Slowthai -- TYRON: Review

Slowthai -- TYRON

[Method]

Out of rap’s newest generation of artists, none does UK rap justice like Slowthai. The eclectic rapper has only been in the mainstream for a few years but has worked hard to make sure his name is heard by any and everyone. The rapper has been releasing projects for years but truly broke through into the spotlight with his debut record Nothing Great About Britain which peaked at #9 on the UK charts, immediately making him a fan favorite of his home country.

The album was rich with tight features and an exciting personality from Slowthai that proved he had the guts to be in the spotlight. The modern rap game requires that a rapper's personality is unapologetically on display and Slowthai’s record was a solid extension of that as well as a testament to his rapping ability.

He keeps up the grind to stay in people’s minds by popping up in interviews and internet shows as well as features on contemporaries like Denzel Curry, BROCKHAMPTON, and Gorillaz. Slowthai’s tenacity for controversy has kept people’s attention too, notably with his ‘shameful’ comments directed towards Katherine Ryan at the NME Awards.

Slowthai has since done lengthy interviews and made various statements addressing and apologizing for it in a thankfully professional manner. He even told the award show to give his prize to host Ryan for the altercation.

While his clear apologies seem to have addressed everything there, the internet is the internet and won’t let their anger die down. Many who initially “cancelled” Slowthai for the remarks don’t accept the apology, even if the victim of the matter Ryan accepts it.

And that anger and frustration is definitely a motivating force on this new record TYRON, most explicitly in track two “CANCELLED”. In this fiery banger, Skepta and Slowthai trade cold-blooded verses with such brilliant chemistry like two veteran partners in crime. The beat to the track is low-key but features some chilling horrorcore samples.

The other half of the album features cuts that meditate on the bigger picture of the cancellation in how it has affected the rapper. “nhs” is a meditative cut on Slowthai’s general mental health and accepting depression.

The two halves of this record cover distinct moods--the first half is hardcore gangster rap violence while the second half is introspective and mellow songs about sadness.

First we’ll cover the first half which features the album’s bangers like the aforementioned “CANCELLED” and “MAZZA” with ASAP Rocky. “MAZZA” has Slowthai in full hysteria babbling in his verse about drugs and suicidal tendencies. His verse is just so full of character, it’s a blast to listen to.

“VEX” is Slowthai in beast mode as he comes through with his fastest verses ever. He’s rapping at the speed of sound while shrill horror strings hide over skittering trap beats. “DEAD”’s another great track too with Kwes Darko who shares a dark chorus with Tyron.

The other half of the album has its song titles all in lowercase and the tone shift is immediate with “i tried” where Slowthai opens up about suicide attempts (but more sincere than “MAZZA”). The song’s beat is pleasantly harmonic with its vintage strings, sounding like an old Kanye cut.

Jump to “nhs” which is one of the album’s shining singles. The song dives into Slowthai's inner monologue coping with depression and anxiety. Slowthai’s goofy similes make up a good chunk of the song to contrast with the dark subject matter of the song. The catchy and low-key chorus mixed with Slowthai’s ad-libs make for the sweetest song on the record and my favorite track here.

The features on the bottom side allow some singers to take over Thai’s choruses like on “terms” where Dominic Fike and Denzel Curry sing a chorus in tandem. “feel away” brings on R&B singer James Blake to do a sensual chorus. If there’s any song to start with here, it’s this one.

Slowthai comes through with a fantastic sophomore effort where he displays more character, style, and emotion.

Listen To: “feel away”, “MAZZA”, “nhs”, “CANCELLED”

RIYL: BROCKHAMPTON, Denzel Curry, Skepta, Dominic Fike