Little Simz may be just 20 years old, but she sure does have a lot of experience with the pen and a pad. The petite UK rapper sharpened her skills over the course of four mixtapes dating back to 2010, bridging the gap between hip-hop and experimental throughout. Simz solidified her presence earlier this year with the breakout EP E.D.G.E., a project that certainly caught our ear, and led to us anointing her as a rapper to watch out for.
Today, Complex premieres her new project, Age 101: Drop 1. The four-song EP includes the atmospheric cut "Have I," which finds Simz flipping Da-P dabeatX's atmospheric instrumental "Tortoise" and doing it justice along the away. The project also features "Sleep Paralysis," Little Simz's groovy collaboration with Emerson Brooks.
"The whole point of doing this mini-EP was basically... there is no point. I feel like when you always try and justify something or there always has to be a purpose to something, it kinda loses everything," Simz tells Complex. "Sometimes I like to be spontaneous, sometimes I like to do things out of the extraordinary, sometimes I don't like to think about what I do and I just like to do it. I simply just cant get enough of making music, I can't get enough of putting out music and just giving my friends something new."
"This is also a great way of introducing the world to my label AGE 101," she adds. "I know a few of you have heard the name floating about but weren't sure what it was. It's my own imprint and apart from myself on the roster, I'm proud to announce that OTG (an amazing producer from London who produced a few highlights from my E.D.G.E. project) is now officially a part of it. I'm just having fun with it, I'm taking my time with it, I'm 20 years old and I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing."
Stream Little Simz's Age 101: Drop 1 below and download it on her official Bandcamp page.
