As much as anyone's Instagram feed can ever be considered a reflection of their true self, I reckon Dabbla has got it pretty down. Amongst the necessary self-promotion and drunk snaps from glamorous/gritty tour locations, you'll find mindfulness memes and Chinese proverbs — sort of like a deeply unconventional motivational speaker. It's a duality that makes the South London MC somewhat of an anomaly in today's rap game; one part gnarly grime veteran, one part boom-bap Buddhist, always levitating slightly above the ground.
Death Moves, Dabbla's latest LP, is a product of that chameleon-like perspective. Singles "Flying" and "Hemisphere", both produced by AJSwizzy, are exercises in classicism, with Dabbla's bars laid back and elegant over slick percussion and vinyl rips. Then we've got today's drop, "FUTD" or Fuck Up The Dance, premiered here by Complex. With a beat by Foreign Beggars-collaborator Sumgii, Dabbla spits expletives in your face over a sub-smashing bass, his always-formidable flow sharp and confrontational. As always, there's a streak of humour in every verse, but it's an icy wit — the kind you'd expect to precede a smack in the jaw.
And if that all sounds a bit heavy, don't worry. In true Dabbla style, the single's accompanied by a rather charming video that shows the MC vibesing out with a new-found alien pal. Here's hoping he never changes.
