skepta. I'm happy that, as a Brit, you got it all out there and won a Mercury music prize, though.
Not my thing
This was not for me. Well produced, but not a good listen
Competent hip hop but not my style
It's fine(ish). My only exposure to Skepta before this was off a bonus track (How Far?) on Gorillaz: Song Machine. I liked him alright on that song but something about it just didn't click for me here. I like his voice, lyricism, and flow on some tracks; but damn he raps over some of the most annoying beats I've ever heard in this album. Some of these tracks are absolutely goofy and the skits at the end of them really pad the runtime I thought Numbers, Man, and Shutdown were pretty good. At different points I felt it was anywhere from a 1-3 so I think I'll just avg it out to a 2.
Good rap but couldn't get into it
Moments of good, but just not for me.
Not for me
No thanks
This might be good as a Rap album but I just don't like Rap. 2 stars or D.
Not my thing but not terrible
There were a few tracks (I’m not even going to bother going back to look up which ones) that were interesting but overall it just sounded like Yet Another rap record except with an English accent.
This would have been alright if it was by a rapper with something to say and knew how to deliver it. Tired "I'm so tough and women like me" bullshit we all left behind more than a decade earlier should not land a rapper on this list. With such a shit flow and even worse rhyme scheme, it's hard to understand why any critic liked this album. ⭐⭐
There's a 3 stars EP in here.
24/10/2025 Some catchy tunes, but i hate how a lot of the songs resort to some form of violence. Unnecessary. Spotify listeners: 15.3 million
I’m grateful to have a different type of album over more boring and pointless psychedelic rock, but that being said, I don’t care for Grime as a genre. It’s just too mumble-y and grim for me. And the fact that this album had several instances of phone calls or conversations baked into the end of songs is a non-starter. It wasn’t unlistenable, but I would certainly opt to put something else on almost every time.
Within first 3 songs: ✓ best MC ever ✓ no one wants to listen to my music ✓ I fuck hot women ✓ random noise sounds ✓ N-words X fuck the police so close to perfection...
Don’t feel anything special from this album and he’s British His new song with Fred again is a banger tho
I'd never heard of this artist before. It's not terrible. I always find it hard to listen to British rappers trying to sound tough. Their accent just doesn't seem to fit right. The beats are pretty solid though.
Couple of good songs on here, but album as a whole wasn’t great
It was ok but that's it.
Interesting to hear British rap. A little too much talking knocked down the rating a bit.
Not what I would usually listen to. I liked the first half which I think was more UK grime- reminded me of UK house parties. Second half sounded (naively) more American/ familiar and less interesting - one sounded exactly like a Drake song (derogatory)
Not my style.
I could not take this seriously very silly lyrics and tone. I enjoyed a lot of the beats, there were unique tones in there.
This album reminded me that this type of rap is definitely not my cup of tea ! Played it twice and really struggled to finish the album both times !
Can't imagine why this didn't catch on in America. Reminds me of the Nigel and Antoine Key & Peele sketch. I did appreciate that if you miss a rhyme the first time, it gets repeated about 8 more times per song.
A niche British rap album, from an artist that doesn't seem to have made much of a cultural impact outside of his immediate scene, that came out 9 years ago. Not sure if I am missing something but I am failing to see how this is on the list of albums I should hear before I die.
Ça sonne... creux? Je sais pas comment le dire, on dirait qu'il y a rien à se mettre sous la dent, comme une retaille d'ostie qui disparaît une fois en contact avec ta salive.
2.5 - 3 at best
This isn’t really my type of music, but I understand why it’s on the list, it has a strong foundation.
I dislike all modern mumble rap and UK hip hop is bollocks (with the sole exception being Slick Rick). This album is a great example of both. Some of the beats were good. 2⭐️
Some great beats (lots of grimy blips and bloops), interesting samples and hooky moments, but - apologies, as an American rap fan - suffers from a periodic case of British. Skepta has a conversational approach to lyric writing which works sometimes, but there are times where he is chasing the flow rather than being carried by it. Second half tightens up and feels more fully developed. For me, a 2/5. Interesting, but just not my genre and likely won’t revisit. Highlights: numbers, that’s not me
The melodies and the raps were pretty good, but the spoken interludes ruined it for me. It would have been a high-3 or 4 stars even, but that dropped it down to 2 for me.
