South East London-based rapper Jesse James Solomon appeared on Wiki's debut album late 2015, alerting more people to his presence with a stellar verse. His distinctly sleepy flow made him stand-out on an album otherwise filled with colorful, loud characters. His stripped-back approach to rapping focuses in on the texture of his voice and his impressive delivery, and with his latest track, "Scumbag // Barriers," Solomon has released his most compelling track to date.
Produced by Felix Joseph, the song packs a lot into its brief running time, showcasing Solomon's ambition with an inspired switch-up around half way through. Instead of sounding like two half-baked ideas stitched together, "Scumbag // Barriers" stretches the concept of time remarkably well by slowing things to crawl and somehow ending a little too soon. Fully developed, the two-part track acts a brilliant introduction to Solomon's work. He's been relatively quiet in 2016, so it's nice to hear from him before the new year arrives.
Thankfully, it seems as if he'll be a little more prolific in 2017, with him tweeting back in October, "Working on a album rn keep it shh tho." Here's hoping the album lives up to the immense potential "Scumbag // Barriers" promises. Listen to the track below.
