Spectreview: Little Simz – GREY Area

-WITCH HAZE-

“I don’t need that stress, that stress
I’m a boss in a fuckin’ dress”

Badass. That’s been a succinct enough description of Simbi Ajikawo ever since she released her spitfire single “Dead Body” as Little Simz back in 2015, then a 21-year-old. Wielding bars aplenty and a knack for storytelling equal parts evocation and provocation, Simz was destined to release a record as streamlined and ferocious as Grey AREA. More so than her entire output so far, Simz radiates as much artistic confidence as lyrical prowess, with live instrumentation as the secret weapon. Her flexes in “Boss” are now eons more potent in the swagger of the track’s lithe garage rock bass line. When she drops the mic partway into the aptly-named “Venom,” insidious violin strings give way to a hilariously understated beat that blows the proceedings out of the sea. Tender piano keys punctuate callouts on men in power on “Pressure,” while the nostalgic “101 FM” positions an east-Asian-inspired Inflo beat on top of her reminiscences about her childhood and her old crew. Lyrically her concerns are instantly relatable to any twentysomething in 2019: questioning your every thought, re-callousing off the burn of another failed love, incensed at the injustice endlessly shunted into your news feed. As far as room for improvement, there are moments when Simz’ constant triplets and waterfall of syllables could be pared down, and there’s often a specificity lacking in her lyrics that somewhat reduces the power of her statements. As a mark of growth though, GREY Area proves Little Simz is one of the most impressive rappers in the London scene and hip-hop heads definitely shouldn’t miss this album.

Highly recommended for a quick ego boost.