Harlem Spartans member and drill heavyweight, Loski, could not have chosen more apt title for his debut commercial album. Music, Trial & Trauma: A Drill Story sums up the major plot points of his life pretty succinctly. Not only as he experienced trauma by the way of losing close friends Bis and S.A tragically, but has had to spend plenty of time apart from his friends who are still alive, especially when MizOrMac and Blanco, as well as other Spartans, have spent so much time behind bars. Often times, Loski was the singular marquee member of Harlem Spartans that was still alive or not in prison.
He’s had his own share of run ins with the law, including spending some time behind bars himself. Unless I am misremembering, I am pretty sure he is facing a set of charges again right now. So in that way, he has literally found himself on trial numerous times. But in a larger context, in a war that will seemingly continue until the end of time, the entire concept of drill has been on trial as well. The British media has blamed drill for increases in knife crime. Certain groups have had to get special permission from authorities just to post their music to Youtube. Anyone in the scene is largely blamed for many of the social ills of the country, because attempting to blame the rich and privileged would just take way too much effort for those looking for an easy scapegoat.
Other times, videos have been taken down with little to no reasoning as to why. MizOrMac’s recent video, “Say Mizzy,” was taken down, presumably because he had a single line taking the piss out of the police force. Then it was re-uploaded with the same lack of explanation provided when it was taken down. The entire genre is actively at odds with the media, and there are individuals that spend much of their time trying to eradicate this music, and these artists, from not just the mainstream, but from existence entirely.
With all of this context in mind, I was extremely interested to see how personal Loski would get with his album, and if he would live up to his potential as a standard bearer for drill as a whole. I mean, there are legitimate reasons as to why many people online immediately mention Loski when questioned as to who is the best in the scene. He’s had a large, dedicated following that stems from his early Spartan days, and he’s absolutely earned that adoration. But it’s 2020 now, and with so many others crowding the scene, Loski definitely had his work cut out for him.
The album itself is split up into three distinct sections, divided clearly by a few interludes, which help keep the narrative of the album pretty tight and concise. There is a drill portion, a more commercial/radio section, and then he closes the album with a few conceptual tracks, striking a much more emotional and conscious nerve.
In dividing the album this way, Loski is essentially taking us through his progression as a human and an artist, which also mirrors the evolution of the drill scene as a whole. He goes from hard and aggressive, to catchy and a bit more experimental, and then finishes up by addressing his emotions and coming to terms with drill’s place in the world. In the same way, the drill scene started as an aggressive, underground exposure to life on the roads. Then it found itself on the radio, with drill artists creating some of the highest charting rap music in the UK. And now, many artists are continuing to branch out with their sound, not only sonically, but topically as well. Given the current sociopolitical climate of the world, there are many heavier, more unwieldy topics that these artists have began to address.
The album kicks off with the creatively named “Intro,” which features actual news reporting from 2019 at the time of his trial. It brings up a few worthy questions: Is he a criminal? Is he someone who should of cut ties with the friends he made as a youth? How does his story fit within the greater story of the disenfranchised Black youth in the UK? He then raps, over a bass and chime heavy instrumental about his beginnings as a drug runner back in 2013. This acted as his introduction to the streets, and near the end of the verse, he cuts himself off as he begins to get more specific about his experience on the road. This acts as a wonderful tease, implying that we are going to get more and more insight into his life as the album progresses.
“Teddy Bruckshot 2” see’s Loski follow up his beloved track, “Teddy Bruckshot.” Fitting with the theme of the album and this earlier drill centric section, this is essentially Loski giving his fans the old, aggressive sound they’re used to. The woozy synths and throbbing bass are textbook drill, and Loski’s bars follow suit. The chorus features the lines, “Swing it, swing it, yuck/ Grip it, grip, grip, duck,” which are basic, but just catchy enough to get stuck in your head. He also mentions the criminally underrated Fetty Wap on the chorus, and even fits in a Bob Gibson line later in his second verse, comparing his opps to Bob Gibson as they slide to get away from him. That’s the last type of sports reference I would ever expect on a drill track, and given Gibson’s passing earlier this year, I am hear for it. Even a Milwaukee Brewer fan, he’s one of the few Cardinal players I’ve always admired. (Yeah he was a pitcher and they rarely “slide” during a game, but we’ll let that one……slide. ” RIP Bob Gibson.
This leads right into the Blanco assisted “Anglo Saxon,” which has grown on me since the video was dropped back in October. Still, my only gripe is that I wish Blanco either had a longer verse, or that they did a little back and forth, but I’m still pleased anytime any of the Spartans link up for a track. “On Me,” is another Spartan cut, this time featuring the the uber talented MizOrMac. It’s another track that I’ve talked about before, and another one that I enjoy even more since it was initially released. We do get a good amount of that slick back and forth between Miz and Loski, and this song is a keeper simply for the fact that we get to hear Miz pronounce “Metropolitan” again. He has such different inflection and tone of voice, causing simple words like that stand out just because he’s the one saying them. His flow is untouchable and I’d say he’s arguably the most technically proficient drill rapper alive right now.
