#MusicVideoMonday: New Banger - Kano

Okay. It's nothing new. We all know how much I love Kano. I'm not gunna go on about it. Love love love that Kano seems to be stepping back in the scene with both feet now. Although his sporadic droppings are much appreciated, the news of his a new Kano album coming soon has made me very excited. 'Hail' was our first teaser of what to expect, and 'New Banger' is the second. Both are equally full of energy. Love love love love the visual to this. So raw but still so fun. I guess you can only get these wonderful balances with a don dada like Risky Roadz behind the camera. 

 

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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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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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#ThrowbackThursday - Donaeo Speechless Live Lounge

I have a habit of dropping these #ThrowbackThursdays (well the 2 that I have actually done) at the very end of Thursday but oh well.

Today I bring to you a Live Lounge I rediscovered during my long long long journey to and around London yesterday within which I had ample opportunity to rinse my iPod's battery to the core. On rammed tubes that I only got on as a result of full exploitation of my small frame, which enabled me to fill the tiniest pockets of space on the carriages, there was no room to breath, let alone manoeuvre my arm so it could reach into my pocket and change the track on my iPod. But on letting it do it's own thing, it dug up a few forgotten gems buried under playlists upon playlists. One of these was Breakage ft. Donaeo - Speechless which technically I can't really call a gem because I don't really like the song that much but I loved Donaeo's solo cover of it.

Donaeo/DON-AAAAAAAAAAAAY-OH, is the creator of some of the biggest tunes that you hear on a night out and so like most, that's all I really knew him for - a wicked producer who occasionally dropped a couple of random vocals in the form or "party-ty-ty-ty-ty-ty-ty haaaaaaaaard zum zum zum" or "I'm fly, I'm fly-y-y-y ta na na na na ni ni ni ta na na na na na ni ni ni ni". I never actually knew he could sing or did anything more than produce mean beats that made my waist wiggle. It turns out Mr Zephron has a voice that I wish he used so much more. It's not exactly a husky, raspy voice (which I'm a sucker for) but there is something about that tone and very slight, subtle coarseness that I want more of.

So Mr Donaeo, please sing more for those soul destroying cold, rainy Mondays when I need therapy (but please also carry on making riddimsssssss too for Friday nights).

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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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Don't Waste My Time UK Remix - Krept, Konan, Chip, French Montana,Wretch 32, Chinx Drugz and Fekky

2nd of January, everyone awoke from their slumbers, rubbed out the eye bogeys and sat in their beds at 11:30am scrolling through twitter forgetting about the words of "wisdom" they were blabbering the other day across all thier social networks about productivity, pumping up the work rate and positivity. Amongst the "WE BE ALL NIGHT LOOOOOOOOOOOVE"//It's not everyday...//Real men shouldn't this and should that tweets as they scrolled they would have come across snippets of drama (which was very much over hyped by twitter land) surrounding the two Don't Waste My Time remixes dropped today. Now although I'm here to talk about the track, not the industry politics and the misunderstanding surrounding it, I must quickly address one thing...

Due to all the hoo-har on twitter, the one real issue in all of this was overlooked: the lack of respect French (along with pretty much the rest of the US scene) showed for the UK. He used a UK song for his mixtape. Okay, that's cool, thanks. But could he not have even credited Krept and Konan on the track listing? Is this twitter - there are no character limits. And did he really have to take the UK artists off the song to put it on his mixtape? Last time I checked, Lana Del Ray wasn't part of Coke Boys but she's still featured so it cant be that  he took off Chip, Fekky and Wretch's verses because it's a purely just a Coke Boys project. They executed strong verses - it would not sacrifice the Coke Boys' rep or quality of mixtape to keep them on there. He's not obliged to do anything but if the UK scene was rated let alone respected then just a simple gesture to support our scene would not harm himself, his career and would take him minimal effort. I guess it's that American artist "superior" attitude thinking that remixing one UK track is one too many favours for us.

That's just my thoughts but anyway...

The original version of 'Don't Waste My Time' is a straight greezy, raw, gas-material track. It doesn't carry the substance Krept and Konan's more concious stuff does, and although I love me some music with a message, from time to time you have to switch it up and give credit to the bangers that, when blasted, have you nodding your head like you're the don dadaaaaaaaaa. This is exactly why I was clinging onto the edge of my seat for the remix to drop. It's these types of tunes that get the artists on their toes making sure they go H'IIIIIIIINNNNN competing for the hardest verse whether they get put on the remix or do their own cover. And that's the real beauty...it gets the whole scene going!

