2020 forced the creative juices out of many, with a lot of musicians producing sounds which you may never have expected to hear particularly from them. At the same time, there are projects that have been overlooked – either due to lack of promotion and marketing, general buzz around the artist or simply not knowing much (or anything at all) about the artist. Here’s 5 projects in brief that I feel that haven’t been recognition they truly deserve.
YOUNG T AND BUGSEY – PLEAD THE 5TH
Young T & Bugsey are undoubtedly the ‘flyboys’ of the UK scene. They have the persona, look and lyrics to fit the description of a ‘flyboy’ and it’s reflected in their mixtape. Entering the scene in 2016 with ‘Glistening’ and “No Mickey Mouse Ting” , the two have a knack for making catchy hooks. They’ve been making bangers in the form ‘Gangland’, ‘4×4’ and ‘Ay Caramba’, but it’s only in 2020 they’ve decided to drop their first project.‘Plead the 5th’; a double-entendre referring to the Nottingham area code and the Fifth Amendment, blends the sounds and flows of UK Afroswing, a sound established in recent years in ‘Don’t Rush’ (featuring Headie One) and ‘Stand Up Man’. It incorporates the braggadocio energy of rap ‘Top Boy’ (featuring Morrisson) and ‘Plead the 5th’ with street tributes (‘Dreadlocks’) and keep the girls in mind with ‘Throw Me A Text’ and ‘More Than Me’. The duo display their versatility and to me it’s no surprise they have one of the biggest records of the year with ‘Don’t Rush’ and Headie One’s ‘Princess Cuts’, in which the two featured on the track. A sound for everyone, you must check it out if you haven’t already.
AMBUSH – ASK MY BROTHER
It’s pure street greaze from Ambush from start to finish in this mixtape. Breaking through in 2018 with arguably one of the biggest street anthems in recent years with ‘Jumpy’, Ambush has managed to deliver big tunes despite some run-ins with the law. April 2020 saw the release of ‘Ask My Brother’, his second mixtape. ‘Amb (InTrill)’ opens the mixtape and is truly one of the best intro’s to a mixtape produced in a while. Despite the explosive gunshot sounds and punchy kicks which resound through the song, the theme of the song is discretely woven in the song. ‘Amb (InTrill)’ ponders upon the loss of his cousin, Nuno Cardoso, in police custody. It amplifies Ambush’s pain in losing him and it is still hurtful in the black community that we are treated unfairly by such authorities. Like ‘Jumpy’, Ambush makes more street bangers with tracks such as ‘Winners’ with C Biz and H Moneda and ‘Tommy Shelby’, both packed with aggressive verses that will get you pumped. Ambush also calls a UK rap veteran in the form of Giggs twice on the same tape with ‘Silly Events’ and ‘Mass On Sunday’, delivering slick verses. D Double E and R.A. are drafted in on ‘Started’, a unique track as it is a drill-infused rap instrumental with fast flows from all rappers. On a lighter note, Ambush comes on an emotional/heartfelt angle with ‘Side B*tch’, telling his listeners his view on love and a storytime with ‘Eastenders’, which depicts troubles you can get in with girls. To summarize like how Ambush opened on the intro, the tape is about his life and environment. This tape is very diverse and because of that, you’ll not be disappointed.
