This allows for some potent statements on the likes of gun violence on 'Wounds', self-love on 'Selfish,' or mental fortitude on 'Therapy.' Every track does exactly what it sets out to do with extreme precision & consistency across the entire run time. While some of the greats in the hip-hop community have been releasing some of their weakest & most cluttered material on their most recent outputs (looking at you, DAMN.), the topics on each track of this are tightly condensed. This is such a standout record because Little Simz manages to make each track a focused exercise in honesty. From rapid fire rapping to shouting, there isnвЂ™t a weak or predictable moment in her performance throughout the entire LP. She is constantly hitting with powerful, flexible flows, nailing every single lyrical moment-bar for bar for bar. At one point in 'Venom,' sheвЂ™s rapping over a lone ride cymbal & absolutely crushing it over the hardest track on the record. All of this is to highlight the vocal performances, which are genuinely difficult to overstate. Simz shows little outside influence from adjacent genres, instead focusing on old school hip-hop & grime with swaggering bass & percussion on every track. Nearly every beat throughout this project aim for simple-yet-effective, juxtaposing with the trap-flavored trends dominating the genre the past few years. Little Simz is here to give us all a little clarity.ДЄt only 35-odd minutes & 10 tracks, 'GREY Area' is a practice in sparsity. But letвЂ™s be clear as can be-itвЂ™s all a little bit s**t, & itвЂ™s only going to get worse with age. While the genre may be in the midst of a commercial watershed moment, Little Simz is here to ask us what cost that comes at. 'GREY Area' is вЂ“ unquestionably вЂ“ the best hip-hop of the year so far. Review Summary: We do not see the f**kery until weвЂ™re out of it.

Little simz grey area album cover