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MoStack High Street Kid MizerMillion Entertainment

14.06.17

2016 was the year MoStack broke through with a consistent kill streak of bangers including Block Popping, Liar Liar and its subsequent remix featuring J Hus and Krept & Konan. Off the back of the hype, the North London rapper has propelled himself to new heights with the High Street Kid mixtape, which debuted at number 16 in the UK album charts – providing an indication of what Mo could be capable of once he’s ready to drop an official commercial album.

MoStack rarely gives interviews, opting instead to let his music do the talking, and High Street Kid says a lot. Instrumentally, the beats here reference dancehall and afrobeats, pairing them with the gritty energy of rap and grime alongside sweet female vocal samples reminiscent of old school garage anthems. It’s a sound which captures the diaspora zeitgeist that seems to have become 2017’s summer soundtrack alongside Afro B’s MOVES compilation and, of course, J Hus’s critically acclaimed album Common Sense. But within the sound palette of this new wave, MoStack favours the rap end of the spectrum. His bars are audacious, often tongue-in-cheek and full of innuendos, particularly on tracks like I Like It, Sorry Mama and Explore Ya.

The sweet-sounding beat of Explore Ya slips seamlessly into the final track Ussy Ussy. Both beats were provided by production duo Ill Blu, with whom MoStack has a proven track record, and elsewhere long time collaborators like J Hus, Sevaqk, Mist, Steel Banglez and Krept appear with guest features and beats.“I have less friends now, I had more in the past,” MoStack admits on the streetwise, sorrowful track The Friend. He might be keeping his circle small these days, but in his strive for success, MoStack certainly isn’t alone.