South London-Guyanese rapper Loyle Carner has graced fans with a new album, hugo, filled with the throwback beats and reflective lyrics that have garnered him much acclaim in hip-hop circles. He's been nominated for BRIT Awards in the past, and while he might not have made the same splash across the pond from England, his talent and carefully crafted stories are sure to please rap fans worldwide.
What sticks out the most on this album's production is the bombast of the percussion, often marked just as much by deep bass as it is by vibrant live drum kits. They give these tracks an added sense of drama, grandeur, but also a palpable sense of heartache when paired with Carner's lyrics. Many of these beats are sample-heavy, forming a kindred spirit with top-tier spitters of today like Black Thought, Freddie Gibbs, or more recognized UK rappers like Dave or Stormzy. It's not revolutionary, but rather refined in terms of a classic craft. It has some legitimate funk to it, some really jazzy passages, and the recording and instruments all sound even more lush and crisp as the soulful tunes they sample.
When it comes to Carner's pen, these songs delve deep into identity, race, parental relationships, and his mental conditions. These themes are often tackled sloppily by rappers with less skill, but Carner's ever-present personal perspective give these heavy topics a core narrator to take us along. His writing style is not as concerned with one-liners or double entendres. Rather, it's a more honest portrait of him as an artist and human, as each bar weaves human experience together with diction too impressive to disrespect with a short descriptor or summary.
He might not be the most buzzed about UK artist today, but if you're a fan of rap at all, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by dismissing this project. It's already garnered rave reviews from The Guardian and other publications, and we're sure that if you're a rap fan, you will find something to love about these tracks. You can check out the tracklist for hugo below, and find the newest album from Loyle Carner on your preferred streaming service.
Tracklist
- Hate
- Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)
- Georgetown (feat. John Agard)
- Speed of Plight
- Homerton (feat. JNR WILLIAMS & Olivia Dean)
- Blood On My Nikes (feat. Wesley Joseph & Athian Akec)
- Plastic
- A Lasting Place
- Polyfilla
- HGU