British rapper Little Simz just dropped her latest EP ‘Drop 6′(via Age 101) that was written, recorded, and produced within one month during the current lockdown. The EP is her first new material since last year’s critically acclaimed ‘GREY Area’ and the result is filled with solid, albeit short (most songs don’t go over three minutes) but catchy melodies. Little Simz worked on the EP during the pandemic, having started it during the beginning of April with a goal to finish it before May. While having self-doubt in herself and isolation affecting her mental health, Little Simz found hope and value to her new creative project. She stated- “I don’t mind being alone. I quite enjoy my own company actually. However, choosing to be alone is different from being forced to be alone and that’s where the difficulty comes in. You’re stuck with yourself, 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week. ”
Her first track “might bang, might not” sounds like a 90s experimental trip-hop banger. Little Simz’s spouting lyricism is reflective of Gorillaz, M.I.A, Suzi Wu, and Slowthai’s style. The bass-driven “one life, might live” really slaps as she raps about self-love and honest-living. While in “you should call mum” there’s a feeling of helplessness during quarantine, as she says “Tryna maintain my sanity. It’s a blind fight, mmh Is anybody in they right mind?” In her other song “damn right”, Little Simz deals with the challenges with dealing with the restrictions from quarantine when she sings, “Who are you telling me where I can’t go?– Being here is a gift and a curse”. The last track, “where’s my lighter” featuring Alewya (which is the longest track at 3:53) has the most introspective bare freestyling lyrics that are layered in alluring percussion. The song speaks reality when she raps, “f**king off the people who care and rejecting the help on the defense”. Clearly, a note on how ignorant people can be.
‘Drop 6’ is yet another clear demonstration of how talented Little Simz is and how she can capture the emotion that many can relate to in this period of social distancing.