“Basil Brush” is the next drill banger in the tracklist, which features OFB rappers Bandokay and Double Lz. The instrumental is another pretty typical drill beat, featuring some great reversed chords, and some constant, absolutely rattling bass. Yeah, it’s a thumper and a half. The title is rather clever, as it relates to a fiction Fox from UK children’s television, who was known for laughing and saying, “Boom boom!” Loski refer’s to this directly in the chorus by rapping, “Basil Brush, you’re hearing that boom,” obviously referring to the sound of a gun.
Bandokay gives what is probably his most energetic verse I’ve ever heard, and Double Lz flow is a tight as ever. There is also something a little deeper going on here as well. First, Bandokay makes a clear reference to Harlem Spartans member, S.A, who has passed away with the line “Hat-trick, bro got three, splash addict,” which is what S.A stood for. It’s not often that you hear a rapper honor a fallen rapper from a different group, but it shows a deeper tie between OFB and Harlem Spartans than most would expect.
This connection goes even deeper than some clear respect, though. Bandokay’s father is Mark Duggan. Duggan was unfortunately murdered by police in Tottenham in 2011, and the subsequent “investigations” were rather shoddy, resulting in a tribunal voting 8-2 that the murder was justified. This then lead to an increase in unrest in a community that was already full of tension, leading to various riots and more police assaults on citizens. Of course government and police officials claim there was no link, because if they did, that would imply some sort of culpability at the hands of police. But remember, the police are never wrong and they’re only here to help!
Bandokay has been rather outspoken about his father and has admitted that his death has had a huge influence on his life and music. He often sports a pendant with a portrait of Duggan in many of his videos. Loski has shared that his father and Duggan were actually close, so there has always been this sense of family between the two groups. So in a way, this collaboration feels inevitable, but is also a great showcase for Bandokay and Double Lz to get some more shine on such a prominent record. It’s always amazing when artists have this level of legitimate respect for each other, and it’s another sign that a lot of the pain these artists have experienced creates a bond that is way deeper than music. It’s also bittersweet knowing that such a huge loss is a major reason that they all feel so connected in the first place.
“Captain Hook” closes out the drill portion of the album with a bang. The sub-bass is unrelenting, and there are a lot of subtle little chimes and samples popping in and out that add a bit more depth to the beat. Loski’s chorus is solid again, with the lines, “Cook, cook, really wish a boy would/ Give her leg, now she feeling good/ Michael Phelps, them swim for good/ Kevin ain’t got heart, he shook,” being equally catchy and pretty humorous given the Michael Phelps and Kevin Hart references. It’s a undeniable highlight of the drill section, as Loski touches upon his relatively newfound fame, which ties into the next interlude track very well.
On “Interlude 1” we hear prison doors slamming shut, reflecting his time in youth prisons. I’m pretty sure we also hear mentions of Loski and Australia, which is a reference to groups like OneFour in Australia, who have cited Harlem Spartans as the main influence for their sound. He then delivers a short verse talking about his time in prison, stating, “I ain’t goin back to Felts, that shit’s like hell.” Feltham Young Offenders Prison is where he served multiple stints, and he makes it clear he has no intentions of going back. Just as “Captain Hook” refers to his new fame, Loski shows that his main focus is going to be on his music. This leads directly into the more accessible, and potential crossover hit section of the album. He’s shown that despite still having a keen ear for making some amazing drill songs, he understands that branching out in his music, and in his life in general, is his ticket to living a long and fulfilled life.
“Avengers” with fellow UK rapper Fredo and Jamaican artist Popcaan kicks of this second section of the album. I featured it in a previous Fish N Spliffs article, but it absolutely makes this wider reach clear. Sadly, the Fredo verse was not present in the video version. This is a track that you could easily hear on the radio, and it’s Afrobeat leaning instrumental would fit right in at a monster party in the summer. It would be a whiplash level switch up if the interlude didn’t ease you in and let you know that something different was coming.
“Flavour” with Stormzy is a playful, tongue in cheek track that never takes itself too seriously. It’s different hearing Loski talk about girls to such an extent, but Stormzy is right at home here. The beat features some slick string sections, and this plinky, xylophone-esque instrumentation that fits the nature of the bars perfectly. I laugh every single time Stormzy says, “I could be the sweet boy, street boy punching out your teeth boy/ And everybody love me like I’m Raymond, cold.” This is just a fun, easy song to bob your head to that will have you finding another slick or funny line with each subsequent listen.
