“I’m Jay Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst.”
Modesty may not exactly be in this North London rapper’s vernacular, however, upon one of the final evenings of this decade, one of the most intriguing rap albums at last presented itself to Oxford’s O2 Academy.
Whilst the premature parallels to such seminal writers may have been precariously illustrated this evening, amidst a highly anticipated sold-out show, the self-assured charisma burgeoning Simz’s repertoire was fortunately injected into our lives in the nick of time before the conclusion of this arduous decade.
Armed with her choice of weapon, namely a megaphone, Little Simz announced herself into the intimate fray of Oxford’s O2 Academy with ‘Boss’. Imminently showcasing her reinvigorated ego displayed throughout her recent LP, Grey Area, Simz also reclaimed her authoritative voice with consistent calls to “stop fucking with my heart”. This biting rhetoric played throughout today's rap genre has been a key ingredient to its rise within this decade - with many of the current younger generation enticed by its punk-esque, no-fucks-given attitude situated within a societally divided world.
Navigating from this into the darker, deeper depths of this LP, such breakout tracks as ‘Wounds’, ‘Pressure’, and ‘101 FM’, all played their ceremonious parts in this evening’s reclamation of self-worth. To varying degrees of tenacity and flow, the illustrious tongue of Simz proved prevalent amongst the intriguing sheen of this modern age to hip-hop. At the core, the latter track’s East Asian influences on its integral hook exemplified one of these many changes to this genre's evolution of recent - a seemingly far cry from the vapid macho-ridden facade of the ‘bling’ era those many years ago.
Similar to her rapping contemporaries, namely the recently reviewed J.I.D, the variety amongst Simz’s repertoire proved impressive, too, from the infectiously bass-trodden ‘Venom’ to the glistening-R&B track ‘Selfish’. Structured with falsetto vocal hooks at the track’s chorus, the latter has proven to be one of this year’s most compelling singles delving into the unbridled mind of Little Simz - equally reciprocated by this sold-out crowd’s yearning to utilise their Saturday night ‘dancing shoes’.
“I said it with my chest and I don’t care who I offend”
This particularly unapologetic statement from the final track, ‘Offence’, ultimately concluded Simz's noteworthy oration. Convincingly exclaimed from this North London rapper, her self-drawn parallels to Jay Z and Shakespeare weren't proven completely unwarranted but somewhat verified in the context of modern hip-hop’s standards. Respectively acknowledging her fellow female rappers who have risen to prominence this decade, namely Janelle Monáe, Lizzo, Rapsody, and Tierra Whack, Little Simz has refreshingly added her voice to this cauldron of brash and relentlessly ‘selfish’ brand of egoism. Whilst such sparse instrumentals within her set of music, as well as the enclosed trappings of this venue’s intimacy, knocked Simz’s set slightly - it wasn't enough to blunt the full brunt of this impressive rapper’s undeniable poeticism.
7.5/10
Little Simz's latest LP, Grey Area, is out now and can be found here.
All photos are courtesy of Tam Cader whose work can be found here.
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