Little Simz –– Sometimes I Might Be Introvert –– Age 101/AWAL
Rounding out a summer mired by highly-anticipated big-name full-length releases from J. Cole, Kanye West, Drake, and even Nas––Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz is better than all of them, goddamnit.
Whether conscious, internal, or otherwise; stans of West and Drake are all required to perform some form of respective abuser/groomer apologia when it’s time for an album rollout. The fact that certified sickos Marilyn Manson, DaBaby, and Chris Brown appear on West’s DONDA (a supposedly non-secular practice in worship), should tell you all you need to know. Not to mention the R. Kelly songwriting credit on track eight of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, an album released the same day as Little Simz’ Sometimes I Might Be Introvert via Age 101. “Drake summed [up his new] album’s themes in the most Drake way possible,” writes Alphonse Pierre, “‘A combination of toxic masculinity and acceptance of truth which is inevitably heartbreaking.’”
Enter Little Simz, who's been committed to the September 3rd release date for nigh on a year. A class-act rapper honoring a predetermined date after steadily building hype with interesting singles is a breath of fresh air.
The very least you could do for Simbiatu 'Simbi' Abisola Abiola Ajikawo and yourself is press play. Throughout the album she explains the extent of how much she doesn't mind solitude and creating peripherally––making great hip-hop just happens to be an outlet. This catharsis is apparent by the palpable vulnerability in the first four and final songs.
Atmospheric and lush production lends itself to what truly sounds like Simbi’s manifesto.
“Woman” featuring Cleo Sol, “I Love You I Hate You”, “Standing Ovation”, and “I See You” especially meld brutally honest lyrics with the appropriate choral and orchestral accompaniment.
“Protect My Energy” is a trancy disco number that has the MC using her best singing to date in order to explain how solitude and silence bring her solace over the most danceable beat on the album. What’s more, “Protect My Energy” is followed by the afrobeat banger “Point and Kill” featuring Obongjayar.
The album on the whole feels like an executed vision. Even the non-dialogue interludes (first, second, fourth and fifth) are packed musically.
Only on my third listen did I realize that the acrostic for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is SIMBI. Talk about a manifesto.
CHOICE CUTS: “Two Worlds Apart”, “Speed”, “Rollin Stone”, “Protect My Energy”, “How Did You Get Here”