Dr Syntax - Fuck You Man (free download)

A new free track from Doc Synners, bringing the self deprecating, tongue-in-cheek style that he's known for.

"I'm from a scene that has died on its arse". Tough to argue really...

'Benny Huge' - Dr. Syntax (album review)

Whilst the world's Hip Hop fans eagerly await Dr. Dre's long-awaited 'Detox', a few more in-the-know heads will be waiting for the UK's own doctor to drop his next LP. Dr. Syntax's 'Benny Huge' is on its way and it's one that all music fans should check out.

With a futuristic sound, mainly courtesy of Pete Cannon, and a comedic take on day-to-day (night) life, Dr. Syntax has created a very entertaining album. With an impeccable flow, hilarious punchlines and that semi-melodic rap style, Doc Synners really does deserve your hard earned.

'Jump Up!' is one of those tracks that you'd love to hear on a night out - it's one of those songs that tells you what to do and is definitely in the vein of Humpty Hump. Which is exactly what I thought on first listen; and then I heard Dr. Syntax mention the large-nosed one on 'This Fresh' - weird, but on the money. Sytax still has what it takes when it comes to story telling ('Cock Block') whilst holding it down on concept tracks ('Number One'). Topic of the hour seems to be the daily grind of everyday life and work ('Stress', 'Hire Me') combined with tales of the weekend (as demonstrated on the awesome D'n'B-laced 'There's Got To Be More'). Not that this MC can't put across a serious message, albeit in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner ('Big Business'). Oh yeah, and just so you don't got bored (not a chance of that anyway), Mr. Huge also nonchalantly throws in a bit of double-time, just 'cause he can ('Benny Huge').

'The Bird Has Flown' switches up the mood once more, and rounds things off perfectly, leaving the listener wondering if there was a bad track on the album they've just heard. No, there's not. The alvum is out 6th December, so you don't have to wait long. One of the best releases this year.

'Mood Swings' - Stig Of The Dump (review)

I really don't remember Stig Of The Dump being this offensive before. For most of you, that sentence will tell you everything you need to know - you'll either want to hear this, or you won't. Now, I've met the guy, had good conversation with him, and think he's a nice guy but his new music is different - it's aggressive and coarse. Yes, he's a great MC, he's witty and certainly has a way with words. Again, some of you right now will be salivating and rushing out to buy a copy of 'Mood Swings'.

The album is a weighty thing, with exceedingly heavy production from the likes of Beat Butcha, Jehst and Pete Cannon to match Stig's non-stop flow and the inclusion of Stig's track with R.A. The Rugged Man, 'Braindead'.

'What's Up' is more introspective and pushes the message that the masses need to hear: fame and money isn't everything, in fact, it's nothing. 'Planet Hollywood' pushes home the message later on in the album as Stig and Enlish role play a rich people with everything in ridiculous amounts. 'Big City Blues' is a perceptive take on life in the metropolis and the Pete Cannon beat is nothing short of excellent. 'I Know What You're Thinking' is a pretty funny slamming of pop culture which features Dr. Syntax.

'Mood Swings' was released on 11th October on Lewis Recordings and can be gotten from usual good places, including Bandcamp for your digital download.

'Hire Me' - Dr. Syntax (video)

Awesome track here from one Britain's best and most witty rappers - looking forward to more material from the one and only Dr. Syntax!

'The Landing' - Mr. Boss (free download)

Perfect production from Mr. Boss and a great guest list: SonnyJim, Skrein, Delusionists, Yosh and Dr. Syntax to name a few. At only 18 years old this guy has more than enough time to establish himself and if this is anything to go by it won't be long before every MC worth his salt will want a beat from Mr. Boss.

'The Landing' has been made available for free despite the fact that you should be paying for something this decent. Click here to download it.

Don't be tempted just to listen to the tracks that have the well known MCs on (although they are dope and SonnyJim kicks things off in style, no doubt). Tracks like 'Young and Foolish' by Them Lot and 'Understand' by Chango Flash are top notch. I'm definitely looking forward to hear more from all involved in this project.

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Stig and Syntax @ Disgracelands (photos)

Lunar C (aka Lunarc the eunuch) @ Disgracelands 3 last night

Stig of the Dump @ Disgracelands 3

Stig and Syntax - big up to Angry Nik for the photos - check all of them on facebook here.

Stig and Syntax Show, Bradford Tonight!

who's around the West Yorkshire area tonight? You are? Well get to the Polish club (bare Poles there for real) for some real Hip Hop from the likes of Stig of the Dump and Dr. Syntax - yup, Fatty and Specky are coming up for a cuppa Yorkshire Tea and some mic mangling. Lunar C, Wydeboi, Chief Wigz and Spida Lee will also be representing - big ups to Brutal Artistry and Don't Talk To Strangers for making this happen for us WY heads!

