If you’re a fan of those spacey, mellow Chill-Hop vibes, you need to check out North-London MC Natty Wylah’s new record.
It’s called ‘BRUCE’ and it precedes the release of his mixtape with the same name, that is due to come out on March 5th. This track is layered and interwoven with sound and imagery. Natty’s aim here is to reveal more and more to the listener, on every replay. The words of the late great Bruce Lee are uttered in each chorus, “you must be like water”.
The instrumental is delicately constructed with aesthetic synth pads and East-Asian instrumentation holding it together. The bassline offers that contemporary texture that’s so popular in the UK right now, while there’s a light twinkle on the track that diverts the beat away from the mainstream. The hook stands out massively here, an almost prayer-like repetition adds an emotive backbone to a track with some seriously inventive wordplay.
“Black and white yin-yang mind like Eschers’/That’s metamorphosis /Under cloaks like Harry Houdini/When I die disappearing trick/Still here but the eyes won’t see me/I’m vanishing moving dimensions freely ayo” stands out, personally. More poignant though, is the feeling that Natty is having fun with the song, exuberating an infectious confidence in what he’s saying, and his own identity.
Wylah has stated that his rapping style fluctuates between impassioned assaults and calming whispers: ‘I like to notice the little synchronicities between waking life and dream life.” That’s certainly realised in this addition to his discography. More of the same vibes is what we’re excited for, and this upcoming EP will be an opportunity to make some more footprints in the underground scene.
Keep up with Natty Wylah by following his Twitter and Instagram.
You can stream ‘BRUCE’ here.
