Clever, bleak, funny, bracing, aware of a broad musical heritage but never in thrall to it: after you hear Nothing Great About Britain, it’s even more obvious why Slowthai stands out.
slowthai finds himself as the poster boy for Brexit Britain and it’s a mantle that this street poet will no doubt relish.
The Bajan-British rapper’s debut tackles the UK’s pressing crises—a looming Brexit, class hostility, widening poverty—with great jokes and writerly candor.
His debut album, the knowingly-titled Nothing Great About Britain, succinctly captures the mental state of that fractured nation, and the fizzing energy of an exasperated youth.
What connects is the dark charisma in Slowthai’s aggrieved squawk, a yelp of rage, fear and occasional self-loathing, crackling with the visceral betrayal of the left-behind.
On his debut album, slowthai proves himself to be an exciting new voice in the UK hip hop landscape.
It’s at times a brutal listen, but hidden between the hard knocks is the sound of a charismatic young artist who knows he’s making a debut album to remember.
Fresh and exhilarating, Nothing Great About Britain firmly establishes slowthai as one of U.K. rap's most relevant artists.
Nothing Great About Britain is great at expressing a dizzying sort of (anti-)national pride, but the LP never quite puts its finger on new and newly inclusive ways of reimagining the nation.
A record that reveals the whirlwind of hype around Slowthai to be not much more than invisible garments on an arrogant emperor.
The bloke’s from Northampton - all question of authenticity should be answered by that one fact.
He has my every sympathy.
This is the first time in about 6 years that I have been amazed by UK Grime. Like genuinely amazed. I heard many of these songs live like 4 years ago when I saw him open for BROCKHAMPTON. I had no idea who he was at the time, and he seemed completely unhinged, so I barely knew what the hell was happening. Fast forward to today, I hear this whole thing, and I am absolutely in love with it.
If it wasn’t for a few very weak moments, this would be absolutely top tier shit. As it stands ... read more
Final Edit: I gotta go 9/10 on this. This album is so great, and incredibly consistent. Even the bonus tracks are awesome! I am captivated by this guy- his rapping, his story, his lyrics. This album is catchy, it's aggressive, it's emotional, and it's just a really satisfying experience front to back. Top 10 album of the year for me, possibly my rap AOTY, and definitely making my top 100 albums of the decade list easy.
Really solid front to back. Slowthai is compelling as a lyricist and ... read more
Slowthai is easily one of the strongest, most interesting UK rap voices in years, and this debut is excellent.
This is the first time in about 6 years that I have been amazed by UK Grime. Like genuinely amazed. I heard many of these songs live like 4 years ago when I saw him open for BROCKHAMPTON. I had no idea who he was at the time, and he seemed completely unhinged, so I barely knew what the hell was happening. Fast forward to today, I hear this whole thing, and I am absolutely in love with it.
If it wasn’t for a few very weak moments, this would be absolutely top tier shit. As it stands ... read more
1 | Nothing Great About Britain 3:09 | 80 |
2 | Doorman 3:04 with Mura Masa | 90 |
3 | Dead Leaves 2:48 | 76 |
4 | Gorgeous 4:15 | 84 |
5 | Crack 2:16 | 72 |
6 | Grow Up 3:00 feat. Jaykae | 77 |
7 | Inglorious 3:08 feat. Skepta | 83 |
8 | Toaster 3:04 | 78 |
9 | Peace of Mind 2:27 | 75 |
10 | Missing 2:20 | 83 |
11 | Northampton's Child 3:02 | 85 |
#2 | / | DJ Mag |
#2 | / | Dummy |
#2 | / | PopMatters |
#3 | / | Dazed |
#4 | / | Bandcamp Daily |
#4 | / | NME |
#7 | / | Northern Transmissions |
#9 | / | MondoSonoro |
#9 | / | The Guardian |
#9 | / | The Line of Best Fit |