Delhi rapper Smoke released his EP “Khel Kood” in December of 2024. This is his second EP of 2024, the first one being “He Raps Like” which he released in March, a project I reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed, where he showed off his Boom bap and trap influences, while also having a conscious and emotional cut on there. 2024 has been a good year for smoke, with 2 EPs, some great singles (2 of which are on the EP). He also got a verse on Bhaktaaa’s amazing LP “Ulti Ginti” on the song Hang. He closes out the year with this EP.
The first track “A ONE.” is centered around an ancient-sounding string loop over which some UK drill type percussion elements come in. This is my first time hearing Smoke on a drill beat, and it’s safe to say I was impressed. He catches the pockets and flows of the beat very well, delivering lines about his growing up years and how he’s become a big deal now, counting paper and cadences.
“Piracy” is a lukewarm track for me. While the pen game is on point here, with Smoke coming up with some very clever and witty punchlines, all of which culminate with the “Game kari crack, no piracy” hook, his flow on the first half is not something I’m a big fan of. I feel it sounds a little too crowded at times. He carries on themes from the first track on this one. OG Lucifer brings an aggressive and in-your-face energy to his verse with rapid flows, rapping about how people only come to him when they want something, and how most of his interactions with them have been transactional, but he steers clear of them and keeps paving his path to the top.
The third cut “Clout Chase” is my favourite song off of this EP. Smoke released this way back in September of 2024 as a single, teasing this EP and telling the fans what kind of sounds they could expect on it. It has a super hard trap beat featuring a luxurious bollywood sample (courtesy ManuGTB). Smoke uses this instrumental perfectly, rapping about his idols (50 Cent, Kendrick, Cole, Drake, Wayne), also referencing the classic 2015 Drake album in one of his lines (Kayi saal aage tumse, if you’re reading this you’re too late). He also drops some staple flex bars about how people in the game are more worried about clout chasing (as the title suggests) and getting licks instead of actually working on the music. With an insane instrumental on top of which Smoke delivers his classic punchline-style rhymes, this track is 10/10 . “Gorilla” keeps the trap vibe going, with both Smoke and Rebel7 going bar-for-bar on it, embellishing their writing with some great flows.
“Bigda(Smoke Break)” seems to be an interlude and it plays its part in switching up the sound of the EP from hardcore trap infused hip hop to a mellow and melodic bounce. We see Qaab and Smoke teaming up on this. While I don’t really care for the over-the-top autotuned vocals that they use on this track, it’s nice to see Smoke experimenting with a new sound, and it was a good change of pace to hear something different. This track picks up a little too late, with the second half of Smoke’s verse being the highlight of it for me.
“Filmy Freestyle” (ft. Umer Anjum) is another one of my favourite tracks from this EP. Yoki Muzik samples a classic Bollywood cut “Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi” by Kishore Kumar which he flips into a hard trap beat. Smoke’s bars on this are about his life about getting to this stage, how he has changed and evolved, keeping his circle tight all while flexing his rhyming skills and respect in the game. Umer matches the energy of Smoke’s verse, with some great references (like the line “I stick to my circle, mein Ødegaard”, referencing the legendary Arsenal player Martin Ødegaard), addressing similar themes.
The EP culminates with an emotional and introspective track, “For my name”. RiJ does a great job with the production, using rich saxophone samples and hard hitting, boom bap drums, which remind me of that Outkast sound. Smoke looks back fondly on how far he’s come from the time he began this journey, while addressing the flaws and insecurities he has carried on, like not giving his loved ones and people who care about him time. He promises to do better and do it for all those who stand by him and for his name. This has to be in the top 5 songs he’s ever made, and is tied with Clout Chase for the best track on this EP in my opinion.
Compared to his previous release He Raps Like, Smoke colours inside the lines with the lyrical content of this EP. Sonically, however, there is a definite evolution going on here, with some mellow RnB-esque cuts and a few 90s boom bap stuff thrown in there too. It’s nice to see Smoke experimenting with new stuff and putting it out. This EP seems to be a stepping stone for whatever is next for Smoke, and is aptly titled for the same. One of Delhi’s best, it’s exciting to see what he’ll do next.