“Naija Man” is a track that took a little bit to click with me. However, eventually I found myself singing the chorus to myself as I was walking around the house. Loski’s vocals are surprisingly solid, as I can’t recall another instance in which he straight up sings like this. The chorus of “Karma when we fry up man/ I put money on your head like a Naija man,” is just so simple and catchy. Nigerian artist Davido harmonizes well with Loski on parts of the chorus, and the energetic, emotive performance he gives on his verse is a perfect switch up from many of the other artists that we’ve thus far. Its bright, up-beat, and once it clicks, it’s hard not to be overcome by the infectious energy.
“Cute” with Aitch is another track with an infectious energy. The beat calls back to the early 2000s Bling Era of Hip-Hop, which gives Loski and Aitch a perfect platform to rap about women, clothes, and just how goddamn cool they both are. Aitch’s flow is always fast and tight, and Loski is much more restrained, but the whole track just works. The instrumental is luxurious and continues the bright, radio-ready nature of this crop of tracks. They both do show a fair amount of chemistry for two artists that, just a few weeks ago, I never would have imagined collaborating.
“2AM” is the track that I was fully prepared to rip apart after a few listens. Loski uses this gentle, heavily auto-tuned delivery that without knowing the artist ahead of time, makes it difficult to even tell it’s Loski performing here. While the Afrobeat and Dancehall tracks before “2AM” are different from his normal style, they still absolutely felt like Loski. It felt like this was the first true instance where he was indulging in some imitation, instead of bending a different style to make something that is still undoubtably Loski.
However, it eventually clicked with me, and even though it may be my least favorite track here, there’s still a lot to like about it. The instrumental is this sweet, nostalgic inducing beat featuring some xylophone that recalls a simpler time. His voice is melodic, and once I got passed the shock of hearing him sound like this, I realized it really fit the sweet sound of the song as a whole. The general sentiment of the track is something that I love as well. He talks about his love for staying in the studio until 2AM, and that performing on stage gives him a sort of natural high. These are all positive signs that he plans to continue to take his career much more serious from here on out. He also includes heartfelt lines about his fallen friends with, “When I lost SA it tore me apart/ Then I lost Risky, now I ain’t got none.” It’s a lowkey touching and easy going track that may find it’s way into your heart much quicker than mine.
“Interlude 2” marks the end of the easy-going center of the album. We hear a clip from a 2019 interview with British rapper, Akala. He touches on many of the issues that Loski will explore in the final three tracks. Akala explains how the media often twists the nature of violent crimes, often preferring to focus on the race of the youth, instead of the fact that the country is locking up these young, young kids in massive amounts, with little effort put towards actually helping them. He mentions Ramarni Wilfred, a young Black man from London who has a higher IQ than Einstein, tying this into the fact that the Black minorities in the UK are more likely to test highly and go to university than their more privileged White counterparts. And yet, any mistake a young Black person makes, it is treated as an indictment on the entire race and community as a whole. Only when they do something deemed positive enough, then they can be viewed as legitimate humans again.
Akala touches on his own history of being young and carrying a knife, understanding it was a personal choice, but that it was also a choice made within a very specific set of circumstances that many choose to ignore, instead demonizing kids who are forced into doing the same, and living lives that are not generally accepted within the UK society. This is the experience of a lot of these drill artists, and it ties right back into how not only drill, but the Black community as a whole, has constantly been on trial for their apparent bad choices, despite rarely having the same opportunities as other more privileged people.
These ideas lead directly into that final leg of the album, where we see Loski begin by addressing his experience as a Black man in the aptly title track, “Black.” The instrumental is a sort of remix, or interpolation of a 2007 track by Bashy called “Black Boys.” In the same vein as that earlier track, Loski uses the chorus to list out all of the things he loves within the Black community, as well as shedding light on the injustices they face on a daily basis. He loves black cars and women, and let’s us know that the oft-criticized footballer Raheem Sterling should be the captain of the England football team. He also touches on recent events related to the BLM protests, where the media and authorities interpret the protest of racism and police brutality as Black people deciding to cause mass violence and chaos without any real rhyme or reason. Loski also touches on racial profiling by saying, “Feds see a IC3 and think, “Search him.” IC3 is used to identify a suspects ethnicity, with IC3 being a Black person.
His first verse touches on a host of weighty subjects. He is paranoid and nervous after losing so many friends to the streets. After being behind bars himself, he has been forced to witness the pain and sadness that it brought to so many members of his family. Because of this, he hopes that his “little brother becomes a baller,” since he knows deep down that this lifestyle only brings negative things to those around him, despite of the way that some portray and glorify it. Make no mistake, he isn’t “in love with guns” like many assume. Instead, his actions are the result of the understanding that not standing up for himself would likely mean his death. This also caused him to turn to drugs as a way to cope, because there really are no easy “outs” within a society that is largely built to keep people like him down. He really wants to set the record straight in regards to the way that his lifestyle, and the lifestyle of Black people as a whole, is perceived by the innumerable amount of ignorant people in the world.
