South London-born, Glasgow-based rapper Psweatpants is back with his first single of 2023, “A Slick One”, out now.

Produced by Louis Seivwright (the SAMA-nominated Aberdonian beatmaker who recently signed with Warner), and with guest vocals by fellow London MC THREEOH, this new track offers a first glimpse of Psweatpants’ forthcoming mixtape, Life was sh*t It still is now, set to drop in summer 2023.

This single debuts at a pivotal moment in Psweatpants’ burgeoning career as one of Scotland’s most exciting rap artists. In 2023, he received two prestigious award nominations – Young Voice of Scotland (Scottish Album of the Year Award 2022) and the Hip Hop Award (Scottish Alternative Music Awards 2022). BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway also threw his weight behind the emerging artist when he named Psweatpants one of 25 Scottish artists to watch in 2023 – confirming his status not just as a rising star within rap, but in Scotland’s wider music scene.

Scottish rap has catapulted into the national spotlight of late, following the success of artists like Bemz and Nova (both of whom scooped up Best Breakthrough MC at DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards, with Nova becoming the first grime artist to win the SAY Award in 2020). With Scottish rap aficionados now scouting around for the next big thing, Psweatpants’ new single is about declaring himself Scotland’s next breakout rap star – a claim that is backed by his close collaborations with Nova, who featured Psweatpants’ vocals on her 2023 single “Red Flag", and with Bemz, whom he supported at a sellout show last year in Glasgow’s King Tuts.

“It's me staking my claim in not just the Scottish rap scene, but the whole music scene. It’s me laying a flag down and going, ‘Yo, this is me. I'm Psweatpants. This is what I do’,” says Psweatpants. “I'm showing everyone that I'm back. A new upgraded P. I'm showing off my skills, trying to show everyone that there's Bemz, and now I'm next.”