Gifting us his highly anticipated debut mixtape Rap Game Awful, North London rapper Clavish demonstrates poise and a charismatic approach to skilfully keep his audience’s attention across 28 tracks.

Clavish is seen as one of the new up-and-coming rappers to emerge from London in recent years, admitting to a lack of consistency at the beginning of his career, Clavish has gone from strength to strength since 2021.

Throughout the project, Clavish uses clever wordplay to lyrically illustrate the aspects of his character that he feels set him apart from his rapper peers, as well as the decisions he’s made and sketches the environment that shaped him and also brings us to his present situation and how he’s adjusting to success and fame.

Rap Game Awful opens with ‘Rap Game Intro’, the beat constructed with sample soulful vocals that sings hauntingly layered with minor piano chords to provide an eery atmosphere. The North Londoner is cool personified, every word delivered is carefully throughout and adds to the self-portrait he’s painting. This song, like the whole project, humanises Clavish, as he recounts standout moments in his life and his opinion on personal situations that transition from boyishness to casual violent crime.

Clavish collabs with D-Block Europe on ‘Rocket Science’ which was officially his first collaboration in his career. DBE are at their best yet again, with their smooth melodic approach whilst Clavish raps “After we done it I ask her you got a boyfriend? Why would you do that. With a more upbeat instrumentation, made of looped piano notes and plucked strings, ‘No Difference’ Clavish embraces his ambition and demonstrates his ruthless nature as shares his goals for the rap game whilst simultaneously calling inauthenticity.

Clavish teams up with West London’s Fredo on ‘Monday to Sunday’, the essence of danger that is ever present in this project still lurks in the background empathising by the instrumental composed of synth strings, and raw 808 drums. Clavish raps “Got nominated for an award the only reason that I’m going so my jail n***** they can see me on the television” sums up the anti-establishment mood that occupies, whilst Fredo acknowledges the pain in the struggle before accolades and success.

Another standout track ‘4 of Us’ sees Clavish joined by Youngs Teflon, Rimzee and Tiny Boost, all figures in the game that are known as the rapper’s rapper. Each rapper compliments the other, whilst competing for the best verse on the song. Tef has one the most memorable lines “Mummy raised a good yute but I’m bad like my surname Jackson”, whilst continuing the theme with clever and nostalgic wordplay. Rimzee picks up the baton, showing why he’s in good company with his signature aggressive flow. Tiny Boost keeps pace by attacking the beat with an even faster tempo showing his bravado as he raps about riding out and securing the bag. Clavish concludes it by styling comfortably on the beat adding “I was robbing phones before I even fucked a girl” suggesting a juxtaposition of innocence and jadedness.

During the tape, there are equal moments of cool detachment and explosive passion. Clavish ebb-and-flows seamlessly with Teeway on ‘Mariah Carey’. Keeping the vulnerability and transparency, Clavish muses about his past romantic and toxic experiences with women but cannot help but let his thoughts drift into the trap. Teeway’s flows on the beat effortlessly with his signature sound as he gives testimony to what he’s witnessed and partaken in the trap.

We also enjoy Jordan, Mostack, Tiggs Da Author and Kaash Paige to name a few more, allowing us to hear Clavish experiment with different sounds and beats as he strives for growth.

The arrival of Rap Game Awful reinforces what the culture has thought for the past two years now, Clavish is next up.