Words by Justin Turford

Our beloved home, the city of Nottingham contains some of the poorest boroughs in the UK and is often portrayed as the ‘poorest’ city in the UK. True or not, like much of this island, austerity, corruption and the ongoing recession has created an atmosphere of raw struggle for many people. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Notts is also one of the strongest heartlands for truth-telling UK hip hop artists and we are hyped to premiere the superb first track from veteran MC J Littles’ new E.P. simply titled ‘VEX’. Nottingham to the core, ‘Out The Way’ is produced by Zoutr (The Elementz) and features Alex Mighten (formerly known as Karizma), the track stares unblinkingly in the face of these social injustices, struggle described in direct terms, hope fighting to breathe. A simple, dreamy piano riff and a slow, solid, unhurried drum pattern leaves the space for J Littles’ candidly bruised rhymes and Mighten’s smoother, sugary singing/rapping style. Uncluttered yet subtly intricate, the synthesis of the three seasoned operators has delivered some magic that hits both local and universal truths.

The VEX’ E.P. will be released 24/02/23