Shay D delivers a brilliant verse on her new track Time + Patience

Shay D is an artist from London whose work spans hip-hop, poetry and grime. Her latest album “Human Writes” – released back in 2018 – was made up of hip-hop, sprinkled in with some grime tracks and decorated with spoken word poems, working in the same way interludes would on an R&B record.

There’s a political leaning to her bars, tackling issues outside the confines of Downing Street and The Commons. ‘Suffragette’ – taken from her latest record – used a protest-like chant for the hook, calling for a level playing field for women, noting how self-love and strength can be gained without the influence of a man and demanding the need for consent to be taken seriously. It’s not just a narrative for her music, either. The “Queens of Art” tour is the first-ever all-female UK Hip Hop tour in history and she works with young people as a mentor outside of music.

Her latest track – produced by A-Class – is an icy grime single with a feature from Capo Lee, who takes the opening and last verses. Capo’s subject matter revolves around haters, the importance of following an idea through to its endpoint and facing the challenges of life head-on. It’s an earworm hook and a strong verse – but Shay D is the real star of the track – her verse is short, leaving a devastating impact and distilling a ton of energy that leaves you skipping back to her part long after she’s left the track. She opens up her verse by giving a brief insight into her life, noting the effects of moving to a new area. Taking us into the present, Shay D remarks on how her success has allowed her to move her gran out of the ends, then launching into an impeccable takedown on her detractors and bouncing out of the track.

It’s the delivery that makes ‘Time + Patience’ so good. Shay D’s bars are lean, delivered with a one-two punch impact and getting across the story she’s trying to tell. There are no tangential parts where it’s hard to understand what the message is. The subject matter is delivered clearly, and overall, the track is a burst of energy that gets across the automatic quality of grime with ease.

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