Free Downloads from SonnyJim & Kelakovski, Genesis Elijah, Sam Khan, JPMD, Plan B, Deadly Hunta, DPF & Yogi

Keeping things going for 2010, on a quick tip thing:

Genesis Elijah - 'Power' (produced by Beezwax)
Taken from the forthcoming 'Civil Unrest' EP from Genesis Elijah and producer Beezwax. This is only gonna be free on Bandcamp for a limited time only so get over there now!

SonnyJim - 'The Purple Patch' (produced by Kelakovski)
Look out for more music coming soon from SonnyJim in 2010 with artists such as Illmind, Marco Polo, M-Phazes, Prince Po, AG and J-Zone. Also, SonnyJim's 'Trading Standards' remix project dropping in March 2010 with exclusive remixes by Lotek Hifi, Kosyne Jon Phonics and more.

Sam Kahn - 'Fall Back'
Modern sounding but I'm feeling the lyricism. Check the video too at youtube.

JPMD - 'So Hard'
This one is a new track fresh out of the cooker for 'Know What Time Rhyme 'N' Grind Vol 2'. It features Angry, Ramboss, Grievz and Big Dange. To find out more hit up these places: www.myspace.com/jahstproduction, www.myspace.com/darealrambossneckle and www.twitter.com/jpmd_uk.

Plan B - 'Welcome To Hell'
New direction for this lad, see what you think.

Chronic Redeye - 'Stand Up' ft. Deadly Hunta, DPF & Lyrical T
Taken from 'Ruffneck Intellect Volume One' - "a mixed CD that is set to drag listeners into a realm where no amount of ice or big rims can save the weak from getting crushed under the weight of some real skills. The criteria for the ‘Ruffneck Intellect’ mix series is simple; it’s got to bump hard for the sound systems and it’s got to have depth and lyrical content that goes beyond the standard ignorance that gets peddled by many major labels today. This is real music, this is Hip-Hop and this is something fresh!"

Yogi - 'Hidden Chapter'
Dope as usual Hip Hop from the Midlands.

Producers - Tea Sea Records Remix Opportunity!

It's that time again when I big up the virtual treasure trove that resides in Tom Caruana's (tea) sea chest. If you pop over to his Tea Sea Records website and click on the button that says 'remixs' (their spelling not mine) then you will be able to download about a million acapellas from some of your favourite UK rapperinos including Wordsmith, Koaste, Dr Syntax, DPF and Genesis Elijah.

All you have to do is join the site, which will get you a whole load more than a bunch of acapellas (so even if you're not a beatsmith, do it). If you make a remix and send it to Tom, he'll feature it on the page and he'll consider it for inclusion in an album of remixes he's planning for later in the year. Can't say fairer than that can you?

Also keep your ears peeled for his new album with Elemental called 'Rebel Without Applause' which will be out soon.

'Rapsploitation Sessions' - VA - Jimmy Green & Truth (compilation review)

Do not sleep on this release. One of a few compilation/mix CDs around this moment, this one won’t disappoint. Featuring tracks from artists who have performed at Ipswich’s only Hip Hop night Rapsploitation Sessions it’s clear that Truth and Jimmy Green have good taste in music.

The artist album tracks here are the cream of the crop: Mr. Drastick’s Chemo produced ‘Give it Up’, Def Tex’s ‘Bomber’, SonnyJim’s ‘Next Generation’, Reain’s ‘Rap Game’…the list goes on. It’s great to hear a load of good familiar tracks in sequence as chosen by someone else - saves me ripping and burning my own CD. From an album I’ve not yet heard; Precise Da Analyzer and Dubbledge get hilariously mean on ‘Neverland’ (“You’ll never be friends like Joey’s new sitcom”).

The non-album tracks stand up to the already released tunes and there are a couple of proper stand outs. Kosyne’s ‘A Tale of a Tenner’ proves that he’s one to watch as he spins a sordid yarn of crime concerning one ten pound note. Ghost, Verb T and Kashmere debut as Invisible Inc on the lovely end-of-night chill-out vibes of ‘Invisible Inc Theme’. Even host Truth steps up with ‘Body of Work’, produced by Jimmy Green, the CD’s DJ. The new Vinyl Dialect cut ‘Spray’ proves they’ve truly refined their sound whilst preserving the curveball rhymes.

I could go on describing the merits of each of the track on here, I’ve not even mentioned the tunes by Sir Smurf Lil’, Verb T, Stylah, Conspicuous and all the other heads on this release. ‘Rapsploitation Sessions’ is a varied but perfectly sequenced collection of some of the newer stars of UK rap. This one I really will bump repeatedly.

It’s out now on P.Found Music and can be gotten over at their myspace for a barge-in £5 plus p&p. I’d buy it so you should too man.

DPF - 'It'll Never Catch On' Album Review

Anyone who compares DPF to Eminem is lazy, has ears of cloth and no concept of world geography. Now that’s off my chest I’ll continue. ‘It’ll Never Catch On’ has the sort of self deprecating title that is actually just realism although this should receive a superb reaction in the Hip Hop world. You’d better just open up your mind and not write it off immediately because it’s from East Anglia, UK.

DPF is a master of quotables, after a couple of listens lines such as “Rumour has it if you don’t masturbate once a day//Over pages of naked ladies you’ll become gay” will leave you itching for the relevant social occasion to drop them into conversation. If there was such a thing, DPF would probably have an MA in hook writing too. Nearly every track has a chorus that penetrates – “I wish I had one of those faces//Y’know the type of faces that goes places” or “Rap this up, move on, move out//get a better view, get ahead of you, what you gotta do…”. Song structure is a strong point; the refrains are obvious yet not out of place; it never sounds like a yawn-inducing rap-a-thon.

Mr. Law and Tommy Tempa do a good range of flavoursome beats; it’s nice to hear producers dip into French accordion music, Ragtime Blues, rainforest Samba (with zoo noises) and Flamenco when they get creative. A lot of the beats have a comical, light hearted feel that match DPF’s innately amusing way of saying things. Law and Tempa prove that there’s more to producing that sampling old soul and funk records.

DPF uses ‘Rumours’ and ‘What If’ to play with words and sentences in order to say the abnormal, which makes for fresh listening. He experiments with flows on ‘So Sophisticated’, ‘Hoo Rockers’ and ‘Bigg ‘Un’ whereas tracks like ‘What Can I Say’ and ‘Keith’ are examples of originality within classic rap templates. All tracks have DPF’s own brand of humour as a stamp of uniqueness, whether it’s delivered through a story or a put down, it’s there and to be honest Hip Hop needs jokes, it’s meant to be fun. Without voicing it, DPF says ‘lighten up’ to all those too serious rappers out there.

Certified Bangers: ‘What Can I Say’, ‘Move On, Move Out’, ‘Rumours’ & ‘So Sophisticated’ (hard to choose a few though!)
Top Lyrics: ‘I’d still be rapping if I knew that I was whack at it” (DPF, without actually saying “I’m dope” says “I’m dope” – it’s the “if” that does it!)

'It'll Never Catch On' will be released on 16th June and you'll be able to get it here, here or here or here on itunes!