Kanye West x BBK Concert KOKO

So, yesterday was just set up to be a good day from the start. I beat all my gym targets. I got free cake at Uni (which just cancelled out all my work in the gym). I finished work early and got back to my flat in actual daylight. My Boohoo order had arrived. Yes. Life was bubbling along nice and gently so I thought I'd drop to a softer simmer for the evening and get some uni work done. That is until my phone starts blowing up with, in a nutshell "OI, RHEA, KANYE IS DOING A ONE OFF SHOW 20 MINUTES WALK FROM YOUR FLAT LETS ROLL". It was a this point that I felt my extortionate rent prices were finally worth it. Mate. This is why I moved to London.

After simultaneously buying the tickets and signing up for extra shifts at work, we reach KoKo at about 10pm to stand in the freezing cold for about 2 and a half hours. I probably would have had some type of mild mental breakdown but it was too cold for my brain cells to even orchestrate that. Eventually we get in and find situated on the balcony which, not only had a wonderful view, but was next to what ended up being turned into the VIP area. I literally was brushing shoulders with DJ Semtex, Delilah, Sian Anderson, Julie Adenuga, Aaron (BBR), Jammer, Bossman Birdie, lest we not mention my darling Frisco. Now I live in a different world to everyone else, so while my friend was like "who are these people Riri?????", I'm standing there super excited. Lame. I know. But I love our music scene so I love them all for what they've done for it.

Anyway, lets set the scene. We have a full venue. There was significantly less angst amongst a waiting crowd than you'd usually find, especially with no DJ set to keep it entertained. To be honest, I think everyone was just happy they were no longer in the cold. For once being tightly pushed up against random humans wasn't so undesirable - such sharing of body heat was actually valued. Hero David Vujanic was busy amusing the, apparently Arsenal fan heavy, crowd with Spurs slurring  football chants, when, all of a sudden, that oh so gooooooorgeous, 'That's Not Me' intro starts ringing through my ears. Joy. Joy. Joy. I look to the stage and yes, there stands  Skepta, JME, Novelist, Meridian Dan etc. as expected. Cool. Yay. Exciting. But then the stage carries on filling. More BBK? Krept and Konan maybe? No. It's Kanye grinning. Big Sean all chain swinging. And even better, they're bounding around at the back of the stage, looking like baby boys just enjoying their life as Skepta's hype men. Taking a second to break down this glorious moment, we have;

1. Residual adrenaline still running through peoples veins from the fact they made a snap 1 minute decision to just go and see Kanye tonight
2. A sense of pride/smugness amonst the crowd over the fact they actually got tickets 
3. Pure elation from simply not being on the verge of frostbite in the que anymore 
4. Grime future, past and present pioneers all standing infront of a London crowd 
5. That's Not Me aka hypest track of the 2014 booming through the speakers
6. Kanye and Big Sean wiling out like they're just normal BBK memebers

So yes. The energy in the crowd was immense. Put it this way, I look to my left to see Will.I.Am thoroughly enjoying himself, ferociously bopping his head to the beat in pure satisfaction. I look to my right and see a group of guys jumping all over each other. I look at myself and I'm doing that thing where I turn into (a bit of) an excited boy whenever I'm at a live Grime event.  At this point Skepta owned the crowd. And throughout the show, with "BBK" chants" echoing the venue, team UK continued to own the crowd. This wasn't just a Kanye West concert. This wasn't just a Kanye West + friends concert. This wasn't just a Kanye West + friends and added support of Skepta et al concert. No. No. No. It was a Kanye West and BBK concert. At one point, it was literally back to back US to UK. One minute Novelist is spitting over the Spaceship instrumental then all of a sudden Kanye or Big Sean has the mic doing I can't even tell you what, because at this point I was probably levitating. We have to thank Kanye for that. He didn't have to have the set up that way. But he did. (Which also proves me right about Kanye actually acting on our behalf at the Brits). And 7 sleep deprived hours after it all finished, I'm still excited by life.

Upon watching back my videos from last night, I fully appreciated the beauty of Kanye's reconciliation with his old mojo. Last year I watched him perform one of many of his many frustration fuelled, performances, that actually were more like outbursts rather than musical displays. And yeah, I get the whole art and emotion thing behind it, but it gets to a point when you're in the crowd and you just feel uncomfortable and stop enjoying yourself. Yesterday was like watching a whole new Kanye, except he was just being the good old Kanye that we know and love. He was happy on stage. He was enjoying himself. When he was performing and when he was watching our UK don-diddly's perform, he grinned genuine grins. The whole night was built upon that foundation of happiness he laid right there. Which is why is was so freaking HYPE.

