Although Little Simz original version of “Venom,” released on her standout 2019 album Grey Area, initially had nothing to do with the Marvel anti-hero of the same name, it would have been a waste of synergistic potential for the good folks at Sony to not try to employ it in the new sequel film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Fortunately, Simz was up for the revival, picking up the pen to revamp the lyrics for a more motivational mood fitting to the comic-book-inspired antics onscreen.
You can thank Venom: Let There Be Carnage (boy, that’s a mouthful — which… considering the character in question… fits?) star Tom Hardy for Simz’s inclusion in the process. Last week, the film’s director Andy Serkis told Uproxx that Simz’s fellow Brit and well-known hip-hop head Hardy suggested the song be used in a sequence in the film and reached out to Simz to make it happen. “She actually had made a song, unbeknownst to her, called ‘Venom’ that connected very much with the first movie,” Serkis said, “And so Tom got in touch with her and that song became sort of the focus [of the scene].”
The moment is perfectly positioned to capitalize on Simz’s recently released album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and her upcoming North American tour, putting her music in what will undoubtedly be one of the more popular movies of the year just in time to bring in a plethora of new fans. She deserves them.
Little Simz is fresh off the release of her latest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, an adventurous album that has left fans wanting to hear it live. Well, next year, they’ll get to do just that, as Simz has announced a North American tour for 2022.
The dates span most of May, kicking off in Portland, Oregon before rolling through Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and New York City.
Of Simz’ new album, Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes, “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert takes some big swings, but it never lets go of its message for the sake of an impressive stroke at expanding its sound. Simz has evolved, album by album, into the kind of artist who can push boundaries and remain both relatable and universal at the same time. It’s a balancing act that so many artists could take lessons from as hip-hop pursues its contemporary aspirations at making ‘high art,’ because Simz already is.”
Check out the full list of dates below.
05/01/2022 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
05/02/2022 — Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
05/05/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
05/11/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
05/15/2022 — Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
05/17/2022 — Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club
05/19/2022 — Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
05/21/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry
05/23/2022 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage
05/25/2022 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
In all the noise and chaos of the rollouts for Drake and Kanye West’s new albums, it might have been easy to miss the release of one of the best albums of the year. That’s a shame, because while one of the more infuriating debates surrounding those albums was their lack of female voices, Little Simz’s new album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert should have been sufficient to satisfy any desire for a feminine presence — ironically, as it gave ample evidence that a woman, by herself, can be enough.
That may have been its goal all along. Simz elucidates the internal world of a woman pursuing her dream of rap stardom in defiance of her own discomfort at the idea of fitting into a world where women aren’t always welcome. She does this by way of narrative skits peppered throughout which highlight the introversion suggested by the album’s title; Simz is no star-chaser or glory hound, prompting one of the characters in the interludes, a character that seems to reflect Simz’s inner voice to question why she’s even here. It’s a question that I think every artist has wrestled with — or at least, one that perhaps they should.
Simz is also not a shrinking violet either. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is her fourth album, building on the critical acclaim and momentum of her highly-praised 2019 project, Grey Area. On that album, she showed a propensity and a gift for both clear-eyed introspection and sharp observation. Here, she refines those skills, offering broad-ranging commentary and experienced insights on the world’s perceptions of Black women and her own defiant reactions to them.
On songs such as “Woman” featuring Cleo Sol, Simz lists women by nationality and occupation, offering a counterpoint to the often negative stereotypes that exist in the mainstream hip-hop world. In the interlude “Gems,” she details those struggles in conversation with the fairy godmother-esque inner voice (played by Diana, Princess of Wales actress Emma Corrin) both encouraging her and interrogating her doubts. “But understand you’re human,” she advises. “Be proud. Your light will shine in the darkest hour. Pressure makes diamonds.”
“Standing Ovation” continues this line of questioning but adds a boisterous dose of braggadocio, reminding the audience that Little Simz is one of rap’s foremost technicians as well. A beat switch reflects the duality of womanhood, swinging between the extroverted confident delivery of a traditional rapper and the somewhat muted, but never dimmed, introverted calm at the center of the storm. The latter is a swirling, shimmering instrumental breakdown, allowing Simz to pause and reflect on the personal sacrifices it takes to earn the boasts.
Throughout the album, Simz tries on different styles, inhabiting each with a calm confidence born of her hard-won self-possession. On “Point And Kill” she executes afro-pop as assuredly as Nigerian native guest artist Obongjayar, keeping the vibe every bit as strong on “Fear No Man.” Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is a sweeping experiment that operates with an astonishing level of sonic breadth, but it never loses its sense of structure and direction. Simz is completely in control, keeping the melange of sounds and styles from ever feeling as chaotic as Kanye’s Donda or artificial as Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. When she chooses to address complex parental relationships on “I Love You, I Hate You,” it’s with a grace that neither has ever completely mastered.
It’s cozy and cohesive, more revealing than either of the aforementioned, but also much more genuine and honest. Simz is speaking from her experience but speaking for so many women who might feel voiceless in the current context of hip-hop, where spectacle seems to outweigh substance. Don’t get it twisted; Sometimes I Might Be Introvert takes some big swings too, but it never lets go of its message for the sake of an impressive stroke at expanding its sound. Simz has evolved, album by album, into the kind of artist who can push boundaries and remain both relatable and universal at the same time. It’s a balancing act that so many artists could take lessons from as hip-hop pursues its contemporary aspirations at making “high art,” because Simz already is.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is out now via AWAL Digital Limited and AGE 101. Get it here.
Little Simz’s album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, arrived last night after a months-long rollout. That rollout included videos for “Introvert,” “Woman,” and “I Love You, I Hate You,” as well as her US television debut on The Tonight Show to perform “Woman” and her NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert debut, where she premiered the Afropop-inflected single “Point And Kill featuring London-based Nigerian artist Obongjayar. Today, along with the album, she released a groovy video for “Point And Kill” to accompany the album.
In the video, Simz takes a trip to Nigeria, her parents’ homeland, to tour the countryside, encountering a diverse cast of characters, including weightlifting macho men and church-going aunties. The video culminates in a very stylish club scene, seeing Simz and Obongjayar grooving in a small club full of people dressed in retro-chic ensembles. The overall vibe is very Queen & Slim, especially in the closing scene, which finds Simz and Obongjayar surrounded by armed police officers all pointing their guns at him as she defends him with a machete. The video ends on this ambiguous note, giving viewers plenty to ponder — much like many of Simz’s other videos.
Watch Little Simz’s “Point And Kill” video featuring Obongjayar above. You can catch Simz live at End Of The Road in Dorset this Sunday.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is out now via AWAL Digital Limited. You can check it out here.
With NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series still working from home, for the time being, the show’s latest guest, Little Simz, takes the theme a bit literally, turning her performance space into a replica of a cozy family living room complete with bookcases, plush leather couches, and even a far-out, retro throw rug to make the space pop. Alongside her band, she performs songs from her upcoming album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, including the premiere of “Point And Kill,” an Afropop-leaning jam featuring Obongjayar.
The Tiny Desk concert is the culmination of Little Simz’s months-long rollout for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, which drops this Friday, September 3. Earlier this month, she made her US television debut on The Tonight Show to perform the standout single “Woman,” for which she’d previously released an elegant music video. Another track, “I Love You, I Hate You,” finds her penning an open letter to her father about her conflicted feelings toward him, while “Introvert” kicked everything off back in April.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is Simz’s first album since 2019’s Grey Area, although she did release the EP Drop 6 to break up the monotony of quarantine boredom last year. Now that live entertainment has returned, you can catch Simz this weekend at the End Of The Road festival in Dorset, England.
Watch Little Simz perform her cozy NPR Tiny Desk Concert above.
UK rapper Little Simz has been steadily releasing mixtapes and EPs since 2014. She received much critical acclaim for her latest 2019 album Grey Area, and she’s currently gearing up for her next LP. To celebrate, Little Simz took over late-night TV for a performance of her single “Woman” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Illuminated by elegant chandeliers, Little Simz took the stage sporting a fitted suit for her US TV debut. Accompanied by a full band and a trio of backup singers, Little Simz rhythmically delivered her “Woman” lyrics, which describe the qualities of beautiful women across the world. The Cleo Sol-featuring song originally debuted back in May as the second single off her upcoming album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. The rapper has also previewed the effort with the tracks “Introvert,” “I Love You, I Hate You,” and “Rollin Stone.”
Days ahead of her performance, the rapper took to Twitter to thank her fans for all the support they’ve shown her over the years. “Appreciate you riding w me,” she wrote. “some from grey area , some from stillness , some from a curious tale , some from the early early EPs & mixtapes. September we go again.”
Appreciate you riding w me , some from grey area , some from stillness , some from a curious tale , some from the early early EPs & mixtapes. September we go again
British rapper Little Simz has a blistering new song out today called “I Love You, I Hate You,” which is the latest offering from her forthcoming album Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert, her first full-length release since 2019’s critically acclaimed Grey Area. Unrolling pointed verses over swells of horns and strings, with a sung chorus of “I love you, I hate you,” Simz addresses her father on the Inflo-produced track.
She says in a statement, “Flo asked me, ‘What do you love and what do you hate?’ I knew the answer immediately, but I was adamant I didn’t want to talk about it.” The song’s lyrics echo her inner-conflict, as Simz asks, “Is you a sperm donor or a dad to me?” Later, she gets even more blunt: “You made a promise to God to be there for your kids […] You made a promise to give them a life you didn’t live / My ego won’t fully allow me to say that I miss you / A woman who hasn’t confronted all her daddy issues.”
Prior to this, Little Simz released the singles “Rollin Stone,” “Woman,” and “Introvert.”
Listen to the poignant “I Love You, I Hate You” above.
Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert is out 9/3 via Age 101. Pre-order it here.