Octavian - Endorphins

Pitchfork 78

The rising London rapper flexes his versatility with a musically diverse set that feels more like a major studio debut than the mixtape it’s billed as.

The Guardian 60

(Black Butter)

Although Octavian might come out of territory renowned for grime – south London – the Anglo-French artist is a future-facing MC. His second mixtape confidently straddles not just the Thames (north Londoner Skepta figures on the previously released, ice-cold Bet) but the Atlantic, enlisting US guest rappers and reaching instinctually for trap beats on tracks such as Lit, rather than grime BPMs.

Auto-Tune smears his sing-song vocals, to the point where all this hybridisation might add up to a loss of identity. Somehow, Octavian manages to buck these anonymising tendencies. His pop melodies are destined to travel, but retain an unapologetic London attitude and an experimental flair; much here is insidiously danceable.