Little Simz

Of her sixth studio album, Little Simz is not only one of the most relevant rappers on the UK scene, but also on the global one. After a long collaboration with producer Inflo (see also SAULT), which shaped her last three albums, there’s a change: due to a financial dispute, the work on this "Lotus" was restarted from scratch specifically to exclude Inflo from the project. Enter Miles Clinton James, already active with the afrobeat group Kokoroko. Numerous guests appear: Obongjayar, Moonchild Sanelly, Lydia Kitto, Moses Sumney, Miraa May, Yukimi Nagano, Wretch 32, Cashh, Michael Kiwanuka, Yussef Dayes, and Sampha.

However, the spotlight remains firmly on Little Simz, who in 13 tracks tells the story of her evolution as a person and as an artist—explicitly, touchingly, and also playfully. The break with Inflo is clearly at the center of the opening track "Thief", a whirlwind of orchestral jazz-rap that immediately conveys the richness of arrangements throughout "Lotus". The hypnotic and adrenaline-fueled tribal dance of "Flood" is practically a war chant, with a chorus sung in Zulu.

Balancing out these bitterer and more aggressive songs is "Young", somewhere between The Streets and a children’s nursery rhyme:

Livin' out your wildest dreams, yeah, we're just young and dumb
No responsibilities, don't care for anyone
Dance like there's no one around, yeah, it's just you and me
We don't care for finer things 'cause love is all we need

Also belonging to this group of livelier and lighter songs are "Lion", which recalls Janelle Monáe in a refined African dance, and especially the blazing disco-funk-rap of "Enough". Then there is a set of softer, more elegant and rounded tracks ("Only", "Free", "Lonely"), possibly peaking with the touching "Peace", for guitar and piano, which floats in a cloud. The two-voice R'n'B track "Blood" is full of refined arrangements, a balancing act between intimacy and groove.

The best synthesis, also thanks to a more generous runtime, is the title track "Lotus", sumptuous and vibrant, with strings and reverberations highlighting key moments and launching a radiant finale that speaks of rebirth and hope.

From the initial anger, the album leads—almost as a culmination of a process of maturation and inner change—to the concluding, melancholic "Blue", where Sampha sings:

It's not the fact that you're not here
It's the way you disappear
And who am I when you're no longer here?
There's a light at the end, carry on
You and I found the break to be strong

"Lotus" tells the story of a transformation in progress, a tale that is still being written and doesn’t reach a clear conclusion. The pain and grief that follow a betrayal—or perhaps the end of a friendship—are the starting point and the glue for a more complex narrative that Little Simz weaves about herself, without (wanting to?) arrive at any definitive, clear-cut answer.
Amid wounds to heal and an identity to defend, define, build and rebuild constantly, the bright spots are love and hope—even in the face of endings, of everything, and ultimately of ourselves. This interpretive layer makes "Lotus" an album with a spiritual message too: it speaks of how we can change and, through pain but also through joy or family, find the strength to carry on. Little Simz holds this multifaceted narrative together, switching between rap and singing, supported by many guests and a production that highlights, expands, and amplifies each track’s message.

The rapper has stated that the lotus was chosen as a symbol of a flower that blooms in murky waters, beautiful: for 50 minutes, it's healing to think it might speak a little about each of us too.

26/06/2025