I still don’t like hip hop but some of the tracks here are oddly compulsive. Some interesting rhythms and impressive stereo vocals. Unfortunately more of the tracks sound like the radio needs tuning. I would not have a tongue twister competition with this man.
It tries but it definitely faded down the stretch and limped home. Not enough here to give it another listen but not overly terrible either.
Its ok but UK drill is very hit or miss
Never heard of Skepta, but while hearing I recognized two "songs". Most of the songs sound very similar, nice QOTSA-Sample, though. My neighbour has a DAW, and the beats he is "producing" sound pretty much the same as on this record. Well... Fav: Shutdown
Not my style, but hey the first couple songs were okay.
Don’t think I can ever get behind British rap, just sounds wrong to me.
I like hip hop but this was just a little too UK for me? Lots of bruvs and slang like that, I don't know. Didn't really resonate with me.
Still better than Kanye West. But just barely.
Enjoyed the songs, but not really impressed. I'd say pretty average rapper with a good production on the album, didn't know the name.
Ei kyllä oikein uponnut. Instrumentaalipuoli ihan siistiä välillä mutta räppi oli kyllä aika paskaa.
Great album cover
This album sounds like those youtube rap parodies
not for me
Otra muestra de lo sobrerepresentada que están los británicos
Grime...bueno, para probar está bien. Pero no es lo mío.
3/10 - the first song was ok but then it got worse. I don’t really like rap and i really don’t like British rap
Wacke beats decent flow (singular! kinda boring quick)
brit hiphop / grime
Not a style of music I enjoy much. Enjoyed some songs more than I expected to.
I don't really know Will I listen to again: 1%
If I was listening to this in the car and someone pulled up next to me, i'd roll up the window and turn it down. Not me
I don't know enough about the genre to really assess if this is top of the top or not
Good production, but British.
Shutdown, then a shutdown of Spotify for me. My teenage son, as was in 2016, would have been blaring this out wherever he went back then, so a five star from him, not so for me
Almost a DNF, but Pharrell saved it from the 1 I originally wanted to give it.
No me gusta que algunas canciones acaben como en una llamada. Es un corta rollos. Demasiado mandem, mc, fam, etc (no me mola el rollo bri ish rap generalmente osea que eso no ayuda). Hubo alguna guay como detox, crime riddim o numbers, pero el resto bastante meh la verdad. Shutdown fue extremadamente repetitiva. Me gustó el flow de numbers y crime riddim y la base de konnichiwa. En general album flojillo
Inte alls min stil, men lyssnade på hela. kommer inte att lyssna på det igen. Sparar ettorna till skivar jag inte ens lyssnar klart på.
Not great, but better than the other British rappers given so far. It's listenable.
Nothing special, I guess. The songs all sorta sounded the same to me, and the beats were not very innovative either. At least the album was produced and mixed competently, so I'll give it a 2/5. Don't think that I'll be putting this on ever again.
Huh, usually I hate rap but didn't hate this as much as I was expecting to. This was fun to skim through, though admittedly I didn't finish this. Would I revisit though: nah.
Some good lyrics, but mostly just rap.
A few good songs but those songs are the songs that are the least grime on the album. Its not a genre I really enjoy listening to that being said I can appreciate a well made album. I have heard a lot worse throughout this list.
Àlbum reivindicatiu. Rap, negre (crec). No es sa meva cosa, però be. A n'en Berni li agradaria
not my style of music but it could’ve been worse. the british accent is top tier!!
Some variety here in the hip-hop genre which I appreciate, but no standout songs that really grabbed my interest either.
Hidden track was the best bit
How is this even on the list, just a black man talking about his genitalia and his “crew”. I must be missing something about what is so good about it!
