On March 12, 2021 East London artist Lancey Foux released FIRST DEGREE, a mixtape following his fifth studio album FRIEND OR FOUX. The 11 song project has a runtime of just under 25 minutes and includes a single feature from legendary British artist Skepta. 

FIRST DEGREE is anything but traditional as Lancey uses his cadence in many interesting ways atop unconventional production and sound design. With no surprise, Lancey Foux draws many comparisons to Atlanta’s Playboi Carti, although through similar sounds and many cross over fans, Lancey is uniquely himself. As one of the most interesting and eccentric personalities in the UK Hip Hop scene Lancey’s energy on FIRST DEGREE  is emphatic. Foux’s use of conviction, hypnotic flows, earworm ad-libs, charisma, aggressive lyrics, and creative production all add to the unique energy of the project. 

My favorite track on the project is “HONEST”. As the closing track to the project, Lancey finds himself reflecting on his lifestyle and actions as an artist, and thinking back on his life prior to fame. The somber instrumental goes from hard bass hits to soothing hums to a very innovative use of the 808 Slide thanks to production from  BEAUTIFULMVN, Jaasu & BNYX®.   

If you’d like to listen to the album, here’s the Spotify link: