While we Americans were sitting around drinking and eating until our stomachs nearly burst, the UK scene was buzzing, gifting us with a host of standout tracks. Pull up a chair, and come get your weekly helping of Fish N Spliffs!
Chip- Daily Duppy
Chip was just made for the Daily Duppy format. His bars touch on a whole host of personal drama and his general status as an underrated legend of the grime scene. I’ve always been intrigued at how he often let’s everyone know he’s never been about that street life, admitting to never dealing or stabbing, and yet he has seen many of his peers go down that route. So his ability to share those insights, as well as accept and work with that same new generation of artists his admirable. He never really talks down or diminishes the talents of those artists, despite their differing content. Overall, he’s got more bars and punchlines than Wal-Marts have new PS5’s. (I know a lot of stores have had abysmally low amounts of new consoles in stock, but just let the unbelievably mid-level analogy slide.)
Trizzac and Karma- Back 2 Back
No chorus here, just verse after verse of pure violence. Both Karma and Trizzac are improving with every verse they record, with Karma stepping up his wordplay and varying his delivery a bit more. I’m hoping to get back in a rhythm this week and do a little write up on their recently released Demented mixtape.
Sai So, M24, Potter Payper, Skore Beezy and HP Boyz- Demon Time Remix
The original “Demon Time” was my first introduction to Sai So, and now he’s recruited an all-star cast for the remix. Potter Payper is a wordsmith of the highest caliber, and although I haven’t talked about him much on WillersWorld, he’s definitely worth checking out. It’s always interesting to hear him on drill and considering he hasn’t been out of prison for very long, just seeing him happy and working is beautiful in and of itself. M24 gives us a great feature as always, and I’m never disappointed when UK artists link up guys from Australia. This time it’s the HP Boyz, and their verses close out the track wonderfully.
D Double E and Skepta- DON
This feels like some beautiful Konnichiwa era Skepta. It has a booming beat with a typical gurgling bassline and Skepta’s flow is tight and punchy. D Double E has always had one of the more interesting flows in the scene. I’m loving this track.
Giggs and Jorja Smith- I’m Workin
Giggs and Jorja Smith provide us with some minimal, yet gorgeous visuals for “I’m Workin” which was a standout track off of Giggs’ new Now Or Never tape. It fits the vibe of the track perfectly, and the visuals near the end of Jorja turning up at a dinner party as she sings about snakes, recalling a Last Supper-esque scene. This is juxtaposed with Giggs’ alone at a dark table near the end of the video. The song and video make you wonder about which is worse: Being physically alone, with nothing to do but confront the thoughts in your head? Or being surrounding by people who are supposed to be your friends, but will backstab you at the first chance they get? It’s subtly profound, and the video gets that point across expertly.
Stally, Mazza, Billy Billions, and DA- Plugged In With Fumez
It’s very cool to see V9 and KO help get their boys in the 98s some more shine. It’s even cooler that they continue to live up to the challenge. After releasing a very solid group tape earlier this year in Class of 98s, they continue to show the immense amount of chemistry they have as a group. Billy’s melodic flows, coupled with his ability to rap, provide something a little different, and the others give solid verses as well. It’s sad though, if Stally’s really locked up like I’ve been reading, but at least he clearly had a hell of a time recording this with all of his boys. The energy when they’re all sharing the mic and trading bars near the end is entertaining as hell.
Y.CB and YB- Plugged In With Fumez
This is another one that is a little bittersweet, as Yanko, who’s in prison right now, would be right at home on this one. Still, Y.CB gives a stone cold performance, which makes the nature of his bars all the more unsettling. He shows no emotion whatsoever. YB’s flow sounds better than ever here as well. There’s something to be said about artists who may not have the wildest stage/video presence, but can still provide slick and dark bars without hesitation.
Baby Mane- Plugged In With Fumez
Capping what was a prolific few days for Fumez, and this week’s roundup, is Baby Mane. He’s also fits our “one melodic rapper a week” quota, but he isn’t included just to fit this imaginary stipulation. His auto-tuned delivery is much more understated than someone like wewantwraiths or 38 Shamz, but he sounds like he is one the verge of tears throughout the whole freestyle. He truly has a great ability to make you really feel the pain he’s experienced. Baby Mane’s only got a few tracks out at this point that I am aware of, but this session with Fumez convinced me that I definitely need to keep an eye out for whatever he drops in the future.