German-born and Newham-raised rapper Zino Vinci continues to break away from familiar styles of UK rap on his debut EP ‘Baby Blue’, produced by Maybeanton. With an effortless flow and neatly packed punchlines, Zino reveals a little piece of who he is and what he’s about. This latest release follows up on the hard-hitting singles ‘Wake Up’ and ‘Zoom’ dropped last year. Zino shows his range as a lyricist on the 4-track EP, leaving listeners hungry for more.

Zino raps, “I spent years to study the greats, you can’t deny this,” in the opening cut, ‘Baby Blue’. Drawing inspiration from Ghetts, J.Cole and MF DOOM, he blends their seemingly opposing sounds together throughout the EP. He even begins ‘Studley Road’ with Ghetts’ famous words “Ar, Ar-Artillery”, paying homage to where he grew up. From TV shows to music videos and memes, Zino absorbs pop culture references and writes them into his bars. In the animated video for ‘Real Thicc’, Zino brings this unique way of seeing the world to life and illustrates another string to his bow as a digital artist.

Not only does Zino finds the right pockets in melodious beats but he also manages to create catchy hooks. Slowing things down and getting into his feels on the closing track “Knock Knock”, the artist is not afraid to open up or make himself vulnerable. As such, this EP is an opening statement from this new rapper from East London. He has studied his craft because he wants to carve out his own lane in hip-hop. With ‘Baby Blue’ he’s knocking on doors and telling us that he’s here to stay.