What’s great about the young and developing scene we have in London (and beyond), is the sheer diversity of it. It seems every day a new artist is coming to our attention, sounding new and innovative and original, yet still so distinctly British.
Artists are getting weird and artists are getting experimental, and it’s due time we started highlighting some of these creatives that may otherwise slip under our radar. With that being said, welcome back to Go Left; GRM’s guide to alternative grime, hip-hop and R&B, the best of what you may not have heard yet.
This week’s Go Left is brimming with underrated UK hip hop artists. After a pretty quiet four months of not releasing a single track onto his Soundcloud, Grafter is back with “Know My Name” produced by Mo Vibez; as always it’s a suave track with clever wordplay and storytelling.
In contrast, Kieron Boothe has been especially active, featuring on the 20th Go Left playlist with “Burn It Down”. He’s deservedly clinched a spot again this week with the Tom Misch-produced “For The Evening” featuring CluedUp on the hook. The warming track sees Boothe request for his girl to let her hair down and go out with him in a light-hearted manner.
Jay Prince also features with his R&B/soul single “Where You Belong”, taken from his latest mixtape Smile Good. Prince is accompanied by Jordan Rakei on the hook, who’s voice is similar to that of a certain Kendrick Lamar; regardless, we’RE vibing right now…
The self-produced “Next 2 Me” by CE also makes the list, sampling Jodeci’s “Every Moment” effectively. CE’s flow is ferocious and flawless, justifying his debut on Go Left.
Finally, we finish with a more deep and reflective track “Gallons”, which Kojey Radical says has to be “played very loudly at my funeral”. Featuring PW and produced by Greatness Jones and 1DRSy, Radical is as passionate as he’s ever been on what he calls a “celebration of struggle” in terms of class and racism.