Review

Little Simz

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Age 101 • 2021

The comparisons come naturally: Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo has not made it easy for herself with the release of her fourth album »Sometimes I Might Be Introvert«. Her new record as Little Simz comes out just a few days staggered from the works of Kanye West and Drake. Accordingly, several critics are already exclaiming that only the British rapper is still holding the flame of hip-hop high. And that is indeed how unspectacular it is: the 27-year-old’s album is a grooving masterpiece of conscious rap that is more than an hour long. On the instrumentals, Little Simz reaches across contemporary history. While »Protect My Energy« blithely works with disco and funk, »Fear No Man« booms with influences from Afropop. That makes this album far more multi-layered than many other contemporary records. The great art here is how Little Simz manages to keep it together. »Sometimes I Might Be Introvert« has quite a flow, feels cohesive. Which is also because Little Simz gets much more personal in her lyrics. Introverted? Rather less so. For example, »I Love You, I Hate You« is about her complicated relationship with her father. No artificial figure, but simply direct feelings and experiences from her own biography. So this album fits far better into the present than the fading megalomania of other artists. In the end, there is no comparison. Little Simz is simply in front.