Slowthai has taken over 2019 with his anti-establishment lyrics and raw, grimey beats.
Rather than the nonsense "mumble rap" that has plagued the charts recently, 'Nothing Great About Britain' not only offers intricate instrumentals but also profound, political sentiment. Branding himself the 'Brexit Bandit', Slowthai's approach is exactly what the music scene needs in the wake of the current governments short-comings. His political stance is made painstakingly obvious in the title track in which he calls Queen Elizabeth a c**t. Slowthai had quite a poor upbringing in Northampton and so it is unsurprising that a lot of his lyrics are focused on attacking the upper class and biased economic system. In 'Dead Leaves' he attacks Boris the "tyrant for PM" and in 'Crack' he delves into the UK's drug problems. His anti-government stance came to a head (pun intended) at his Mercury Prize performance where he came out on stage with a model of Boris Johnson's decapitated head. As well as his anti-constitutional style, Slowthai is a talented storyteller. Reminiscent of Mike Skinner's lyricism, 'Northampton's Child' (probably the most beautiful, personal track on the album) tells the story of his mother, the death of his brother and the struggles of living with his abusive stepdad. As well as this, 'Toaster' tells the story of a poverty-stricken, criminal narcissist with the song ending as the police knock on his door. Overall, collaborations with Mura Masa, Jaykae and Skepta, groundbreaking videos and excellent production (mostly credited to Kwes Darko) all contribute to this brilliantly written album. Where Slowthai claims there is nothing great about Britain, I disagree. Music like this is what makes Britain great.
Comments