“This is what happens when the world stops”.
In a statement on her Instagram earlier this week, Little Simz described the process of creating her latest EP, Drop 6, over the course of one month in lockdown alone in her flat. She recalls the obstacles she faced, from self-doubt to noise complaints from neighbours until one day she “decided to stop being a lil bitch and cry baby and knuckle down”. And it’s a good job she did. Following an album as phenomenal as last year’s Mercury Prize-nominated Grey Area is no mean feat, but Drop 6 is a short but sweet reminder that Simz is still one of the most talented wordsmiths in UK rap right now.
Totalling a swift 12 minutes, a sense of urgency and immediacy propels one track into the next. From the pulsating bass of opener ‘might bang, might not’, Simz’ flow is as tight and precise as ever. It oozes with energy. “I got one life and I might just live it” she spouts over a swaggering hip-hop beat on “one life might live”, easily the EP’s catchiest track. ‘you should call mum’ takes a more contemplative turn, with lines like “bored out of my mind / how many naps can I take?” painting a painfully relatable picture of quarantine. Indeed, the whole EP feels like a snapshot of a specific time and headspace for the London rapper. Where Grey Area was more reflective and tackled broader themes in its lyrics, Drop 6 is rooted in the present. As she repeats in the opening track: “this is for the now”.
But behind the self-assured delivery is the hint of vulnerability that makes Little Simz so likeable. Unlike many rappers, she tells her stories unhindered by ego and bravado. At times it feels like a stream of consciousness or a chat with a friend, particularly on freestyling track ‘damn right’ – which is reminiscent of her earlier mixtapes. Recorded entirely at home, the finished product is naturally nowhere near as polished as Grey Area. But perfection clearly wasn’t the intention here. The stripped-back, DIY production only adds to its charm.
Musically too, Simz is up to form. Instrumentals range from jazz-infused basslines to old-school garage beats, showing off her genre-mixing abilities. Closing track ‘where’s my lighter’ veers furthest from the rest, featuring transcendent vocals from Alewya over a melancholic piano that concludes an otherwise fast-paced EP on a mellow, soulful note. Such musical range paired with powerful lyrics gives Drop 6 both style and substance. If this is what Little Simz can produce “when the world stops”, then we can only imagine what she’ll do when it starts turning again.
Words by Alice Williams