| No Thank You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 December 2022 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:56 | |||
| Label | Forever Living Originals,AWAL | |||
| Producer | Inflo | |||
| Little Simz chronology | ||||
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No Thank You (stylised inall caps) is the fifth studio album by English rapperLittle Simz. It was released on 12 December 2022 through theindependent label Forever Living Originals after being announced less than a week prior.No Thank You is ahip-hop album containing elements ofgospel,afrobeat,soul,funk, andelectronic music.
The songs onNo Thank You contain subtle rhythms withorchestral instrumentation, featuring Simz rapping about her music industry experiences, intrapersonal communication, and spiritual revelations. Simz worked with longtime collaboratorsInflo (for production) andCleo Sol (for background vocals) to create this project. Simz released a ten-minute short film on 16 December 2022 to accompany the album.
The album received critical acclaim from music critics, who praised its emotional depth, smooth production, and Simz's lyrical quality. Despite being released at the end of the year,The Daily Telegraph declaredNo Thank You the bestUK rap album of 2022, whileRolling Stone,BrooklynVegan and other publications also ranked the album highly in their respective year-end lists.[2][3][4]
In 2021, Little Simz released her previous studio albumSometimes I Might Be Introvert, which became her first album to place in the top-ten of theUK Album Chart (at number four), and was ranked one of the best music releases of 2021 by critics.[5][6] The album also received industry accolades throughout 2022, including a nomination for theBrit Award for British Album of the Year,[7] aLibera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record,[8] aMercury Prize,[9] and Best Album at theMOBO Awards.[10]
Simz also saw setbacks in 2022, including a cancelled UStour, citing financial restrictions as anindependent artist.[11]
No Thank You has ten songs and clocks in at just under fifty minutes. Musically, it is ahip-hop album with influences fromgospel,funk,R&B, andelectronic music.Cleo Sol is a featured vocalist on the album, adding a "soulful energy" to contrast Simz's "assertive" rapping.[12][13] The songs onNo Thank You have longinstrumentalcodas that are highlighted by Inflo's "lushly" and "inventive"arrangements filled withchoral vocals and "swelling"strings. These musical touches were compared to works fromDavid Axelrod andCharles Stepney, though "without ever seeming like straightforward homage."[14]No Thank You was further described as "atmospheric" and "melancholic".[4]
Hip Hop Golden Age staff compared the release with Simz's previous two studio albums, saying the "neo soul direction" ofNo Thank You lands somewhere between the "short and punchy" energy ofGrey Area, and the "sprawling and grandiose" nature ofSometimes I Might Be Introvert.[15] Jack Lynch ofHypebeat highlighted the lyrical themes, saying: "[...] we hear the struggles that came with killing her ego, navigating a male-dominated rap industry, and how her love affiliations have been difficult to manage while staying embedded in her faith."[12]i writer Kate Solomon summarised the record's mood: "Hard beats are absent, in their place dreamyfunk riffs and laidback flows that are in no hurry to get where they're going. There is anger but it is eclipsed by confidence and a sense of righteousness."[16]
On the minimalist album opener, "Angel", Simz analyses her rise to stardom with a "Prince-style pun" onmaster ownership.[11][17] A "reflective" track with "electronic coos," the song pays tribute to Simz's late childhood friend Harry Uzoka, a famous model who was killed in a stabbing in January 2018, and also examines Simz's fame, music industry complications, and personal endurance.[18][19] Dylan Green ofPitchfork noted how "fully relaxed" Simz sounds on track two, "Gorilla", which samples aJurassic 5 bassline.[11][20] Green highlights the "triumphant" and "victorious mood" of the song, accentuated by itsbass plunks, drums, and horns, adding how "Gorilla" is "a retort againstrap game bullshit". Track three, "Silhouette", containsgospel influences, and James Keith ofComplex Networks also noted strong gospel elements running throughout the whole album.[16][21] The outro of "Silhouette" features "dramaticorchestration, booming drums and backing singers".[14]
Track four, "No Merci", has "whirringsynths" and was described as "a brash and inventive track with vintagesamples fluttering behind a beat designed to make you move".[16][19] Track five, "X", is about spiritual guidance and overcoming pain. It features a "wall ofpercussion" resembling "amarching band,West African drumming and rollingbreakbeats".[14] A theme of perseverance runs through track six, "Heart on Fire". On the seventh track, "Broken", Simz exploresgenerational trauma andBlack mental health.Uproxx noted the song's "looped melodic sample andhi-hats".[17] Track eight, "Sideways", has a "head-turning blast" of "aggressively" sped-up vocal samples. On the "beautifully warped soft soul" of track nine, "Who Even Cares", Simz sings about on focusing her eyes towards the future with a subtleauto-tuned vocal.[14][16][22] The closing track, "Control", is a piano-led number about falling in love.[14][23]
Less than a week after winning her MOBO Award in December 2022, Simz announced her new albumNo Thank You on 6 December 2022 viasocial media, and the album was made available to pre-save digitally. With the announcement, she wrote: "emotion is energy in motion. honour your truth and feelings. eradicate fear. boundaries are important."[24] On 10 December 2022, Simz revealed the album's release date, track list, cover art (shot by Karolina Wielocha), and producer (Inflo).[25]No Thank You was released tostreaming services at midnight on 12 December 2022.
