Last Friday night, I watched Little Simz show a room full of sweaty dudes what's good. On stage, her signature braid peeking out underneath a wide brim, she bulldozed through material from the mixtapes and EPs that have collectively earned her a shout-out from Kendrick Lamar—"she might be one of the illest doing it right now," he told the BBC—and a BET Award nomination for Best International Act. But when she played the previously unreleased track "Lane Switch," premiering on The FADER today, things really went off. I've been thinking about her matter-of-fact delivery of this line for days—That shit don't impress me/ Labels and boys are the same, they both just want to undress me.
"Lane Switch is an update on where I am in life right now and what space I'm in, I've been on the road for the longest time and want to update my listeners on how I finding everything," she said over email. "Giving my supporters new music is my way of staying creative and updating you guys while traveling, growing and evolving."
Enjoy the RASCAL-produced loosie above to tide you over until the release of her debut album, which is due out later this year. And, if you're in LA, check out Simz's headlining gig at the Lyric Theatre on June 23rd, where she'll be playing with Thurz, SiR and NYKU, and some special secret guests.
