Arriving just months after his acclaimed Crop Circle 2, volume three finds north-west London rapper Nines bidding farewell to music: “‘Bout to drop my last album / I’m getting old for rapping,” he muses casually. At 33, he’s already an elder statesman, having cemented road rap’s status in the mainstream. Many artists falsely claim retirement, but if this is the end, Nines is going out on a high (not just because there are multiple funny, albeit puerile, songs about smoking weed, with bars including: “It’s like I stared in Medusa’s eyes / The way I’m stoned”).
The British-Jamaican artist casts his sonic net wider than ever to meld his gruff, easy flow with wobbly reggae, moody piano, trap, R&B, G-funk and gospel. Surrounded by peers old and new, CC3 has the makings of a send-off: the corny singalong Toxic features Bradford bassline heroes Bad Boy Chiller Crew.
Nines is no stranger to walking away: his work often explores his past life selling drugs, which led to a spell in prison in 2021. But he also wants out of music-industry exploitation – on Never Be Me he traces the distance from his road days but notes how “rappers sign their life away”. Nines seems adamant about reclaiming his agency – even on breakup song Could of Been, he doesn’t waste time feeling angry. Nines is dreaming of a new, unconfined chapter: perhaps that’s why Crop Circle 3 sounds so enticingly free.
• This review was amended on 6 October 2023 to reflect a last-minute change to the track listing and correct the album’s record label.
