You may remember a certain moment not long ago when Drake, in a display of his usual diplomatic subtlety, claimed that UK rappers are just better than the ones from the US or Canada. This wasn’t so much a music take as it was a conversational grenade lobbed into the discourse, seemingly designed to cause as much confusion as possible, if not serve as a distraction from someone clearly still hurt. Anyways, while most of us rolled our eyes and went back to ignoring whatever he’s doing this week, it’s hard not to at least consider the claim when you hear someone like StillDSG. No, he’s not yet at the top of that hypothetical hierarchy, but if “Clouds Or Clout” is anything to go by, he’s eyeing the summit with a patient, focused intensity that makes you think: Drake was still wrong, but maybe the UK does have something to say.
“Clouds Or Clout” is a track so deeply uninterested in flexing for your approval that it circles all the way back around to being magnetic. This isn’t chart bait. This isn’t engineered for TikTok virality or algorithmic optimization. This is music for people who are exhausted by the endless churn of content and want something that sounds like it came from a person with a soul and not a marketing department.
StillDSG uses the track as both confessional and manifesto, threading sharp, introspective bars through a beat that’s equal parts warm bounce and low-key sermon. It feels like he’s talking to you from the other side of some serious personal work. There’s a spiritual clarity here; not the Instagrammable kind, but the kind that comes from wrestling with doubt, pain, and the relentless temptation to perform rather than be. The central idea on the track isn’t exactly new per se, but StillDSG delivers it without self-righteousness or ego. It just sounds like someone who’s figured some stuff out and wants to leave a light on for the rest of us.
This isn’t his first thoughtful move, either. Between BBC Introducing features, community-based school workshops that link poetry with personal growth, and a steadily growing presence in the UK’s underground conscious rap scene, StillDSG is clearly building something with intention. He’s not here to go viral; he’s here to matter.
So no, “Clouds Or Clout” doesn’t crown StillDSG as the definitive answer to Drake’s sweeping generalization. But it absolutely earns him a place in the conversation. If this is what the next wave of UK rap sounds like, then UK rap might soon earn a spot on the table.
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About the Author
A tenured media critic known working as a ghost writer, freelance critic for various publications around the world, the former lead writer of review blogspace Atop The Treehouse and content creator for Manila Bulletin.
