HHSCFETWAS is, in a word, busy. Ashanti Mutinta has now charged three records with her tectonic energy—here, we are pulled through to the trilogy’s cataclysmic end. For all that this record is, it is hip-hop first. It’s a shame that this album provides its least inspiring elements in that genre. The beats don’t offer enough diversity across the tracklist, and there’s an overused, cyclical drone that grows monotonous in the vibrant landscape. The writing here is hellish, soulful, and direct. It deserves a wider range of contexts, hinted at by the samples. Nevertheless, Mutinta’s perilous ambition matches her performance, which itself is a feat of theatre.
21/30
A favourite: ‘Mukazi’
‘HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING’ is out now (only on Bandcamp) via Ugly Hag/self-released.
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