Turner Avenue

Turner Avenue

“I”m an MC, but maybe I should’ve been an MP instead,” muses London MC Blay Vision on the seething, glittering “Gone Mad,” a standout from his debut, Turner Ave. You won’t find many grime artists considering joining Parliament, but Blay is unusual: He’s thoughtful and reflective, slowing his beats from grime’s usual frenetic battering to something closer to Houston rap. He stirs singsong melodies into his stuttering, dense verses, and his lyrics refuse to flinch from violence or succumb to despair: “I’ve got nothing to lose right now,” he spits on “Fully Involved,” the determination palpable in his voice.