A Bold Detour Into Dance That Leaves Her Sharpest Strengths Behind

Released May 8, 2026

I like Little Simz, although admittedly maybe not quite as much as a lot of people do. Still, I appreciate her rapping and lyrical content for the most part, so when Sugar Girl dropped earlier this year, I took notice. It’s a short, four-song EP that clocks in at around 12 minutes. It has some good qualities and strays from her usual style a bit.

Sugar Girl brings more of a dance/house sound throughout rather than its normal hip-hop focus. “That’s a No No” has an anthemic sound, with background vocals that really elevate it and immediately inject energy into the track. Little Simz starts with a slightly muffled, quiet verse that is good, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the second verse, when she kicks into her real rapping gear. “Game On” follows and brings the tempo up a notch. It’s a song where Little Simz raps again in a lower tone that just doesn’t grab me, unfortunately. The song features JT, who does a solid job, but overall, “Game On” is just okay.

“Open Arms” comes in with heavy drums leading the production. I liked what DEELA brought to the track, and the different style paired well with Little Simz. It’s a song I like, but it also isn’t one I would really consider hip-hop or rap. That’s one of the main things to note about Sugar Girl: it’s very light on rapping and hip-hop, for better or worse, depending on what you like and what you’re looking for. “Telephone,” featuring 070 Shake, is the last song and my least favorite. It sounds very commercial and even pop-oriented to me—not what I expect or really want from Little Simz, or from any artist in general, if I’m being honest.

I’ve had this downloaded since it dropped in May and had been meaning to get to it. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to what I was hoping for, which is why I try not to have expectations, even for artists who are known quantities. But I know what Little Simz can do, and this just didn’t scratch the itch I was hoping it would. I appreciate and enjoy some of what she was doing here; it just didn’t all work for me.

Standout Track: “That’s a No No”

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑½ (6.5/10)