Sangy Introspection EP

Introspection is Sangy’s second release of the year, following on from the well-received Paving the Way mixtape. The Mancunian rapper is one of a growing number of articulate young MCs who write with humour, pathos and wisdom that belies their years. Such local luminaries tend to collaborate on each other’s tracks and this mixtape is no different. The sonic fingerprints of Kydro and Pro P are present, illustrating why they’re such highly regarded producers, and Blind Mic, Dubbul O and Afro Sam also make appearances with voices distinctly their own.

The opening track, ‘Deadline Day’, is a humorous tale of wheeling and dealing with a likeable amount of braggadocio, but this is where similarities with Sangy’s first release end. His puffed out chest soon deflates and the introspection begins.

‘Making It’ and ‘What’s Money?’ are a welcome riposte to the gangsta illusion peddled by white major label businessmen, and ‘Mirrors, Highway’ and ‘Like Me’ are songs of sincerity, unafraid to show blind sides and insecurities. When so many young men are suffering in silence with their mental health, Sangy embraces it head on with a steam engine delivery powered by a fire in the belly. When flanked by his friends it almost seems like group therapy and the effect is liberating.

Through Introspection, Sangy looks set to escape his postcode and find some national recognition that has so far escaped his more vocal contemporaries, reinforcing the notion that it’s always the quiet ones you should watch out for.