You don't even need to get past the first verse for proof of this - Chip wins! He said it was a "killer verse" and he tells no lies. It's not technically  the best in terms of lyricism blah blah but for the type of track it is, the verse is perfect. For me, French got a bit lazy on this. Although they're decent bars - they're recycled and given that he always raps about the same old stuff anyway it's nothing more than a poor effort from him especially for something he is putting out on his mix tape where it's usually nice to deviate and experiment in the safety of the non-mainstream waters. Moving on...Wretch has never been the "greezy" type of rapper and if you were to match a track to him, this wouldn't be it - it's way darker, far too trappy and hence a lot more Americanised than his usual stuff. However, he manages to sound more than comfortable on this track controlling his verse and letting it build momentum as it progresses, leaving on a good, solid ending;"kabooooooooooom". Surprisingly, it's not his lyricism that stands out for me in this, but it was his delivery that took the spotlight - it was strong and was what gave his verse fire. Another piece of evidence proving he is one of our most skilled and versatile rappers right now. Chinx Drugz verse was decent. I'm not gunna lie, I haven't really made effort to listen to his other stuff so I can't really comment against his other work but judging from this he is iteeeee. If I wasn't the eager beaver I am, after hearing this I probably wouldn't have much motivation to listen to anything else of his. Fekky was good. Not at his best for me but he was decent and definitely continued the theme of Team UK > Team US which echoes through the track. It goes without saying that Krept and Konan's original verses were hard and even with the new additions they still remained strong (if I had to choose between the two though it would be Krept).  

The team US link up (although slightly messed up with the way French dropped his remix first) is a great move for Krept and Konan but the US efforts on this are lazy. A straight UK link up with a few more of our homegrown artists could have this looking like the new 'Game Over' and definitely worth my time. I'm just excited for the next few days where everyone is going to be dropping their own verses over this. Round 2 commence *DING DING*

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Mr Bigz - My Funked Up Soul *Mixtape*

It's been about a year since we last heard from Bigz, one of the UK's finest HipHop veterans who we've seen steadily working up the ranks since Channel U days, but a couple of weeks back (yes I know - I'm a bit late) under his new more grown alias of Mr Bigz, he brought us a slice of the equally matured sounds of 80s soul flavoured with 90's HipHop flows and wit.

Skilfully produced completely by Turkish Dycypha, the mixtape is far from secreting the stench of "trying too hard" to imitate the sounds of the big hair and parachute pants days. Instead, it radiates the redolence of the reminiscent vibes that would have been floating about the studio, conjuring memories of the times when it was all simple and easy. Vibes which have seeped into the songs and given us 16 tracks of perfect Sunday morning easy listening material. It seems Mr Bigz's recent, and might I add: APPLAUDABLE, grind in the gym has not only helped him drop a few stone but also bad vibes as they're non existent amongst the witty wordplay, fun flows and hints of humour that you'll find in every track. It's seriously refreshing to have a whole EP of laid back, yet quality, tracks that do nothing but make me want to walk down the road in a Soul Train esque manner as I make my way to college.

Although I am not oblivious to music before my time (it would be rude not to be), as someone who is too young to have lived to remember anything even near times that these type of sounds originate from, I really enjoyed the authentic samples. Amongst the familiar ones used such as Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long" which I recognised from LL Cool J's old school shenanigans, the not so familiar samples gave me an excuse to geek out, get my research orrrrrrn and expand my musical horizons so fist bumps all round for that Mr Bigzyyyyy and Turkish Dycypha.

My only qualms with this mixtape is the line in 'Trouble Man': "We only see shadows in the dark"  because you need light to produce shadows and the line lead me to getting into such a deep mental debate over this fact on the bus that I got so caught up in it and almost missed my stop. But apart from that rather picky criticism, Mr Bigz has beautifully united the funkaaaaaay sounds of soul and hard flows and lyricism of real Hip Hop into an EP strong enough to make it into my favourites of 2013. I'll probably be still pumping this as we make our way to 2014 because, and I can't stress this enough, it's so so effortless and eaaaaaaaaaaaaasy to listen to! It's also nice to hear something different coming from the UK scene - the absence of collaborations perhaps prove this; in that there wasn't anyone quite riding the same wave as Bigz and therefore worthy of being featured. I'm glad he has kept 'making good music' at the heart of the project and didn't sacrifice a feature of an artist that didn't quite get 'it' in order to reach out to their fanbases for a bit more buzz. Instead, he has poured a '100% pure with bits' glass of himself into the project ensuring the vibe he was feeling was channelled into a great mixtape.

