The gap between the artist at the top of SA hip-hop and the underground has always been famously vast. The top guys just have something about them that the underground artists just struggle to find. Flvme has been traversing the no-mans land between the two for a few years, putting in the work, releasing tracks and hoping for the best. It’s safe to say that his new EP NOTE TO SELF is the differentiating factor that has finally set him apart.
The album is an excellent example of what an EP should be. Clocking in at just over twenty minutes it’s the perfect microcosm of what an artist like Flvme sounds like – opening with “DO RiGHT iNTRO” which explores not only his rhymes and verses but also a narration by Pookie FN Rude.
The features on the EP are masterfully chosen. Maglera Doe Boi appears on “KEEP GOIN’” which works perfectly for the theme and flow of the track. The balanced use of effect tone on the production of the song shines. 25K is the next noteworthy feature on the song “WAY UP”, again masterfully balanced and well written. And newcomer Ecco The Beast also appears on “REAL ONE”.
Flvme’s style and rhyming structure is getting to a point where it’s impossible to ignore him. He is a prodigy at tying in his sentence structure with the theme of the track. He does this with deft poise on “NOTE TO SELF” and it works. This EP shows the SA scene what it’s missing at the moment: well written, well produced South African hip-hop.
Feature pic supplied by artist
