Favorite of the blog, the Croyden MC SL has followed up this year’s excellent Selhurst SE25 EP with a full length mixtape entitled Different Dude. The title itself indicates exactly what SL’s goal is with this release. He’s looking to continue to show that not only is he a different kind of artist from anyone else in the UK scene, he’s a different artist in comparison to the 15 year old that blew up after the release of the drill track “Gentleman.”
It is a little mind-blowing to be reminded that SL is still only 18 years old, and yet through his music and budding activism, he’s clearly maturing at a quick rate. He’s seemingly taken the Marcus Rashford route, just as Marcus has been drawing plaudits for his activism in regards to free school lunches for children in the UK, SL himself has undertaken a few school supply drives, as well as giving food out to school kids at local chicken shops. Not only is his music a sign of his constant evolution, his actions outside of the booth show his dedication to using his platform to help as many people as possible.
In regards to the music on Different Dude, SL achieves what he set out to do. He continues to toy with the genre, as he veers between the various sub genres of drill and Americanized hip-hop, tinkering with the more laid-back aesthetic he normally employs. On this mixtape, we also see SL employ some of his most impressive and energetic flows to date, adding his delivery to the long list of skills he continues to improve upon.
Tape opener and titular track “Different Dude,” beckons back to an earlier SL track, “Nothing to Say,” going as far as to borrow the flow and a few bars from “Nothing to Say” for the chorus here. SL does something very cool, in that he takes you back to comfortable, familiar place that comes with music he’s released previously, while at the same time continuing to prove that he isn’t afraid to move in different directions. He illustrates this strictly through the flows he uses on the track as well. He starts out with tight, faster bars than you’d expect from him. Then throughout his second verse, he begins to the slow his flow back down, again harkening back to many of his older tunes. Some fans online have claimed his newer music, including the experimentation we’ve seen in his work with Kenny Beats, hasn’t been hitting as much lately. However, SL doesn’t seem to be too concerned with this, responding to those asking why his music has changed with, “I ain’t like them/ I’m a different dude.”
Continuing to toy equally new and old sounds, SL ups his aggression a bit with “Need More,” his most impressive straight forward solo drill track to date. As with the opener, his delivery is punchier and more dexterous than ever. SL sounds cold blooded, with his deadpan delivery complimenting the foreboding keys and thick bass. Near the middle of his second verse, he hits a double time flow that his faster and more technical than anything I have ever heard SL use. He also gets more personal and specific in regards to people he’s lost, and the things he would get up to in the streets.
While this all could come off as awkward, or lazy, flying in the face of the supposed improvement he continues to show, this track serves as a time to flex just how much talent he has. The verses are well constructed, vivid, and his performance constantly keeps you on your toes. This is different from many of his earlier tracks, which would find a nice comfortable zone and stay there. SL isn’t afraid to push and play with those expectations, not just moving out of his comfort zone, but proving his comfort zone is much more all-encompassing than we may have realized.
I spoke about “Felt Tips,” in an earlier roundup, but it stands as another great example of SL finding more exciting, boundary pushing instrumentation. It’s somewhere between drill track, and a dark, smokey club song.
“Trenches,” features a soulful guitar based beat, with an equally soulful chorus provided by Ayo Britain, who’s somewhat squeaky, expressive vocals serves as the perfect compliment to SL’s voice. We get more biographical verses from SL, painting the picture of his life up to this point. Just as with his “Mad About Africa” freestyles, his understated delivery works well with the more somber feeling of the track. He recites names of those in prison, and thanks those that are still with him. SL also uses a football metaphor to interestingly describe the ruthlessness of some of the kids he ran with. “Bro way too active/ 18 plus the way he left the scene graphic/ He don’t care if he’s match fit/ Sub him on anytime and he’ll catch a man’s captain.” While lines like that show how his wordplay is improving with every track, he hasn’t refrained from including a healthy amount of tongue in cheek humor. At one point, he innocently says, “But it’s cool boo/ I’m a cool dude/ I’m a bum man/ But she’s all boobs.” It’s small lines like this that constantly put a smirk on my face when I’m listening to his music.
“Quarantine Freestyle,” shows the influence of the American scene on SL’s sound. The piano heavy beat, complete with little flute, feels like a much more subdued version of one of NLE Choppa’s “Shotta Flow” tracks. This makes sense, since even as his delivery has gotten more aggressive from time to time, it would be hard to envision SL on something that hard. SL gives us more rubbery, catchy flows, constantly finding himself in the pocket of the beat perfectly. It’s got that carefree energy of a freestyle, complete with some more of that SL humor, complete with a new turn of phrase in SL’s ever growing Lexicon of Blowjob Descriptions: “I had a plan, had to slither and wiggle/ She ate the top of the tip and it tickled.”
“Now & Then,” is great example of the playful, smooth brand of drill that SL is capable of. The track has an undeniable bounce, with a catchy chorus and a beautiful strummed guitar popping up throughout the mix. Even though there are a few appearances of those strummed instruments on the tape, they are all unique enough in their own right, so it never feels like you’re listening to a re-hash of a previous track. SL gives us another of his more hilarious lines (yet again related to oral sex) with, “I’m just out for the fee, no fi, fo, fum/ She be on her knees til I kai, ko, cum, oh yes.” He will set some sort of record for unique ways to describe getting head; You heard it here first. Get Guinness on the fucking line.
“Excuse Me” is the track I was most excited to hear. I was extremely interested to see what the hell SL and Unknown T would sound like on the same song. The earlier track, “Need More,” kept me confident that SL could return to that classic drill sound or they could go a more playful route, which Unknown T has proven to be comfortable with on songs like “Main Squeeze.” The went the drill route, and the results are great. SL and Unknown T’s very different deliveries fit together instead of butting up against one another.
With someone as expressive as Unknown T, who’s at the top of his game here, it’s easy to see how he may overpower SL flow-wise. And yet, SL steps up to the challenge, continuing the overall theme of the tape that he’s willing and able to experiment with his flows. We get short, back and forth verses from both MC’s, proving the chemistry they have. Unknown T does that thing where he provides ad-libs for the artist before getting into his own verse, so it’s like you can picture Unknown T in the booth too, just T-Bopping back and forth until he gets to rap again. He always wants to be on the mic. SL yet again flashes his prowess in terms of wordplay. He has a way of saying very basic things in very different ways from other rappers. “Serious wetters, step with me for my daily endeavors,” is a great example of one of those kinds of lines. You just won’t hear stepping out armed to handle some day to day business being described like this from anyone else. SL really is a different dude.
“Who Knows” is a bit more downbeat and minimalist than many of the songs here. The tempo is slower here, with SL sounded cool and composed. He explains the discomfort of being in court, and likens the situation in his hood to the horror movie Poltergeist. This is probably the lowest impact track here, but as an album track, and one that fits into the hazier aspect of his discography, not necessarily sticking out for any overtly positive or negative reasons.
We get another laid back track in “Super High,” which is a collaboration with avid auto-tuner Nafe Smallz. Nafe gives us a smooth chorus, and SL honestly surprised me with a few bars here and there. All throughout this project, SL has gotten gradually more graphic and violent with his lyrics. Up until now, a line like “I saw the camera footage of your boy get chinged/ Me and my popcorn skippin’ to the best bits,” isn’t exactly what you’d expect on an SL song. And yet, it’s interesting how his instrumental leanings have continued to expand, and his lyrics are seemingly incorporating more and more typical drill themes at the same time. Never mind that he also compares a girl to Tarzan because she jumps on so much wood. Even with his darker, more violent bars, you will always get a side of juvenile humor.
SL opens up the closer “Bye Bye” with another “Only SL” type of line with “I got some matters to address/ I think she’ll give me brain, it’s an educated guess/ She wanna know my name, she ain’t getting more than ‘S’/ You know how I stay, what you see is what you get.” He follows that up, “I won’t participate if it don’t generate a check.” It’s that slick, “doesn’t really shock you right away” kind of wordplay that SL never fails to bring to the table.
Coupling those with lines like, “Hurt when bro died, til we made em feel the same pain,” and “Told her ‘suck her mum,’ and I told her bye bye,” we get all of the best parts of what SL has to offer, and what makes this project a more than worthy addition to his growing discography. Unique wordplay, low-key hilarious lines, all tied up with glimpses into the experiences and pain of SL’s young life.
I lost track of the amount of times I used the word “impressive,” or “improved,” throughout the preceding paragraphs. I should probably get creative, crack open the Thesaurus and find some better words. But at the same time, why waste time, use many word when few word do trick? SL has gotten more and more prolific, going from dropping 1-5 songs in an entire year, to releasing various singles, an EP and a full mixtape in just 2020 alone. Not only has he gotten more prolific, he’s gotten more sure in his craft. His flows are snappier and more crisp than ever. His instrumental choices show that he is comfortable over different types of beats; Sometimes dipping in toes back into the drill sound, or continuing to hop on more off-kilter, experimental instrumentation.
Calling SL “a different dude,” really is the best way to sum him up as an artist. He is truly unique and is always adding or tinkering with his sound. His knack for wordplay isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s understated and cleverness of his bars, wrapped up in his juvenile humor will always sneak up on you. With this tape, we also get more examples of his skill when it comes to working with different artists, whether that be drill rappers like Unknown T, or crooners like Ayo Britain and Nafe Smallz.
At this point, I may just be able to start copying and pasting the same conclusions to anything I write about SL. He’s growing, and at just 18 years old, that growth will only continue as he drops more and more music. No matter what direction he chooses next, I can say confidently that there are few artists in the UK that are as exciting as SL. He’s different. So Thank you SL for the artistic growth, and for all of the new blowjob euphemisms to get us through the rest of the year. With the way this year’s gone, I’d say that’s something to be pretty damn thankful for.
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