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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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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BBC Urban Proms 2013

Today a sample of  6 of our finest urban artists took the genre to a whole new level and switched up the BBC Proms 1 Xtra styley. Urban Classics live back in 2012 was an event but this was an occasion. The Proms have been celebrating classical music for 119 years, and tonight it invited one of the UK's least appreciated genres and let it's ambassadors show the world how we do. It really felt like UK urban music got that seal of approval and was welcomed with open arms - forget the top 40, we roll with the BBC Proms now yo!

I was most excited to see what Lady Leshurr and Wretch 32 would do. As much as I love my Mr Wretchy Wretch (who may I add looked SUAVE as hell) my favourite of the night was Miss Lesh because she came out and just did her, herself, she and she only. She's already a female grime artist from *Lady Leshurr Voice* "BRUM BRUM BRUM BRUM" excelling in world whose A* students often come in the package of a London based male artist, yet still, even in the illustrious venue of Royal Albert Hall, she looked as comfortable as she would be spread across the sofa at home watching Eastenders. In her element, sporting her self branded "Lady Lesh" attire, bringing her feist to the front line, she tore up the stage. She was a perfect portrayal of the well blended union of two opposing genres without having to compromise (except one or two swear words).

It was great to also see that this fusion wasn't something that can only be achieved by some of our most talented urban musicians, but also obtainable for amateurs. Fazer managed to gather up a group of fine young artists and set them the challenge of firstly merging their own individual styles and then incorporating the BBC Symphony Orchestra. They pulled it off and the consequence was not only a great piece of music but more evidence supporting the argument that all elements of urban music - be it rap, soul singing, beatboxing - could walk hand in hand in harmony with classical music.

People often see that all that lies under the urban music bracket, infact lies on the other end of the universe from classical music. However music is a universal language and so in the presence of the coalition of two expressions of art, there was no translation required in sending out this very message. The going ons inside the Albert Hall on the evening of the 10th of August proved stereotypes of the like of "rap not being real music" wrong. If it wasn't real music it wouldn't sound so damn good on top of dirty bass or the double bass.

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Angel - About Time

If this album is your first experience of Angel, you'll think of him covered in tats, rocking the Trapstar hoodie and sporting the Nike Air Max - then you'll ready yourself to nod your head to a few gully beats underneath his stories of the struggle. Press play on his debut album and you will hear the sultry sounds of Angel's vocal pouring out your speakers and coating your eardrums.

Not to say he hasn't seen the mean side of the streets, but with this being a more commercial catalouge of his talents he had to replace the slight grittier, not-so-clean-cut side of his music with songs more focused on the struggles...of love, that is. That doesn't mean he didn't keep it real but About Time really is an album to show off Angel's musical capabilities (which are high) as well as appeal to a wider audience.

My favourite aspect of the album in general is the choice of collabs. Personally, this is one of the ways I feel he kept this body of work real. He has used artists that have helped nurture/maintain the originality and rawness of his music - the collaboration with H.I.M (his breddaaa from EARLY) is a display of the strength of the grip Angel has maintained on his roots - despite stretching to the heights of writing with Frank Ocean on the album. I love the link up with George the Poet because I love George the Poet. I think we could have done with a bit more George the Poet because I felt this was the only structure we really got on the album. After listening to Angel's commentary I realised I hadn't clocked the story hidden in this album. But then again this is Angel's body of work, not George's. Plus, as I said, this album wasn't primarily made to tell a story but to get his music out there. If people are interested enough, the commentary tells the story just fine.

For me there aren't tracks to top his previous works Ride Out and Forget About It. Circles In Squares and More Fire are probably my favourite tracks.  More Fire has got that energy - goooooood energy and the stronger and more powerful vocals deliver it well. Shakka was the perfect collab for this track helping build that organicity. Circles in Squares, is a different story - so calm. The subtlety and softness in his voice that plays with the ear is perfect. These two tracks come one after the other and not only show that Mr Charles can not only sing but sannnng, but also show his versatility in what he can create as a songwriter/producer too - a true musican.

I was anticipating this album to make movements in the progression of the UK urban music scene. R&B has never really broken into the commercial scene. I wouldn't describe Angel as a typical sweet-boy R&B artist. He's always had a little edgy vibe to him and his sound has always had that street influence. This vibe still vibrates through the album with that fusion of pop. He is not only helping the R&B genre break through the chart, but he has made his own mark by switching it up. He's complied a group of fresh, quality tracks. Some tracks are worthy of a sly shoulder shimmy on the bus while you vibes through your headphones and some are perfect to serenade me with (that's a demand not a hint, Angel).

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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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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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