By Cammy Thomas
GBK meets BBK in an unexpected but exceptional collabo between the razor sharp bars of the Female Allstars comprising of – veteran MC and clash aficionado Lady Shocker, menacing Miz, fierce Frankie stay woke and nang Ny-Ny, and the juggernaut MC that is JME, who is of course one of the founding and celebrated members of grime crew; BBK.
Female Allstars took their own advice from their 2019? Smash ‘The Switch Up’ and did just that when they decided to join forces with ‘Grime MC’ (heavy album by the way!) JME, on this lil grenade package of gasasge delivered to grime heads everywhere in the form of the bite sized E.P – ‘What You Call Disss?’ released 05th April 2021.
The EP opens with ‘Don’t Watch Face’, and if you’re going about and minding your business, it’s a way of life you will be used to. As Miz comes through with her growling lyrics “I’m working 24 hours a day, so don’t say that I’m not on grind” I couldn’t help but smile with the inside knowledge that Miz does in fact graft 24/7 as a member of grime originals writing team amongst other ventures. Lady Shocker shuts down any speculation she might be wasting time watching face as she states, “I just ride the wave on my ocean, and these tracks get blazed ‘cos we’re smokers” ‘Shocks also expertly weaves in the title of her single ‘Aint Got time’ (released March 2021) around her bars. As always JME shows out with a SERIOUS hook over pensive synths.
Unlike the former track on the EP, ‘Prove Myself’ opens with JME frustratingly expressing he feels he is expected to prove himself despite all his success and achievements. Ny-Ny blesses this track with a fire flow, blending patois and London dialect like callaloo and saltfish as she confidently defies any would be doubters – “I follow my lead, guide my own way, I don’t follow the flock…so find me out of the box, mi guh tell yuh I’m unorthodox.” Frankie stay woke schools us on her prowess in case you didn’t already know with a flow full of conviction, “Queen of smoke I’m forced to release it, when they wind up I have to repeat it… so when I say I’m on shit believe it, I see it, I get it, I always achieve it”, can you say – Boss bish energy! Jheeeeezzee. JME adds additional texture to the track by singing part of the hook laced with the simile “Like they forget how I fired my pen, like firing skengs, like I weren’t born and raised in the ends”
Final track ‘What You Call Disss’ sees every MC raise their game when it does not seem possible because it’s not as though anyone was slacking on the previous 2 tracks! The girls seem to flip their flows and play with the delivery of their bars, each of them deviating from their usual style. Frankie Stay Woke plays with a harsher flow here, ‘Shock’s flow is comedic, fun, half sung-half rapped as she pays homage to her collaborator JME. Ny-Ny delivers her bars entirely in patois here instead of her split half London/Jamaican lexicon and finally Miz enjoys teasing the ‘squish and bounce’ instrumental, as she begins her verse with a soft and girly tone to her voice before her signature greaze shows up near the end of her verse. This switch up, leaves you feeling that every member of the Female Allstars is versatile, dynamic, and adaptable.
This project is miniature in size, but massive in beats, bars, and brilliance.
*LISTEN* to ‘What You Call Disss’ below:
Dine On Grime / Munch on music 