After touring with Nicki Minaj and making her mark on festival season, Ms Banks is finishing 2019 in an appropriately triumphant fashion.
The Coldest Winter Ever 2, the sequel to her heartbreak-tinged 2018 release, is slick and well put together, with razor-sharp lyrics and melodic flows sitting comfortably with garage-inspired beats and nods to classic pop hits. On Desire, produced by new wave garage pioneer Conducta, Banks wears her heart on her sleeve — “Could it be that you are for me? Positively, evidently” — before gliding seamlessly into Again, which sees her switching up her flow to effortlessly take down a cheating ex.
Back It Up — a sultry, tropical-tinged track released over the summer — sees Banks leave the rapping to guest star Geko, taking a moment to remind us that her vocals are just as strong as her flow.
She’s enjoying her moment — and it’s glorious to hear. To call her one of the UK’s most exciting female rappers doesn’t do her justice — gender and genre aside, Ms Banks is one of the most talented stars we have to offer.
