I feel like as American music fans, we sometimes have tunnel vision when it comes to music. There are international genres that have started to become popular in the U.S. in recent years, such as Reggaeton, Afro-Pop, and K-Pop, but for the most part, Americans typically mainly acknowledge American music. One genre where this is definitely the case is Hip Hop. In the U.S., most Hip Hop fans do not acknowledge very many non-Americans. Even though there are thriving Hip Hop scenes all around the world, most of these artists typically do not see the success they probably should in the U.S. regardless of their talent. One British Hip Hop artist who has been making waves for many years is Little Simz. Even though she has had tons of success across the pond, she has never popped off the way that she should have in the United States. Little Simz has been a driving force in the UK Hip Hop scene for many years. After first going viral in the early 2010s through some EPs that she released and through some viral performances that popped off online, she released her critically acclaimed debut album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons in 2015. Little Simz released her second album, Stillness In Wonderland, a year later. In 2019 Little Simz put out her most popular album to date, Grey Area. This album was praised as one of the best albums of that year as a whole, and it cemented her as a force in UK Hip Hop music. Little Simz continued to work hard over the next couple of years, putting out her fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert in 2021, and releasing her fifth album, No Thank You in 2022. These two albums received just as much praise as Grey Area, furthering the narrative that she is one of the best artists in the UK making Hip Hop right now. Little Simz continues to stay working hard, as she just released a new EP called Drop 7. This is her 10th EP to date, and it is an exciting release because she typically pushes boundaries on her EPs and tries new sounds that people would not expect to hear. With all of that being said, here is how I feel about Little Simz’s new EP Drop 7. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from Drop 7, and also comment on how you feel about the EP as a whole.
If you are a fan of the music that Little Simz has become known for to this point and thought you would hear something like that, then the first song on this EP, ‘Mood Swings,’ probably threw you off. This track is nothing like anything I or anyone would expect to hear from Little Simz. I don’t even know what to compare ‘Mood Swings’ to, as it is very strange and unique. The song is driven by a low and gritty Industrial-infused Techno beat that is honestly a bit unsettling. Throughout the track, the beat switches a couple of times, taking on a raw Afro-Pop sound that has an Industrial tint to it as well. There is no melody for this track. There are various beeping sound effects and vocal samples in the background that sort of give the song texture, but I would not count this as a melody. Little Simz flow on this track is extremely catchy for what it’s worth. Her rap performance makes the song more enjoyable, as it breaks up the abrasiveness of the track. On ‘Mood Swings,’ Little Simz is rapping about how she has been spending her time trying to do things that make her happy and find what she wants in life. ‘Fever’ is a very short song, but it is impactful. This song has a sound that I definitely did not expect to hear from Little Simz. ‘Fever’ is driven by a raw beat with a Brazilian Funk tempo to it. This track reminds me a lot of the kinds of beats one would expect to hear from artists like Anitta or Pablo Vittar. I really love the parts of the beat where the hand drums come in. These sections of the track give it such a visceral feeling that makes it feel passionate. The track has a very simple and understated melody that is provided by a piano riff. This melody is pretty dark, and adds to the coarse feeling of the track. Little Simz’s rap performance on ‘Fever’ is great. I especially love it when she raps in Portuguese, as it gives the track so much personality. ‘Fever’ is a very cool song, but I wish it was longer, as it feels a bit incomplete to me. On ‘Fever,’ Little Simz is rapping about how she is proud of herself for making it as far as she has and that she is enjoying the benefits of her fame. ‘Torch’ is a song that takes on a different element of Latin Dance music. This one has a beat and tempo that makes me think of Caribbean Demblow music. There are elements of this track that distinguish it from typical Dembow music, though. For one, there is a snare that comes in and out that sort of messes with the tempo of the track, almost giving it a Trap feeling at times. Also, at some points in the track, most of the beat cuts out, with the drums that remain giving the song an Industrial element. Like the first two tracks, the melody for this one is super light. It is provided by straightforward and sort of creepy synths. ‘Torch’ has my favorite vocal performance of the EP so far. I especially enjoy when she uses a higher tone on this track, as it gives the song a bit of a bright element that it benefits from. On ‘Torch,’ Little Simz is rapping to someone who wants to be with her, warning them of her fast and convoluted life.
