Pitchfork

When assholes say someone has an "old soul," they usually mean that person is a mud stick prematurely going grey in-between hipster bingo nights. Either that or they're talking about Joss Stone. Twenty-one year-old British rapper Kano is not Joss Stone (nor an asshole) but he might be an old soul. On his 2005 debut, Home Sweet Home, he rapped about his charm and sway with youthful precision-- "UK, I'm gonna break you prop'ly," he promised with big eyes. But Kano could also come off like a battered vet: "My manager said this the quickest deal ever/ I said eigh'een years ain't the quickest deal ever."

Fast forward a couple years. With reasonable-- yet hardly earth shattering-- success in England and still no American record deal in sight, he's prepping round two. On new mixtape cut "Layer Cake", the swift MC gets all dark-ages Prince, scrawling "slave" on his cheek and bashing an industry that hasn't turned him into a megastar as swiftly as he hoped. Over minimal drums, Kano is angry, defensive and sad; This is the song Kanye would've made if College Dropout didn't get honorary degrees at the Grammys and Wal-Mart. "I'm in the in-dust-ry, man/ In Eng-a-land/ Where I never sell more than an indie band," he laments. Vice, XL, Def Jam (!), whoever: Please give this man a shot outside Arctic country. Otherwise, he's in serious danger of withering too soon.