On 15 December 2022, Simz shared a teaser of aNo Thank You film on herInstagram account, announcing its release for the follow day. On 16 December 2022, she released the ten-minuteNo Thank Youshort film to accompany the album.[26] The film, directed by Gabriel Moses, features five songs from the album. In order, they are "X", "Silhouette", "Sideways", "Broken" and "Heart on Fire". Emma Wilkes fromNME noted how these songs are "combined with visuals that present the rapper as a giant presiding over a flock and delivering her lines before a crowd of wealthy observers.[27] Larisha Paul fromRolling Stone felt that "Throughout the film, Simz settles into a lead role surrounded by other Black performers to not only reject praise provided by external validation, but also reject the harmful myth of thestrong Black women that more often than not erases the sympathy of human struggle by discrediting emotions that don't line up with the preconceived narrative prescribed to them."[26]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.4/10[28] |
| Metacritic | 86/100[29] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [30] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [2] |
| Evening Standard | [19] |
| Gigwise | [31] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
| i | [16] |
| NME | [32] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[33] |
| Rolling Stone | [34] |
| The Skinny | [35] |
No Thank You received widespread critical acclaim from music critics, who complimented Inflo's smooth production and Simz's lyrical depth. OnMetacritic, which assigns anormalised score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received aweighted mean score of 86 based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[29]
Reviewing the album forAllMusic, Timothy Monger compared the album favourably to its predecessor; "Released barely a year after her Mercury Prize-winner,Sometimes I Might Be Introvert,No Thank You is another tightly focused effort that plays out on a slightly smaller scale but with equally satisfying results."[30] Neil McCormick ofThe Daily Telegraph declaredNo Thank You the bestUK rap album of 2022.[2]Financial Times writer Ludovic Hunter-Tilney shared a similar sentiment, saying the album "confirms [Little Simz's] place at the summit of UK rap, and also the single-mindedness that has driven her to reach it."[11] Kate Solomon ofi gave the album a five-star rating, calling it one of the best releases of Simz's career.[16]
David Smyth ofEvening Standard said Little Simz and Inflo are "still innovating at a skyscraping level".[19] In a review forBrooklynVegan, Andrew Sacher summarised the album: "No Thank You has gorgeous production, samples, and backing vocals, but for the most part, Simz doesn't dress her messages up in anything fancy. She has a lot of important stuff to say, and the world would benefit from taking the time to listen to her."[13]The Skinny wrote "the inimitable Little Simz returns with her limitless, abundant growth", adding how she shows "her irrepressible force and talent".[35]
The track "Broken" was singled out as an album highlight by critics for its emotional rawness, withHip Hop Golden Age calling it "one of the best songs you’ll hear this year".[15]NPR named "Gorilla" the 100th best song of 2022, saying how Simz "displays command of her punchy rhymes with acadence so casual it feels as if she could deliver them in her sleep."[36]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrooklynVegan | 30 Best Rap Albums of 2022 | 14 | |
| Complex Networks | Complex UK's Best Albums of 2022 | 7 | |
| Dazed | The Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2022 | 4 | |
| Evening Standard | The Albums of the Year 2022 | Unranked | |
| Rolling Stone | The 25 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2022 | 14 | |
| WFUV | Best of 2022 Staff Picks | Unranked | |
| Wonderland | Wonderland's Favourite Albums of 2022 | Unranked |
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPR | The 100 Best Songs of 2022 | 100 – "Gorilla" |
All tracks are written bySimbiatu Ajikawo,Cleopatra Nikolic, andDean Josiah Cover, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel" | 5:52 | |
| 2. | "Gorilla" |
| 4:05 |
| 3. | "Silhouette" | 6:33 | |
| 4. | "No Merci" |
| 5:17 |
| 5. | "X" | 6:04 | |
| 6. | "Heart on Fire" | 3:58 | |
| 7. | "Broken" |
| 7:29 |
| 8. | "Sideways" | 2:10 | |
| 9. | "Who Even Cares" | 4:37 | |
| 10. | "Control" | 3:47 | |
| Total length: | 49:56 | ||
| Chart (2022–23) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[42] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] | 51 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] | 11 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[45] | 40 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] | 9 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[47] | 41 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[48] | 40 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[49] | 4 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[50] | 1 |
| USTop Current Album Sales (Billboard)[51] | 61 |
