Welcome back to The Plug, your only definitive guide to the best music out of our scene, every single week. We’ve been missing for a couple of weeks, but trust us, we’re back and better than ever. Our guy Griff has rounded up the 7 hottest tunes from this last week, just for you, with an extended playlist at the bottom too. Check ’em out below.
Proton – What I Want
Over a smooth and melodic piece of self-produced production, Proton stretches his sing-song flow into a really strong piece of work. Feeling in love, the track is dedicated to the girl he wants, with a flow that switches between holding extended notes and a more double time delivery, never losing the melody.
Section Boyz – Lock Arff (Remix ft. Skepta)
Premiered over on OVO Sound Radio on Beats 1, alongside a couple of other remixes, Skepta took on Section Boyz mega hit “Lock Arff”. He brings some more dark, street bars to the already gritty track, turning “Lock Arff” into even more of a monster than it already is.
Etta Bond & Raf Riley – Never Did (ft. A2)
Frequent collaborators Etta Bond and Raf Riley have linked up once again, for another incredible offering. Raf’s production is full of head-knocking drums and dreamy keys, allowing for Etta’s soft rapped delivery to float over the top, as she goes back and forth with the always-wavy A2.
Renz – Digital Cash
Get ready to be celebrating #RenzDay every week for the foreseeable future. South’s Renz will be dropping new music on the regular, starting with this hard-as-fuck freestyle over Drake and Future’s “Digital Dash”. He makes the 808-led beat his own, flexing with self referential lyrics like, “She love the mandem, she fuck with me”.
Little Simz – Don’t Forget
King Simbi hit us with a double-whammy this week, not only announcing her new mixtape ‘Drop 5’ is on the way, but also releasing one of her most exciting tracks to date. “Don’t Forget” is a collaboration with former G.O.O.D. Music producer Hit-Boy, who has provided instrumentals for Hip-Hop’s greats like Jay-Z. She stands equal with those who have collaborated with him before, spitting typically hard verses with the clarity she always does.
KwolleM – Like Me (ft. Jevon)
A member of the growingly impressive Mellow Grime collective, KwolleM dropped his ‘Mellow EP’ last week, featuring some of grime’s most loved veterans and some of it’s greatest newcomers, as you’ve never heard them before. One track that includes the latter is “Like Me”, a velvety instrumental from the producer, laced by Coventry New Gen rep Jevon.
Craig David – When The Bassline Drops (ft. Big Narstie)
Finishing off this week’s selections is the return of one of UK music’s greatest legends. Craig David is back after a god-knows-how-long hiatus, and he’s hopped straight back on some spectacular garage vibes. It’s like he never left and could easily be a vintage track from the “7 Days” singer, other than the featured verse from Big Narstie, who feels just at home on the bubbling beat.
Curators: Alex Griffin & Saquib B