Given his explosive delivery, it’s hard to believe that slowthai got his name from being a slow-spoken child (the “thai” is a bastardisation of his first name, Tyron, or Ty). The English MC’s got something to say and he wants to make sure that you hear it on his potent debut, There’s Nothing Great About Britain.
First impressions put slowthai in the same school as Sleaford Mods: grimy, bass heavy beats with harsh politically charged rhymes. This is very apparent on the track “Doorman,” which features some woozy production from Mura Masa.
Tracks like Gorgeous and “Grow Up” are reminiscent of Plan B around his “ill Manors” phase. These are young men finding the world they live in harsh, broken and based on an outdated systems, and they won’t be silenced!
Slowthai drops enough references to that you’ll need an annotated guide; Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, footballer Ryan Shawcross and the Shawshank Redemption all get look-ins. He knows when and where to put emphasis in his flow, making his rhymes engaging and powerful.
The one criticism of the album is that it’s a little too long; the last few tracks lack the anger and passion of earlier songs, and it does make the record drag slightly.
Slowthai has something to say and knows how to say it. Given the way the world is heading right now, expect bigger and better things from this charged new voice.
Score: 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧/ 5
Brendan is an avid record collector from Adelaide, Australia and the man behind the @ridges_and_grooves. There are few genres he won’t listen to. His search for the best album of all time through process of elimination continues.