Album Review: Ghetts - Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament

“Name your favourite English rapper” was a joke two decades ago, back when Ghetts was cutting his teeth. How far we’ve come. Arguably, England is where the most exciting rap is being made today and the scene is vibrant enough for many of us to have a top five, ten, 20 MCs from the mother country. If Ghetts isn’t on your list (or if perennial disappointment Giggs is) then we need to have a chat.

Halloween, aptly named, is menacing. The track threatens to descend into over the top play violence, but manages to strike the balance between pantomime and the genuine threat Ghetts’ clique poses. In King, Ghetts asks the confrontational, emasculating question (making the gun-as-phallus analogy crystal clear): “Why have you got your hand in your trousers like there’s something there?” It’s Ghetts’ calmness in the delivery where he is at his most dominant, rather than the superspeed mania he deploys a little too regularly. Then, to finish, album closer Black Rose is a furious, eloquent diatribe against the patriarchy; a stunning surprise.

All big releases we get from the leading rap scene on the planet demand attention. This record is no different. At its best, Ghetts’ command of rhythm, melody, and menace make this one worth clinging to.