YOUNGS TEFLON – COD 3
Every now and again, you log into social media and see some sort of debate and discussion about who’s got the hardest bars or who’s a real lyricist in the UK. Majority of the time they miss out Youngs Teflon and it’s bad. Youngs Teflon finishes off the ‘Call Of Duty’ trilogy and it is nothing short of what you have heard in the previous mixtapes. From head to toe, the project is filled with wordplay, punchlines and sincerity. Youngs Teflon can quickly switch the cadence of his tracks at any given moment as exemplified in ‘Intro’. His flow and delivery is that of narrating a story about his life, but three-quarters of the way in the song he switches it up and dispenses a highspeed flow which you could envisage yourself zooming down the motorway. There are fun tracks in the form of ‘El Classico’ with a catchy hook, and this can also be said for ‘Alpo’. Featuring K-Trap, ‘Alpo’ refers to the infamous drug-dealer Rich Porter (who is also the man in which the film ‘Paid in Full’ is based upon). Honourable features appear in the project with a drill linkup with RV in ‘Bally Bop’, a reminisce of past times accompanied by a guitar and flute dominated instrumental with Tiny Boost, and a solemn yet thought-provoking lyrical linkup with Dave. There’s no surprise why Youngs Teflon is one of UK’s rap legends and this tape will show you why.
SCRIBZ RILEY – WISH ME LUCK
This is probably the most diverse project of this list sonically. Scribz Riley, a two-time Grammy-award winning songwriter and producer (who has written for the likes of Cardi B, J Hus and Khalid), only established himself as an artist in 2020 to add to his credentials of being a multi-talented creative. Breaking through with ‘East Side’, an ode to his hometown, Scribz Riley followed up with ‘Impress Me’ (featuring Headie One), a conventional rap beat with stringed melody that may resemble one of a drill beat accompanied with Headie One’s versatility in bars. ‘Mandy’ soon followed; a mellow guitar led instrumental with saxophone infusions gives a ‘summer at the beach’ vibe to uplift potentially depressive lyrics that describe struggles in a relationship. The project boasts talented musicians that are both established and upcoming. Kaash Paige features on the first track of the project (‘On My Sleeve’), a track that has “flex on my ex” feel but recalls a pastime where he wasn’t as protective and how he wore his heart on his sleeve. R&B crooner and rapper 6lack appears on ‘Dim My Light’. The trackdescribes his progression in working on his craft but as he is doing so, he seems to be getting more enemies than friends and they want to take his shine. This exposure of ulterior motives amongst those you are close or associated with is not new news to anyone who’s moving forward in whatever. ‘Introduce Yourself’ is a fun track featuring upcoming talents KWN and JADA. Given his experience in working with world-renowned artists, I believe Scribz Riley knows how to make the UK R&B sound cross borders and moreover his sound reaches many other ears. The project speaks for itself, so check it out if you haven’t listened to it.
K TRAP – STREET SIDE EFFECTS
There are names you must mention when it comes to the emergence and rise of drill music in the UK. K Trap is one of the key players in a genre which is giving many young people a voice in sharing a similar story. 2016’s ‘David Blaine’ gave K-Trap massive recognition before breaking out in 2017 with ‘Paper Plans’ and his debut mixtape ‘The Last Whip’. Since then, K-Trap has been consistent with his releases and has collaborated with other big names in the scene such as DBE, Yxng Bane, 67 and Headie One to name a few. A big part of K-Trap’s image and brand during his come up was his mask. When he removed it in 2019 in the ‘Big Mood’ music video, it showed a different side to K-Trap – a more relaxed yet fun persona and most importantly, an elevation in his sound. In an interview with Trench, K-Trap said he doesn’t like drill beats anymore because when he hears them “he can only spit a certain way”. On ‘Street Side Effects’, it’s blatant why K-Trap wants to be diverse with his sound. His debut album explores different avenues: losing his cousin Bis of the Harlem Spartans collective in the intro (‘Street Side Effects’), the trap with Blade Brown (‘Probably’), drill with Abra Cadabra (‘New Opp Block’) and maturity with Wretch 32 (‘Lessons’). K-Trap admits old habits are still rooted in him (“What’s it like to be trapper with a silent T”) but is determined to fulfil his potential as a musician. Much comparison is drawn to close collaborator Headie One in terms of their delivery: clear-cut with an almost blunt touch to it. However, K-Trap is more introspective, and this is evident throughout the project. A well-rounded project, it’s a must listen if you haven’t already.
perspective of j.k.l. 