Wretch 32 - Growing Over Life
9/10
British rapper Wretch 32 delivers a simply fantastic album with third studio release Growing Over Life. Stand aside every other British MC - Wretch 32 has raised the bar in British rap music, demonstrating a lyrical ability unrivalled in the current scene.
In some ways, this is a feel-good album, with mellow instrumentals, soulful fusions of RnB/pop/rap with Wretch’s Afro-Caribbean tinted voice smooth and captivating. Dreams/Sunshine fits this description, featuring vocals from rising star Shakka. The single 6 Words makes it onto the album and still gets you belting the chorus out as emphatically as when it was first released, with an energetic drum and bass breakdown to match. I.O.U shows how good rap/pop duets can be when they’re done right, featuring a heartfelt chorus from the equally brilliant artist Emile Sandé.
Lyrically Wretch 32 is without a doubt the best in the UK rap scene. As proven by his being crowned the greatest ever Fire in the Booth by host Charlie Sloth, his bars are creative, unique, rhythmically impeccable and highly intelligent. He coldly observes the reality of racial tensions in the UK on Liberation: “They say mi shaped like gorilla / That's how they get away when they kill us”. But he’s also just as comfortable with wit and humour, employing an extended culinary metaphor throughout the tongue-in-cheek Good Food: “All jokes aside, I'll get some fries with you / And I don't have a side chick because I side with you”.
As the title suggests, this album definitely shows Wretch’s music hitting its maturity, dealing impressively with themes of romance and family, whilst also notably highlighting issues of racial tension in British society. Displaying the best of British music, Growing Over Life will easily be one of the best albums of 2016.
9/10
