(Ms Banks)The south-east Londoner’s second album shifts from downbeat trap to euphoric afropop rhythms and steely playfulness
![Ms Banks: The Coldest Winter Ever Pt 2 review – rising rapper has summery bounce](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f05db7f8366dc409ed31e7c00f95db45f7d38a49/0_205_2081_1248/master/2081.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctcmV2aWV3LTQucG5n&enable=upscale&s=d84f0c1294e3d8b3f5146511f9f6e3c2)
The Coldest Winter Ever Pt 2 – the follow-up to an ice-cold self-released project from 2018 – was set to be released in May this year, which might explain why it sounds so counterintuitively summery. But Ms Banks has, understandably, been busy. The south-east
London rapper kicked off the year by appearing on stage with Little Mix at the Brits, before providing guest vocals on R&B singer Tinashe’s new album, and just this week, on a remix of Jorja Smith’s latest single, Be Honest. Still unsigned, Banks is following a well-trodden path for
UK rap stars in 2019 by eschewing major labels to build her own artistic and brand connections. Her support slots for
Cardi B and an as-yet-unreleased collaboration with
Nicki Minaj suggest the plan is working.