The West London collective deliver us the second instalment of the WSTRN Season series, WSTRN Season, Vol.2. To commemorate this, we delve into their insane catalogue of bangers to present to you, nine of the hardest WSTRN hidden gems.
Haile, who has been highly praised for his unique tone of voice and remarkable ability to jump between flows, juxtaposed by Louis Rei’s deep cadence and oozing sex appeal, have been the formula responsible for their recent success. Still, without their missing puzzle piece and third amigo, Akelle Charles, Louis Rei and Haile have gone from strength to strength, to make an impression on the rest of the nation.
Before we get into it, let us cast our minds back to October 2015, when we were first introduced to the WSTRN boys. Their debut single, “IN2”, was an astronomical success and probably the only song we heard on the radio for the last three months of that year. They capitalised on this emphatically, following up with two fire mixtapes and a streak of undeniably catchy hits.
“RSVP”
Our journey begins on the inaugural WSTRN Season tape, back when the original trio was still intact. On an uplifting instrumental, Akelle, Haille and Louis Rei exhibited their close chemistry, bouncing different flows off one another and exercising the range of their vocal capabilities.
“Fav Favs”
Even on their first mixtape, the boys have always radiated confidence you can only admire. The boys spend the entire track, adamant that no one is doing it the way they are, and that they are indeed your favourite rapper’s favourite artists.
“Take It Off”
As you can probably guess by the instruction given in the title, parental advisory is required before opening your ears to this one. Governed by gentle, calming licks on the guitar, the trio professed their innate sexual desires on this raunchy slow jam.
“Don’t” (Remix) with Bryson Tiller
During their early days, WSTRN were known for their cold covers, despite this one slipping under the radar. Haile and Akelle flaunted their vocal powers while Louis Rei’s deep cadence sent the ladies crazy.
“Social” featuring Mostack
Teaming up with Hornsey’s very own, Mostack, this track was promising a lot from the moment we knew who was on it. The boys flaunted their West Indian flair, with cheeky punchlines littered all over the track and clean vocals, as always.
“A-List” (Preditah Remix)
As if the original wasn’t good enough, Preditah simply could not keep his hands off the remix. Infused with a grungy garage bassline and an accelerated tempo, it becomes difficult not to move your body when this comes on.
“Special” featuring Stefflon Don
Featuring the UK’s golden girl, Stefflon Don, this is yet another addition the list to come from their Double 3AK mixtape. Again, the trio made no attempt to cover up their Caribbean roots. Haile’s water-clear vocals killed the hook, either side of Louis Rei and Stefflon Don’s cold verses, carried by an instrumental with a heavenly melody.
“4luv”
Louis Rei and Haile had the ingenious idea of sampling Tupac’s, “Do for Love”, on the outro for their Double3AK mixtape. Their soulful rendition of the track served us a gentle reminder that they can do r&b as good as anyone.
“Red Eye” with Lil Baby
Taken from the Plug Talk album orchestrated by the Plug Records, WSTRN unexpectedly collaborated with a global superstar, Lil Baby, to warn us about the red eye. On a trap beat this time, Haile displayed his unique tone whilst Louis Rei gave us a real glimpse of his vocal capabilities.