‘SOS’ is a song that takes on yet another form of strange Dance music most people probably did not expect to hear from Little Simz. This track has a very interesting drum pattern that feels like a fusion between Afrobeat music and Latin House music. The song has a tempo that makes me think of Latin House and makes me want to dance, but the actual drums that are played are so reminiscent of traditional African music. This song has a cool and weird instrumental that is a bit off-putting but still makes me want to dance. There is no pretty much no melody for this track(there are some synths that come in and out that could be considered a melody but they are so minimal that they are hardly noticeable), which makes this beat feel so much harsher. There’s not much on this track as far as vocals go. In fact, most of the vocals on this track consist of Little Simz yelling the word “go.” There is a brief “verse” on ‘SOS,’ but it is not very effective and is not worth talking about. ‘I Ain’t Feelin It’ is the first traditional Hip Hop song of the record. This song has a smooth Underground Trap sound with a bit of an R&B Trap feeling to it. For the most part, the melody has an atmospheric and cloudy sound that is a bit menacing; for a brief moment on the track, it switches to having a sweet ethereal sound, before going back to the original melody. I do not understand this melody change up much, as it is so brief. I wish the section with the ethereal melody was longer, as it would give the song more texture. The beat on this track is deliberate and sludgy, going really well with the floaty feeling of the melody. This song has my favorite vocal performance from Little Simz on this project to this point. Her flow is so smooth and catchy, and her tone goes so well with the murky feeling of the instrumental. On ‘I Ain’t Feelin It,’ Little Simz is rapping about how great she knows she is and how she is sick of everyone around her being fake. If you want to be in Little Simz’s life, you have to keep it real. ‘Power’ would be the best song on this record in my opinion if it was not so short. At 55 seconds, it is the most brief track on the record. This is a shame, because ‘Power’ has a very cool sound. ‘Power’ has a barebones Trap beat with a sparse drum pattern that makes me think of the early 2000s. The best way I can describe this instrumental is that it sounds as if The Clipse emerged and made music in 2024. It has the type of metallic and old-school drums that are reminiscent of some of The Neptunes’ best beats from back in the day. Unsurprisingly, Little Simz kills it on this beat. Her flow and overall tone are cold and forceful, fitting the intense feeling of the instrumental nicely. Like I said, I just wish ‘Power’ was longer, as it would make it so much more compelling. On ‘Power,’ Little Simz is rapping about how she has progressed into one of the greatest rappers in the UK Hip Hop game, and how she knows what kind of effect she has on the masses. Little Simz closes Drop 7 on a lighter note with the song ‘Far Away.’ This song is driven by a warm and soft melody provided by a super pleasant and straightforward keyboard riff that is complemented at times by what sounds like a horn and saturated synths. This melody is put on top of a very faint Drum n Bass style beat that is soothing but also makes me want to dance. This instrumental creates a cool juxtaposition because it is calming and energetic at the same time. Little Simz’s vocal performance on ‘Far Away’ is honestly beautiful. The tone she sings with is subtle and charming, and the range she exhibits with her vocals gives the track personality. On ‘Far Away,’ Little Simz is singing about living with the regret of not being better for a former partner. She wishes she could have been there more for this person, as she still loves them and wants things to be okay between them. ‘Far Away’ is a cool way to end this project, as it shows a side of Little Simz we normally do not see and ends the project on a fresh note that I enjoy a lot.
If you go online and check out the discourse about Drop 7 so far, it has been pretty mixed. On the one hand, people do appreciate the experimentation that Little Simz went with on this project. Unfortunately, though, it does not feel like all of these new ideas were totally realized. It is easy to see that Drop 7 was meant to be a project where Little Simz tries new things and expands her horizons, and that is something I can definitely appreciate. Multiple songs on Drop 7 feel like they could be hits if they were more complete. Songs like ‘Fever,’ ‘I Ain’t Feelin It,’ and ‘Power’ have very cool sounds, but are just too short and seem unfinished. Drop 7 is a project that will probably grow on me(and other people), as we let go of what we wanted and accept it for what it is. It is not the most full or strong project, but it is brimming with riveting ideas I can appreciate. Drop 7 may not be among Little Simz’s best releases, but it is a solid and innovative project that serves as a next buffer until she drops her next full-length album.
EAST SIDE VIBES 