JD. Reid, one of UK music’s most in-demand young producers, presents new, 15-track mixtape Tree — the first record to land on his freshly minted new label, Baby Gravy.
Quietly putting down markers in the UK underground over the past three years, Reid has forged ties with breakout UK rappers like slowthai and Oscar #Worldpeace, grime vets D Double E, Ghetts and Bossman Birdie and the experimental electronics of Mr. Mitch and Henry Wu, as well as earning critical acclaim for his production work for rising chart star Mabel (‘Finders Keepers’, ‘Fine Line’).
This widescreen, multi-disciplined approach to his work shone through on two EPs for Rinse — the latest released in summer 2017 and featured collaborations with Novelist and Hodgy (Odd Future) — but it’s on ‘Tree’ that he revels in his own borderless non-conformity. “It’s a mixtape based around the idea of growth and connectivity”, Reid explains, “both on a musical and a general life level.”
Bringing artists and sounds from different lanes together, ‘Tree’ renders genre and style effectively obsolete, instead honing in on a sound that feels distinctly Reid’s own. “It’s a representation of where I feel I’m at right now”, he affirms. “I’m not worrying about conforming to one style or genre or having to be one thing. I’m just making what I feel and having fun with it.”
From booming, introspective tales of the road on ‘I Really Hope’ ft. Oscar #Worldspeace to the mesmeric alt-RnB of ‘XXL’ ft. Fatima, slick weaponized grime of ‘Different’ ft. Bossman Birdie & Ghetts and the dark, wandering atmospherics of ‘Root’ ft. Mr. Mitch’, Tree captures the spirit of UK music in 2018 in full gaze.
Tracklist
1. Tree ft. Chloe Bodur
2. I Really Hope ft. Oscar #Worldpeace
3. Metropolis ft. Roses Gabor
4. XXL ft. Fatima
5. Hum ft. 808INK
6. Just Know ft. Henry Wu, Venna & D Double E
7. Murderer ft. Jevon
8. Root ft. Mr. Mitch
9. Different ft. Bossman Birdie & Ghetts
10. Piggy Bank ft. slowthai
11. Us ft. Reeko Squeeze
12. Lunar ft. Drae Da Skimask
13. Call Your Bluff ft. Katy B
14. Home ft. Jvck James & Venna
15. On My Own ft. Jay Prince
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