I first heard him on the remix that he worked on with Angel Haze of the latter's track 'Werkin Girls' - I was impressed with his impeccable, machine-gun-fast flow, and also impressed that it had reached the attention of Haze all the way in the USA. If you haven't heard it, you probably should. I heard his unrelenting voice spitting effortlessly, almost like a young Dizzee Rascal, and was pretty much bowled over. Unlike Dizzee, however, Scrufizzer is from West London, not typically known for its outpourings into the world of grime. Scrufizzer has impressed a lot of people, not least Kendrick Lamar (<3) whom he opened for across many of his UK tour dates.
His first single, 'Rap Rave', was released by Ministry of Sound in January this year and is a loud explosion of a song. It oozes dirty distorted storms of synth and bass as well as this beat that's heavy and menacing.
It has this nice chorus refrain that's more of a true statement than a lyric: "Cause I when I rap / I make you rave" - pretty much, right? Also, the song is pretty much a rap rave. Despite the heightened attitude on this one - perhaps it's cause he's actually making space to let the music's production speak for itself without him - he remains modest, but passive-aggressively so: "I never said I was the best / the fans made their own assumption". Fair point, no? Grime typically likes to include a little bit of humour as well, so the polite advice, "You - should - stop" is a silly cuss that only English hip hop could muster.
But it's 2011's 'Fizzy Flow' that actually shows off his distinctively fast spitting style, however. Yes, whatever, it's two years old, blah blah blaaahh.
Just listen to him go. Endless rhymes in a stupidly fast barrage of bars - seems even as if he's probably more comfortable spitting faster than he is at a slower pace. That's just what I reckon though. But wow. I mean, often you can't really hear what he's even saying but I'm definitely sure that there are English words and sentences in there. One that stuck out was, "I will crush you / something like an an Irn-Bru can" - what a reference. Irn-Bru, by the way if you didn't know, is a Scottish fizzy drink that tastes of... I don't know.
Again, in true grime fashion, the humour of the scene comes to the fore in the shape of the oddball chorus in 'Fizzy Flow'. The music takes on a more lighthearted, even circus-like, vibe. It's good to know that someone genuinely talented in his field is getting the attention he deserves. Yes indeedy, his even more recent song, called 'Kick It' was released at the end of August.
Again, it seems as if the production takes a front seat whilst Fizzer himself is in the background. The trademark "fizzy flow" has been replaced by quite a slow tempo rap, in comparison to his regular sonic-speed spitting. But this is a party song, really, not one for showcasing the rap itself, but for showcasing the rapper in a fun-filled party environment - skankin' all over the shop an' that. But that's fine. Cause everyone needs a song like that. And it's not too shabby either. Of course, this shift in dynamic brought a bit of hating but Fizzer replied himself to these comments on YouTube:
i didn't sell out .. i just done 'grime legends on sbtv & i got a part 2 coming out in 2 weeks' you lot must have lost ur mind #fizzyflow
So there. Anyway, this guy is one to watch. He's up-and-coming, that's for sure, but where he will end up in a year's time will be interesting to see. Whether he will do the Wiley-style party anthems every summer or stay at least a little more "legitimate" in the sense of NOT letting the production, and inevitable female-voiced choruses, get the limelight instead of his own actual talent. But what do I know.
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