No Frills Reviews

Chiedu Oraka Misfit

The debut full-length from The Black Yorkshireman, Chiedu Oraka, is part mission statement, part origin story. This is about who he is; just as proud of being a working-class boy from Hull as he is of his Nigerian roots. But it’s also about who he isn’t; you won’t see him idolising transatlantic superstars in the hope of a co-sign or playing up to roadman stereotypes to fit in with the UK rap scene. As the title suggests, he realises that his differences are his strengths.

And that’s what really stands out here. This isn’t re-inventing the wheel; the sound is pretty instantly recognisable as grime and there’s plenty of typical rap bravado alongside stories of street struggles. But everything is given a distinctly northern and distinctly personal spin. Oraka is in attack mode early on as he sets out why he’s better than your favourite rapper. But he becomes increasingly vulnerable as he opens up on an absent dad, the misspent youth that would lead to a prison stint, and continuing to work through his flaws and traumas.

Longtime producer and fellow Hull artist, Deezkid provides a soundtrack of eerie grime beats. The influence of 90’s UK dance tunes bubble under the surface, with just a trace of West Coast G-funk in the winding synth lines that periodically re-appear. And the “Tell ‘em Deez” tag will get immediately implanted in your brain.

As introductions go, this is what you want from a rapper; charisma, depth, and a clear sense of identity (as unclear as that identity may sometimes seem).

Best tunes: Rhythm and My Pain, Helly Hansen 6, Top 3, Counselling

* Technically it’s a mixtape rather than album, but so what.

Honourable Mentions

Lofigo BUENAS

RiTchie Triple Digits [112]

Cavalier Different Type Time

Drake vs Kendrick

You’ve already heard about this, right? Well, for the non-terminally online, here’s a quick(ish) summary. In reality, this has been brewing a long time, but it ostensibly begins late last year when Drake and J.Cole kinda diss Kendrick on their song First Person Shooter, although it’s so subliminal that nobody really notices. Kendrick responds in March with his feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s Like That, bristling at the idea that he’s part of a ‘Big 3’ with J. Cole and Drake. Cole then stepped up with a half-arsed counter, before embarrassingly (but probably wisely) bowing out (even J. Cole knows that J. Cole is an irrelevance here).

That’s where we really get to the meat of it as Kendrick and Drake release a flurry of back and forth diss tracks, which seems to have eventually calmed at the time of writing. I mentioned in last month’s column that you’re probably having a different conversation depending on whether you’re including Kendrick or Drake in a rap ‘Big 3’, and I think that’s one of the keys to understanding this feud. It’s artist vs popstar, innovator vs imitator, authenticity vs insincerity (Drake’s all the negative ones there, to be clear). For most of Drake’s career he’s been on some flawed pursuit for credibility, whereas Kendrick always had it. It’s why Kendrick has been able to evolve, while Drake has become a caricature of what he thinks a rapper should be.

And it’s like they’ve been playing different games here. While the stakes have escalated along the way with increasingly personal jibes, it’s often felt like Drake is operating at a schoolyard bully level as he makes short jokes and brags that he’s sold more records. He never quite seems to have really understood what this was really about. Meanwhile, Kendrick is on some diabolical, art of war shit; he’s offering up full-blown character assassinations, he’s dissecting the very essence of the man in front of the world. So, yeah, Kendrick obviously won here.

I was pondering recently about how Taylor Swift is essentially a musical celeb gossip column. And I can’t help but feel like this is what this beef devolved into. As much as we might tell ourselves that this is part of what rap is all about, I think we all just enjoy a bit of drama really, don’t we? Nonetheless, the takedown of Drake felt a long-time coming, plus it inspired some fucking funny memes. But, hopefully we can all move along now, everyone’s a bit too old for this shit, especially Drake (you know…cos of the paedo thing).

Āthmaan The Vital Breath

The debut solo album from Toronto producer, Āthmaan, sees them joined by an extended supporting cast of underground rap prospects as hip-hop goes Bollywood. Inspired by his Indian heritage, the samples come entirely from Hindi cinema. The danger of having this many features from relative unknowns is that a project can lack identity, but it’s the music that’s really providing the identity here. The Indian influences putting a new twist onto boom bap beats and early 2000’s-style R&B slow jams; it’s light and breezy but also carries a cinematic grandeur. The Vital Breath packs plenty into its 24 minutes with big hooks, ominous bangers and just a touch of psychedelia. A promising early offering from a young producer breathing new life into old classics.

Oh and for my UK people, I have to mention that there’s a Fabian Delph line in there, which is bizarrely fascinating to me as he’s such an uninspiring footballer to be name-checking. If you’re the MC that threw out that reference, we need an explanation.

Best tunes: Shraddha, Khushi, Prana, Raatein

Zim What’s The Diagnosis?

Upcoming Ohio rapper, Zim, has somewhat downplayed this EP, labelling it as a therapy session set to beats. But that’s part of the beauty; it’s like a hip-hop version of a stripped-back acoustic project. The beats provided by enigmatic* producer, erra, are uniformly excellent; a selection of no-nonsense old soul loops that are either triumphant or silky smooth. That provides a contrasting backdrop for Zim to work through his anxieties; a self-destructive cycle of regrets, loss, and guilt. And while that cycle never resolves itself here, Zim packs in low-key hooks along the way, which help transform this into something sneakily uplifting amidst the gloom. An existential crisis never sounded so sweet.

* Meaning they have a scant social media presence