EDNA (Deluxe)

Editors’ Notes In 2020, Headie One stood tall. He began the year scribbling lyrics from the regrettably familiar confines of a prison cell while riding his fourth sentence, but as the end credits rolled, the Tottenham rapper found redemption. Dedicated to the memory of his late mother, EDNA fused deeply personal calls for healing and guidance with moments of celebration with gilded collaborators from across the Atlantic. Forged in solitude, it was a debut album that helped reimagine all possibilities for the UK’s drill sound.

On this deluxe edition, Headie continues to chart out a new course. Whether constructing colorful rhymes that dig deep on the darkest parts of his journey (“Hung Jury”), trading breezy verses with global talent including Burna Boy (“Siberia”) and Rich The Kid (“Bussdown”), or linking with his Original Farm Boys teammate RV on a two-way rally that throws back to their days as a mixtape pairing (“Zodiac”—featuring an exceptional Kenny Beats production), it’s a victory lap that’s earned. It’s also further proof of Headie making good on the promise he made to his mother, as revealed on a Fire in the Booth performance aboard a private jet as EDNA entered the world. His perspectives, he vowed then, would remain firmly in the sky.