Man's gotta ruin my time, FAM, what you been kidding me, what, doin that stuff, doin that strut, walk around town but you can't turn up...Da West Staines Massive, innit!
this is one click away from an Ali G bit
This feels dated and goofy in a way that isn’t intended. I didn’t mind it, but I also have no interest in listening again. 2/5
I'm told this is 'grime'. Certainly sounds pretty shitty to me.
I’ll have to return to this one when I can look past the posturing - loved the production and flow, but can’t abide inflated male ego at the moment - can’t imagine why
Again, a difficult one for me to review objectively, not understanding the context and background for this artist and music. I was bored by it and the lyrics, production, and rapping ability were fine. Granted, middle aged white guy here.
Nah.
I’m so embarrassed (1) to have listened to this; (2) that this album was put on this list; (3) that this album exists; (4) that British people try to rap; (5) that British people exist. This is all just mortifying. I feel sick. Please stop. Stop this. Have some respect for yourself and others. Do better.
In the beginning I thought I was going to like this, but the more it went on it was just not for me. As usual the interludes drag it down even further.
I remember liking it more when it came out. 2,5*
I didn't enjoy this. I know that's a cop out review. The beat is great and dancey, but I can't give 2 shits about whatever he's rapping about. Also rap skits are universally cringe.
I had listened to this a few weeks ago but forgot to rate it. It was okay as far as hip hop / rap goes for me.
a mixed bag of corny lines and good turns of phrase. the beats are servicable.
njoo, kaikki isoperseiset naiset nouskaa ja näyttäkää pylly ja pyllistäkää ihan vitusti ja heiluttakaa persettääääää! tämä henkilö sanoi itsestään että on maailman paras ja näin.. mutta.. olen kuullut muiden ihmisten sanovan näin D: nyt joku valehtelee tässä..joku valehtelee ihan pikkusen verran tässä nyt. jo muutama hyvä biisi tässä lähinnä kuravesi räppiä totanois. grime hullu aalto, hullu britti aalto mutta vain koville pojille... tiiäkkö mikä on kovempaa? 20x1 bench minuutti tauko... gimme a bo'ah oh woootaah blud... a bohah oo woootaeh mandem.. it aint safe
Bruv, man's just listened to Skepta’s Konnichiwa and man’s disappointed still. Dis album is a joke ting, yeah, it’s so moist man can’t even be mad, I’m actually in tears. Recommend if you enjoy cringe lyrics and wasteman energy. Man’s vexed I’ve gotta rate it. Absolute violation, still.
Rap isn't really my genre. 2/5
Just not for me
solita
I think I might be prejudiced againts british rappers. they all sound the same and honestly when they try to go "hard" like I think this one is(?) it feels a bit put on. Like I understand white people in england are probably racist. I think that country invented the idea, but you're sad you went to a fashion show and the news said you were too black? must be hard to deal with when you go to your next fashion show... Whatever. The music is tight and the flow is good, but I really don't see me listening to this regularly.
This one was not for me.
Complete
Somewhat meh mix of trip hop and hip hobbit mostly the latter. A few big name guests (Pharrel Williams and Drake) but nothing that pulls me into a genre that usually leaves me cold with a few notable exceptions. 2 stars
The music went hard. The lyrics did not. How you gonna act tough when a quarter of the album is about you getting bullied online? Man's a keyboard cowboy and thinks that makes him a gunslinger. Those beats were pretty dope though. 2.5
I tried. This is not for me.
joaa okay-ish hip hop album. 2.5.
The big man ting not my ting here, some fun beats though
Although I could think of dozens of hip hop albums more worthy of being on this list, I still enjoyed this (minus the skits). I don't think that's an American bias as another reviewer suggests, I think it's "just ok" rapping. Pair that with the relative insignificance of this artist and you have a head-scratching addition to 1001 albums you must hear before you die. Some of the beats were cool with chip tune aspects and what not, but like many of the questionable rap selections for this site, I'm not sure why this one makes the cut.
Not my thing.
I don't hate this because is not american, I hate it because it's another boring rap album. One star more because of the QOTSA sampler.