If you haven't already then get downloading/streaming at www.mrbigz.co.uk 

PS. Merry Christmas innit :D

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Music Video Monday: ICEY - Skepta

Skeppy has let his creative juices spill over every inch of this project. Not only did he produce the song with Jason and Hooks, he also directed, with the help of Kritikal, the intriguing visual (albeit not as..."intriguing" as the 'All Over The House' video) which kills two birds with one stone with it being a platform to promote his new song and new clothing range. As a result of this efficiency, what we find before us on our screens is what is probably the hoodest catwalk ever.

In the spirit of being ICEY, the video was FRESHLY dropped into our laps less than 24 after Skepta and Kritikal had spent 26-odd hours creating it. It basically consists of Joseph Junior and co. walking up and down, rocking his golden-JME-pendant inspired (think back to: "She said she's in love with my Jesus piece. I told her to look a bit closer, it's not Jesus baby it's JAY EM EE") jumpers/t-shirts. It's not the most outrageous thing you'll ever see yet you'll find your eyes unexpectedly glued to the screen. It may have something to do with the visual being tailored so it wasn't solely an advert for the clothing range but still held relevance to the song and this was achieved just by adding in the little details like Yardy walking up the catwalk with the belt every time the track plays "still trying to get the championship belt of Yardy" - see, simple.

In regards to the song: it's okay. It grows on me the more I listen to it. It's not his hardest but it's enough for it to resemble what you'd imagine the backing track for 'Super Mario Bros: Tuggggg Edition' would be. It's not clear if the song is going to be a single or an album track but if it's just a song to go along with the promo for his clothes then it more than does it's job.

Check out the video below.

If you want to get your hands on the clothing then hit up: attackthezombies.com/

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Throwback Thursday: Akala - 'Dat Boy' and Thieves Banquet Tour

So yesterday I went to see King Akalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala (aka Akala) and his support act and newly dreaded up Sir Josh Oshoshoshoshoshoshoshoshoshoshoshosho (aka Josh Osho) at Nottingham's Rock Citytytytytytytytytytytytyty (yeah, I'll stop now) as part of Akala's Thieves Banquet Tour.

In the humble setting of one of the smaller halls of Rock City, Josh took the stage on a oSHO ting...okay, maybe not quite in such a fashion but I didn't want to waste a good punchline so yeah...
He actually made his way on to the stage by squeezing between me and my friend (who I had dragged along) at the front of the crowd (obviously I, Miss eager beaver, was right at the front), turning to say sorry (like a proper cute little gentleman) as he pulled his guitar past us. With what was probably a smaller crowd then the other venues of the tour, he handled it like a true professional and managed to win over the somewhat, rowdier less engaged members of the crowd, using just the sultry sounds from his lips, symphonies constructed by just the six strings on his guitar and a dose or two of satire. I actually do think this is as a credit to Osho's skills as an artisst and performer considering he: 

1. was the support act
2. was an act that who's vibe was much more calmer than the one much of the crowd came to see (which isn't a bad thing for me but perhaps is for others) 
3. sang songs that were pretty much unknown to those that aren't big Osho fans (sadly there was no 'Redemption Days') which you'd think would make it harder as a crowd member to connect but the pure conviction and soul he saaaaaaaaaaangs with in his performance took care of that.

Now, I must say I am convinced that Akala morphed into a fly earlier that day and followed me around to eavesdrop on the tunes that had been pumping through my headphones and then put them all on the setlist (which he changes for every night of the tour) because it consisted of 90% of my top Akala songs. Although even if the set list wasn't full of many of my favourites I would have left the gig on the exact same vibe: empowered. 

If you already rate Akala, seeing him live is a whole new level. Sitting in front of YouTube watching his Fire In The Booths and being blown away by the outstanding flow, character and most significantly content, is a feeling magnified 100 times when the man himself is right in front of you and a crowd revved up with passion for his words surrounds you. It definitely brings an additional impact to what you get when you listen through your headphones as you journey over to your friends house. Speaking of such journeys, during some of my own, I sometimes used question why Akala uses the instrumentals he does. Why did I question them? Because I always felt they were slightly more rock-like than you'd expect from a Hip-Hop artist (although Hip Hop is really about the words) and could be a bit more epic and add energy to what he was saying. I put the reasoning down to the fact that the choice of instrumentals was probably a method to enable his message to spread to a wider audience, ensure you focus on the words more rather than an overpowering instrumental and helped portray his frustration and insubordination through a more angry rocky beat. Upon seeing him live, I identified another reason: the percussion provided plenty more power. The nature of Akala's music is really meant to be performed live - as a teacher, his lessons have even more capacity when given to you in person. Live music always multiplies the vibe, but in Akala's music the vibe explodes and it's residue sinks into you and I think the thrashy, energetic instrumentals (performed with the help of Cassell The Beatmaker) played a considerably decent part in this. 

