In the same way the lines between the UK underground and mainstream are blurring—the rapper Fakemink recently got a Drake cosign—the London-based Jawnino doesn’t fit too neatly in the grime genre. His introspective songs are eclectic and rooted in the cloud sphere—more calm than aggressive, and unhurried in the face of rapid-fire beats. April's surprise single “Sweden Freestyle” is blasé, with a casual vibe that mysteriously moves audiences to feed on his energy.
The track’s catchy tag, courtesy of producer wraith9, should be familiar to those who have been bumping the scene’s anthemic “LV Sandals” by EsDeeKid, Fakemink, and Rico Ace. You might catch yourself singing “OK” as if it were an actual lyric. Jawnino’s clean rhymes glide over knocking drums and maniacal villain cackles. He has bars that stateside folks might have to Google (Bovril, which Jawnino puts “a little bit of dust in,” is a meat extract paste, and Toby Carvery is a roast dinner chain restaurant). Others are more universal: “I had a rock same color as Lisa and I got a pill same color as Bart.” Jawnino’s charm often lies in his experimentation, but in this case … It’s what the kids call “aura.”