Low-Key Key to the Game volume 1 (demo)
Low-key, a 17 year old SW London rapper, is probably best known for his guest verse on the Doc Brown refix of “Mad World.” Here, he releases a mixtape of sorts, to showcase his vocal talents. It was recorded in the space of a month, is 24 tracks long and a volume 2 is expected in just over a month’s time. Too much too soon for a 17 year old? Without meaning to sound patronising about Low-Key’s age, though his potential is evident, Low-Key falls down because over the exhausting 24 tracks he runs out of things to say quite quickly. Also, because of the thrown together and rush-released nature of this mixtape, there is a distinct lack of quality control on the instrumentals he raps over. Muffled beats and no definition in the instrumentation, there is a definite feel that Low-key is rapping to tempos rather than sequences of drums in places here.
The highlight of the CD is the “Mad World” track with Doc Brown, which works well as a sombre but eloquent refix. It’s poignant in places and is nicely preceded by “Crazy World”, a short freestyle about the hype and craziness surrounding that song. There’s just too much grime, too much talk of guns and of violence on the CD, that you don’t believe that Low-Key’s experienced all these things. He’s able to produce some good lyrics about these things but it’s a case of “the pitfalls of street-life, striving for money, I’ve been through a lot so this is my time now” being all he has to rhyme about. There’s no real art to it. Also, as some of the rhythms are similar in places, the lyrics come across as snippets taken from one huge song about the same subject, that has been picked apart to span 24 tracks. The one time that Low-Key starts to really shine is on the already-mentioned “Crazy World” which gives him something new and interesting to write about.
Low-key has a lot of developing to do and it would have made more sense to hone his skills through live performances and life experience, before rush-releasing this CD. He has a lot of potential and his delivery will improve with time. However, maybe more work is needed in having something to say.
- Nikesh
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