I couldn't pin down my favourite performance but the most fun were definitely 'Pompous Pete' and 'The Thieves Banquet' where the enertainment factor was contributed to on multiple levels including Akala's acting skills. Now I thought I'd present you with a video of the night but sadly upon re-watching it my dodgy filming skills and the fact cameras couldn't capture the energy bouncing around the room that night. But oh well, in honour of Throwback Thrusday I bring you 'Dat Boy Akala' from the 'A Little Deeper' mixtape he release with sister Ms Dynamitee-hee which was one of his earlier pieces that evidenced his high level MC-ing capabilities as well as his concious lyricism.

Even if this video doesn't quite put across the levels of energy that I have tried to explain in this post, please please please get down to an Akala show in the near future because it is definitely worth it.

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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!

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Cleo Sol - Borderline

After 'Never The Right Time' Cleo Sol has been on a lot of people's radar, but it seems she has been pretty much undetectable since her August dropping of 'Code To Crack' with Scrufizzer and Toddla T. Well, she is back now, and to compensate for her brief absence on the sound waves, she has given us a 3-in-1 treat with new track Boderline where she has combined Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipie", Aaliyah's "More Than A Woman" and The Fugees "Ready Or Not" then seasoning it by laying down her own flavours.

Her vocals delicately grace 3 classic tracks from 3 generations and she has managed to add some of her classic SOuL to your time travelling experience making it a smooth ride. Her vocals are a spa session to my ears - soft, sultry and strong enough to stay significant in the presence of 3 ionic tracks while doing them justice.

Oh and you can download it..for free. Sounds even better.
 

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Trampoline - Tinie Tempah

It has been just shy of 3 and a half years since Tinie Tempah Disturbed London. He's never been a stranger to big tunes - throw yourself back to 'Tears' and 'Wifey' - but what was originally just a demo, Pass Out, had an unexpectedly HUGE impact. It dropped back in the first months of 2010 and ever since then Tinie has been riding that shockwave of success to a double platinum album, touring in any country Virgin Airlines could take him and all the while sitting comfortably in charts all over the world. There is no doubt that he has broken boundaries, one of which was the barrier between our underground urban scene and the Top 40. Recently the UK music scene has transformed and Tinie's disturbance is partly responsible.

With such effects, it's only natural he's had a considerable amount of weight on his shoulders over the past 2 years. The Demonstration has been pushed back further than Jamie Foxx's hairline (Sorry Jamie) and, unlike the hair near Jamie's forehead (Soz again), the anticipation has grown and grown. His silence since his debut album was tapped at with his 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY EP' and collab on Calvin Harris' 'Drinking From The Bottle'. But it was only after yesterday's Monday-Evening-Lull was shaken when he uploaded the final installment of his teasers, that the silence was shattered on Mista Jam's show tonight as 'Trampoline' met our ears and violated every cell in our bodies...

Now, I'll give you 3 words: TURNNN IT UPPPPP!

And I'll give you 3 more: REALOAD IT YOOOOO!

The same cheeky personal plastered over the track. The same crazy energy invading your body from the speakers. But this time over a ridiculous instrumental, courtesy of Diplo. And to help tame the beast, a rapper - who lets face it, is used to featuring on a banger or two - 2 CHAINZZZZZZZZ (if you didn't read that in the proper voice then please re-read and try again).

The sound is interesting. It's hot and fresh. It didn't come as a total shock to me, but that didn't stop it from hitting me and making me reload it so it could hit me again. I would say it dropped at the perfect time as summer has now started, but whatever the weather, whatever you are doing and wherever you are if the volume is up loud, you can be stiffer than Wiley and still be moving as fluid as the petrol igniting the fiyaaaaa that is 'Trampoline'.  It's lively. It's strong. It's proof that Tinie hasn't lost the ability to switch it UP and make you get DOWN.

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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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Lay Her Down - Skepta ft. Kano

So Skepta decided to hook up with KKK-AAAA and make an extended version to the vibe that is 'Lay Her Down', from Blacklisted, which he is now putting on his new upcoming album (yay), Konnichiwa.

I've seen a few of the oh-so-typical "this ain't a grime track reh reh reh" comments ...well no one said it was so shhhhhhhhh and let the 80's flavours soak into your veins and feel the music. The vibe it creates and the whole relaxed aura of the song means it doesn't need all the technicalities of a crazy 'agdfayfagfigci' flow and mad metaphorical wordplay. It's not what the song was made for or aimed to achieve - it's just a song which gives you that good feeling. Simple. The 80s influence with a fresh twist have formulated a calm summer jaaaaaaay-yummmm and whether you're cutting the grass or cutting a slice of mango you know you have to stop and cut some shapes to this one. 

I like this. Yeah. I like it a lot. 

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