After dropping “Hip Hop” a couple of days ago; the rollout of Agsy’s debut EP “Rap Goddess” is finally over. The project is 5 tracks long featuring talents from all corners of the desi hip-hop spectrum. From the young prodigy Ishh, hook master Shah Rule to Karachi’s finest Jokhay, the project collaborators all bring a distinct flavor.

When the title takes inspiration from the greatest lyrical rapper of our time, the project is bound to be in a similar zone, and truth be said, Agsy does an exemplary job in terms of lyricism and technicalities. While I don’t completely agree with gatekeeping in general, I also respect Agsy’s opinion, and judging from a penmanship perspective, Agsy’s project is a certain game-changer that I am sure is gonna pave the way for the coming generation of Femcees.

Agsy with Rap Goddess proves she is the best female lyricist in Desi Hip Hop today

On a thematic level, Rap Goddess is nothing special with the main theme being the come-up story of Agsy. But is it a bad thing? Of course not because some projects are solely sold on the attributes and not the theme; hence the USP of Rap Goddess is her pen game filled with slick rhymes, sassy bars, and some clever wordplays.

The first song from the project, “Coming Up” is a drill track backed by a finely chopped blaring horn sample from Ishh. Agsy nails the drill flow with an authentic drill hook and apt adlibs. The song is Agsy’s anthem of hustle and is her celebration of her finally being able to mark her stamp in the scene. Be it her art, her networks, or her numbers, Agsy believes she has finally come up to the big leagues.

Up next is “Love Mumble” produced yet again by Ishh featuring Indie darling Harjas. Unlike the title suggests, Love Mumble is a track looking down on the new wave of sound of today. Mother OG and Harjas flow smoothly on the frantic modern boom bap music by Ishh where the duo straight out flex their status today with lyrical prowess. While I am not a fan of Agsy’s opinion on mumble rap, I respect where she is coming from.

The third song “Be Like That” is arguably the catchiest song of the project thanks to the incredibly catchy melody by Shah Rule. After the energetic fast-paced flow in the first two songs, Agsy slows things down as she takes on a melodic flow as she spits out an introspective verse. Hustle 2.0 Breakout Star GD47 continues where he left off post hustle as he delivers a trippy verse of acceptance and struggle ending with the best bar of the song –

“Chala bhi jaau toh koi chakkar nahi, jaane ke baad bhi koi takkar nahi”

The penultimate song of the project, Healer [Pa Ni Sa] was the weakest song for me in terms of substance and connection. I personally didn’t connect with the message of the song as I felt there was confusion with the chorus and the verses by Bella and Agsy. The music by Doober although experimental in nature was average at best as the drums and snares were too haphazardly placed in my opinion.

The EP ends with “Hip Hop” which for me has the best music production and lyricism in the EP. Helmed by Jokhay, “Hip Hop” has that old school chords backed by aptly placed drums and turntables; the beat had everything. Agsy also matches toe to toe with Jokhay by penning her best verse ever. Agsy’s penmanship in Hip Hop should be a template for all the emcees out there as it had everything – from storytelling, clever punchlines, passion for the culture and social commentary. Brilliant stuff!