So yeah, we had; Kanye going old mojo styley on us, Big Sean tearing it up, BBK, Meridian Dan and Novelist putting it down, oh yeah and no to mention Rae-friggin-Kwon coming out on stage to bring us old school hip hop flavours! My only thoughts the whole gig and ever since the gig have been that I just really really really really really really really really really love music. Kanye was probably the first rapper I properly attached myself to as a little girl. I've loved the Grime scene since Yeezus knows. Last night was a magnificent fusion of the two. Mate. I am so glad I was there.

My footage of last night wasn't that amazing, partly because I was too hype to even film properly, plus they're all 10 second snapchat segments because I wanted to enjoy the rest of the songs, and also half of them have me enthusiastically rapping along in them - I even let out an excited squeal when the Spaceship instrumental started because I'm such a loser. Nonetheless, I will leave you with this one gem I recorded of Kanye getting his skankers on. This is how I will enter every club from now on. (Sorry it uploaded with such terrible quality)

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Skepta - SHUTDOWN

I've been waiting for Konnichiwa ever since Skepta dropped Blacklisted. Then he switched creative direction with the dropping of That's Not Me, and got me even more excited. Then literally every move he has made since has built up the anticipation more and more. The dropping of his new single, SHUTDOWN, is no exception to the rule.

Exclusively brought to us through Fader, the new single was apparently freshly mastered just last night, indicating that the album is still sat vigorously brewing on the stove while being added to - leaving even more reason for us to not to know what to expect from this project. The beat, produced by the man himself and Ragz Originale, managed to make me feel like a certified gully creeper all by itself. Upon it, as expected, Skepta laid down some ferocious bars addressing how he has both, shut down plenty of people, places and barriers to get to where he is right now, while still having a few more to go before he becomes king of the world (which will happen one day, I'm sure). Both of these themes can also be found in the two samples he used on the track. The first, a clip of Drake from his short film Jungle - most likely a referral to the progress Skepta has made in getting the Grime scene overtly appreciated and respected by our international peers. The second sample represented the barriers that still need to be broken. An audio clip in the middle of the song depicted the ignorant comments that surfaced as a result of Kanye's BRITS performance, giving the dance floor baaaaaaaaaanger political undertones. Perfect.

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Kanye, the BRITs and the Grime Scene

What Kanye did at the BRITs tonight made me happy. Very happy. As in, push-your-statistics-lecture-notes-to-the-side-and-pull-out-the-Poomplex-mixtapes-to-commemorate-such-a-wonderful-moment-happy. 

The UK "urban" music scene hasn't valued itself for a while now. We do not celebrate our own talent. This is because the wider mainstream UK music industry fails to really acknowledge us. The very fact it took an AMERICAN artist to showcase the UK Grime scene on a UK awards show says it all - we are no rated. But the very fact that, Kanye was mobbing the stage along with a good portion of the Grime scene on ITV at 8:30pm is very nang indeed.

Now I'm not going to be totally naive. Kanye's public appreciation of Grime tonight and in particular it's current front man Skepta, isn't completely dissociated with the fact Grime has been getting a bit trendy again lately. The same can be said for Drakes recent public appreciation too. Their affiliation with a culture that's recently been regenerating a buzz is going to have it's promo perks. Then again, do they really need to feed off our scene? I feel this recent recognition of our scene isn't fully a "Diddy/Hello Good Morning" esque stunt. In my opinion, there is an actual display of respect for our scene being shown for once. Stormzy, Novelist, Skepta, JME, Logan, and Maximum were all put on the bill for a New York Fashion week party and delivered a heaaaaaaaaaaaaavy pirate radio styley Grime set. To me that's a pretty clear indication that our friends from over the Atlantic are both acknowledging and embracing what we're doing. There is an interest and channelling of Grime's spirit going on. I mean, Drake watching old LOTM clashes shows a decent amount of submersion into the culture. 

For a long time, the scene, in a quest to validate itself, has been hunting for a UK co-sign. This has led to replacement of our authentic sound, with an Americanised one in hope it will get them to listen to us. This sillyness has stemmed from the lack of belief in our own scene and the mentality that a US-cosign is the only source we need to prove it's half decent. But recently, there has been a re-channelling of the roots of the scene. And that is why people have stopped ignoring it. And that's why tonight made me happy. It was a perfect example of how freeing the realness and nurturing our true sound is the most effective way for it to be actually heard. 

