Headie One & The Rise of Experimental Drill
Headie One & Fred again…: Gang (Relentless Records, 2020)
Rating: ★★★★★
Best track: ‘Smoke’ (feat. Jamie xx)
In every argument for who topped drill, my best guess would be Headie. This was despite examples of dodgy lyricism (‘You’re gonna see a doctor, who? / David Tennant’) and pondering whether he was approaching a creative block on later songs. Even I was uncertain of whether Headie would run out of the spark that propelled him into drill notoriety. Was his flow confident or just drained in energy? Was the new OFB overtaking him?
On more recent projects like Music X Road, he started experimenting with more curious instrumentals, outlandish samples and even Autotune. But at this point, some members of his immense fanbase started becoming uncomfortable with this new transition. The centre-piece of one of the UK’s infamous collectives, a flagbearer for popular drill, had lost himself in the UK rap industry. Maybe even further than that.
So when I saw the post tagging Jamie xx, FKA Twigs and Sampha I was doubtful. I already rated ‘Charades’ he had made with Fred again…, but a whole experimental mixtape? On the midnight it dropped, I listened to the entire thing straight. Headie One had made the best project of the year.
In Gang, Headie One is not at the forefront. He’s the fainter voice in the shadows, a dark limbo crafted by FA. There is finally a hint of emotion behind the deadened gaze of Headie One in the ‘Gang’ M/V, distrustful and isolated as he emerges from imprisonment. Fred Gibson tapped into an aesthetic that matched the ambition of Headie, which is the crowning achievement of its production.
His lyricism has reached its peak because it’s honest and more sensitive than anything produced by a drill artist. There is no bravado as he says ‘family first, that’s the code’. It’s simply much-needed fraternity. ‘Head in a prison’ carries so many subliminal meanings that it’s crazy, since imprisonment has not only defined his past but his future. To hear true feeling amidst the stereotypical themes of drill is a pleasure in itself.
The style of drill often creates a rift between the system and the rapper, but that’s not even the case. Police, judges, prisons are all secondary in FA’s world. Headie still touches on crime and there’s no guarantee that he will fully distance himself from it, but it is essential to his narrative. And, even when he recites his history, there is a sense of shame to it. ‘Judge Me’ is the best example of this. His discourse with FKA ends with ‘she thought that I was done with this’. He asks his love interest to ‘save me’, he tells her to remember that they were going to ‘make it through’. His bravery doesn’t come in the form of gangsta narratives, but realising the hurt he has left behind.
The addition of the feature artists is well-picked and masterful, especially with ‘Smoke’. Both FA and Jamie xx create an instrumental dystopia and Headie’s voice echoes in the realm of forgotten potential. It is the epitome of the decrepit sound Gang aims for. Yeah, it’s definitely going to be a top choice at every other rave or Boiler Room set. But, in the same fashion as In Colour, there is a subtle complexity to every beat.
Regardless of all the other features (including Slowthai), the mixtape wittles down to the unique, almost therapeutic duet between Headie and FA. FA has succeeded in re-establishing Headie One as an integral member of the UK scene. But in turn, Headie gives FA his voice. He exposes his every flaw and every doubt, every lack of toughness, in a matter of songs. It’ll be a challenge for any other artist to exceed this landmark in UK music.
