The UK rap scene could never be confined to location, upbringing, background or any other little factor – the talent we have here is just too diverse and too broad to be boxed in anywhere. From the southeast to the midlands to the north, we have heavy hitters all over the UK.
So today we’re bringing back the ‘What Do You Mean You Don’t Listen To’ column, our showcase on all the rappers you should get to know to shine a light on; and we’re focusing on Luton’s own Mutss.
You Haven’t Heard of Mutss?
Mutss is an up and coming Luton MC, and a talent who is steadily making waves. After making links and getting some strong backing from Kan D Man of the world-renowned BBC Asian Network, he dropped his debut project late last month, an EP called Bars Over Everything. Luton may be known more for its quiet parks than for UK rap, but Mutss has delivered a solid project with a self-proclaimed ‘unconstrained, non-conformative sound’ that may be the start of putting it firmly on the map.
Mutss has proven himself to be a barrer with the one quality that sets you apart from the rest – a distinctive voice waiting to be heard. Of course, the best place to hear for yourself is his debut Blackbox freestyle, where Mutss states his name and proves that he can touch any beat easily.
Rapping over the drill banger ‘Everyday’ by CB, Mutss is sounding hungry and focused. The song is almost like a mission statement, setting out where he’s at, where he wants to be and the obstacles he’s faced in the midst of it. You can really tell he’s trying to get away from his old life and make his mark on the game. He’s got a fast paced, machine gun flow that sprays his rhyme in and out the pockets of the beat. You can forgive him for sounding a little rusty here as it is his first freestyle, but you can hear the potential for his rapping ability and the steadily improving talent for flows.
Standout Songs
The lead single for this latest project is the collaborative banger with another, kind of mysterious Luton MC, No Name. Titled ‘Trap Trap Trap’ – you can figure out what the song is about – this tune so far sounds like Mutss’ real element. The Hydrolixx beat features some dark, moody synths forming the lead melody but with an unforgiving 808 groove. It’s the perfect backdrop for him to paint a picture of his life. No Names’ feature on the hook adds a little variety to the tune. Leading from the hook straight into his verse, he’s got a little drill flow and some cold adlibs, as well as some real substance in his bars making for a hard feature that sounds cold over the beat. The tune is a real lurker and will definitely deliver some trill music out of your speakers.
His first release definitely needs some attention as a standout song too. Dropping last summer, Versace Robe is a smooth, guitar driven collaboration with Relly Luton that speaks to its name. It’s a girl tune, but Mutss doesn’t sound out of place or awkward like a lot of rappers, even much further into their career, often do when jumping out of their element. The short guitar loop is complemented by some light, interesting afro-swing percussion and some 808s that make for a laidback tune that’s perfect for the summer. Relly and Mutss should definitely push this sound and explore how they can develop.
Bars Over Everything EP
Speaking of the Bars Over Everything EP, it’s a better start than a lot of rappers can claim to have – Mutss has jumped firmly in the deep end, proving himself to be a skilled writer and lyricist, but also a competent songwriter. From the jump in the Intro, we are ushered into the project by Kan D Man, gassing up Mutss like a classic mixtape DJ skit. After that brief introduction, Mutss gets straight into what the EP says it will do – put bars over everything.
The Intro is a classic, bars-over-beats freestyle, where Mutss paints a picture of life in Luton, letting you know his story in cutthroat bar after cutthroat bar. It sets off the project nicely, showing a rapper in his element. The outro does the same job. It’s more of a fleshed-out song than the Intro, having its own title in ‘Buss Back’, but I feel that it’s the best example of his dextrous rapping and talent for putting words together.
However, my favourite tune is easily the collab with fellow Luton MC Dizzle_AP, ‘Real Rap’.
Dizzle is more established than Mutss, with collabs with Jammer in the bag and a quality project under his belt. However, he never feels like he’s carrying the song. The song is a catchy, radio ready banger where Mutss manages to combine trap stories with a wavy vibe. Dizzle’s auto-tuned, melodic hook doesn’t feel forced into the song or unexpected at all; in fact, the two have some great chemistry, going verse for verse over some exciting and colourful production. It’s here that we see that Mutss’ style is really unconstrained, as he’s just as able to rap over drill, trap, or a more upbeat tune like this one.
closing thoughts
In short, the EP is a polished, solid entry into the game that shows some real promise for the rest of the year and Mutss’ career as an MC. Hydrolixx is looking like Mutss go to producer, and their chemistry is written all over the EP, with his clear talent and Mutss good ear for beats. Mutss also seems like he’s fully about collabing with Luton artists and getting the small town put on the map in the future, which you’ve definitely got to respect.
He’s delivered so far and if he continues to work hard we can definitely say - if Mutss isn’t someone you haven’t heard of today, he definitely should be in the future.
Commentaires