Antisocial - Cristale (2023)

Triumphant, no-nonsense barring over a cinematic UK rap beat that builds and builds into a portrait of young confidence

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There is such a saturation of UK rap now — compared to, say, ten years ago, when the exploding umbrella scene still felt new and exciting, especially alongside the ageing state of grime and pending chaos of drill — that it is hard to stand out.

But Brixton-raised Cristale does exactly that. Her delivery is relentless and punchy in a way that I can only imagine is great to see live on stage, yet her lyrics carry the self-awareness and philosophical thought that you might expect from a more introverted writer. It’s an impressive juggle that only comes around once in a while, reminiscent of Kano or Dave.

When I worked at a youth club in Brixton across the late-2010s, young people and studio engineers alike would talk about a teenage MC called Cristale with reverence. She was starting to gain a reputation as a local hero about to blow, someone who could put a different side of the south London town on the map.

I neglected to look more into it until later, when I kept seeing her name pop up on social media. She has since soared to greatness via a strategic slew of catchy, versatile releases, repeatedly demonstrating her purist MCing talent, dropping viral TikTok sounds like Sing Dat with UK drill producer legend M1OnTheBeat and, in an act of masterful placement, appearing on Top Boy to perform her OVO-backed head-bopper Roadents.

Antisocial is produced by multi-instrumentalist TSB, the man behind multiple hits by the likes of J Hus and Stormzy who learned to make music in his garden shed. He layers the beat with deep, melodic keys, stabs of bass and plucks of the guitar, backdropped by choral vocals.

The video shows Crystal camping alone in an autumnal forest as the day turns to night. With cheeky wordplay and effortless flow-switching, in her lyrics, she tackles the contradictions of rising fame, champions family members, reinforces social boundaries and brags infectiously.

The song is slyly a masterpiece, and precisely what the game needs: substance, flair and detail laced together by refined musicality.

Listen (with proper headphones) to keep your drive and motivation 🆙