Loyle Carner

Loyle Carner may just be the artist to shake the British hip-hop scene to its foundations. Bringing a refreshing sound that takes the lyrical honesty of grime and fuses it with the jazzy, laid back vibe of mid-90s hip-hop, the rapper has created something that’s beautifully sincere. His stage name being derived from the way he used to pronounce his last name as a young boy growing up with dyslexia, Ben Coyle-Larner has been described as “London’s rising hip hop prodigy” and seems poised to revolutionize the sound of British rap with the release of his debut album next year.

Every line of Carner’s EP, A Little Late, provides a truthful insight into his experiences of the past and dreams of the future. The loss of his step-father, who he adored, 2 weeks before he wrote Cantona is tragically reflected in the eloquently written lyrics, showing the devotion and passion that goes into Carner’s music. Effortless rhymes and tight, crisp beats bleed from every bar of his singles. NO CD hits you with rhythmic, addictive guitar riffs and the pounding bounce of the bass drum whilst Ain’t Nothing Changed uses laid-back, soulful brass to match the tone of the evocative lyrics, both reflecting Carner’s lyrical genius and the skill of his producer Rebel Kleff.

Loyle Carner’s rapping exhibits the understated thoughtfulness of spoken word and merges perfectly with the super-chilled, De La Soul style beat. This unique style seems set to catapult the rapper into the lime-light he well and truly deserves, making his performance at The Marble Factory on the 8th October an opportunity not to be missed. Contradictory to the title of his single, as Loyle Carner’s genre defining sound grows it seems he may just cause everything to change on the British hip-hop scene.