Little Simz. Photo by Thibaut Grevet
Don’t look now, but Yung Lean could be flirting with a tradcath reinvention. His recent appearance on the hit viral series SubwayTakes, wearing a massive crucifix and extolling the virtues of a quiet family life and decrying the “Diddy-ness” of modern partying, reflect a broader cultural shift: what was once considered liberated is increasingly seen as depraved and hollow. It’s disconcerting, even if the concerns are not entirely misplaced: the music industry is full of demons (not literal ones, conspiracy theorists, but close) who require more than just a bit of burning sage. Little Simz is here to show the way without, you know, buying into the vibes that have helped the far-right gain more power than they already do.
Simz has been on the ghostbusting tip for years now. Five albums in, the 22-year-old artist — one of the best rappers in her age bracket and possibly working today, of any age, period — has made exorcising unwelcome presences into a cornerstone of her art. “I ain’t got one threat to consider / Heaven and Earth attached on one pillar” she rapped on “Gorilla,” a standout from 2023’s NO THANK U. “Flood,” her lead single from Lotus (out May 29), is more urgent but no less confident in its appraisal of the stakes.
This time around someone or something has breached Simz’s defences and left her vulnerable. “How dare you, how dare you / I was shutting down the world and it scared you” she raps at the beginning, rage simmering to match the beat’s war-ready drums and post-punk bassline. Obongjayar, Simz’s longtime collaborator, brings things directly to the spiritual realm, singing “As I walk this wicked ground, keep me away from the devil’s palm / I am the light.” Simz offers her own commandments in the song’s second half: don’t trust an outstretched hand, keep your feelings in check, and watch every aspect of your health. Like everything Simz does, there are many layers to each, and sometimes even good versus evil isn’t as simple as it appears.