What we must realises is that the US recognition isn't making our scene any more worthy. Our home-grown talent did that themselves. What the US recognition is doing though, is finally giving our artists the attention they deserve. The reality is, US artists have taken plenty of inspiration from the Grime scene for years. Except now, they are not hiding it. We have the authenticity back in our culture that they want back in theirs. Plus, surprise surprise, they actually like the music we make. So it's only fair they rate us loudly and proudly now. Hopefully it will prompt our own scene to own itself. US validation isn't what Kanye gave us at the Brits. Say what you want, but I truly believe he was making a statement on our behalf. He saw our under-representation in the industry so, instead, he decided to shove us in everyone faces. I'm glad he did it. It's just sad we had to rely on him to do it for us. 

Nevertheless, I feel 2015 is definitely the year. Since Skepta has taken this new creative direction, I've been dying to hear his soon-to-be-dropping album Konnichiwa . But now, I'm even more excited to see what impact it has. I have a feeling it's going to get the support of some interesting people, which will help speed up the ever-anticipated process of Grime taking over the world. So yeah, hurry up and drop it for us Skepzzzzz!

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Shakka & Frisco - Walking With The Elephants Remix

You're most probably familiar, in fact overly familiar, with Ten Walls' track, Walking With The Elephants, as it circulated the radio waves and club scene last year. Just as you thought you'd thought that crazy central horn section of the song just wasn't as exciting as it used to be, Mr 2 K's, with help from Mr Frisco/Frisc-FLOW has revitalised its beautiful grunginess in his latest remix. If I were to sum up my feelings upon first hearing the track, I'd have to describe it as one of those songs that remind you why you love music so god damn much.
Shakka's voice pretty much just induces dopamine release in my body. This is probably down to the fact that I can be 100% certain, if it's got Shakka's name on it, it will be a CHOON. His voice, creativity and overall approach to music is so so so so so so so so so refreshing. Personally, the gas levels of this tune were significantly enhanced by getting Frisco on it, being that he is one of my favourite MC's. To be fair, Like Frisco said in the video below, Shakka came up on the track like an MC himself. So, personally, having an MC jumping on the track was really not necessary. But, Big Fris' cool, calm and suave, yet gritty, flavours worked to my approval for sure. I definitely think they can be much better appreciated in their live performance below (which by the way makes me want to cry many salty tears over the fact that I was not there to witness this in the flesh).

If you also want to experience it in all it's bassy glory, which I suggest you do, then click here innit... 

And, if your soul feels it needs to soak up some more of Shakka's wonderfully infectious energy then this is a must (if you haven't seen it already). Beautiful, creative and innovative. If the glorious vibes he radiates weren't enough, he further enhanced his live performance and artisty by using his own live recorded vocals to accompany the live band in providing the backing music. It's hard to explain, but it's proper cool so just watch it.

And whilst we're in SBTV land you might as well check out Frisco's latest freestyle. Back with slick bars on a sick grime beat courtesy of Rude Kid, he shows us what we already know, Frisco is gulllllllllllllllly 2 da core. He also talks about a new, monthly, grime event he is launching (which the footage of himself and Shakka's performance above is from). I would love to go at one point in my life seeing as I actually live in London now, so, yes, the vacancy for an accomplice to grime raves for a small brown girl is still very much wide open :)

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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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Dot Rotten - You Wasted My Time (cover)

I am often awake at these stupid times, asking myself "WHY WHY WHY AM I AWAKE?!". I never usually have a good reason... until today, courtesy of Dot Rotten, for if I had retreated to my slumber at a normal time like a normal human, I would have missed out on Dot Rotten dropping a bomb.

A little over 24 hours ago Krept and Konan gave us the UK remix of Don't Waste My Time. It being a madness, naturally encouraged me to post about it here, and if you read it, you will see written in ink/pixels, me telling you to be excited because it is these types of tunes that get the whole scene going on one. And that's when good ol' Dot comes into play.

Since Dot's fairly decent album, he hasn't really been doing much, or not enough to be causing a stir at least (except on twitter). Well, I assure you after you let you ears get assaulted by this then you'll be saying: "Sorry I forgot just how good you were Mr Rotten because GAT DAHHHHHHM!". I don't know what ruffled his feathers, it could be absolutely anything because, as I said before, judging by his twitter, lately he seems to be frustrated with anything and everything on the UK scene that isn't Minarmy. Whatever it was, he let something go fo' sure and consequently he absolutely, unequivocally, totally and completely went in RUTHLESSLY during this therapy session he partook in, in his studio. It's evident that once he embarked on this outburst he couldn't stop; "F*** THAT I DONT WANNA HEAR NO CHORUS...!!!!", only this is a much more skilfully executed outburst than your usual. The bars are well constructed. His delivery, even with the 'Tempz Next Hype' level anger, is controlled and as a listener you're not just left drowning in a mess of poorly executed bars flung carelessly at us. This control is packed into two flows, the first; a fast, more spiteful, yet calmer flow and a second slower but heavier flow, adopted after the beat drops. Considering that this remix was one of the first to fall at our feet, and it being a freestyle at that, you'll feel yourself wanting to apologise to Mr Rotten yet again for forgetting how good he is.

