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[@BabaCrunch] makes his return like a smooth ‘Criminal’

Baba Crunch is back after a year long hiatus with ‘Criminal’ which teases a new vibe from the rapper.

‘Criminal’ is by no means the first release from Baba Crunch. Also can we just take a moment to appreciate the choice of a rap moniker that is truly unique. Crunch is no newbie he was in the past part of collective Bomb Squad, but truly started making waves on a wider scale as part of PBGR alongside Swarve. The pair were refreshingly distinct at a time where rap in the UK was fairly stagnant with little diversity in terms of what was being offered. To truly see what they were about go and listen to The Black Market (not on Spotify though, the full projects not on there in it’s entirety) or watch their Westwood Crib Session which they did alongside Kojey Radical.

But enough about his past, Crunch is back and rolling solo on ‘Criminal’. The visuals are relatively simple but reflect the nature of the tracks title. As such the visuals to ‘Criminal’ are unsurprising as Crunch plays a criminal escaping from one of his acts assisted by an attractive female accomplice. The track is a departure from the classic hip-hop feel that he was known for in PBGR. On ‘Criminal’ he embraces a much more Afro-Swing vibe and it definitely works for him. It isn’t like shut down the dance Afro-Swing, it’s more vibe to it and grab a drink from the bar but we don’t need every track to be a crowd mover. Whilst primarily being this new venture in sound for him, Crunch does offer us a short closing rap verse which contrasts well against the backdrop of the instrumental and tone of the track up to that point. It shows us that even after a year out he hasn’t lost a step.