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 features the biggest playlist in its history, with an extensive 10 tracks to round off a huge year for UK alternative music!
Without further or do, let’s kick off with South London singer HANA’s “Mr. Jones” who takes inspiration and twists Amy Winehouse’s “Me & Mr Jones” to her own effectiveness. Jesse James Solomon makes the cut with “Scumbag // Barriers”, showcasing smart lyrical wordplay over brooding beat.
Kieron Boothe slides in next with “Bullshit” – taken from his upcoming EP In The House – another J Dilla produced track which Boothe destroys, simultaneously talking the realest as usual, “Working hard through the night and realised that this shit won’t happen overnight.” This is followed by Motive105’s “Golden Boy Freestyle”, the first track since the London rapper has come back on the music scene – straight bars.
Next up 25-year-old eff Raps comes through with a quintessential hip hop track in “Mid 20s”, showcasing gutsy, determined and driven rhymes. Ella Frank simmers the pace with her R&B/soul track “Sugar”; the vibes are sweet with this one.
Leicester-based producer Scott XYLO’s “Before U Let Go” epitomizes serenity, whilst South London rapper Proton brutally hits us with his banger “Mega Man”, which is self-produced.
This week’s Go Left playlist wouldn’t be right without Pro’s fellow Badside donny ellzBS, who features with his trippy “Play With Me”. The same can be said for singer/songwriter Courtney Bennett, whose impressive SOULECTION-esque banger “Act Like That”, produced by ORDNRY YNGSTR and HXNS, sets the playlist alight.
We will be uploading more alternative videos onto our YouTube channel. If you fit in with those who don’t fit in, are part of the Go Left gang and have something wavy for us, send an email to [email protected].
Check out our previous selection here, as well as our exclusive interview with BBC Sound of 2017 nominee Raye here.