Go and 'ave a listen m8.

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Wretch 32 - Daily Duppy

It's Sunday. A day of reflection. So let us recall one event of the week in particular. Wednesday. The day of the storm. The storm that ripped up the UK rap scene. Wretch 32's Daily Duppy. 

There is a reason I have always loved Wretch. He has been my favourite UK Rapper since "End Scene" days where his story telling skills first captured me. On a lyrical front Wretch the Wordsmith has always been untouchable and it's the very reason I feel he is underrated by so many - because his lines simply go over too many people's heads. It's such a shame because there is nothing like sitting on the bus and getting that gas mark 100000000 feeling after uncovering the double (sometimes even triple) meanings hidden amongst the bars - and I can assure you there is not one artist that has got me pausing, rewinding, looping the track as much as Wretch has so I can bask in that very feeling. That's probably why I still haven't got over his Daily Duppy. Until Wednesday I didn't actually think it was possible for him to elevate any higher on the lyrical front. The wordplay was unmissable (quite literally as good ol' GRM daily illustrated it all for us) and if BBM didn't flop then I could predict with 99.9999% confidence that my recent updates would be full of lines taken from this very masterpiece (amongst the odd 'pop up I'm bored'). After taking a few deep breaths and getting over the content, you can then begin to appreciate that full power in the punch does not finish in his words, but lives on in the charisma that leaks out of his delivery and that strong flow - both of which have always been present in his work (if you need proof listen to his Woo Riddim Freestyle), but have also been upgraded, continuing with this theme of growth which we can clearly witness.

I forget in which interview, but I remember when talking on the topic of his achievements, him saying: "it's less celebrating and more elevating". He is improving with success. He reversed the formulae. Charts have changed him - but for the better. He's not sitting around getting too comfortable and allowing himself to slack. That's the kind of mindset that will get him the attention of the US scene. The attention and recognition he definitely deserves because if he was from the USA, this Daily Duppy would have the world going mad.

NOW CAN I GET AN AHHHHHHHHHHHH YEAH

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Mercston - Back To 95

So it seems 'The Movement' (that's Wretch, Ghetts, Scorcher and Mercston by the way) are all back to...well making musical movements really. There was talk a couple of years ago about a reunion mixtape from them, but evidently that wasn't followed through and the members continued to work on individual projects. Then along came this summer and they hooked up to give us a 'Fire in the Booth', a 'Car Check', but still no confirmation of any big plans to produce a musical something-something to get us all nostalgic. But it seems Mercston has got it covered and has thrown us back even further than the Movement Days by bringing us 10 Garage infused tracks on his new release.

Now before you do, don't expect classics like "Bring You Flowers" or "Please Don't Turn Me On". It would be silly to even expect that from:

1. A Grime artist 
2. Any artist in 2013 -  the genre isn't as significant anymore so that level of vibe just can't replicated right now.

But what Mercston has managed to produce are brand spanking new tracks that have the authenticity to pass as actual tracks that would have been floating around all those years ago have you time travelling back to a decade or so. Therefore, its safe to say it is clear that he has successfully replicated the sound and vibe of the good old days and he has done what he set out to do - take us "Back to '95".

There is a great deal of risk surrounding the mixtape which has so wonderfully paid off. For one, there was a risk of mocking the genre in effort to replicate it's sound - it is like doing a cover of a classic song. Thankfully he captured the right energy. There is also risk of not recieving a good reaction to bringing something so new to the table - especially when "new" comes not in the form of diverse beats or multiple flows, but in the form of, well, the old. It did help that he managed to do do the 'old' properly but no matter what the quality, with anything slightly different there is always the risk of a hostile reception. Personally, I like different. Especially when it's good different. So mercy Mr Mercy-Mercston for the fresh dose of old skool and letting the vibes get H'IIIIIIINSSSSSSIDEEEE my body!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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Dot Rotten - Voices In My Head

As Dot's first studio album, it's a decent body of work.
I was actually surprised with a couple of the tracks on the album. Obviously as his first album since commercial success, it was bound to be more varying sound to reach out to more people, but considering the tracks Dot has released as singles, I still wasn't really expecting Dot to deliver some of the tracks he did.

The first part of the album that greets your ears comes in the form of "Hello". It begins, gaining momentum with Dot "bringing you poetry", making your introduction to the album...well pure. As the track gets into it, it's a bit downing a glass big glass of cold water on a hot day... I normally associate Dot with a dark sound, so this lighter and dainty track is something new and refreshing and I really like it. This mirrors my reaction to the other lighter track on the album; "Thank You" - it's a buoyant track dedicated to his fans out there that have supported him - especially those that have stuck by him while he's switching up his sound and climbs up and down the chart. I like the little statement he makes by thanking the fans that have stuck by him since the underground, on a track that is so not underground. It's a blatant fist bump to the supporters, and a subtle two fingers up to the haters that say he's "sold out". I think these people forget that a slight adaptation in sound doesn't undermine the skill that he obviously still habours.

Running through most of the rest of the album are the heavy, anthemic beats that Dot's been associating himself with for a while now. Underneath these beats though, I get the sense of both growth and frustration from Mr Rotten in some of these tracks. It's almost like recently he has learnt a lot and he's come to some sort of realisation. There is a hunger back there which make me feel like he feels to achieve something more with this album itself. Maybe it is infact, the Voices In His Head, that are holding him back? I don't know - this could me just going off on one and getting some random vibe off it but never the less, on the topic of achieving something with this album - I think Dot can be proud of this one.

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GFrsh - Legoman II Mixtape

FIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

On terms of consistency, range and overall mad vibes - Legoman II has hit the spot. The sun has finally decided to show itself and this mixtape couldn't have come at a better time because mateeeee - these tracks + summer vibes = yes.
 So far, it's the UK mixtape of 2013 (yeah, it's only April, but if there are going to be any UK releases this year that will rob GFrsh of this title then they have got be be fiyaaaaaaaa x2)

Full of braggish bars on hoodish tracks, he gets away with making you get to the end of the track thinking "lol woteva ya little priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...". Maybe it's the fact that he does actually practice half of what he preaches or the fact that some of these tracks gas you to such a level, you get caught in the energy he delivers and feel you have no reason to envy GFrsh's "20 on his wrist" and the "license for his kicks" ...not that material possessions determine a happy life, ofcourse ;)

The choice of features reflects the true "L.O.N.D-Boy" in GFrsh, with him choosing some of the finest talents floating about the scene at the moment without the man himself being overshadowed. The vaunting verses, matched with the heavy beats add a little American flavour to the tracks. That doesn't mean he hasn't kept it grounded and goes in with that pirate radio flow on a couple of these tracks though - he took it thurrrrr! He manages to go in without forcing himself. Everything on Legoman II is well within his comfort zone - and considering the standard of the tape, it shows the level of talent GFrsh is working with. To be honest, I didn't expect anything less from him, but you may find he's slightly exceeding expectation when you remind yourself this is only a FREE MIXTAPE... muadddddd.

GFrsh has released 3 visuals for Legoman tracks.

Check out the latest visual for my favourite track on the mixtape: #IMBALLLLLLLINNNNNNNNNNN (don't expect to be able to say that normally once you hear it) 

AND if you haven't already - DOWNLOAD THE TAPE HOSTED BY GRM DAILY http://wp.grmdaily.com/gfrsh-legoman-2/

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Wiley - The Ascent

It's been a long time coming for this album to finally drop, and I don't think anyone has been anticipating it more than the man himself; Wiley. After years of grinding, beefing, controversial tweeting and spitting it seems like Wiley's recent chart success came from nowhere and blew up as fast as you can say Dizzee Rascal (ha ha)

"But he has sold out though blah blah blah blah"

In a perfect world, I would be living in a penthouse flat in London, working part time between BBC 1 Xtra and SBTV, have a body like Maya Jama, face like Jessica Alba, engaged to Aston Merrygold and Wiley would have got that number 1 with 'Where's My Brother'. 

Sadly this isn't reality. 

Unfortunately the UK music industry isn't grown enough to accept music in any form that doesn't resemble Pop. Wiley for a long, LONG, time stuck to his principles and refused to make any other music than the genre he fathered. He has been in the game long enough to adapt that "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" approach...but being so in love with Grime he hasn't strayed too far from his true sound - his Step freestyles and The Ascent show this. The rest of the album is a contrast to the tracks he has released for the charts. He used the singles to build platform and introduce Eskiboy to his increasing audience.

My 5 tracks with that vibe & are definitely worth a listen: Lights On, Skillzone, Ninja, Tomorrow and My Heart. 

My Heart, bearing in mind it features Emeli Sande, isn't even the slowest song on the album *gasp* - for me this shows that the album isn't what your expecting. You probably doubted the album and thought it would follow the same pattern as his singles but after listening to the album, you feel like a tool for doubting his loyalty to his roots. My favourite track Skillzone backs up my point nicely; a load of underground's finest (Ghetts, Double S, Frisco and Griminal to name a few) taking in turn to spit a bit of heaaaat ona the high tempo beaaaat - a formula that can produce nothing but a pure example of a Grime track.

don't watch the paint skills b!

If I'm truly honest, some of his Step freestyles have excited me more than a couple of these album tracks which are a little boring, but you can't have your cake and eat it too (summer is coming and you have to keep that body on point yo!). HOWEVERRRRR the more I look at the tracklisting/features and of course the more I actually listen to the tracks, the more I appreciate what Wiley has produced. He balanced commercial with his roots without compromising too much at all. No one is saying Wiley is best lyrically or has the meanest flow but he essentially is grime. It's safe to say he has kept it as real as possible with this album, from the music, to the attributions in the booklet.

P.S If you're gonna get it, which you should, get the Deluxe iTunes version and watch the 8 minute documentary that comes with it because it's interesting and you may aswell:) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-ascent-deluxe/id611380645

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Blackout - Wretch 32 ft Shakka (prod. Knox Brown)

Friday night and all I see over twitter is the date 4/3/13. Now be being the cat the curiosity killed and a big fan of Mr Wretch 32 I was hype hype hype at the thought of new music especially from the new album he’s going to drop this year. So come 8pm I was sat with my laptop listening to Mista Jam’s show. I even missed the start of Eastenders for this so you know it got real.

Evolution is the key word. You’ll hear the intro and think “is this going to be another rapper spitting over a dance beat?”. Well if you thought that: 

1) shame on you

2) I bet your ears weren’t prepared for that.

 If I asked you to name 1 track that Blackout sounded like, even with the combined musical repertoire of every DJ in this whole wide world, you wouldn’t be able to. This is something different to any song that has graced our ears – and note I used the word “graced” implying that different isn’t just good but MAD good.

The beat for me is the most significant part of this track, and is the work of Knox Brown, part of the Renowned Collective. Often I feel producer’s input to a track is overlooked but with his work, it’s hard to ignore what he has created – not made, created. It’s pretty hard to describe what he has done with the beat, but I love that. It doesn’t stop surprising you and as well as keeping you intrigued to the track, it transports you somewhere else. Then we have Shakka. Now Shakka is an artist I hadn’t come across before but this is a perfect example of the hidden talent the UK has been hiding for a too too too long. His vocals are on point. Clean. Subtle. Powerful. I’ve known about him for 5 minutes but I am actually ecstatic (yeah that happy!) that Wretch has given him this platform because his voice breathes “gifted”. Wretch has been doing his thing for years now but never fades. The track just reminds you why you, and even gives you more reason to, love Wretch. He has kept it real and while taking a risk and going down a different lane he hasn’t strayed too far from the road on which he started – and this is why it works so beautifully. Evolved sound – Check. Lyrics that can’t be touched, just felt – Check. Mention of his beloved Disarano – Check. Heartist.

The 3 of them have done what music is made to do, but only few can actually carry out: produced a fresh, hot, new vibe that takes you somewhere – I don’t know where, but I don’t care. Now just wheel that yo!

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Marvell - G.R.E.A.T.N.E.S.S EP

Marvell are always releasing mixtapes but their new G.R.E.A.T.N.E.S.S EP follows the trend of GOOD music. They're music has always been so simple - crazy beats, flows on point, and those big big big 1 liners - yet no one has been able to replicate it - and even if they tried, I don't think anyone could. They have got the perfect balance of it all to make every (and I actually mean every) track they've ever put out  be a b a n g e r. If you listen to their first tracks and compare it to the ones on the new EP, the sound hasn't changed because it doesn't need to. Their early tracks from years ago could be easily passed for a track made yesterday in a top US producer's studio. In a few years time, I'm sure you could say the same thing when listening to the G.R.E.A.T.N.E.S.S EP.

They have already released 2 of the tracks off the free EP: Weezy and London 2 Alanta and both were major tracks. New World, Killing All The Shows, Everything's on Me and G.R.E.A.T.N.E.S.S contribute to the 'wooooiiiiiiiii' section of the EP. The beats, especially on New World, are mad mad mad and if you don't even bop your head to the beat then I refuse to believe you're a human. Whether you're getting ready for a night out or work they will put you on a good vibe, and that to me is A* music.

