FR32

On his fourth album, Wretch 32 is a dazzling blend of technical excellence and soul-baring honesty. Bass-heavy lead single “Whistle” is an exemplary, good-times floor-filler, but Wretch has always stood out as one of UK hip-hop’s premier MCs when he’s focusing his dexterous couplets and emotionally charged delivery on heavyweight subjects. That remains true here as he considers mortality (“Time”) and parenthood (“Happy”) with unflinching candour. “His & Hers (Perspectives)” is the showstopper, picking apart a relationship with an incisive understanding of the hypocrisy that grows out of soured love.