Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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.
I canNOT with the skits. I'm already not a grime fan, and the skits weren't even separate tracks; they were part of the tracks with the songs. Not for me.
One or two good moments but even for 2016 felt basic.
Wrong time for this. This rap style is just irritating to me. It did have some interesting accompanying music at times, but the vocal delivery was a strong turn off. Pass on this.
I'm not a fan of modern rap/hip-hop, but actually it wasn't that bad at all. It was at least listenable and not too long. I can't give it more than 2 stars, though.
This feels like it's trying too hard to be the British "good kid maad city".
This was so formulaic it even includes the obligatory recorded phone call that ends in an argument.
Despite my giving it the same rating this was better than the DizzeeRascal album on this list.
I don't think this is my genre. The beats are too repetitive and... well grimy. Can't rate it too low because I recognise it's a great representation of its genre... but I also did not finish it as it really isn't for me at all.
1 star for the accent, and 1 star for "That's Not Me" (admittedly catchy). Otherwise, this genre (grime) ain't for me. Sounds repetitive, and the lyrics are bleh.
Hip Hop / R‘n B…4/10
40/100 First HipHop album in the list and I was surprised to see it. Skepta is an artist I always liked when hearing him featured but I got tired of his style quickly on his own records. But I was prepared to give this a fair chance. The songs are all decently structured and Skepta is a decent enough lyricist but the beats are bland most of the time with a few creative outliers. My main problem is that I feel no structure in the tracklisting itself. The concept seems loose and the tracklisting inconcise. Overall not an awful showing but nothing I'll spin again.
Near-Cockney rapping with occasionally awkward-sounding flows. Flat, repetitive beats. The initial impression is that there nothing’s special here, but one does warm a bit over the course of the record. “Ladies Hit Squad” and “Numbers” are best tracks, likely because of the guest spots. What does that tell us? Last track doesn't suck. 2.5 for 2.
Another album that’s just not my jam. I can totally understand how someone would love this. Unfortunately I’m not that person and found it pretty grating for most of it. 2/5
It's British rap. It's fine but not great by any means. Admittedly not my genre but still, there's not much to note here. Lyrics can be cheesy/cringe at times (see Numbers). Meh. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)
Was pretty excited for this one, since I heard good things about Skepta. But this wasn't my thing. Repetitive and too many skits.
I don't know what I was expecting. This is all new to me. I might have to give it another listen. Some songs are way too repetitive lyrically. Som beats are great. Some songs I like and others I don't think I like at all. I'm interested in hearing what comes after this. See if he grew as much as I think he could.
Listened Before? N Ever wonder what would happen if Eminem had a British accent, worse lyrics, and a producer who isn't Dre? Me either. But that's what this record reminds me of. Rambling and not too interesting. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Man
I’m sure it takes incredible skill but I can’t connect with anything here. And I’m sure it’s not meant for me and that’s ok.
jadu, inte helt kass men det är heller inte så bra. en hyffsat stark tvåa.
Not my thing - I’m sure the kids love it but I never got the whole grime thing - it’s gets two stars because he’s producing music…
It’s interesting to hear rap with a British accent and also interesting that many of the lyrics were about very American things. But “interesting” does not a good album make. What started out as “Huh, interesting” quickly became grating - particularly the skits. This probably deserves one star but I’m giving it an extra for the novelty.
I would expect a grime album to take more risks. Not enough “stink face”. Every song was pretty good, but nothing stood out.
Not really my jam. A lot of repetitive lyrics. Seemed well produced but still just not my jam. 2.5 stars
I have trouble taking British rappers seriously with their lingo. Just makes me laugh whenever I hear them say ridiculous words. The end of Corn on the Curb is exactly what I mean with all of the Fam and Blood. This was as a shame because the first song came out and sounded really good with some solid beats and I was excited for the rest. But this just ended up being not so bloody good innit. The lyrics were so bad. Kind of absolute shite if you ask me fam.
I don't really like this kind of music. It wasn't ass, but I was content to move along as soon as it was completed.
koji kurac je sa outroima na svakoj jebenoj pjesmi
This has a lot of very 2000s style beats. I kinda like that's not me, but I think his newer albums and features are muuch better. I don't think I can give it a 3 based on a lot of other albums I gave a 3 to. And I looove rap
British Rappers not my usual scene. Was not awful, but did not move the needle.
01) Konnichiwa - 6,0 02) Lyrics - 5,5 03) Corn on the Curb - 4,5 04) Crime Riddim - 4,5 05) It Ain't Safe - 5,5 06) Ladies Hit Squad - 5,5 07) Numbers - 6,0 08) Man - 5,0 09) Shutdown - 6,0 10) That's Not Me - 5,5 11) Detox - 5,0 12) Text Me Back - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,38 (54/100) Current ranking: 167/188 Normally I'm not a fan of rap, and grime is even lower on my list of preferences. However, it's funny to me how in the comments people slander this album because it's British. As if everything American is perfect (endless folk rock albums from the early seventies, I'm looking at you!). This gets a low rating from me because I don't like it, not because it's British. I gave a lower rating to many songs because of unnecessary dialogues/skits at the end, if I wanted dialogues I would watch movies.
Mildly interesting; but its not for me.
Some good tracks, some parts for me hard to listen to.
This wasn't really for me. I did recognise that's not me, but I'm not sure where from.
Hm, although I was glad to learn more about grime, this isn't really my thing.
Guess this is what the song 'mans not hot' parodies
Skepta is a British rapper who is from a Nigerian family, who is a known in the UK grime scene. This is electronic based, rap/hip-hop, with a lyrically style that is very repetitive - to an odd, boring level at points. This is not particularly danceable dance music.
s'alright, i guess. i do like british rappers, but not sure this one really spoke to me. is this really an album we need to hear before we die?
I liked the Fireman Sam reference. That's about it.
Oh good. Grime. Ehhhh. I think this being a British list really is a drain. I can assure you I didn’t need to listen to this before I die. Why’s he keep calling people pagans? To genius! It didn’t tell me. I’m sorry. Hey, this sucks! This is my second British hip hop album in 23 albums. That’s fucking awful. Hey do you want a better hip hop album from 2016? Danny Brown’s Atrocity Exhibition! Now that’s an album I’m glad I heard before I died. And it’s almost certainly more influential than what ever the fuck this was. The end of corn on the curb is the most embarrassing thing I’ve heard so far! Ay what was that Call of Duty lobby interaction. It Ain’t Safe kinda slaps tbf. And he gave a shout out to the Based God Lil B? Ok this might actually save this.
That’s Not Me is a good track. The rest do nothing for me 2/5
2016 certainly was. a moment for rap. call it the drake effect. respectfully why is this on this list i’m not even trying to be mean but ? i do enjoy the use of sampling immensely. clever.
started out interesting, but i didn't end up finishing this. the skits were really a drag.
This didn't stand out for me at all.
It was tolerable at first but got more annoying as it went on. Definitely not my style of hip hop.
Quite liked it on a superficial level, though a closer listen reveals some sketchy lyrics that just didn't work and the skits were laughable. Not all bad though.
Hadn't heard of Skepta. Not something I'd choose to listen to, fam, the album is listenable enough, fam, the skits get tiresome, fam, but decent beats to keep me engaged, doubt I'd listen again, fam. My highlight was picking up on the QotSA "Regular John" sample/loop on "Man". 2.5
generally just quite tiresome. he's got a good flow and the beats are fine if not anything to write home about, but the lyrics are just completely lacking in any artfulness or subtlety. i tried to be on bored at first but it really just wears on you. the beats and music start to blend together, the lyrics just get lamer and stupider
I'm a white guy who's nearly 40 so grime is not especially my forte but I'm struggling to understand why Konnichiwa is on this list when, two months earlier, a much MUCH better album in Made in the Manor was released and that is not on this list to my knowledge. I don't think it's even a particularly strong grime album from other artists I've listened it, but it has more crossover appeal and I guess that's reflected in the accolades and awards it got. I hoped for/wanted a more raw, edgy sound, and the only songs that really gave me something like that were the obvious Shutdown (hence the expectation, I knew that before listening to the album) and Man. Think I can only go as high as a high 2 here, and now I'm gonna go listen to Kano because he's just better at this.
