Within the surreal world of Slowthai
As Slowthai reveals its introspective side with the new album Tyron, we talk to frequent contributors Crowns & Owls about the album covers attempting to crack the shiny veneer of fame and why the Northampton-born rapper is still the voice of a generation is
If you can be sure of Slowthai, he isn't afraid to make a statement. The Northampton-born rapper, whose real name is Tyron Frampton (his musical monk came from a childhood nickname related to his speech impairment), has earned legions of fans for his brilliant music videos and hard-hitting lyrics that made a searing commentary on the Subject deliver state of the nation. Not to forget the unruly, contagious energy of his live shows, in which he is known to strip his boxers, vomit on stage and swing the (fake) severed head in a particularly memorable performance at the 2019 Mercury Prize ceremony Boris Johnson.
However, if you look past the attention grabbing headlines, it is clear that Slowthai possesses an enormous amount of musical talent and passion for every facet of the creative process. His cousin and manager Lewis Levi is a prime example of this. He is also the creative director of the rapper and half of the director duo The Rest, who created some of his powerhouse promos.
Crowns & Owls first worked with Slowthai on the album cover for his debut LP Nothing Great About Britain
“Because Ty started with super humble DIY beginnings and with Lewis' knowledge of filmmaking was very smart from a management standpoint. He could make these really damn amazing music videos for very little money and immediately gave Ty such a strong sense of within-work references and rich backdrop, "explains Crowns & Owls, another frequent contributor to Slowthai.