On 4LUV, Blxckie explores the vast terra infirma of romantic love. “So many open wounds but I’m still holding on,” he declares on “your all”—the closer on this six-track EP. The source of those wounds is revealed on “cold”: “I know I broke your heart, let me mend it, please/Girl, you know I got these bandages.” Here, he’s self-assured, charismatic and willing to lend his talent across a number of genres besides hip-hop. “Why would you go far from me?” he asks on “cry”, a neo-soul number about love’s inevitable end. “umoya” is a Rhodes-piano-driven slow jam that reads like a Zulu love letter about finding the one amongst a sea of billions. “fortune teller” and “weep” are both pensive slow jams where love and heartbreak jostle for pole position. The production is equally as sparse: snares and kicks playing quietly in the background while Blxckie waxes lyrical about love’s different dimensions. The dearth of features (Nicole Elocin shows up on “fortune teller” and is the solitary guest) gives the young rapper a vast canvas for meditation on love, its loss and its captivating power.