I have to admit that I don’t know much about him apart from an incident in Harlesden last year when someone mentioned it in conversation and asked if I knew of him or his music. Anyway, I highly recommend listening to his album because there are some fascinating and gritty stories about his life with some tremendous wordplay chucked in. The album suggests that he is a rapper rather than an MC, of which I wonder if he has ever been the latter in the sense of grime, drill, or garage.

Nines captures your attention from the first track with his best introduction to date out of his previous two albums plus mixtapes. The track features a piano accompanying a horrific story about his father’s cancer diagnosis, seeing his friends getting sent down for life, not having material ready to give to major labels, and declining to appear at several festivals. He also yearns for freedom from that period, and how he feels trapped despite his current success. This isn’t just any old intro; this is an intro where the artist reveals, in this case, Courtney Freckleton rather than just Nines. “Intro” just blew my mind, and I have to say that I think it is up there as one of the most revealing tracks I’ve heard from an artist.

I also discovered that Nines is no small-time player in the game within the confines of the UK hip-hop scene, and that shows with the various features on the record who are the major players. Again, the contributing artists used impressive wordplay and told stories to make your ears prick up.

Much of the album uses samples from various hip-hop classics, mainly from America. He even chucks in a few 2Pac bars from his 1995 “Me Against the World” track. I believe the track in question is called “Lights” and uses the sample of Kool & the Gang’s “Summer Madness”.

As you know, I can’t stand interludes because they are often just throwaways, but there’s something about “Stalker Interlude”. Yes, it starts with Nines receiving a phone call from some next crazy woman asking why he hasn’t answered her fifteen calls. Still, he starts talking about the trials and tribulations of being caught up with women who act this way and even says to the lady in question that she’s a gold digger, but she isn’t the only one this song is aimed at. He talks about those who only want him as a boyfriend for his status and money and how he had problems with younger women and even posh women. An interlude I will listen to again and again. 

“All Stars 2” impressed me not just for Nines but for the story Clavish delivered, where he boasts about being on a Nines album when all others had doubted he was even worthy to appear on his mixtapes, let alone one of his albums. It’s a friendly little reminder for his haters to hear for eternity.

The album ends with no surprises: “Outro”, and just like “Intro”, it is every bit as compelling with the storytelling. Here, Nines addresses that he was once one of many crabs in a bucket and is now in high-profile business meetings. It is pretty refreshing to hear that even though he is now a made man, he still keeps it 100 by still living in Harlesden, rather than leaving at the first chance like one of his friends did.

Of course, there are drawbacks to the record; I especially hate using the dreaded autotune, so I didn’t listen to seven of the tracks. Despite that, “Crabs in a Bucket” offers more than his previous two albums, as Nines remains on the same topic throughout—his life. The listener discovers more than just his alter-ego, and it is always great to hear a rapper talk about their life outside of the business and what they have experienced and are like, from their strengths to their weaknesses to their vices.

Song recommendations: “Intro”, “Lights”, “Stalker Interlude”

8/10