What a monumental moment for Squintz, one of the most talented new generation of Grime emcee’s to emerge in recent memory, as he releases his first ever project to the world, ‘Nuen Ain’t Gang’. NAG features South London emcee Duppy, fellow Mobset member Renz, Scrufizzer, Maxsta and Jammer, with production by Duppy, Jaspal, GYRO!, Blitza, Boss Mischief, Maxsta and Jack Marlow. An out and out Grime tape, at the core is the essence of what the scene what is built on, the urban culture and surroundings, the concrete city from which emcee’s back in the day would congregate in a block for pirate radio sets.

The first song on the tape is ‘Cold!’ produced by Jaspal, featuring lyrics from Squintz that reflects the experiences of living in London, especially for the youth of today, The unpredictability of the roads brings with it drugs and gangs, with Squintz likening it to being out in the cold, feeling a lack of love in some cases. Regardless of the situation that Squintz finds himself in, ‘What Thugs Do!’ shows that Squintz has nothing but love to spread for anyone who is on their grind, handling their responsibilities, no matter what they may be going through. One of many tracks produced by Duppy, this one sounds like it may have sampled Dr Dre’s Xxplosive, nevertheless, puts me in mind of such refixes as Elf Kid’s Lolingo-produced ‘Golden Boy’.

To get to know Squintz a bit more, turn you heads to ‘Truth Is!’, an old school sounding Grime banger produced by Blitza, and like much of the project, demonstrates SQ’s authenticity and originality. SQ links up with Blitza again on ”DKY!’, an abbreviation of ‘don’t know why’, and is one of those songs about random habits that we all partake in, but in Squintz’ case, bunking train, smoking weed, attending parties, and generally having fun.

‘Dem Man’ is one of several fun, lighthearted grime bangers that bring the hype. SQ, Jammer and Scrufizzer go in on a skippy, bouncy beat that fuses elements of Grime and Gararge, each stressing the effort they’ve put in, all cut from a different cloth. A tune for the summer, this shows a different side to the cold roads of LDN. ‘Flashy!’ is another intended for the summer vibes, produced and featuring Maxsta as well as Renz. This song along with ‘Who’s That Girl!’ shows a cheeky, confident side to Squintz, as both are about and for the girls. The latter of which is produced by Boss Mischief, and superbly samples Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s ‘1st of tha Month’.

Squintz enlists the help of Duppy and Renz for the Duppy-produced ‘No!’, setting the levels for anyone that steps to them, squashing any talk of clashing or collabos, via clever wordplay and sharp lyricism. ‘Hargen Daaz!’ is a personal favourite, an oriental-themed tune produced by Duppy again, and is a clever yet simple idea from Squintz, with a catchy hook, as he reiterates that no matter how cold an emcee may be, they still can’t compete against him. Stylized as ‘Weakend!’, this song reflects the essence of working all week, only to get to the weekend and feel exhausted, just one of many obstacles in life, choosing the hard work on the path to success over endless partying.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, Squintz may have a sweet side as shown on tunes with summer vibes, or when he is catering to the girls, but his deep, rough delivery coupled with gritty stories of life in LDN show another side to SQ. But above all, Squintz is a Grime Kid, who loves Grime, what with the Ghetto Kyote-sampled ‘Grime III!’, and even a bonus track from his own pops, an emcee himself growing up in the early years of Grime. Check out ‘Headtop!’, by Mc QED, Squintz’ father, who released his own mixtape ‘Level 1’ back in 2003. It is clear that Squintz is a student that has studied the Grime scene, grew up in and around it and is now a part of the it, and this should be the start of massive things in the future for SQ!

Check out ‘Nuen Ain’t Gang’ in it’s entirety now, stream and purchase from all major digital music outlets, and leave us your feedback in the comments section below.

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