#41 Ravyn Lenae: HYPNOS

I low-key hate you, you’re never gonna change
I low-key hate you, you probably feel the same
Go, please, you always so controlling
Rather be doing my own thing
You dropped the blunt, now we’re rolling, rolling
I fucking hate you, you’ll never speak my name

Mercury

Ravyn Lenae, dude, what can I say?

Well, I can say that her very name is a powerful affront to the overwhelming principles of computer spellchecks, and for that I applaud her. That lyric as well, you’re expecting a Rico Nasty-esque angry scream aren’t you? You’re expecting Lenae’s voice to have the ferocity and conciliatory spirit of a rusty gattling gun, you’re expecting each syllable to tear at your flesh, you can already feel the effects of each word ricocheting against and bwteen your very bones as they shoot from the speakers, yeah? Admit it, that’s exactly what you’re expecting, verbatim. Ver – motherfucking –batim!

Yet Lenae possesses one of the most uniquely gorgeous voices in modern music. A low, almost hushed and featherlight breath that can sound like the most beautiful wind yet almost pack the power of a gale force hurricane when she so deems it worthy to. She possesses a nasal cool that can sound like she’s barely bothered waking up this morning, but also an eclectic and electric piercing whisper that can scream from the very soul while barely making any noise at all. On ‘HYPNOS’ she demonstrates how real confidence and unshakable self-belief needn’t necessarily be mirrored by volume. The classic phrase is of someone so talented that they could ‘sing the phone book’ and you’d still pay to listen. Well, with some of the barbed and angered lyrics on ‘HYPNOS, Ravyn Lenae actually proves she’d be able to list of the accusations at the Nuremberg Trials and you’d still want to put it on in the evening in order to listen to ‘something chill’. It’s some good fucking shit, you guys.

Don’t listen to this album though, you don’t deserve it. Look at you, mate, you haven’t even changed your underwear since Susie left last month. Do you not think that this general disposition was part of the reason she wanted to split things off in the first place? Dude, you’re gross, sort yourself out before you start believing you’re worthy of shit like this.

Also, she’s 23 years old hand has been releasing music since she was 16, because fuck life, right?