Chy Cartier: “Victory Lap Freestyle”
UK underground hip-hop radio show and platform Victory Lap just put out its best cypher since the one with Central Cee and Dave. Over the course of an hour, you get a solid glimpse at a few rappers bubbling in the United Kingdom right now: There’s Ashbeck and cmillano’s mellow stunting; YT and Kwes E’s swag rap; and BXKS’ road rap intensity. But the moments I love most belong to Chy Cartier, a London rapper single-handedly reigniting my interest in UK drill with her effortless trash talk. Casually grabbing the mic at the 25-minute mark, in a cropped black bubble coat and with bangs that almost cover her eyes, she goes in for two short, fast-spitting verses that had the other rappers in the room acting like they’re watching the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. As Cartier toggles between ballistic wordplay and yelling “Bap” over and over, she’s the coolest rapper in the room, which, in these crowded, competitive cyphers, is what it really takes to stand out.
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace, it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Chy Cartier more on our Spotify playlist.
