UK rapper and producer Corin Liall Douieb better known as The Last Skeptik, drops outspoken album you don’t like me but i’m still here—a collection of 14 tracks spanning varied soundscapes and consistently fierce delivery. Led by his trademark alternative hip-hop style, the album is as emotive as it is explosive.
Opening with the symphonic backdrop of “whiplash,” which explores his interactions with violence from a very young age, Douieb effortlessly draws us into an intimate narrative that journeys through his life, carried by anthemic sonics and powerful verses.
From catchy, electro-infused focus track “billboards,” which laments on the happiness of everyone being successful and famous to the synth-led “today I’m gonna change my life,” you don’t like me but i’m still here is an impressive combination of uplifting messages and frustrated rants underpinned by rich alt-rap instrumentals.
Title track “you don’t like me but i’m still here,” is the catchiest of the lot, beckoning several replays with a quiet musical arrangement punctuated with a uber-groovy beat and Douieb’s laid-back delivery. The album manages to be relatable even as it thrums with Douieb’s personal anger and anxiety, whether on breezy jaunt of “Sideways,” or the foreboding build of “you won’t like what you see.”
The tail-end of the album moves quickly from minimalistic “aisha’s song” to the hazy and gentle stylings of “right here,” before bringing it to a close with the gritty, booming production of final track “friend and enemy,” which discusses having an Arabic name.
Showcasing his ability to navigate everything from family heritage and identity to mental illness, The Last Skeptik, who has been a long-lasting fixture in London’s hip-hop scene over the past 15 years, continues to bring out stories from his own life through his intricate music. Completely at ease in the sound he has honed over the years, yet always raring to experiment you don’t like me but i’m still here, is a snapshot of his punchy but poignant sonic sensibility.
