Slowthai’s TYRON is an artistic evolution, but at what cost?

Method & AWGE 2021

Among the British rappers to gain popularity in the United States in recent years is 26-year old Northampton native Tyron Frampton, also known as Slowthai. He gained recognition in 2019 for his debut album Nothing Great About Britain, which drew acclaim from reviewers and fans alike. The punk/hip hop fusion “Doorman” was a standout. He is also known for his political commentary, like when he brought out a fake decapitated head of Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a performance. Since his debut, he has also featured on albums by Tyler, the Creator, BROCKHAMPTON, and Gorillaz. Entering into 2020, Slowthai seemed like a promising young artist on the rise. 

In February 2020, Slowthai was the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. While accepting the Hero of the Year award at the NME Awards, he made drunken advances toward comedian Katherine Ryan. There is an uncomfortable irony in watching a so-called “hero” sexually harass a woman on stage, and many fans were appalled. Ryan was able to defuse the situation quickly, and later said that Slowthai had not made her uncomfortable. The next day, Slowthai posted an apology on Twitter, asking NME to give his award to Ryan and saying that he was “not a hero.” Ryan accepted the apology, and the incident fell out of the spotlight as 2020 progressed.

Slowthai’s newest album, TYRON, features moments of defiance in response to his unflattering moment in the spotlight, as well as mellow and reflective tracks written during the pandemic.

The first half of the album, in which all of the song titles are written in all caps, is classic Slowthai: gritty, dark, and boastful. On the opener, “45 SMOKE”, he raps aggressively over a trap beat, referencing his life and upbringing. On this track and many others, he makes British references and uses slang, which is a unique listening experience for those unfamiliar with the lingo. “MAZZA” is an exciting collaboration with A$AP Rocky, and both artists contribute solid verses. “PLAY WITH FIRE” is another highlight, and its outro sets the tone for the more introspective and quiet part of the album.

The all-lowercase second half is where TYRON really shines. Slowthai’s past work didn’t venture much into the laid-back sounds and personal lyrics which can be found here, and this is a welcome development in his sound. “i tried” and “push” are both impressive tracks, featuring bittersweet-sounding instrumental tracks and dense lyricism. I had high hopes for “terms”, featuring Dominic Fike and Denzel Curry with production from Kenny Beats. Slowthai and Fike mesh pretty well, though I was left wishing for a longer verse from Curry. “nhs” is a nice tribute to those working to fight COVID-19, while “feel away” sees Slowthai team up with James Blake to produce possibly my favorite track from the album. To say that TYRON’s tracklist finishes strong would be an understatement.

One qualm I have with TYRON is the album’s fourth single, “CANCELLED”. Slowthai teams up with Skepta to comment on the backlash he received for his actions at the NME Awards. Cancel culture has been a prominent topic of discussion in pop culture in the past couple of years, and some artists have decided to express their disdain for the concept on their songs. This has produced a variety of cringe-worthy lyrics, such as Dominic Fike’s track “Cancel Me”, which literally has the line “I hope I get Me Too’d”. Songs like these do not make for pleasant listening, and take away from the experiences of countless women who have been wronged by famous men.

“CANCELLED” is a low point on the album for several reasons. Cancel culture has its critics, but it is frustrating to see an artist like Slowthai complaining about cancel culture rather than condemning the serious sexual abuses which occur all too often. Furthermore, Slowthai himself wasn’t even cancelled for his reckless and disrespectful behavior at the NMEs. His career is now at an all-time high and he is profiting off of the incident, turning it into a single and bringing in a high-profile feature to build publicity. Skepta’s chorus on the track is especially frustrating, as it seems to suggest that an artist shouldn’t be cancelled because of “awards on the mantelpiece,” which is contrary to everything the Me Too movement stands for. Regardless of how tongue-in-cheek the track was intended to be, it didn’t land well.

In this type of complicated situation, each listener is free to choose how they judge an artist for their actions and comments. For the most part, hip hop fans accepted Slowthai’s apology as genuine and viewed the incident as an isolated mistake rather than a problematic pattern of behavior. But, the truth of the matter is that Katherine Ryan’s quick deescalation and the forgiveness she showed may have been the only thing that saved Slowthai’s career from being derailed. And, in the aftermath of controversy, artists deservedly face increased scrutiny moving forward. For these reasons, I would have liked to hear a more reflective and nuanced perspective from Slowthai than the one we received on “CANCELLED”. His flawed commentary on cancel culture is especially disappointing because TYRON is a genuinely impressive album. It offers bangers on the first half and heartfelt tracks on the second, providing a varied listening experience. In this way, Slowthai’s second album is an artistic evolution from his debut. It will be fascinating to see where he goes from here, and how he might further address the night when he almost threw away his career.