On Friday (Feb. 24), RV returned with a new mixtape titled Inconspicuous, a 10-track effort with additional appearances from Double Lz, LD, V9, Monkey, Dimzy, Lowkey, and more. The project was led by the standout singles “Kane & Undertaker,” “Shoot,” and “Water Resistant,” all of which came with matching videos.
Just prior to the arrival of Inconspicuous, RV liberated another clip for “Survival Mode,” which boasts production from FNR Beats. Directed by Aaron, the accompanying clip shows the masked OFB talent riding around in a Rolls Royce truck, roaming an abandoned building covered in graffiti, and more.
RV’s latest follows 2021’s Rico Vondelle and 2019’s Savage, two well-received bodies of work with assists from the likes of Chip, BackRoad Gee, KO, Headie One, K-Trap, Abra Cadabra, BandoKay, and the now-defunct Smoke Boys. Prior to that, he and Headie teamed up for the critically acclaimed Drillers x Trappers series, an essential release for U.K.’s thriving drill scene. Outside of his own work, he could be heard on dope cuts like Rudimental’s “C’est Fini,” Akz’s “On The Mains,” Youngs Teflon’s “Bally Bop,” and Stay Flee Get Lizzy’s “Handsome G.”
In a candid interview with VICE, RV revealed that he mistakenly overlooked an opportunity to use a certain beat — one that ended up becoming the centerpiece for the late Pop Smoke’s hit single “Dior.”
“808Melo sent me that beat before he sent it to Pop Smoke, but I didn’t see the email,” he admitted. “I didn’t even open the email. So when that song come out, I put up a tweet asking why he’s sending all the good beats to America and not giving them to UK artists. He hit me back like, ‘Yo, check your emails.’ That’s my beat story. It’ll haunt me forever, but the song’s a banger, I can’t complain.”
Press play on both Inconspicuous and the video for “Survival Mode” below.