The highly anticipated Little Simz album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” didn’t fall short for a second. I’d always thought highly of her music and past releases, but “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” sets a new standard for her and her future music.
From beginning to end this album was filled with different themes and ideas, strong captivating lyricism, and new and innovative production. With a runtime of an hour and five minutes, she is able to really showcase her talents and consistency throughout the album. Little Simz also highlights issues like misogyny and racism, problems she deals with as a woman of color.
Simz takes influence from many different styles of music such as R&B, jazz, funk, and soul. Although it is a hip hop album, Simz performance makes it seem like a musical, she exhibits her talented and intricate storytelling paired with heartfelt lyricism. During the first listen, I couldn’t disengage from the art; every moment kept me on the hook. Songs like “Little Q, Pt. 2” and “Two Worlds Apart” showed Simz’s capability behind the mic and her skill with production.
“Little Q Pt. 2,” the sixth song on SIMBI, tells of her childhood. It begins with a chopped-up soul sample. Over this beat, she tells her story of growing up without role models or a proper childhood. She contrasts this dark story saying, “Mama told me my sun will shine.” This tells that through all the dark there is still hope for a brighter future and a better life. In the next verse, Simz tells of her close encounter with death, but also her forgiveness towards her attacker and the previous trauma he went through. Again, she followed that verse telling of her Mom’s reassurance.
“Two Worlds Apart” was my favorite song on this project. With a laid-back soul sampled beat and relaxing tempo, she speaks of not focusing on materialistic things, getting the idea through with the line “Whether you got mansions or got diamonds in your AP.” She also alludes to Kendrick Lamar’s album “To Pimp A Butterfly” by saying, “We was on the front line listenin’ to Kendrick Lamar.” This line references the song “Alright” and openly broadcasts her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and in another line referencing Lucy, a character in “To Pimp A Butterfly” representing the devil.
The acronym for this album, SIMBA, has an interesting twist, too, being her nickname. Although a small detail in a whole project of incredible music, I think this really connects this album to her and her story. Whether she was rapping about the bad times or singing of hope, this album was incredible. For an hour-long album, there were no forgettable songs. The project was a mixture of her experiences, but this album goes beyond her; it is and will be the telling of other people’s stories who don’t have an outlet as big as she does but face similar struggles.
My Score: 9/10