Yeah, this isn't great. I knew the two famous songs, hadn't heard any of the rest and wasn't particularly impressed by it. Very much not the target audience for this music but, like the rest of you, I still know better iterations of a similar thing. 2/5.
2 stars, pretty mixed album except for the radio tracks
Nothing good
Skepta doing his thing. And I could care less.
Tough to rate this. I really don’t enjoy any of this genre, so it’s no surprise I don’t like it. Somehow slightly more tolerable in a british accent, + 1 star.
Had high hopes after the first track but it really tailed off. It did make rememebr this all-time great tweet so that was nice: “uk rappers be like she suck on my willy it’s quite delightful if i catch you in west gloucestershire you’ll catch the rifle”
Corny.... Ludacris type bars..... why are we still doing skits in the streaming era can we not leave this shit in 2003??? I liked this but all the songs sound the same also Brits are just not as cool as Americans
I guess if you're British?? I don't really get it. Pretty forgettable stuff and not all that interesting. Maybe it's the British accents, but it doesn't really work for me at all. Sounds very silly.
rap..
Not a big fan of british rap
Little too Ali G for me
Don’t listen to rap much, and this is probably my first UK rap album. Decent variety in the hooks, interspersing of conversation seems fairly common in the genre but was a distraction. Not bad but nothing terribly new or valuable. Hard to find a song I wanted to add to my playlist.
No thanks, I just can't get into this sort of thing. Try again later.
Did Andy Samberg base his SNL music skits on this band? The lyrics are shallow and the music is nearly the same for all the songs.
Bad album. Lyrics are dumb and amazingly repetitive. Underlying music is simple and unimaginative. I know I'm not a fan of the genre, but come on! There's better rap/hip-hop out there for sure.
Sometimes there was repetitive, droning music pumping behind some mediocre fast rap, sometimes it seemed like he was trying to imitate someone else. There were a lot of typical rap tropes but not much originality.
Nah bruh
British rap sucks WHATS WITH THE FUCKING PHONECALLS I DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THIS GUYS LIFE 2.9/5
I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, That's not Me and Shutdown I liked
I really can't stand British accent rap, and I'm British myself. Give me Kendrick Lamar over this any day. Favourite tracks: Crime Riddim (mostly for the Sega Mega Drive-esq synth line), Shutdown.
Not for me. Initial Japanese music was nice, it this is just not for me.
Great flow but seems to overuse the same rhythm patterns. Same with the beats. 2 stars
The production value is good. The tracks are too explicite for me quite frankly. I likely won't listen again. 2/5
Everything about this is just mediocre at best. How the hell is this in here aside from the obvious UK bias? You know MF DOOM was born in England. Everything he ever did blows this album out of the water. DOOM should have at least 1 album on this list.
No me va nada el rap y este disco no ha cambiado mi percepción.
Eh. Kind of a normal hip hop album. Didn’t really finish it.
Not my taste. A bit aggressive and lacking in tunes. Shut Down has limited novelty value, but that's it for me.
How did we get here? What are we doing? Why is this even on the list? Is it just because it’s British? There is a crazy amount of bias for this list for average British artists. This is just terrible.
I don't appreciate grime too much but ain't too bad.
Stupid music.
Meh. Not feeling it
Estilo grime, para mí hip hop. Rollo patatero.
Another album I didn’t need to hear. Never heard of this person and odds are I never will again.
I used to be a massive rap fan but have really fallen out of love with the genre except for a few key artists. This really wasn’t my thing. I can appreciate that he has good flow and some of the beats were cool, but I didn’t add any of the songs to my playlist.
Was cool hearing Queens of the stone age sampled, but otherwise didn't find this album too interesting.
3.5/10
Sounds like competent hip hop. I can't profess to be an expert. The accent throws me. Spittin' bars, but posh.
British rappers be like, "Oi my name is Chauncy G and I hereby decree, Hallo, guv'nor, I fancy me a wee spot of tea."