The first I heard of Ren was when the Welsh rapper/vocalist/guitarist/songwriter, who is Brighton-based, released a video on social media saying how surprised he was that he might get the top spot this week. From there, I checked out his material and loved it. I fucking love “Sick Boi”. It is choc-full of wittiness, wordplay, sarcasm, comedy, and profound moments. There is even a sample of Barrington Levy’s ‘Murderer’, which appropriately carries the same name. This record talks about Ren’s years of being in bed with some physical illness, and I think he is borderline schizophrenic from what I have read. I know he mentions depression and feeling suicidal on the album.
I forgot to mention that Ren does spoken word, too, which shines throughout. His songs are both funny and serious. You will notice in his songs that he changes his vocal delivery. He puts on soft vocals for the good side, and for the evil side, he is more nasal. He also uses an array of vocal deliveries to represent what verse you are listening to. I could name most, but you will get the gist once you have listened to what I am saying. The change-up in rhythm to his vocals is just impressive, plus he sometimes gets out the acoustic guitar. I loved ‘Down on the Beat’, ‘Animal Flow’, and even tender moments like ‘Suicide’. This album is mad because you get to see Ren battle himself brutally and honestly. However, don’t be put off by his mental health issues because he is one talented guy. The mainstream has been sleeping on him. It is excellent he is finally getting the recognition he so richly deserves. Hopefully, “Sick Boi” getting to number one will help his convalescence.
Song recommendations: ‘Suicide’, ‘Down on the Beat’, ‘Animal Flow’
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”
Honest Opinions 