NEMZZZ 'LOCKED IN' MIXTAPE REVIEW
Image: Matt Wilson.
Nemzzz has dropped his new 17-track mixtape LOCKED IN, the latest chapter in a rapid rise that has taken the Gorton-born rapper from Manchester’s underground to the centre of UK rap’s global conversation. Led by GASS with Travis Scott, the project arrives with Nemzzz looking increasingly comfortable playing on a much bigger stage.
And yet, LOCKED IN doesn’t feel like a dramatic departure. If anything, it doubles down on what Nemzzz already does well: sparse production, clipped flows, understated flexes and a delivery that rarely sounds hurried. The title says plenty about the mindset. This is an artist obsessed with staying focused while everything around him gets louder.
GEEKIN with Lil Yachty is perhaps the clearest expression of that mentality. Its viral line - “I’ve been ghosting you ’cause I’m working” - works almost like the mixtape’s slogan. On 4AM, that tunnel vision becomes more introspective, while KILLIN EM and PRINCE OF THE SCENE push the confidence back to the front.
Watch our interview with Nemzzz.
The collaborations are where the scale really becomes apparent. Lil Yachty, Latto, Cash Cobain and Tunde bring different flavours, but Travis Scott’s appearance on GASS is the obvious headline moment. It’s a major international co-sign, yet Nemzzz doesn’t disappear next to him. The record feels like a meeting of two artists who understand the power of making cool sound effortless.
One could argue there is a downside to that consistency. Across 17 tracks, Nemzzz’s formula can become slightly predictable. His restrained cadence is distinctive, but LOCKED IN occasionally misplaces staying in your lane for refusing to change lanes at all. None of this detracts from the scope and intention of the record.
Still, the bigger picture is difficult to ignore. Nemzzz has kept Manchester at the centre of his identity while building an audience far beyond the UK, and LOCKED IN reflects that expansion without abandoning the qualities that made him interesting. This isn’t Nemzzz announcing that he has arrived. He’s already here. The mixtape is more about showing how much further he intends to take it.
LOCKED IN is out now.
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