One.Faris

Devlin - Off With Their Heads ft. Wretch 32

If ever there was proof needed to see how far the scene has come in the UK, this is it.

Devlin made a name for himself with his dark-themed raw real-life rhymes, standing out with his evident ability, so much that when he signed to a major…nobody was truly surprised, as if it was expected for his talent to take him further than many in the genre had known. He was part of one of the most prolific collectives in the scene known as The Movement (with Wretch 32, Ghetto, Mercston & Scorcher), with each pursuing solo ventures, fans (including myself) definitely missed hearing the collective as each complimented the other with their unique style, flow & lyricism, so with Wretch 32 recently crossing the mainstream border, this collaboration made more sense, inevitable even, and to see a record like this being promoted and respected just as much as any other major release is a big stride and a middle finger up towards the notion that you have to conform when in that bracket of artistry.

This track will impress those that are not familiar with the history of their rise, whilst satisfying those that witnessed the journey, the production has a very emphatic feel, the right level of rawness with a polished mainstream gloss, Wretch kicks things off with what feels like classic 32 from his mixtape days, their styles balance each other whilst they both flood the beat with metaphors and display the art-form with amazing composure, knowing the lights are on them. Hearing this on the radio is refreshing, especially with Devlin’s intense delivery, to know it is being accepted is a special thing.

I hope a Movement remix surfaces (as the likes of Ghetts, Scorcher & Mercston would really flourish on the track), however, more than that, I hope this is not a one-off, and that labels stand behind an artist’s creative control and continue to push such masterpieces with breakthrough results.