Grime as a genre emerged in the early 2000s so by this point it had transcended the mainstream and was well into the twilight of its relevance. At this point Drill was cementing itself as the darker, grittier successor, truly reflecting what was happening on the streets of London and filling the void that the grime scene left when it became ultra commercial Brit award winning fodder. This just sounds like uncle music now… painfully mid 2010s.
I admire the editor’s resolve to find new and exciting forms of English hip hop that I don’t like, for later editions of the book.
Eh, not my thing. Not a must listen
Skrrrr papapapa rumbrumbrimb
I feel like with another listen I could find something I'm apparently missing here, but I didn't get it on the first pass. Decently solid flow but didn't sit with me.
Like being trapped on the London Underground with a guy who won’t stop free-styling into his phone. No thank you, mate. Sayonara!
I kinda like British rap just because the accent is something different. But this just got old after a bit. Also, who the fuck is this guy?
I didn’t think it was totally awful, but I also didn’t really enjoy it.
When you hear one track on a Gorillaz album it's kinda fun. A whole album? Gets old fast.
What happened to that girl who was singing at the beginning of Konnichiwa? I heard that and figured it might be pretty good. And then she left, and all we had was... that. Not horrible; I can go maybe 2.25. At least it wasn't Eminem.
Difícil encarar o estilo!
Not a fan of drill/grime, or whatever this is.
Konnichiwa is agressive and very grime/electronic beatsy. I have a hard time with British rap, I can’t stop thinking of the gang kids from a British crime drama. 5.2/10
If this is the BEST example of grime, sure. I still don't need to like it though.
After a very rough start with the inaccessible tracks Konnichiwa and Lyrics, the album improves slightly with some high-energy and thick-textured dubs. It Ain't Safe has a catchy enough vocal hook ("...not even for the cops!") to justify its repetitiveness, and it's actually one of my favourites on here. It's one of the rare hip-hop tracks that doesn't go completely off the rails lyrics-wise. Numbers is another strong track with some soft mixing of industrial noises really adding atmosphere to complement the humorously earnest lyrics (numbers! calculators!!). The song Man vaguely approaches a Nirvana-esque chord progression with its high synths, and I can respect that. Similarly, the almost ethereal keyboards in Shutdown are absolutely the star of the track. Unlike most other songs on here, they provide some kind of melody that allows the track stand out. But there are some real issues with the album – first and foremost that countless other albums from the same era should have been included in the list for the post-2005 update. A 2010s hip-hop record with the most generic possible British rap vocal isn't going to cut it. The album flow is a bit rough too. The tried-and-true best strategy for organising an album of mixed good and bad tracks is to place the best ones at the start and end, letting those two points on the album pack the most punch. It leaves the listener in awe and wanting more. In the case of Konnichiwa, the aforementioned starting duo is pretty bad – and to top it off, the finale couplet of Detox / Text Me Back is (arguably) even worse. Completely monotone vocals on top of identically monotone backing instrumentals, including a simple trap beat that provides nothing interesting. And once you've managed to tune out all of the above elements, there isn't much left to listen to. 2/5 Key tracks: It Ain't Safe, Man, Shutdown
Skepta definitely has some skill, and lyrical flow. But the chorus on a lot of the songs are very repetitive. And some of the songs feel like they are seizure-inducing (looking at you, "Numbers"). The dialogue at the end of the songs go on for way too long, too. NEXT.
Meh
Grime is the mentally retarded younger half-brother of gangsta rap. Their parents pretend they love them both the same but we both know mum hasn’t been giving grime as much attention since his dad ran off with his ex drum and bass. She reminds herself at least she doesn’t have it as bad as her sister in Western Sydney as consolation
I have never been a huge hip hop fan, but I'm not going to pretend like the album that has That's Not Me on it is a bad album. Unfortunately, outside of that and Crime Riddim I don't see any reason to come back to this and as an album itself the skits do nothing for me. There are a few good tracks here, two standout ones but as a whole it's not something I would give a spin again. Highlights: Crime Riddim, That's Not Me,
Okay listen. Not really a fan.
One and done. Nothing made me want to listen again.
