Tag: rap

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AOTM | Little Simz | Lotus

Posted on by nolankane706

It’s tough to believe that this is Simz’s 9th album (4th on a major label). Maybe it’s a sign of my age, but she seems like new artist to me in some ways. Perhaps because unlike the rest of the This Is Not Happen pod members I’ve never clicked with her albums, akin to drop in and out and champion the singles that click with me (note I think Boss from Simz’s Grey Area album is one of the best British songs in the last ten years). So why am I not a huge fan of her albums? Largely as a hip hop fan I’ve found her delivery lacking substance and emotion often. So why have a picked this album? In short I think she’s turned a corner for me. All niggles I’ve had previously have been pushed away with the release for Lotus.

Although I may have had issues with previous albums I’m never doubted the talent of Simz’s. Both musically and also her acting has made her a household name throughout the UK and a shining light within the UK music scene. Very much a veteran artist that continues to collect global momentum with each release, Simz delivers a versatile, well curated 49 minute end to end. Filled with emotion and confidence each song is an adventure.

Many reviews of Lotus have focussed on her public fallout with long time friend and collaborator Inflo, Friends since she was 9 years old, their came to a hard stop over publicly disputed loan of £2m that Simz lent Inflo which wasn’t paid back. The frustration, hurt and betrayal of this is weaved throughout the album starting off with the first track Thief and finished with Blue (featuring Info collaborator Michael Kiwanuka). Although this is a standout theme on a handful of songs, it’s not the only theme of the album. There is so much more to the album to go at and focus on as she touches on everything in her world.

One interesting point is that Simz hasn’t pushed her sound in a different direction due to the split. Perhaps planting her flag to the sound we know Info for and that is as much hers as his, there are familiar sounds we have got to know both of them for highlighting their sound is much as Simz as Inflo.

Simz largely leans on collaboration throughout this album with 8 of the 13 songs featuring other artists. A theme common for hip hop albums, but interestingly the guests push this album away from hip hop and expands its accessibility through a versatile selection of guests. I’m not sure you would even call this a hip hop album? What is certain is that the additional help creates a rounded offering.

Currently Lion is my favourite track. The cross over friendly sounds comfort Simz in a close to perfect flow. It may be my song of the summer. The album sadly doesn’t go without a bump. I really struggle with Young…. But I’m trying to let it grow on me.

Simz delivers a rounded, mature and accomplished album with Lotus. For me her best release to date. I’m now in the Simz camp, and if you aren’t it’s time to take a step inside.

Posted in Album of the Month, New Albums

AOTM March | Brother Ali & Ant | Satisfied Soul

Posted on by nolankane706

This month we delve into the latest release from Brother Ali, an artist that has become a mainstay on the pod over the last few years and is finally getting the love he deserves as we visit his new album Satisfied Soul. 

Brother Ali has been a jewel in the indie hop hop scene for over 20 years. Although always on my radar, his music only started to become a big part of my world just over 10 years ago and to the pod a few years ago when we discussed his track Sensative on spin it or bin it. His back catalogue is impressive, and essential listening (for a quick intro you can find a playlist here). 

Ali is a far cry from your stereo typical hip hop artist. Born a caucasian albino, Ali felt he was more excepted by his black classmates growing up. Influenced by hip hop since a young age, he discovered Islam through a conversation with KRS One in his teens and credits him largely for the journey that later lead him to converting (this is mentioned on the album). Someone once said to me that they thought Brother Ali was misunderstood which is polarising for his music. I completely disagree with that. I can’t think of an artist that is more certain and eloquently puts across his views on his spirituality, morals, politics and his love of hip hop better than Brother Ali. It’s because of that some find his music polarising.  Following up on the largely ignored 2024 release Love & Service (Ali has stated it was blocked for it’s political messages), Ali is firmly in his purple patch. Partnering with longtime collaborator Ant, the two make their debut on the exceptional hip hop label Mellow Music. 

Breaking the mould of what we often think is the perfect album length, Satisfied Soul almost doubles it with a hefty 17 tracks spanning over 57 minutes. Though this comment may haunt me, I think they’ve pulled it off. Ali and Ant’s navigation of wholesome, soul drenched hip hop is a pleasure. 

This album is a mixed bag of emotions; it’s serious, it’s lighthearted, it’s reflective, it’s a prevision, it’s spiritually inclusive. Ali is a confident storyteller, a hip hop journeyman that emits a mature self confidence that is infectious. Ant has created a musical curation perfect for the 17 track journey. From pure hip hop gems like Deep Cuts and The Counts to the lighthearted stories shared in Two Dudes there is a lot to go at and enough variation to keep you hooked. 