Best Of Us and Kings and Queens are definitely the heartfelt tracks on the EP. I think Kings And Queens deserves a special little mention though. It's one of those motivational, grateful and feel good songs. It's got me even more hyped for summer to come because it's a tune that will sound PERFECT cruising around on a calm one in the sun on a Saturday (and I don't even drive). They hooked up with old friend (from Shocka's Chain Gang days) Wretch 32, who was the perfect collab for this track as I think this is one of the songs in which the lyrics are what really stand and are the main component of the tracks, while their signature heavy beats have taken the back seat. That's not to say the instrumental isn't good - Max Richards cleverly crafted a beat that brought power to the track but in a beautifully subtle way - making it even stronger.

Marvell don't have the recognition they deserve. Like I said before, they have a sound that is consistently great and doesn't even need to evolve to STILL be relevant in many years to come. Moreover, if it wasn't for their accents, their tracks could easily be the works of art of an American chart topping rapper #noexaggeration.
They're the future of music but not enough people know it yet so don't get left behind innnnnnnnitttttttt...
GO GET THE G.R.E.A.T.N.E.S.S EP (you have no excuse not to because it's FREE!)

Click Here To Get It

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Still Sway & Kane - Sway, Kano and Trigger Da Author

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YES YES YES!

When I first heard that Sway and Kano were dropping a new tune together happy wasn't even the word. For me no other British rapper's flow get's me as excited as Sway - he delivers EVERY time and you always know Kano will K.O with his punchlines. They have been in the centre of the scene for god knows how long but it still frustrates me to this day how underrated both of these artists are. This track re-enforces that frustration x100000000.

With the piano from the classic 'Still Dre' sampled, normally I'd be saying "why would they even go there?" but they went there and I can't even fault it - and I'm quite a critical person. They obviously added the UK flavour and made it their own and every lyric was worthy to be spat over that legendary choooooone. They proved that no matter what newbies come onto the scene they have STILL got the game in their hand. And what's even better it's an sound that I can see hitting the charts, as well as not straying too far from their roots - none of that rapping over a dubstep/dance beat.

This is the first we've heard from both of them from 2013, and they have raised the bar fo' sure. With Sway's recent chart success maybe it's Sway's turn to follow in the footsteps of Wretch (who makes a cameo in the video along with his bromanc-er Chip and Mr JME) and be added to the list of rappers who are making an impact on the industry.

If you've already listened then listen again anyway because you know you want to, and if you haven't heard it yet, LISTEN NOW and thank me later ;)

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The Music Scene So Far

Remember back in 2010 when JLS and Tinie Tempah release Eyes Wide Shut? They were probably the 2 biggest Urban music acts we had out there with mainstream success... and JLS weren’t didn’t even make urban music.

 But now when I switch on Capital FM (which I admit isn't often) I’m hearing Wiley, Wretch and Sway. Now to be fair, we’ve always had people in the Urban music charts - think So Solid Crew. But who else from them days had chart success and made a big enough impression for us to remember their names?

…Stop trying to think of names. Very few is the answer. Now just read on...

Recently the urban music scene has achieved a new type success, in which we don't just have one hit wonders, but artists that are creating history and are here to stay. I’d say we have to go back to the start of 2010 to find where this started...‘Pass Out’. 

Now this has been a progression, and it wasn't just this one song that changed the whole scene. Without the success of artists from way back such as Craig David, Dizzee or Tinchy from not long before, I don’t think it would have been as easy for Tinie Tempah to make such an sudden impact. But ‘Pass Out’ certainly gave the game a boost and opened the ears of the music industry.  

The success of Tinie and Labrinth with that track did many things. It connected mainstream music to the latest of underground urban music scene. Tinie was a grime artist before his chart success, and with Pass Out, he opened the music industry to the genre and made it accessible and available on a mainstream level. People who hadn’t even heard of grime or brushed it off with that same old guns, gangs and drugs stereotype, now saw a different side to the whole genre and culture... and actually enjoyed it! Not only that, but it inspired other artists on the underground that it was possible to break through the charts. Wiley has even said when talking about his recent success, that seeing people like Tinie Tempah having their success inspired him and made him believe it was possible. It does seem exaggerated, but it’s true. A year ago, did you ever think you’d see Wiley on a Now 83 CD?