The first few lines of his second verse sums up a lot of the motivation and reasoning for why he has found himself in the place that he is today: “When you’re raised in the streets got your heart on your sleeve/ Street trauma’s been a fucker/ I lost my brother, my heart’s on freeze.” When all you’ve known in pain and loss, eventually you have nothing left to do but act on those emotions, whether that be lashing out with violence and revenge on your mind, or allowing yourself to become overwhelmed with sadness, leading to an downward emotional spiral. Trauma is undeniably powerful, and as a massive through line of this album, it’s something that is impossible to ignore, especially when the Black experience has largely been defined by the immense trauma they have experienced since the beginning of history.
“Blinded” see’s Loski discuss how the blue lights of police cars have been a constant in his life, but now, instead of being blinded by those lights, it’s the lights he sees when he’s on stage that make it difficult to see. He’s undergone a legitimate change, and while this track is not as direct as “Black,” he fits a fair amount of meaningful bars in there. The Jackie Rawe vocal samples add a nice amount of emotion to the track, especially as Loski honors his fallen brothers again. “See the dead in my sleep, it’s like a fairy-tale/ We lost SA, tore the block in half/ Lost Risky, now I got no love,” he raps. He closes out his final verse with a sentiment that shows exactly where is mind is now after losing so many people and being filled with so many negative emotions: “Couldn’t bring bro to the show, I was pissed/ I hope that he knows I won’t leave him/ I’ma get the bag and bring it right back/ And make sure my peoples eating.”
The final track on the album, “Life So Deep,” see’s Loski put together a rather compelling story track. It makes me think of tracks like Big L’s “Causalities of a Dice Game” or “The Heist,” strictly in the way that it tells a coherent narrative. But while Big L’s track are a bit more straightforward and story driven, Loski uses his track to ruminate and meditate on the larger issues that revolve around the story he is telling. Because it is so well done, I won’t lay out the exact story, but the themes of loss, revenge, street justice and the negative implications of those ideas run strong throughout it. It isn’t a spoiler to say it isn’t exactly a positive and uplifting story, but that fits into the album as a whole, which largely shares the negatives that come with the lifestyle that Loski has lived. This feels like a very logical conclusion to an album called A Drill Story.
Loski’s commercial debut, in my eyes, ends up succeeding in exactly what Loski clearly set out to do. He may be his most technically impressive on that first drill heavy leg, but his willingness to step out of his comfort zone and try different things is commendable, and full of great moments. He’s in a place where he understands that strictly sticking within the drill genre and scene may only lead to more negative things in his life, so broadening his horizons will not only help himself, but will likely result in more success and happiness for all of those around him as well. The maturity and growth that he shows is wonderful. From a personal standpoint, as someone who sees these artists as human beings first, I have nothing but respect for that.
Loski over dark, menacing drill beats will always be my favorite version of him, and maybe the more focus-grouped-esque center of the album won’t hit as strongly with die-hard Loski and Spartan fans. But at the same time, if a project where a few more commercial and accessible cuts increase the likelihood that more people will listen to his music, then I am all for that. Shouldn’t we be happy that an artist is trying to expand their reach and get out of the awful situation that often informs many of their songs? It feels cynical, and frankly disgusting, to wish against that, preferring someone stay stuck in the perpetual loop of suffering that many Black people find themselves in.
In Loski’s case, that desire to reach a wider audience also did not sacrifice much of what makes him such a compelling and interesting artist to begin with. His ability to seamlessly mesh with massive stars like Stormzy, Popcaan, and Davido, as well as his peers like Bandokay, Double Lz, Aitch, and Spartans MizOrMac and Blanco really show the level of talent he posses. In the end, however, even as his platform grows, he will always honor those close to him that he has lost first and foremost, and has shown the desire to reckon with the circumstances in which those lives were lost to begin with.
All of this is to say that I was pleased with the album, and the best thing a project can do is make you more excited for what’s to come. He will likely only experiment more, and continue to mature and grow into a well-rounded artist and human being. All I can hope is that Loski and the rest of the Spartans stay safe and in positions where they can continue to further their music careers, because they all possess so much knowledge and a wide array of compelling experiences that I think really have the power to change the general perception many people have of them. And in that way, hopefully things can change to the point where other generations do not have to experience the very same trauma that men like Loski have. No single album will directly cause this massive change, but these men truly do have the ability to play a sizable role in the facilitation positive action through their music by continuing to address and deconstruct the violence and trauma that is rampant within their communities.
Loski’s Socials: