It seems almost inevitable that 2015 will be a defining year for George The Poet. Even without his BBC Sound of 2015 listing, his exciting hybrid of poetry and MCing, collaborated with one of the UK’s hottest producers Bodhi, seem to be just what UK urban music needs right now. His opposition to material culture, and sensitive social commentary are key to his lyrical persona. In “Cat D”, he turns the stereotypical consumerist terms that plague modern rap such as cars, girls and money and bares them as flaws which plague the social climate he’s grown up in.
Tearing into vanity, he sings “I like cars a lot… but you don’t know what they’ve been through, and it’s hard to get the facts. Yeah they might look good but, any car can get a wax“. His metaphors deliberately compare people with material objects, emphasizing his societal criticisms. The song loops with a soulful cry of “too much love for these hood rats…” – the North West Londoner berates those who he sees round him, but he also empathizes with them: “I will never live life like them but as my peoples, I understand them“.
Amongst his carefully crafted poetry, he even finds time to reference early noughties UK garage, finishing with two of the same lines as So Solid Crew’s “21 Seconds”: “Cat D no snitch, no need to go to the feds to get rich“. But thirteen years later, Britain has changed, and those lyrics are coming from a more thoughtful, reflective angle. Also a graduate in politics, George is hoping to inspire change and educate people with his songs, this is one of many tracks which will go a long way to doing that.
#Peace.Love.CatD
