First emerging on the UK scene around 2017. Rapper and singer, Slowthai (real name Tyron Frampton) has proved to be one of the most exciting and creative alternative hip-hop artists to come out of Britain since Mike Skinner.
Born and raised in Northampton, Frampton’s 2019 debut album Nothing Great About Britain was released to critical acclaim and saw him turn heads in the UK and the US. The versatile artist has collaborated with the likes of Tyler The Creator, Brockhampton and A$AP Rocky and does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Having been quiet for a while on the music front, Frampton has resurfaced and announced that he is back and better than ever as he prepares to release a new album.
The Northampton native has revealed that his new project won’t just be urban but will draw on various genres, including punk-rock and. The album UGLY will feature Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. and other renowned musicians, including Ethan P. Flynn, Jockstrap’s Taylor Skye, Beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden and drummer Liam Toon.
Frampton has unveiled that the album title, UGLY is an acronym for the phrase “U Gotta Love Yourself”. The rapper has the slogan marked permanently on his face with a tattoo. Sharing details of this latest body of work with music publication NME, Slowthai stated, “The first album was the sound of where I’m from and everything I thought I knew. The second album is what was relevant to me at that moment in time, the present. And this album is completely me – about how I feel and what I want to be… it’s everything I’ve been leading up to.”
Speaking about the album name and why he chose to entitle the album UGLY, Frampton declared, “It doesn’t matter what or who people think you are, you’ve just got to stay true and respect yourself. I have UGLY tattooed on my face because it’s a reminder to love myself rather than put myself down constantly or feel the impression people have of me should determine who I am as a person.”
In the leadup to this latest album, Slowthai has released its lead single ‘Selfish’. The track is the first that the artist has put out since his one-off single release last November, ‘I Know Nothing’, which was released in conjunction with ‘Beats By Dre’.
‘Selfish’ is an alternative rock song inspired by his love for acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead and Daniel Johnston. The track is an electrifying listen and a thrill to listen to. With more singles on the way, UGLY will be officially released on March 3rd via Method Records. You can listen to selfish in the video below.