I have nothing meaningful to say about this record. (12 known/23 new)
Too tough for me. Not my cuppa innit mate guvna?
First listen. Not the biggest fan of british hiphop/rap.
It was ok, lyrically it didnt stand out but some of the beats were really good
2.6/5
British rap is truly terrible and this does not help their cause. Can't believe this album took a spot over something else more deserving. Here's something to keep in mind: This dopey album is on the list but Mobb Deep's "The Infamous" isn't. Aries Spears was so right when talking about British rap: "That shit sounds ridiculous!" 3/10.
One of the things I love about this project is I've listened to more hip hop than ever before, and I've really enjoyed a lot of it. I was excited to get an album from a non-US artist thinking the different accent and terminology would offer something new, but I just found the lyrics to be pretty cringe worthy to be honest. And why in 2016 were artists persevering with the awful "skits" between tracks - I don't think I've heard one that adds anything to an album after about 1988. Ya get me, fam?!
Pretty cool, some songs sounded good but some sounded very similar. To an extent I really liked the talking and voice recordings but some of them went on a bit too long. Mught have to listen again to decide for sure how I feel
A little dark in places. I enjoyed the music more than the message. Shutdown is still strong, but with silly lyrics.
British rappers have really yet to impress me throughout this project. I saw that Pharrell was attached to this album and I had hope. It was misplaced. This is just another rapper rapping about how great he is, his own personal, non-specific struggles ("I just feel a lot pressure from all side, fam"), and about all the women he can get to twerk in his face. Is there something deeper here? Maybe. But I didn't hear it in the lyrics and I can't find anything online saying otherwise. Why is this called "Konnichiwa"? Is Skepta part Japanese? Even if he is, why is this called "Konnichiwa"? Feels very "white girl gets tattoo of Chinese symbol for water" of him. Call it "hello" in a different language and it'll seem exotic. It's all for show. Lastly, there were moments where I just genuinely couldn't understand what he was saying. Not because of speed, but because of his accent. I just can't get over how grating the British rapping voice the rappers there seem to share can truly be. Gave me flashbacks (not the good kind) to Dizzee Rascal at times. This wasn't nearly as bad as that, though they do apparently share the same sub-genre of grime. Ah yes, what an appealing sounding genre! Right up there with grunge and shoegaze. I swear who the hell comes up with genre names. Anyway. The production on this was awesome. The hooks were great. I just would've loved for another rapper to take them on. Two stars. NEXT. Standout Tracks: Konnichiwa, Man
Not my vive
Oh look a British rapper
Didn't like Dizzee Rascal, don't like this. Not convinced I'd like anything else that's considered grime... Honestly, this dude has good flow, but his lyrics are so cringe.
Well honestly, the first couple songs I was totally vibing long, and thought hey, this isn't too bad. But then it got old real fast... I think with maybe two or three of these it was nice but after awhile I was like alright now. It's something, but gets repetitive and sounds all the same.
>2016 >"Swag" mentioned Fuera de chiste, este trabajo de Skepta es bastante sólido y entiendo por qué en una lista tan eminentemente británica se destacaría un LP como este. Leí en algunas de las otras críticas que este disco fue importante para la explosión del género del Grime. ¿Lo recomendaría? No, la producción se siente tremendamente amateur. No sé cuáles fueron los recursos de Skepta al momento de terminar este trabajo; sin embargo, la presencia de Pharell Williams, me adelanta que quizá fue bastante más de lo que se escucha.
Ok but monotonous as an album.
Classic grime I'm told. I'm too old for this, my son says. Uninteresting and repetitive.
I didn't mind the music/rapping but the interludes got tiresome fairly quickly, and it went on too long.
Not for me. The British Bias Be Blatantly Bad
Not my kind of thing
Is this my introduction to Brit-Hop? Not bad all things told. At times they sounds like three-six mafia, at others more Neptunes-ish. I can’t help but hear the gorillaz when a British dude is rapping. Some pretty good beats, but nothing super compelling in the mix.
Okay you could get back 5 minutes with the awful interludes that seem to end most songs, but Shut Down is a bop.
