Headie One & Fred again.. - GANG (Review)

Headie One is spearheading UK drill's evolution...

On his latest mixtape, Headie One has brought on an eclectic range of guests to assist with his expansion of what was once a debatable subgenre. Headie One has been a significant figure in the UK drill niche for the last few years, a style of music that's been criticised in the past not only for its overtly violent and gang-affiliated lyrics but also for its derivative nature both to the original Chicago-based drill music as well as grime, the two genres it lands somewhere inbetween. In my opinion, it's crystal clear that whilst UK drill borrows heavily from its influential parents, it's earned its own merit through the ambitious and experimental nature to its direction.

As someone who typically keeps quite close attention to the charts, I'm afraid to say that I definitely overlooked the influence Headie has had with his pretty decent hits, "Both" and "18HUNNA" both serving as more accessible interpretations of his style that could easily be mistaken for just another grime artist making something a little bolder than usual, but nothing mind blowing. No, it wasn't until Headie was featured on Stormzy's recent single "Audacity" that I really started paying attention to this rising star, and so this mixtape has come out at the perfect time for me given my enjoyment of that song on Stormzy's last album back in December; it was perhaps the hardest I'd heard the respective artists go, working as a phenomenal pairing in an honest and jarring song that I then presumed showed off the best in both artists. I was wrong.

I have absolutely nothing against Stormzy, and his last album really was an excellent cross-genre experience that showed off his versatility as an artist, but he would have no place returning the feature favour should he appear on Headie One's latest mixtape, as GANG is not only an incredibly dark but also a sensationally boundary-pushing release that gave me an entirely new perspective on the Tottenham rapper. Headie may not display the same versatility as Stormzy, but his guests certainly bring variation and unexpected electronics to the table. These brief eight tracks bring more than just hardcore rapping to the table, as Headie One's incredible flows are intertwined with glitchy production and atmospheric electronics that pair extremely well with his typically bass-heavy sound. The fact that Jamie xx features on "Smoke", bringing with him a techno edge that propels the already heightened state of things courtesy of producer Fred again..'s own hand in all these tracks, is a move I couldn't have foreseen from an artist with a top 10 hit on their hands.

The feature insanity doesn't end their, as FKA twigs lends her pained, wispy vocals to the "Judge Me" interlude, Sampha to the closing ballad "SOLDIERS" and even Slowthai briefly appears on the "Tyron" interlude. All of these artists are perfect at accentuating the struggle and prisoner aspect of the mixtape, as Headie One's lyrics are perpetuated by feeling bound and trapped to the gang life that he's been surrounded by all his life and the newfound entitlement to the equally toxic areas of his music career, as well as his more personal grapples with depression and responsibility that both take up sizeable portions of this mixtape's themes. It's why the standout "SOLDIERS" is so compelling, an emotional peak, the mantra of "we march on" serving as a disturbing yet uplifting conclusion lacking in closure but brimming with determined hope. Trust me when I say this is worth checking out.

8.5/10

Best Tracks: Told; Judge Me (Interlude); Charades; Smoke; SOLDIERS
Worst Tracks: Tyron (Interlude)

Watch the video for "Charades"

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"GANG"
Headie One, Fred again..

3rd April 2020

Relentless Records

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