"Everyone's a killer, drug dealer with a nine milla-- that's not sensible." So says UK hip-hop upstart Sway on his debut album, This Is My Demo. By acknowledging reality and sounding pragmatic, the statement automatically puts Sway in the "thinking" lane. And like myriad backpacker drones before him, he could easily follow it up with the suggestion of an alternate path (that possibly involves veganism), or at least list a bunch of the same reasons why such common rap tropes are indeed "not sensible." Thankfully, he does neither. Instead, one of Britain's finest rhymers flashes a sense of hilarity and wit most "sensible" rappers can merely allude to: "And I can sense the bull/ That's why these rappers couldn't see me coming if they were vaginas with spectacles."
As old-school Tribe fans drool in anticipation of Lupe Fiasco's official record and New York loyalists blast Papoose out of their Hondas and mix huts like he's the second coming of Biggie, Sway isn't even getting any Dizzee (or, for that matter, Kano) shine in the U.S. Though disappointing, it's not surprising-- as Sasha Frere-Jones recently wrote in The New Yorker, commenting on the U.S. vs. UK divide: "If your songs are cynical, ironic, or misanthropic, and loaded with references to Tesco...Americans may simply turn the dial." Sway's songs aren't straightforward in the simple sense and This Is My Demo punctures the gangstar image of rappers elevated by their own immoralities, but it accomplishes this with self-effacing cunning and dynamic technical dexterity. He may not be the answer to every rap fan disillusioned with the omnipotence of shameless hip-hop stigmata like Rick Ross, but he's a more than viable Okayplayer-friendly alternative who's spearheading indie originality in 2006.
With grime already being pushed to its logical sonic end, more UK artists like Sway-- who produced half of this LP-- are recalibrating their sound while warming up to various American styles. Tracks like "Flo Fashion" and "Download" get glitched with grime's nihilistic hyper-Sega blasts, but elsewhere, Demo's production varies from the r&b-tinged schmooveness of "Little Derek" to the Jazze Pha-style light-bounce of "Sick World" to vintage Kanye on "Month in the Summer". Such diversity goes lengths to ensure the album's listenability, and Sway matches the array with myriad flows, sincere autobiographical subject matter, and biting metaphor might.
As an MC, the 23-year-old British-born, Ghana-bred Derek Safo is probably too smart and honest for mass popularity yet still brilliant within his own knowing circle. When he says, "Cause when you do UK rap, you're No. 2/ Cause the USA ain't givin' us space to break through," he's not necessarily bitter, just stating the facts. Sway's relatable ambiguities and self-doubt shade Demo with subtle depth. As on "Download"-- probably the best, most entertaining song yet to grapple with an artist's internal struggle with illegal file-sharing-- he vents his frustrations before eventually acknowledging the lure of infinite spins. When he admits, "I download too/ I'm a big hypocrite/ I'll download you/ But I don't want you to download me because I work very hard and a download's free," the sentiment may not push you to fork over import prices, but it's highly admirable.
Though he's mostly dealing with worn-in-the-dirt hip-hop themes like personal prowess, industry bullshit, and a troubled upbringing, there's always a clear-headed twist. "Loose Woose", is the one about the promiscuous girl but it's hardly mean-spirited as it focuses on her conquests' stupidity. And while "Flo Fashion" is about an MC who buys all the gadgets, rims, and duds quick-fix advance checks can afford, it's a satirical role-play. He's ambitious in his influences, too; instead of lamely piggybacking Jay-Z, there's an impressive Eminem strain found in his musings like on the funk farce "Sick World", which finds him name dropping and goofing on his adolescence: "My teeth wasn't exactly straight/ Know what I mean, guv?/ Like, me and the dentist wasn't exactly mates."
There are minor moments when Demo's slight r&b hooks miss and when Sway deviates too far from his good-natured strengths, but the lion's share is ace-- thoughtful but not pedantic, funny but not stupid, sincere but not treacly, realistic but not boring. In a critical paradise, the album would be huge on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, it won't be. But, predictably, Sway even has a sly plan B with regards to Stateside failure, "If I flop I'll come back in a disguise, tie a British flag over my face and no one will know it's me."
