Lounge lyricist. Failed poet. Disco aficionado. The bastard son of ODB and Tim Key. None of these things, and less, have been said about Raphael Attar. But if there was any justice in this world, they would be chiselled onto 30-foot tall granite tablets and blasted into space. After making his name as the charismatic host of future beats crew Paper Tiger’s live show, the forward-thinking London rapper is breaking out on his own with his debut solo release.

‘Cool But Rude’ is a stunningly diverse collection of tracks featuring production from UK hip- hop legends The IRS, Paper Tiger and Vital, with songs that run the gamut from belligerent anarcho-comedy rap to subtle and considered stories of everyday life. ‘La Ritournelle’ is the quietly moving story of love gone unfulfilled, ‘Trumpalump’ a revision of the surreal original by Big Dada’s DELS, and ‘Robot Bastard’ is about a robot. Who’s a bastard. Whether referencing Castleford laser quest, directly quoting Blue’s ‘All Rise’, or sampling Mark E. Smith reading the football results, it is clear from first listen that this is not your average mixtape.

Raph’s varied background in spoken-word, academic philosophy and playground cyphers in his South London hometown combine to result in a brilliantly original lyrical style marrying unconventional subject matter with complex rhyme patterns and a flow which has drawn favourable comparisons with Kano, Jehst and Ty. Between this release (and the forthcoming accompanying live show), continued work with Paper Tiger, collaborations with the scene’s best and brightest, and an ongoing project of just shouting at people in the street, his profile is set to rise like a spaceship laden with granite tablets and a course set straight for the heart of the sun.