Northampton-raised rapper Slowthai’s new track ENEMY has just dropped, featuring a sample of The 1975 front man Matty Healy. “Everyone, send your thoughts to Slowthai,” the track opens. “Fuck knows where he is but god bless the boy.” Recorded at the 2020 NME Awards, Healy’s statement is followed by a peal of audience laughter that is then looped and warped as Slowthai begins rapping.
Presented in a music video shot on hand-held camera, filmed in ghoulish night-vision, the 25-year-old artist offers an invasive close-up with a single light source reflecting brightly off his gold teeth and his large, threatening eyes.
For a track titled ‘enemy,’ it’s an appropriately antagonistic piece for an artist familiar with generating controversy.
Earlier this year, Slowthai had suffered acerbic backlash against his aggressive behaviour at the NME Awards in February. After making lecherous comments toward Canadian host Katherine Ryan – reportedly telling her, “Baby girl … if you want to do something, see me later … you ain’t never had anyone play with you like I’ll play with you” – crowd members made their disgust known, shouting out accusations of misogyny.
This led to the infamous physical dispute in which, during his acceptance speech for his fan-voted Hero of the Year Award, he confronts a heckler, telling her “thank you for ruining my speech.” He then throws the microphone down from the stage and walks away – as the microphone is lobbed back up at him – only to reappear holding what appears to be a champagne flute, which he hurls onto a crowd member.
He then leaps off the stage and engages in a violent altercation, only to be held back by security. Shortly afterwards Slowthai exited the ceremony altogether, later taking to Twitter to issue his apology: “.@nme please forward my award to @kathbum for she is the hero of the year … i want to unreservedly apologise, there is no excuse and I am sorry. i am not a hero.”
ENEMY is the first piece of new music by Slowthai since the release of his debut album Nothing Great About Britain last May.
