As an emcee who has dealt with more life tragedies than most, Matty Lloyd‘s lyrical content delivers in the most artistic and engaging way. Reflecting on the dips and dives of his life, his new album ‘Episode One’ is a thought provoking hip hop project that tramples on themes most rappers are scared to even dip their toes in.
With Nutty P producing the album, guest vocals from hotly rated lyricists Nolay and Mic Righteous add more finesse to an already dope project. When listening to Episode One you’ll gain a broad range of angles towards Matty and Nutty P’s creative synergies. “Me and Nutty P were introduced in 2006 and over the years we have been able to develop a friendship. We’re not too different when it comes to what we’re influenced by, so making beats tailored specifically to me wasn’t hard at all. We touch on numerous topics throughout, some being extremely serious and others just generally taking the piss.”
From start to finish, the Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire emcee does a fine job of showing he has the guts to tackle challenging subjects whilst keeping the vibes progressing at a fast pace. For example on ‘Clarity’, he covers the subjects of suicide in the family (which affected him on two occasions) as well as tongue in cheek critiques on Matty’s take on music industry.
Whilst Nutty P’s production adds substance to the songs’ structures and sonics, the album offers up honesty and expressive lyricism. Speaking on working with Nutty, Matty said “I approached Nutty P to do a song commemorating the 10th anniversary of my brother committing suicide. It wasn’t a tribute song as I’d also lost another of my brothers to suicide in 2013, it was more to speak on the aftermath of going through that situation and how those around you act when dealing with it face to face.”
The song which Matty refers to on the quote above is ‘Clarity’. A heart breaking and brutally honest song which shows he’s been through some of the worst experiences life has to offer, and when you zone into the lyrical content, you can help to understand the things going through his mind.
However the album also shows a range of themes which illustrate Matty’s breadth as an artist. One of the album’s forthcoming singles is ‘Psycho’, one of the stand out songs which critiques the music industry, based on his personal experience.
“The first song Nutty put to me was ‘Psycho’. He’d laid the hook and as I’d had some experience with battle rap, he said he wanted me to be a little bit braggadocio, so I aimed it at the industry and how they only push one narrative… it is a tongue-in cheek-song littered with elements of truth.”
To sum up this project, it would be fair to say that Matty’s courage to speak on issues of suicide and depression are hugely admirable. When it’s clear that millions of people relate to similar issues in life, hopefully this will resonate and provide some much needed support.
Stream ‘Episode One’ via your preferred streaming platform and stream via YouTube and Spotify below!
