Little Simz Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

After her 2019 breakthrough GREY Area, Little Simz's artistry has grown tremendously. The immeasurable talent that hides behind Simbiatu Ajikawo's fourth LP's nineteen tracks confirms that she's one of the greatest artists of her generation. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is an open window into the deep and private thoughts the London-based wants to share with us, aware that there's strength in being vulnerable.

In the same way that the label of “rapper” falls short for the 27-year-old artist, so does any other that encloses or categorizes her sound. Introvert is a beautiful collection of poems filled with stories and experiences, on which Simz doesn't skimp on resources and thinks big. She experiments with an extensive amalgam of genres, whether it's hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, Afrobeat, or even gospel. This fresh versatility is joined by a cinematic perspective that impregnates the essence of the entire album. She creates, as a result, the soundtrack to her life. Simz's declaration of intent immediately hits on the first beats to the epic album opener Introvert, adding in magnificent orchestration alongside fierce verses like “I'm a black woman and I'm a proud one.”

Simz structures the album with a filmic sense of atmosphere, connecting several interludes that evoke dreamlike rhythms over compelling narrations. Actor Emma Carrin voices these, who you might remember for her role as Princess Diana on the Netflix series The Crown. Carrin is not the only guest we hear throughout the project, though, as Simz also invites soul-jazz singer and Sault vocalist Cleo Sol—who invokes a jazzy sweetness on Woman—and Afrobeat artist Obongjayar on the powerful Point and Kill.

Simz—the great storyteller that she is—invites us to put ourselves in the shoes of characters who have lived through various misfortunes, whether it's knife crime (“Shit changed when I had a brief encounter with death, thought the pearly gates opened when that knife was in my chest”) or the difficulties of living with an absent father figure (“Is you a sperm donor or a Dad to me?,”) among other things. Her unapologetic honesty truly helps the album stand out against Ilfo's (Jungle, Michael Kiwanuka, SAULT) excellent production.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is, in many ways, an open letter for Simz to exorcise the many demons of her past. But it is also a way for her to shed light on London life with her gritty imagery, looking beyond the city's idealistic sights to get into the true values that define the Big Smoke.