Hip-hop narrator Born 2 B [pronounced ’born to be’], Greenwich town’s own, explodes back onto the scene with “U Don’t Know.” The blazing, politically untamed new single that will not be kept quiet. Channelling the spirit of classic protest rap and getting angrier by doing it in a Dagenham pub, the resultant album is a searing indictment of the current state of the modern world, laced with the kind of fury that only East London can provide. Supported by the gritty Boom Bap beats, DJ Dax’s cuts, and Curtis T Forde’s South-East road-stamped production, Born 2 B represents a rousing wake-up call from a generation standing on the precipice.
A simmering tension that pulses through the track, the feeling that Born 2 B isn’t just making music, but throwing down a warning. The single takes on political hypocrisy, war worldwide, and the neglect of the working class in no uncertain terms. His voice, at once poetic and commanding, cuts through complex truths and historical trauma, and it never breaks rhythm.
This is not easy listening; it’s an S.O.S., bracing and raw, with the gravel of London’s streets in every chorus and decades of hard-earned perspective soaked into every couplet. Born 2 B challenges, provokes, and records.
For those who still think of Hip-Hop as a source of truth and resistance and reflection, “U Don’t Know” is as essential as it gets. It’s a poignant reminder that true rap still lives, and it’s still not afraid to use its voice.