After Tinie broke through, we got a whole bunch of artists hitting the charts with songs influenced from the bars they spit on Tottenham streets and beats they produced in their bedroom. Plan B, Wretch 32, Skepta all have had chart success and are now names that even your mum will recognise. 

Now I realise I’ve mainly just been talking about Grime, but I feel this is the one genre under the urban branch that has grown, evolved and made the most progress recently. It has been the dominant UK urban genre which has developed from some of our most prominent genres: bassline, dancehall, garage, drum and bass with, ofcourse, the influence of Hip Hop. 

But what is better, we’ve had other genres breaking through to, with the likes of Angel, Delilah and Katy B (to name JUST a few) and introducing not only a UK take on some of the USA's most popular genres, but they are even creating sounds so fresh and different it is hard to label them.

Giggs - one of the underground's finest is should be releasing
an album soon... it'll be interesting to see if anything he puts
out will make chart impact.

Like I said before, we’ve always had people from the Urban music scene in and out of the charts but I feel like urban music as a whole is being taken more seriously as a genre and a culture. SBTV, a company that began with Jamal Edwards filming MC’s spraying in the middle of the estate, is now a renowned and respected brand. People are beginning to understand more about the whole culture, and with that they understand the music and are more willing to listen to it. With this shift in the behaviour, the artists born out of urban music and culture are not only making an impact, but one that is lasting and they are staying there.

No I know there will be some of you saying something along the lines of “*insert artist here* is a sell out now”, but no one said it was perfect. It is progression and we are getting there. We’re a long way from being like the USA, where some of the realest Hip Hop and sweetest slow jams hold the number 1 spot but we’re getting there. If turning a bit mainstream is what it takes to hold a spot in the charts right now, then so be it… we can “re-evolve” later. All I'm saying is, I'm excited to see what happens in 2013.

p.s apologies for saying Urban so much...I know..it was probably as annoying as Tulisa's "Urban roots" *bbm cover's face*

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SBTV Apocalypse Cypher

So the Mayans predicted the world was ending and Jamal wanted to make sure it did in true SBTV style. 10 minutes of pure talent from some of 2012’s finest UK artists was brought to us in the Apocalypse Cypher and here is my (as brief as possible) break down:

Manchester’s very own BLIZZARD begins displaying just why it’s worth exploring outside of London for Grime’s finest. Not only does he have that young fresh lively flow but he has rhythm with it. This and his delivery instantly intrigue you - he is the perfect way to start to the cypher. Listen carefully and you’ll pick up on the creativity. I’m sure in 2013 he’ll be doing bigger things.

ENGLISH FRANK comes next and as it’s the apocalypse cypher, the worlds going to end soon...why not say it straight?

“why is my best friend best friends with his strap probably because he never got no love from the flats, why do I talk to my dog more than I talk to my own dad?”.
Now, for me, his verse was the weakest but he still G O E S  I N. One of the great things about his verse, is you can tell the bars ooze real, because as soon as you think his verse is coming to end, he goes in again. His punch lines will hit you no doubt.

Mr MIC RIGHTEOUS starts with the flow that makes you shake your head in time with it and then nod your head in approval. I was a little disappointed, but all good things come to an end. Despite a iffy little freestyle in the middle, he brings in back with lyrics that scream passion.  

“The end of the world is upon us, they can’t take the realness from us”

I’d say Logic is the UK’s answer to Common. Not only have they got the same look going on but they are both poets. His lyrics are educational. This is a verse you’ll definitely be replaying. Plus ladies, he one of those deep, smooth voices you wouldn’t mind hearing every now and again.

She’s “from Birmin’ammm not from London”.
She’s also a reason why we should be searching all over the country for fresh grime talent LADY LESHURR has been doing it for the girls this year and no doubt she’s going to be making tsunami waves in 2013. Leshurr wins prize for the most fun and light hearted verse. With her cheeky little vibe she didn’t just spit but she performed.

We haven’t heard much from AKALA recently, but he shows that there is nothing to worry about – he hasn’t lost any of his raw talent.  He goes in and as always educates and hits us with realness. He keeps it slick, street and smart. Akala is powerful.

BLACK THE RIPPER. His calm flow will trick you, because as soon as he starts, he goes in bigger than his hair. Listen close, he has some crazy lines in there. He kept it real, tight lyrics, tight flow, tight delivery. Not much more to say, his verse does all the talking.

DOT ROTTEN was all punch lines and passion here. He was reading off his phone which I always think dampens the energy in cyphers such as this, but nevertheless everything he spat was powerful. There is a reason why he is doing big things.

Ch-ch-cheeeeeeck it out here:

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