Little Simz has been laying low on the new music front, focusing instead on touring — including a spot at Gorillaz’ Demon Dayz Festival — and promoting a pair of high-energy singles in “Boss” and “Offence.” Now, the latter gets the visual treatment with a funky video directed by Charlie Di Placido and Josh Lloyd, kicking the promotion cycle for her upcoming album into high gear.
The “Offence” video is simple, but not boring, with its simple drum pattern and buzzing bassline providing the backbeat for a flock of sweatsuited dancers to battle in a darkened space in front of massive sound systems. Simz herself plays the master of ceremonies role, naturally, spitting swaggering, off-the-wall boasts and rocking to the beat. Among her artistic flexes are assertions that she is “Picasso with the pen,” that she’s “Jay-Z on a bad day, Shakespeare on my worst days,” and she might “take a trip to the Philippines with my Spanish boy Jorge.”
Both “Offence” and “Boss” appear to be singles for Simz’ upcoming album which doesn’t appear to have a title yet — at least, not one she’s sharing. Instead, she’s been tweeting three white box emojis on posts related to the album and the singles, which could be a hint to the title. One thing’s for sure, Simz definitely knows how to build an engaging mystery — and rap like a boss.
