
“Doorman” coaxes out rapper slowthai's snarling punk core
slowthai, the self-confessed “King of Northampton”, returns with his black humour-tinged rap on “Doorman”.
slowthai's scowling, twisted track stays true to form in some senses: he calls out a growing socio-economic divide in modern-day Britain. This time around, he samples old news segments of interviews with drug dealers - the glue sniffing and cheap booze is a backdrop for his mockery of good old British patriotism (he has a tattoo saying 'Nothing great about Britain' on his stomach).
He says: "I was at some yard in Chelsea after a night out and I saw 4.5 million pound paintings hanging on the wall and it made me sick… I went to the studio the next day and wrote Doorman. Doorman, let me in the door.”
Grammy-nominated Mura Masa produced the track, layering janky Nintendo blips over industrial 808 beats, while lo-fi guitar feedback punctuates slowthai's scathing lyrics. Mura Masa is on the money when he dubs slowthai as “the embodiment of subversive and punk energy in UK rap.” With his raw energy and cutting lyrics highlighting class struggles, slowthai is for Northampton what Sleaford Mods are to... Sleaford.
“It's a record that challenges ideas about what rap can be, which I think the scene needs more of,” Mura Masa adds.
- Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2025 finalists revealed
- Ed Sheeran shares new single, "Azizam"
- Kesha wants forthcoming album to be "a safe space for people to feel fully embodied and liberated"
- Rachel Chinouriri presents new single, "23:42"
- Caity Baser joins forces with Oh Wonder on new single, "Running From Myself"
- Lydia Night of The Regrettes unveils debut solo single, "Pity Party"
- Matilda Mann covers Chet Baker's "There Will Never Be Another You"
Get the Best Fit take on the week in music direct to your inbox every Friday

Dirty Projectors
Song of the Earth

Black Country, New Road
Forever Howlong

Djo
The Crux
