Nicholas Kobe, Staff Writer

[Forever Living Originals: 2024]

Rating: 4/10

Key tracks: “Fever”, “I Ain’t Feelin It”, “SOS”

British rapper Little Simz brags “No more hummin’ or hawin’ us the bar is raised, if you know me I can bar for days” on the song “Torch” off her new EP Drop 7. Considering her last two studio albums 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and 2022’s NO THANK YOU could be argued as the best hip-hop releases of their respective years, I think Simz has the talent to back that brag up. Unfortunately, this line stands out as ironic because Drop 7 drops the ball in comparison to what we’ve come to expect from one the best rappers around. 

The Drop series is a set of EPs that allow Little Simz to experiment, either lyrically or instrumentally outside of her studio albums. Drop 7 follows through on that promise. Little Simz diverts from the raw hip-hop she’s been doing recently to make Drop 7 more of a dance record. Stuttering dance beats dominate the instrumentals of this record, Simz’s flows are much more simple and catchy than they have been on her last few projects, and there’s a focus on sung choruses. 

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It’s not unlike a record like RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé, but with more rapping. RENAISSANCE’s moments of minimalism work because of Beyoncé’s power as a pop star to carry a melody and there’s almost always still a groove present. This is what is lacking in Drop 7. Little Simz isn’t a pop star, and while I feel like every rapper has tried to sing, I just don’t think the higher range Simz sits in here is working. 

As I said earlier, Simz’s flows are also simpler, which occasionally succeed in being catchy, and add even less intrigue to what are all-around, bare songs. It’s not all bad, and I’ve got songs like “Mood Swings” and “Torch” stuck in my head, but the moments where Simz holds back are much more frequent. The same goes for Simz’s lyrics, which focus on pretty common subject material such as braggadocio and heartbreak, but fail to cover them in a way that feels fresh. 

Considering the flows and lyrics of this album are sacrificed in favor of dance bangers, it’s a shame that these beats are a huge mixed bag. “Fever” is repetitive to the point of being grating and “I Ain’t Feelin It” sounds like the most generic chill rap beat possible. There are a few good moments in songs like “SOS”, but they don’t stand out enough to outweigh the bad. The same goes for melodies, which like pretty much everything on this EP, have good moments but are overall lackluster. 

I’d almost be impressed if Little Simz was somehow able to make a completely irredeemable project, considering her track record and talent, and that’s not the case on Drop 7. There are moments where a hook will catch on, or she’ll give us a witty lyric or a great rhythmic flow, but they’re much more sparse than I’d like to admit. All that being said, the project is only 15 minutes, meaning that despite flawed execution, you don’t have to put up with it for an unreasonable time. While Drop 7 is a change in direction, I’m hesitant to admire it as such, because this change makes a standout modern rapper sound like everyone else. 

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