Single Review: Tell No Lies

Earlier this month, Christchurch hip-hop artist And$um dropped Tell No Lies, the first single from his forthcoming debut album. Produced by scene-legend Dera Meelan, this is not your stock-standard approach to hip-hop/rap.

Kicking off with heavily filtered electronic blips and beeps, before finally introducing the hypnotic and rhythmically intricate beat and huge bass that will rattle the hell out of any crappy speaker system and the ribs/bowels out of anyone listening on a high-spec system, Tell No Lies is a high-energy burst (running at just under 2 minutes) of a clear artistic manifesto. And$um’s statement is “I’m here, pay attention”, and from this release he is someone worthy of paying attention to.

With a lyrical flow that reminds me of the golden days of classic rap, such as 808 States’ MC Tunes, And$um effortlessly drops line after line of Kiwi-inspired (did I hear a shout out to Levin?) hip-hop. It is during the fast-flow sections that this track really shines, as the hook/chorus left me wanting… I don’t know what exactly – maybe a more dynamic rhythmic change, or maybe a vocal line that is a bit more gymnastic, or maybe some soaring backing vocals, I don’t know really, just something more.

Despite this one criticism, and it’s really not a big one, this is a very strong track and a good statement or introduction to And$um’s music. I do absolutely love the ‘mic-drop’ moment of the track’s ending. No messing around, no extended outro or anything, just a single lonely beat screaming out “we’re done.”