Absolute killer beats and intense raps make Pham one to watch.

 

Substance is the cornerstone of hip hop and rap. Without any lyrical content of meaning or value, the outcome is often a flimsy form of pointless posturing that boasts overconfidence and irritation. If a rap artist isn’t saying something worth saying, it’s usually just a jerk-off session for the ego.

This is why Pham‘s latest release, the Movements EP, is a killer release. It not only avoids posturing for the most part, but it’s got substance and messages to be conveyed. It’s not all self-absorbed, self-idolisation. In fact there are moments, such as Trompki and Squaad, where he takes an instrumental track and doesn’t vocally feature himself. Not only does this make for a break in the bar-spitting intensity of the other tracks, but these instrumentals are stunningly constructed in their own right.

Which, ultimately, seems to be the aim of the entire EP. It’s not to show off Pham’s inate talent for capturing a hip-pop sense of hooks and melody, or even his dope rapping skills that can spit, spin and turn word over word without hesitancy. The EP is constructed to show the wide range of abilities that Pham has to offer.

From the synthesiser take off and rapid rapping of Controls to the killer bros-before-hoes feel and solid beats of Off the chair, the EP spans a lot of stylistic variations and Pham nails each one. It’s not easy to find a new artist that can keep it feeling so fresh from track to track and make each one a flawless hit.

Pham is the one to watch. This EP is an absolute beast and a strong sign of what’s to come.