Didn’t get on with it
I listened to a little bit, not my type of music. Kind of rap
I’m not the biggest fan of hip hop. I like Tyler, The Creator, Public Enemy, and A Tribe Caller Quest. That’s really it.
At first I thought this wasn't too bad. Rapping with that accent I thought was pretty cool, but then it quickly started to annoy. Not a big rap fan to start with and this album did not change my view. It did make me think of Police On My Back by Lethal Bizzle. Now that is a great tune. Intrigued at first and gradually worked itself into, let's get this over with. 2
2.5 Not sure if this is inappropriate to say, but there’s something I find so amusing about British rap. I didn’t realize there was much of a scene over there, and I don’t think much of it, if any, really found its way over to us Yanks. This may just be my own ignorance of the genre showing, but there’s something about the accent that feels so prominent and so goofy in their rap music that I almost find it distracting just trying to listen. Anyway, that novelty is probably the most positive thing I have to say about this album. Not that this was bad by any means, but for the most part, I found it to be a pretty generic rap album, accent notwithstanding. Most of this blends together, and while some tracks border on enjoyable, just as much borders on annoying. There’s not really a ton interesting going on in the lyrical department either, though the bar “Real talk, you ain't best MC in the country/And if you don't like it then fuck me/Not literally, but fuck me” on the title track stood out to me across my listens. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be humorous, but I enjoyed it. As for the interstitials/skits, I really don’t think they did anything to add to the album in any meaningful way, and for the most part, I found them more of a flowbreaker than anything - granted, maybe that’s just because I couldn’t tell what they were saying half the time. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be That’s Not Me, which admittedly has a pretty cool beat to it, but I’m not sure it’s the kind of thing I see myself revisiting. The only other song that stood out to me was Man, but that’s just because the backing instrumental loop on the track sounded incredibly familiar to me - and as it turns out, it comes from Regular John by Queens of the Stone Age off their self-titled debut, an album previously on this list. I really enjoy the original QOTSA song, but unfortunately, I don’t really love what Skepta did with it here - I found the sample more annoying than anything. Overall, just okay. Feel like this is one I’m going to quickly forget about.
Can't say I'm a fan of this, but it's OK for rap. The British accent gave it a bit of charm that I liked, but still not something I'll probably ever listen to again. 2/5
Not sure what we got going here.There was potential for something better but long ending skits on some tracks and weak production brought the whole thing down. Skepta is not terrible but he must have collabed with so many other shitty rappers on this album to make himself seem better, especially with Pharrell Williams, cause "Numbers" was the worst. I like "Corn on the Curb" and "That's Not Me" a bit. Some ok grimey limey rap...1.85.
This British rap is somewhat endearing for a couple of songs, but I'm not sure it holds up over an entire album. It's kinda cheesy but not too bad. Not sure about the post-song conversations/sketches needed to be left in though. This was kinda like the best version of when a random rapper on the streets of Las Vegas hands you his album. It's kinda stupid, but a little bit fun every now and then but not something I would recommend or plan to revisit. 1.98 stars
I can respect grime but it just isn't my thing. God it's so intense! So serious. Just find it a bit much.
Quite simply just not for me and that's fine. I think I've heard enough grime to know it's just not my thing and I've tried enough. All good.
