This article is not a review. This is not a paid endorsement post. Instead, it lies somewhere in-between, as I'm not being paid and there's not much sense in me reviewing something I see no real flaws in. Just enjoy the ride.
With almost a quarter of the year out of the way, a 25-year-old English woman has the best rap album of 2019, and it's not even close.
"I'm Jay-Z on a bad day. Shakespeare on my worst day," raps Simz. "I said it with my chest, and I don't care who I offend."
Right out the gates, with the track "Offence", Simz uses her cockiness to gain your attention as you dial in to find a negative; instead, you get trapped into 35-minutes of compelling production matched with legit content-filled bars that makes your perception of her switch from cocky to confident. Simz backs up that confidence on each track, as each verse attacks a different point in a different flow.
Despite the album sticking to the theme of its title, being lost in the "GREY Area" that is a person's mid-20's, Simz doesn't lean on one particular strength throughout. There are moments like the song "Venom" when she flows so effortlessly that you expect her to ignore the lyrics and just 'lyrical miracle' the song, but no breath goes wasted as Simz utilizes the flow to threaten anyone willing to test her and talk about her dark mental state.
Then, as if she's bragging about her versatility, Simz follows one of the darker songs on the project with the bodying of a light-hearted "101 FM". The album was produced by a childhood friend of Simz, Inflo, and its heavy use of live instruments and minimal samples allows Simz to poetically flow in an undefined creative space.
"See God when you look me in my eyes, nigga," Simz boasts. "Learnt from 'Ye, the one that touched the sky, nigga."
For a taste of Simz' charismatic cockiness, "Boss" is 3-minutes of Simz unapologetically asserting herself atop the hierarchy like she has a Kendrick Lamar discography; and, although you know she doesn't have the track record to demand that type of respect, Grey Area is so good there's nothing you can say. Think back to 2014 when Terrence Ross dropped 51 points against the Clippers. Everyone on the Clippers knew Ross wasn't a superstar, but at that moment when he's giving you a historic performance, you just have to accept it.
Throughout the album, Simz brags about her status as the best British rapper, and, honestly, I can't tell her she's not. As of now, my British rapper leaderboard looks like this:
1.) Little Simz
2.) Skepta
3.) "Quick Math" freestyle guy
4.) "Batman duna da duna guy" from More Life
Under Eligibility Review: 21 Savage(#1 if eligible)
I know number four's name is Giggs. I also know that, aside from Skepta, I don't respect non-American rap. Blame nationalism. With that being said, GREY Area has opened my eyes to the rap talent that exists outside of America. Much like the driver in Green Book, my eyes have been opened through a deep connection to a side I once looked down at. I will now be giving all UK rap a chance.
Much like Green Book, I lied. Just know that joke had three more words to it, but I abstained. Back to the topic:
"I wonder what I did for me, I hardly remember me," details Simz. "What a waste of chemistry, energy and empathy."
Lyrics like the above make up the deepest song of the album--"Sherbert Sunday". The track is as good of a break-up song as you'll hear. Simz approaches it with such a level of openness that her pain becomes your pain and her anger becomes your anger. That ability to overtake your feelings by describing her owns is one of Simz' best talents and it's evident throughout the project's storytelling elements.
GREY Area is only Simz' third project, so the success could be a staple of her progression as an artist and the start of something special. On the other hand, GREY Area could act as a Dark Sky Paradise, being an artist throwing out a random classic only to have it serve as an outlier in their total discography. Nevertheless, Little Simz gained a fan with her work on GREY Area and deserves to have her standout project appreciated.
Score: Terrence Ross on January 25th, 2014 out of 10