Anybody who thought UK hip-hop was the preserve of colourlessly earnest backpack-wearers with only unfocused battle similes and recycled beats for ammunition patently hasn't met Sway.
A smirking smart-ass with more quips and one-liners than most comedians muster in a career, the youthful north Londoner has an official reason to take note as well: he won Best Hip-Hop Act at this year's MOBO Awards, beating competition from the globe-gangbanging 50 Cent, no less. Scoff all you like from suburbia, but that means a fuck-load in rap barometer terms, multiplied infinity by a lack of major label support.
Hot on the heels of the splendid 'Up Your Speed' single, 'Download' tackles those pesky bastards chiefing virtual goods for free – even if Sway admits here to being an mp3 fiend himself – with a signature mix of red-hot rhymes and self-effacing humour. The Terror Danjah production drags everything back into the grime undergrowth, and while it's too late to hail Sway as the next big thing, he's now a worthy challenger for the best Brit emcee mantle, full stop.