To be an artist that’s career spans over 20 years is tough. How do you stay relevant? How do you keep connected to your audience? Based on this collection, you could argue that personal evolution and honestly between yourself and your audience is the trick. 

Satisfied Soul has lived up to the high expectations that were set after hearing the initial EP at the back end of 2024. I look forward to hearting your thoughts….

Posted in Album of the Month, Music chat, New Albums, New Tunes, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast Ep. 49 | Common & Pete Rock

Posted on by misterstory

EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025 – This Is Not Happening – An Album Of The Month Podcast

Festive Greetings from This Is Not Happening and welcome to our year-end, 2025 wrap-up episode. As always we split the pod into Part 1 and Part 2.Part 1 features our Top 10 favourite albums of 2025. We use a proprietary algorithm to create our list our collective favourite albums, we're talking nascent data-science excellence! Every year it throws up some surprises as our tastes are so different (and in some ways so similar.Part 2 features a festive Spin It or Bin It. We each bring a candidate for track of the year and ask the age old question 'Spin It or Bin It' … will anyone really bin anyone elses Track of the Year? Probably.To retain the tension, I won't share any spoilers here … other than to share a 40 track playlist of some of our favourite 2025 tracks … here.Whatever you do at this time of year, who ever you do it with … have a good one.Please join us in January where we will go back to the usual format of Album of the Month + Spin It or Bin It.We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  2. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes
  3. EP.61 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey
  4. EP.60 | Wet Leg | Moisturizer
  5. EP.59 | Little Simz | Lotus

Welcome to Episode 49 of This is Not Happening (TINH).  An Album of the Month (AOTM) Podcast where in Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  This is where we pick a theme and each select a song that represents that theme. We judge each others selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

This month, in Part 1, Nolan goes back to his spiritual home, Hip Hop and has picked an album that the genre has been waiting decades for – Common and Pete Rock, The Auditorium Vol. 1.

In Part 2, Spin It or Bin It, the theme sounds simple but it turned out to be deceptively divisive. This month we delve into ‘Power Ballads’ … but what actually is a Power Ballad?

Part 1 | Common & Pete Rock | The Auditorium Vol. 1

If you’re age (old AF) and you like Hip Hop then you’ve probably been listening to these two legends for 30 odd years. Common is 52, Mr. Rock is 54. They’ve been at the top of their games for decades but does the combination deliver synergy or something a little less?


Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | Power Ballads.

So what is a Power Ballad? We all know the classics, but if we try and bring something a little different then first we have to have some sort of definition. We’ve picked 4 tracks that aren’t on many Power Ballad playlists … 

See you on Episode 50 … 

Posted in Album of the Month, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast Ep. 42 | Aesop Rock | Integrated Tech Solutions

Posted on by misterstory

EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025 – This Is Not Happening – An Album Of The Month Podcast

Festive Greetings from This Is Not Happening and welcome to our year-end, 2025 wrap-up episode. As always we split the pod into Part 1 and Part 2.Part 1 features our Top 10 favourite albums of 2025. We use a proprietary algorithm to create our list our collective favourite albums, we're talking nascent data-science excellence! Every year it throws up some surprises as our tastes are so different (and in some ways so similar.Part 2 features a festive Spin It or Bin It. We each bring a candidate for track of the year and ask the age old question 'Spin It or Bin It' … will anyone really bin anyone elses Track of the Year? Probably.To retain the tension, I won't share any spoilers here … other than to share a 40 track playlist of some of our favourite 2025 tracks … here.Whatever you do at this time of year, who ever you do it with … have a good one.Please join us in January where we will go back to the usual format of Album of the Month + Spin It or Bin It.We've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  2. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes
  3. EP.61 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey
  4. EP.60 | Wet Leg | Moisturizer
  5. EP.59 | Little Simz | Lotus

Welcome to Episode 42 of This is Not Happening. An Album of the Month Podcast where in Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  This is where we pick a theme and each select a song that represents that theme. We judge each others selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

This month, in Part 1, we get stuck right into Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock. Nolan and I (Joey) think this is one of 2023’s underrated albums and definitely a hidden hip hop gem. David is missing this month so we only have to convince Guy! In Part 2, the Spin it or Bin it theme is ‘Technology’ where we all chose a track that we think fits the theme and ask the others ‘Spin It or Bin It’.

