8/10

UK rap music has been so embroiled in the revival of grime that hearing an artist adopt a more hip-hop focused aesthetic to his sound almost comes across as surprising. But since emerging MC Tyron Frampton aka slowthai grew up in Northampton, well outside the grime and drill bubble that is London, he has adopted a far more diverse approach to his political and visceral flow as he unveils his highly-anticipated debut album 'Nothing Great About Britain', a record as confrontational as its title suggests.

Opening up with the album's title track 'Nothing Great About Britain' gives a strong and positive message as to where this collection plans to go. Rather than looking to shunt Britain down, he simply points out the hypocrisy of a country calling itself great when most of the evidence shows that it isn't. From here we can easily slip into the mindset of slowthai as he continues to unleash a thunderous flurry of political and socially charged tracks that borrow influence from punk and hardcore rap in order to create a cohesive and succinct message that we all need to be more mindful of the world and people around us.

Coming across like the musical lovechild of Dizzee Rascal and Jamie T, 'Nothing Great About Britain' is a wonderfully unique gem sitting on the cusp of the UK's hip-hop scene. With an uncompromising attitude and this genre-bending approach to its production, slowthai manages to deliver an album that breaks down barriers and bring his audience together under this veil of positive criticism towards those that can do better.