Wretch 32 - Growing Over Life | THE Best UK Hip-Hop Album Of 2016

Is anyone else just a little bit tired of Grime? Yes it may be a huge movement that's getting international recognition. Yes it may be dominating the UK rap scene right now. Yes it has transformed The North Face from mum-wear to street-wear. But all of this has taken the limelight away from, and consequently undermined a whole host of British MCs who aren't getting the attention they deserve. This includes Tottenham's own Jermaine Sinclair or as we know him, ya boy Wretch 32. Wretch has always tended to be on trend with the rest of UK rap, bringing out those radio-friendly, rigidly structured tracks with catchy, lyrically simple choruses. Tracks like I'm Not The Man, Unorthodox and Don't Go which brought him fame when his debut Black And White was released five years ago. The sort of tracks that get put on at pre drinks that one guy secretly knows all the lyrics to but don't ever achieve a permanent place in the playlist. While many of his contemporaries like Example and Devlin have faded out of popular existence, Wretch has evolved to match the constantly changing trends of UK hip-hop and stay current. So, naturally, the next step would be a full on grime record right? WRONG.


Growing Over Life is a lyrically sophisticated, expertly produced rap album which flirts with elements of Grime, Reggae and R&B throughout. There is so much variation within the record that it can't be labelled anything more specific than hip-hop. It begins with Antwi, a fiery opener, burning with passion, dedicated to the late music industry lawyer and mentor Richard Antwi who passed away earlier this year. It's followed by the R&B inspired Pressure, Take Me As I Am and It Was All A Dream which depart from the typical hip hop format with Mr 32 himself pitching in with some vocals. The latter two tunes, as well as the Chase And Status-esque, Wilkinson-produced 6 Words demonstrate the persistent crossovers between his strong dance and R&B influences and natural hip-hop flow.

What is so refreshing about all this material is that it does without all the posturing and boasting which has turned me off Grime. In Cooked Food, for example, he has the confidence to actually address feelings and write a romantic, yet well-crafted love song. He's not afraid of tarnishing his street image by making tracks which don't dehumanise women as 'yats' or 'bitches' or getting called a 'melt' for doing so. His lyrical style is as intricate as ever, basing entire songs on a theme and working it into every line like in Cooked Food: "I love it when you dress saucy/and the way you make it dip when you're naughty".

Another factor which elevates Growing Over Life above your everyday grime album is its production, with Wretch enlisting the help of two London-based producers Mikey Muzik and Mo Samuels. The standard simplistic backing synths make way for more complex arrangements heavily featuring piano and violin which perfectly compliment his often mellow bars.



What impresses me most, however, is the political significance of his work which shines through in the record's latter half with songs like Liberation and Antwi exploring racially charged stereotyping, police violence towards black people and the government's failing of the black community; a perpetual problem in Tottenham. He's strongly influenced by his uncle Stafford Scott, the fierce equal rights campaigner who has tirelessly fought against police brutality and institutional racism. Open Conversation & Mark Duggan is the standout reflection of this. It deals with the aforementioned issues and focuses on the impact that the killing of Mark Duggan, a childhood friend, had on the tight-knit community within which he grew up. He recently commented in an interview that "To me he’s not a news statistic or video clip. He’s someone I went to school with". Just look at these lyrics:

How many of my n****s I'll be seeing in the station?
I'm getting fed up
'Member they put the cuffs on me
Felt like I couldn't even stand up or breathe

Brother Mark never made it to custody
I see his kids now and again
I give them every cent that I've got up in my pocket
But it isn't enough


I mean I'm all for keeping this light-hearted but this is really important and it saddens me. Too many people (shamefully myself included until this song opened my eyes) have been persuaded by the tabloid vilification of Duggan and those protesting his seemingly unjustified killing. We tend to convince ourselves that racial violence does not exist in the UK, that it's only a problem in America. People are far to quick to point fingers at individuals whilst overlooking the inequality, both class and racial which plagues our cities. Wretch is yet more admirable in my eyes for using his voice as a cultural icon to address such important issues and bring them widespread attention. It's precisely what rap, a genre that from its birth has given black people a voice, is missing right now, especially in the UK. The nearest thing we have in the mainstream is Skepta's Crime Riddim, which hardly does the huge problems facing our society justice.

This record really is special and represents nearly 5 years of hard work. I just hope we don't have to wait another half decade for the next one.