Part 1 | Aesop Rock | Integrated Tech Solutions.

This one’s special (in my opinion). Nolan has always tried to sell Aesop Rock to me but there’s so much music and so little time that I never quite got it. That changed in the Autumn when Mindful Solutionism, the lead single from this album dropped. I chose it as a Spin It or Bin It track and won that month. There’s another 17 tracks on this album. It’s dense, intelligent, socially conciuous, amusing, moving and thought provoking hip hop. Get stuck in if you haven’t already.

  • Listen to the album here.
  • Watch some videos here.
  • Buy some stuff here.
  • Follow him on Instagram here.

Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | ‘Technology’

Taking inspiration from the album of the month, a really interesting theme of ‘technology’. Interpretation was wide open on this one. Our chosen 4 tracks can be found on a play list here. In order to chose a track we each shortlist 4 tracks each, a combined 16 track playlist can be found here.

*** Enjoy the Episode ***

Posted in Album of the Month

JANUARY – N.E.R.D. – No One Ever Really Dies

Posted on by GuyHornsby

 

Ok, so some disclosure here first off: I was always a fan of N.E.R.D. back in the day, but honestly, never a die-hard. I loved In Search Of… and Fly Or Die but it feels like a long, long time ago that I listened to much beyond the hits. And I think it’s fair to say it was a different time. Back in 2001 and 2004 (when those came out) they seemed pretty much like something totally new: they were hip-hop, but they had guitars, they were cool, good looking, ridiculously talented, and of course, alongside this, they were The Neptunes. For all the brash, boisterous records they released as N.E.R.D., they were also one of the production outfits of the decade. Their Clones album had everyone on it, all produced with their slick, gossamer-like studio skills, and brought some of the best hip-hop of those years. Kelis, Snoop, N.O.R.E., Nelly, Busta, Ludacris… they sprinkled their gold dust on everyone. And so, well, I gravitated away from N.E.R.D. to the Neptunes.

So, fast-forward to 2017, and it’s been 7 years since their last long-player and the world’s changed. Have N.E.R.D.? I’ve certainly changed, and this was an album of the month that I’ve come to pretty much totally cold.  Given Pharell’s polymathic skills, its’ a question that will it work or will it prove an ill-fated comeback. This is enough to give me the cold sweats, especially where it’s a genre I’m less than enamoured with than the rest of you gents. So, is No One Ever Really Dies (yes, that’s what the initials mean) really a step forward? Looking at the (inevitable) guests it certainly feels very 2017: Kendrick, Gucci Mane, Rhianna, Future, and Ed Sheeran. Yes. Him. Then there’s Andre 3000, an interesting nod to the past.

I’m three listens in, and I have to say, my first reaction is that I FEEL OLD. I know I am old, but really, for a man that’s pretty mired in the old school sound of samples, turntablism, and classic hip-hop, this feels so alien. It’s not like I don’t like new stuff – Kendrick is brilliant, Frank Ocean likewise, and there’s new records that still shake me (A Tribe Called Quest’s new record is one of my favourite albums of the last ten years, already) – but the new production style that sits somewhere less grinding than trap, but still with percussive, nervous tics and few melodies that open Lemon is way out of my comfort zone. In fact, the first listen almost makes me feel like I’ve tried to watch the news in a foreign language. Or use Snapchat.

But…. but…. it’s not all dad jokes and cliches. As I revisit, things start to gel. Lemon is a ballsy opening track, with Rhianna’s words and voice suiting its bombast well. Andre 3000’s golden skills on Rollinem 7s makes you wish he’d actually make a new album of his own. The brash melodies of Deep Down Body Thurst are bright and bouncy. It starts to emerge out of the mist, and I feel less like the new dad I am, trying to listen to Radio 1. Kendrick makes reading the phone book interesting, so he’s always listenable on Kites, and on Don’t Don’t Do It (though do they have to really overdo it on everything, rather than just make a perfectly-pitched record?). The overriding feeling so far is that there’s an album waiting to get out, if I just give it more time. It’s a much more coherent beast than some of their patchwork earlier albums, and much better for it.  But it’s also an obvious truth that the modern style of hip-hop they’re swiping just isn’t my bag, so either I’ll end up liking it in spite of that, or going off it because of it. Pharrell didn’t need to make this album, and he certainly didn’t need the money, so while only time will tell, it’s good to have them back.