Riz Ahmed might now be more famous for his acting, but he’s been making music since he was a teenager – and on this album, it shows.
With the British Asian point of view remaining among the most under-represented voices in contemporary music, someone of Ahmed’s profile being willing to write with this level of conscious clarity demands everyone’s attention.
It takes an unconventional approach, but the ‘The Long Goodbye’ manages to distill complex topics with fervour.
UK hip-hop and albums bemoaning the current state of things are two crowded markets: The Long Goodbye is potent, original and timely enough to stand out in both.
The Long Goodbye can feel heavy-handed: even those phoned-in messages from famous friends (Mindy Kaling, Asim Chaudhry) sound jarring. Ultimately, though, Ahmed delivers, offering up some clever writing on this powerful concept album.
The Long Goodbye is a fiery yet thoughtful and nuanced record, with artistry and political consciousness on a level above most British rap.
The Long Goodbye is a compelling, unapologetic account of what it feels like to be brown and British in 2020.
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