In the skit at the end of “Crime Riddim”, an American threatens to use a bazooka to blast Skepta in the ass, and then the face. Except, surprise: they’re playing a video game, and the macho bravado is masked by anonymity! It’s a smart 21st-century spin on gangsta rap culture, highlighting the UK-US cultural differences in 2016. Skepta’s uniquely British sign-off (a frank and weary “dickhead”) raises a smile, and places this album firmly in its own contemporary pocket of time and place. All that said, as an anonymous online reviewer, I can also hide behind these measly two stars without having to share my location or worry about slagging Skepta off to his face. “Konnichiwa” arrived after a lengthy development period, two botched lead singles, multiple delays and several pivots and missteps in its release campaign. When it released in May 2016, I was far too busy mourning Prince, becoming obsessed with Talking Heads, and failing to get a girlfriend. Still, I was somehow aware of “That’s Not Me”, presumably by osmosis from being a young person at the time. Reviewing the full album here, I can appreciate it as a cultural statement, as an insight into music’s evolution in my home country, and even as a satisfying conceptual piece. I also enjoyed it slightly more than the previous grime album I had on the list, Dizzee Rascal’s OG “Boy in Da Corner”. It’s darker and denser than this, with a shade more depth (Skepta’s self-doubt creeping in, and his awareness of his own vices in tracks like “Detox”). My problem is not with its context, or Skepta’s vocals, but the music itself. I can only listen through so many bass-driven trap beat loops before they begin to feel really repetitive, starved of any warmth or soul. The exceptions proving the rule were “That’s Not Me”, which I must admit proves itself as a catchy, well-produced mission statement, and “Shotgun”, another single capping off a good run. “Text Me Back” is a surprisingly tender note to end on, as Skepta addresses his girlfriend and mother (different people) with love, affection and apology. It’s a great progression from the likes of “Bitches Ain’t Shit but Hoes and Tricks” or “Just Playing (Dreams)”… so more of this in future, my dear rappers.
++: Lyrics, Shutdown +: Corn on the Curb, Numbers, That's Not Me, Detox +-: Konnichiwa, Crime Riddim, Man, Text Me Back -: It Ain't Safe, Ladies Hit Squad 5,8/10
That was definitely better than the last grime album I got. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s good.
I only know the most popular tracks from the big hitters of grime so I wouldn't say I'm an expert by any means. I don't know enough to comment intelligently, but I thought that this was decent enough. I do feel like the lyrics and flow has to do a lot of the heavy lifting with grime. The beat can only do so much considering it just repeats throughout the song. Having said that, I do think that British rappers just sound cooler. I prefer the rhythm of the words and - being British myself - the dialect. I also think grime is best when its loud, aggressive and in your face. 'Man', 'Shutdown' and 'That's Not Me' all come in quick succession and are easily the best tracks on the album because of the reasons I stated. I would have preferred if the album was made up of tracks similar to these. Overall though, I'm just not that into grime as a whole. After 45 minutes I was getting a little bored. There isn't much variety in it in terms of musicality and no melodies or catchiness to speak of.
ok je bio
I listened to this and I'm not sure why this is on here. I'm not a big fan of rap but this just sounds like most other recent rap stuff. Nothing made this stand out to me.
This one started out strong. I liked the first couple tracks, but it starts to drag a bit. Lyrically it’s not the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard, in fact some of it gets a little too close to mumble rap for me.
I had heard of Skepta and had heard good things, but I hadn't really heard much Skepta music. There are a few good songs on here, a few just ok, and then a few just bleh songs for my taste.
It was fine I prob wouldn’t put in my top 1001?
Interesting in that it made me consider rap in other countries, which I hadn't thought of before. As an album it wasn't really for me, but it wasn't painful to get through.
In general it was ok but there were so many tracks where it was just talking. 🫠
This album is not bad per se but it is nothing that needs to be on this list. I have a hard time seeing the appeal when hip hop already had so much more to offer that didn't make it to this list. What we have here is a British rapper who tries to imitate every fashion in US hip hop over the last 15 years or so - including skits. British hip hop was already way better with Roots Manuva for example. So... no. Two stars is enough for an album that definitely nothing I need to listen to before I die.
Nothing really bad, but so outdated it hurts.
I don't know. Starts off as a pretty cool gangsta rap album, but the overall album becomes samey and falls of off interest.
Not terrible, but not the biggest fan of rap so I can't really get through it. Not for me.
I think this album has some very funny lines, but would've been better as an EP to negate the duff tracks on here. Can smell the sweat of the basement gigs Skepta would've played on his way up. 'Man' was the standout track that I hadn't heard before (That's Not Me and Shutdown obviously being grime classics), but I don't think it's enough to ever want to listen to the album again. Boy Better Know #grime4corbyn
I’m not saying that this album contributed to the mild panic attack I had today, but it certainly didn’t help.