In 2019 slowthai released his debut album Nothing Great About Britain, but how has it aged?
Nothing Great About Britain gave many listeners their first insight into one of Britains most interesting and enigmatic rappers, taking influence from the great Jay-Z as well as keeping the great British sound that acts such as ‘The Streets’ would implement.
From the first bar, it was clear that slowthai was in a lane of his own, and many listeners were taken aback by the energetic, brash style that slowthai delivered so well. It was safe to say that a lot of UK rap listeners had not heard anything like it in a while, if ever.
But how influential was it?
It was nominated for a Mercury award, and when questioned as to why it resonated with people so much, thai said that he believed ‘people had found something to agree with’ in the album, and upon listening you embark on perhaps the most British rap album ever made. Lacing each song with dry ,British, sarcastic humour within the lyrics, the listener can’t help but chuckle when they hear them.
Despite the humour, slowthai tackles very sensitive topics on the album as well, with intensive punch lines that contrast the humour (he even called out Boris Johnson). Lots of the themes and subject matters are very relatable to the majority of the British public, and the album shows how versatile slowthai is.
The record has aggressive raps such as ‘Inglorious’ (with Skepta ) and ‘Drug Dealer’, contrasted by enriching stories like ‘Gorgeous’ or ‘Northampton’s Child’, as well as the iconic ‘T N Biscuits’ in which a certain line took the internet by storm…
Since the release of this album 2 years ago, it has been strength to strength for slowthai. He’s had a magnificent feature run, including a song with ‘Gorillaz’ as well as the song ‘my high’ with EDM duo Disclosure and rapper and frequent collaborator ‘Amine’. This is not to mention the star-studded TYRON album, a short, snappy follow up album released in 2021 which further displayed slowthai’s development and versatility.
Nevertheless, both albums display why slowthai is one of the best and most unique artists to come out of UK rap in a long time, and any listener seeking a different listening experience from lots of other rappers should check him out.
Let us know your favourite slowthai track @pieradiouk
