Happy Birthday Kano - Throw Back Thursday

I love Kano for many, many, many reasons....okay mainly 3:

1. He is still one of the finest MC's we have. He pioneered the Grime scene and still runs things in it. A nice album from you, Kane, would help in proving people wrong when they disagree with that statement, although I think one of his latest droppings, The King's Speech, featuring Ghetts (still also in probably my top 5) which you can have a listen to here, provides plenty of proof.
2. His face is really, really very a lot nice.
3. His instagram makes my life. The hashtags are A*. Plus it's another opportunity to admire his face so yeah.

Anyway seeing as it's Throwback Thursday and it's Kano's birthday and it's nice and summery outside, how about an old school track from Kay-ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

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P Money and Big H - LOTM Trash Talk

I have to rate Big H's confidence. So much so, that sitting and watching every interview he has done since dropping Fire and Smoke is becoming a hobby of mine. There are certain things artists may feel but don't say, and if they actually do say them, then they drop the fake "I'm only joking hahahha" afterwards. Big H on the other hand, says these things with pure seriousness, then sits with a straight face waiting for the next question, with an arrogance that is confusingly not as obnoxious as it should be. This confidence is witness-able in this latest clip of P-Money and H trash talking ahead of their hugely anticipated LOTM clash, that I am half convinced Big H stands a good chance of actually surprising us in and giving P Money that heaaaaaaat.

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Usher - Good Kisser

I knew you wouldn't leave us drowning in all that fist pumping, dance poop.

The song oozes those hot, provocative flavours. Everything on this track is so so simple and so so clean. Simple beat. Simple lyrics. Clean vocals. Yes. Yes. Yes. It wasn't hard to make a good comeback and top his most recent offerings prior to this new release but thank god he came back  a reformed man. It was just last week I was sat wishing Usher would return to something resembling his "Confessions" phase, not only for the good of his musical credibility but just because my ears missed it. The video for the track is just as clean and simple as the song, starring the Usher we know and love: dancing, smiling cheekily and topless every so often. Good on ya' Ush, it's best to get this all in before you become too old for it to be appropriate - just don't overplay it and be too much of a Trey Songz. Seriously though, the fact this new release is David Guetta free (talented but tainted the R&B scene which is not an easily forgiveable offence) is such good news for my ears.

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BASHY WENT FRENCH THOUGH (Bashy: Fire In The Booth)

Truth be told, and I am ashamed to say it, I've never really gone out my way to listen to Bashy. The only time I've not seen him in a non-commercial light is on LOTM and on features which, I was always impressed by, but for some reason I still never acted on it. Consequently, before I had a gander at his Fire In The Booth, the image of Bashy in my head was just "commercial Bashy". While I liked the concept of his recent single, 'These Are The Songs', there wasn't much more for me to get realllllly excited about...

...then he spoke French.

He starts with all that political ishhhhhh which was a straight big green tick from me. You could say addressing real issues is something Bashy has done from the start, for example, with 'Black Boys'. But that was years ago, and who want's to be a millionaire etc were hardly the same calibre. Then, came the Arctic Monkey's instrumental and Bashy started talking about big boy stuff. Like, actual, proper grown stuff. None of that pretending he is something he isn't and stunting for image. What's better is that, yes, this realness radiated maturity, but it still left enough room for Bashy to have fun and do fun things i.e. throw shots at Dappy :D

The fire started after all of this though. Flows upon flows to spout a whole loada truth, from how to break the system to how you should reflect on your reflection in the mirror if it's showing you a man in a skirt. This Fire In The Booth was basically just full of ridiculously quotable stuff and yet the most un-quotable part was the ne plus ultra and yes, I know I went Latin, but that's only because BASHY WENT FRENCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Yes.

A verse of fire in French. Lord help me if I knew what he was actually saying jheeezeeeeeeeeeee. Prior to the FITB, the image of Bashy in my head was "Commercial Bashy" in his video pushing a trolley of sacks with the pound sign on them in Arial Black  font. By the end, it had transformed into Ashley-Bashley Thomas sitting in a Jean Paul Gaultier suit eating a croissant (because French innit).
If I never rated him before, I deffo rated him now.

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