Described as ‘the greatest lyricist in drill’ by the UK’s most popular rap reactor LeeToTheVI, and ‘one of the best to ever do it’ by BBC’s Kenny Allstar, PS Hitsquad has long been the underground’s favourite rapper. Emerging from South London’s game changing Zone 2 collective (alongside his friend and sparring partner Kwengface), PS is as infamous for his wild, complex word play and vivid descriptions of street mayhem as he is for his authenticity, with his teenage years peppered with numerous brushes with the law.
Now back out after a recent stint at His Majesties Pleasure, PS has been fully focusing on his art – and the results are a level beyond anything he has previously recorded. Having hit the trending charts on Youtube four times in a row with his First Day Out warm up freestyles, and a debut Daily Duppy for GRM, he’s now ready for the main course; the Prodigal Son EP.
A seven track blast of energy and passion, the EP travels through PS’s world, sewing together genres like scenes in a movie: Fluid uptempo drill on bangers such as Hot Topic, Him and Stop Playing; gleaming club rap on AMG; confessional religious rumination on Al-Haaji; introspective pain rap on Cradle to the Grave; and swaggering Afroswing with the focus track, Rarey Life. Largely mixed and produced by the same
class of South London drill originators PS came up with – Scratch, Tweeko and Sebz – this is the authentic sound of the South London streets, unfiltered, gritty, and shot through with heart.
A stand out cut, Rarey Life sees P switch his bars between South London slang and the Creole of his Sierra Leonean family. Riding a beat made from sweet choirs, walking bass, and warm tropical synths, P reflects on life as the child of immigrants in the UK, drawing a line from his grandfather farming in Sierra Leone to his own antics on the cold streets of London. Already supported by DJ Target and Kenny Allstar at BBC 1Xtra, the track is an instant classic.
Shining a light on PS’s versatility, Prodigal Son is a concise snapshot of an artist hitting his creative peak, proving that there is far more to his art than dark street tales. Following the EP drop, comes a video shot by MOBO winners Tim & Barry of PS performing the 7tracks with a full live band, PS is now ready to take the mantle of rockstar as well as rapper, elevating above the confines of the genre, while effortlessly showing what it can do.
TIMELINE
● LEAD SINGLE – HOT TOPIC – NOV 20TH / VIDEO NOV 21
● PRODIGAL SON w/ SINGLE RAREY LIFE – NOV 29
● INTERVIEW WITH FUMEZ THE ENGINEER / MIXTAPE MADNESS / DEC TBC
● PRODIGAL SON – LIVE – DEC 13
● KENNY ALLSTAR / VOICE OF THE STREETS FREESTYLES – FEB DATE TBC
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