The Cinematic Musings of Verb T and Vic Grimes: To Love a Phantom (2025)
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Having carved out a niche in UK hip-hop, Verb T, born Thomas Conning, has embarked on a raw, emotional venture. Partnering with Canadian trailblazer Vic Grimes,the evolution of their 2023 project, ‘The Tower Where The Phantom Lives’, culminates in the immersive offering, ‘To Love A Phantom’, launched with blaring anticipation on December 11th, 2025.
Crafted by the musical maestros in 26 intricately structured tracks, ‘To Love a Phantom’ surpasses its predecessor in its audacity and vision. Verb T‘s unnerving ability to transform paranoia and detachment into lyrics interwoven with hope resonates throughout the album. Vic Grime’s expertly landscaped sound complements this narrative, turning the resonance of ‘To Love a Phantom’ into a low fantasy, teeming with suspense and curiosity.
Grime’s multifaceted beats partnered with Verb T‘s reflective lyricism coalesce perfectly in the potent single ‘Not There’. The track, an exploration of the fears that shadow our perceptions of love and loss, follows the floated query, “Maybe I’m a ghost or the medium it’s speaking through?”. The recurrent motifs of unseen forces witnessed throughout this double album point to an unseen presence guiding or haunting Verb T, adding a spectral dimension to this engaging endeavor.
Tracing Verb T‘s evolution, he has been a pivotal force within London’s hip hop scene with 10 albums and 6 EPs to his credit. His 2012 album, with The Four Owls, ‘Nature’s Greatest Mystery’, resulted in a series of tours across the UK with standout tracks like ‘Not Like Before’. Known for his collaborations, Verb T has worked alongside talented artists such as Kashmere, Fliptrix, Leaf Dog, and BVA MC.
Furthering this collaborative thread in ‘To Love a Phantom’, Verb T and Grimes create a lyrical blend with an ensemble of talented artists from the UK underground scene. Their distinctive contributions offering an enriching flair to this layered narrative. This album’s unique sound echoes the artistic talents of other renowned hip-hop forces like DJ Premier and Romesh Ranganathan, suggesting a universal connectivity within the music industry.
Having demonstrated mastery in his self-produced album ‘I Remain’ back in 2013, Verb T‘s venture with Vic Grimes further cements his position as an influential figure in UK’s hip-hop scene. Simultaneously, Vic Grimes, known for his measured cadences and bold production prowess, proved to be the perfect collaborator. Their previous album, ‘The Tower Where The Phantom Lives’, served as a prelude to their newest spectacle.
‘To Love a Phantom’ signposts the magnetic partnership of Verb T and Vic Grimes, giving us a cinematic, evocative, and thrilling offering across 26 tracks. Its narrative intricacy and hauntingly emotional underpinnings make it a distinctive addition to the canon of contemporary hip-hop. A testament to the collective genius of these two artists, it sets the bar high for future collaborations.
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