[Day 101FM] Little Simz

[Jake Jortles]

LITTLE SIMZ
A Boss in a FUCKING Dress

Biography:  

Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo[1] (born 23 February 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is an English rapper, singer and actress. Following the release of four mixtapes and five EPs, she released her debut album A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons on 18 September 2015 through her independent label, AGE: 101 Music. The album entered the UK R&B Albums Chart at number 20[2] and the UK Independent Albums Chart at number 43.[3] She released her second second studio album Stillness in Wonderland in 2016 and her third studio album Grey Area in 2019.

Jortles' take on Major Discography (3 studio albums):

A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons

• Score: 8/10
• Sounds more urgent / dark / experimental compared to second album. Love that it's 10 tracks.
• Best Songs:

Stillness in Wonderland

• Score: 6.75/10
• This album seems like it should be better than the first, but it sounds more polished, lush... get a lil too much of the R&B / jazzy thing that a lot of others are doing these days. A little longer and less focused.
• Best Songs: 

Grey Area
Score: 8.5/10
10 songs all ranging from good to great. Great selection of featured artists. Feels as urgent as the first album with better production. Percussion throughout is raw as fuck too.
Best Songs:






My hot takes from the Coachella thread: Best album ever from a foreign rapper. Better than any hip-hop album last year. Got a 9/10 from the needle. 89/100 on Metacritic currently.



Sounds Like

Genre: Hip-Hop
Similar Artists: Tierra Whack, Injury Reserve, Noname, JPEGMAFIA (this is mainly drawn from Spotify)
Similar Bonnaroo Artists: Saba fa sho. Maybe a lil bit of Gambino or Brockhampton.

Suggested Listening

Please listen to Grey Area. It's going to end up being the best hip-hop album this year. It's only 10 songs. It's interesting more than anything. You haven't heard many, if any, other albums that sound like it, and that's what I'm mainly looking for in hip-hop these days. If you buy into Little Simz based on that listen, listen to it a bunch so you know the shit when you are at Roo. If you are then all in on her, listen to A Curious Tale... if you are wanting a second, concise-but-impactful, album from her. That album has some major highlights. Then listen to some of the big songs from Stillness... I'm sure those will still be making the setlist.

Physical Reaction/Live Show

On the song Boss, Simz says "you haven't seen a show until you've seen me live." So, I've never seen a show. But it looks like she can thrive in a Boiler Room setting with a DJ or on stage with a full band. Check it.





Notes:

Albums from Bonnaroo 2019 artists with a higher score on Metacritic than Grey Area:

Saba - Care For Me (93)
Deafheaven - Sunbather (92)
Solange Knowles - Care for Me (89) and A Seat at the Table (89)
Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour (89)

Saturday received a huge lift when Grey Area dropped in my opinion. She is my second most anticipated set that day after The National.

I have not listened to all of her mixtapes from before this 3 album run. If anyone wants to highlight any of that material, please jump in.

[Nathan Fieldcяab]

GREY Area is my favorite album of the year so far. Great get