Loyle Carner’s third album hugo sees one of the UK’s most exciting rappers in full flight. No longer a newcomer to the British hip hop scene, Carner’s latest album is possibly his best yet. On hugo the London rapper explores themes of fatherhood, masculinity, identity, and belonging with characteristically vulnerable and introspective lyricism. At the outset, hugo sees a break away from the jazz-influenced laidback sound of Carner’s 2019 album Not Waving but Drowning, with a more powerful and upbeat sound and style of delivery. However, the more relaxed and laid-back sound of the second half of the album is much more reminiscent of 2019 Loyle.
The first three songs on the album, ‘Hate’, ‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’, and ‘Georgetown’ were all obvious picks for the pre-album singles and they set the tone for the rest of the LP very well. On ‘Hate’, Carner discusses how society pigeonholes black people and establishes a key theme of the album: his complex relationship with his mixed-race identity. This theme is continued on ‘Georgetown’, named after the capital of Guyana in reference to Carner’s Guyanese heritage and featuring a spoken word piece from Guyanese poet John Agard, Loyle discusses his ethnicity more explicitly on the song: “I’m black like the key on the piano, white like the key on the piano”.
‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’ continues Carner’s exploration of his mixed-race identity and also establishes the key themes of fatherhood and masculinity, which run through the rest of the album. The album’s final single released, ‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’ reflects on Carner’s identity and his relationship with his father in the light of the birth of his own son: “You can’t hate the roots of the tree and not hate the tree, so how can I hate my father without hating me?”. ‘Homerton’ continues this theme, with Carner rapping about his and his father’s legacies, reflecting on fatherhood both as a father and as a son. Fatherhood is such a prominent theme that when the final song on the album ‘HGU’ opens with Carner saying “I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you”, there’s no doubt in the mind of the listener who he’s talking to; the song goes on to detail the process of reconciliation with his father.
On ‘Blood On My Nikes’, Carner tells the story of witnessing a murder at 16 and how it impacted his life: “so I grew up scared of the night bus, scared of the boys who looked like us”. The song details the impact of knife crime on young people and leaves the listener with a powerful lasting image of a traumatised teenager washing the blood off his Nikes. ‘Blood On My Nikes’ features another spoken word piece, a powerful political speech from activist, speaker, and Youth MP for Camden Athian Akec. In his monologue, Akec calls on the political establishment to take action and address the root causes of knife crime.
As hugo goes on, the upbeat and in-your-face style of delivery seen on the first three tracks is gradually toned down. Masterfully produced by long-time collaborator Kwes, the sound of the album continues to draw on jazz influences as the more upbeat sound fades into a laid-back approach on the back half of the album. The slower and more relaxed sound, which will be more familiar to existing fans, can be heard most prominently on tracks like ‘Speed Of Plight’ and ‘A Lasting Place’.
This musical transition is also reflected in the lyrics of hugo as the album goes on. It’s an album that starts confused and angry with a track called ‘Hate’, but Carner gradually becomes more at peace as the music and the lyrics of hugo evolve together. The final song ‘HGU’ sees the resolution of the fatherly conflict that has underpinned the album. On the closing track, Loyle forgives his father and looks for a future with him in his life; the song and the album poignantly end with an audio clip of Loyle and his dad making plans to meet next week and play chess. On hugo Carner takes the listener on an emotional journey of reconciliation and gives us an insight into the most personal aspects of his life.
hugo sees Loyle Carner at his most vulnerable and most mature, unafraid to discuss his changing perspectives of fatherhood and masculinity. The themes of identity and Carner’s relationship with his ethnicity have been a constant presence in his work, but on hugo Loyle addresses them head-on for the first time. The result is an exceptional album which will no doubt come to be regarded as his best, one that can be loved by old fans and new.
Rating: 9/10
