F&Y’s mixtape features a conglomerate of artists, including the likes of Avelino, Kojo Funds, Ms Banks and Maxsta. The divergence of these artists is reflected in the varying genres the mixtape offers; rap, grime and afro-swing.  To some degree, the mixtape acts as a platform for up and coming artists and shines a light on those who would be considered grossly underrated.

The Tape can be likened structurally to New Gen’s album released in 2017 – they both feature a large compilation of artists and they are both headed up by one management group. When asked about the conception of the mixtape at their listening party last week, Youngz of F&Y Management replied, “Last year, we thought we could do something, change the game. We started looking for producers and artists and yeah, the rest is history”.  

The crowd’s reception to The Tape was unwavering as most tracks were received with vigorous head bops – a clear indication that they were liking the tracks. However, the opening track, Amber, did fall very flat. This could be attributed to some hearing it previously or the reptitive and somewhat grating nature of the track. Crowd favourites included, Swoosh, What They Do, Hold Me Down, Boasy and Ain’t The Same. Boasy was immediately captivating; it’s ferociously energetic and is like a nostalgic old-school grime song. Ain’t The Same was performed vibrantly by Kojo Funds, Weezo and Trix Sosa. We loved the track so much that it just had to be wheeled up. I can only describe the track as hustle personified, it’s fantastic.

The Tape overall is a decent body of work, it’s not groundbreaking nor a complete let down. It is easy to digest and there are enough good tracks on the The Tape. However, the   initial hype around the tape as well as its impact since its release has been very small, thus putting the quality of The Tape into question. As time moves at light speed in music, it is likely that The Tape will soon be out-shined by a new album or mixtape release. But as The Tape is still in its infancy, have a listen below! What do you think? What’s your favourite track?