Little Simz

Rooted in London’s rap scene, Little Simz, born Simbiatu Ajikawo in Islington in 1994, has developed an introspective hip-hop that blends UK rap, soul, jazz, and touches of grime. First active in the early 2010s with several self-released mixtapes and EPs shared online, Little Simz builds her work around highly narrative writing, where personal stories, cultural references, and social commentary intersect. Her debut album, A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), established this mix of storytelling and stripped-back beats, followed in 2016 by Stillness in Wonderland, which deepened a conceptual world marked by imagination and metaphor. With Grey Area in 2019, Little Simz tightened the sound around grittier orchestrations and a compact rap format, before broadening the palette again on 2021’s Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, with more expansive arrangements and a strong soul influence. The 2022 album No Thank You continues this approach, alternating minimalist production with gospel-derived choral parts. On stage, Little Simz performs in London clubs as well as at major international festivals and occasionally collaborates with artists in neo-soul, rap, and hybrid music emerging from the African diaspora in the United Kingdom.