'So Massive 3' - Enlish (free download)

I pretty much love everything that comes out of Brighton's Hip Hop scene - they just know how to have fun with their rap whilst keeping it lyrical and full of top class rhymes. Enlish has dropped 'So Massive 3' and it's pretty cool.

The mixtape features Dr. Syntax, Scizzahz and Magic. If you didn't already hear the Scizzahz/Enlish battle on the internet then check out a bit of it on track 8 - it's proper funny freestyle (as is the cheesy film name dropping 'Valentines Freestyle'). 'Clap Clap RMX' is pretty funky - Big Dave rides it just how it should be ridden! Check this out for some party music for you and your cool mates:

Best UK Hip Hop Video Ever - Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.

Crikey! Have I just witnessed the best UK Hip Hop video ever? I think so! Scratch Perverts, Shlomo, Foreign Beggars, Dr. Syntax and Stig of the Dump all feature on this groundbreaking short - more like this please!

Disgracelands #3 - Stig & Syntax

The next Disgracelands happens in September and the mighty Fatty and Specky show will be the main event. Stig and Syntax will no doubt tear down the place as will all the other guys on the bill - 'On The Radar' artist Lunar C and Wydeboi and hosts Chief Wigz and Spida Lee. This is real Hip Hop so get down and support!

Top Billin' in Plymouth

How about going to this if you're in or about Plymouth? Stig and Syntax are playing and Sleaze is hosting. I had an email from the Stig the other day with regards to an email I posted some time ago about the HHC anniversary tour being cancelled and he wanted me to let you know this:

"I just wanted to let you know that at no point did myself or Dr Syntax "pull out" of any shows... we are always professional when it comes to our shows - we live for this s**t and would never be arrogant enough to f**k around someone who is promoting us and in turn helping us pay our rent..."

'Elbow Grease' - Percy Filth (EP review)

Why should you buy ‘Elbow Grease’? Well it kicks off with a collaboration surely every UK Hip Hop head wanted to hear – SonnyJim and Foregin Beggars on the big and bouncy ‘Out To Getcha’ anybody? Percy Filth doesn’t let up in quality of production or guest calibre – next up it’s about-to-return Juice Aleem, Madflow and Lotek on ‘Electronic Music’ which somehow manages to use digital sounds on a track reminiscent of the 90s era.

It’s not just UK MCs and DJs who have been invited on board – ‘Livin’ Trife’ features Maylay Sparks, K-Skills, ‘That’s Why (Remix)’ features K-Skills and J-Sands and ‘Flesh n Blood’ features (the probably quite eccentric) Arsun F!st.

Over the remaining four tracks SonnyJim, Redbeard, English, Stig of the Dump, Dr. Syntax and Kosyne ensure that there is not a bad track on this EP. The wealth of DJs on this release take care of the very welcome cuts – props to DJ Cro, DJ Weetamix, DJ Roc-1 and DJ Jodo. Percy Filth has got the skills to pay the bills, your head won’t stop nodding for the duration and the skip button will be underused, so make sure you pick up a copy so that he actually can pay for gas and that.

‘Elbow Grease’ is out on Aerosolik/Eat Good and is available now from Suspect Packages.

Tea Sea Records CDs Available!

Big ups to Tom Caruana, UK producer and boss of Tea Sea Records. I've just got home to a fat pack of CDs from him, 7 in all, so thought I'd big them up a little (if that isn't a contradiction?).

He's sent me, in no particular order, 'The Rough Versions: Bootleg remixes by Tom Caruana' (which features tracks from D.I.T.C, J-Live and Busta), 'Tom Caruana Instrumentals Vol. Two' (which features beats from Dr. Syntax's 'Off The Radar' and Wordsmith's 'The Roadman Showcase'), 'Boiler Room Collective: The Mixtape' (with tracks from Dr. Syntax, Wordsmith, SkinnyMan, Genesis Elijah, Supar Novar and loads more), Longusto's 'Back In The Bad Books', 'Tom Caruana Instrumentals Volume 3', 'Boiler Room Collective: The Album' and his own 'Welcome Aboard'.

All of these CDs are available to you from Suspect Packages (just click on the CD names above) for the very reasonable price of £4.99 or less! There are also other bits and pieces available over at SP from TC's stable. I'll be working my way through these and keeping you updated on my progress!

'Flying the Flag' - VA - Tricksta & Lunatrix (album review)

When Tricksta and Lunatrix are ‘Flying the Flag’ you’re guaranteed that your tastes will be catered for. Whether you like Hip Hop flavoured Grime, Boom Bap flavoured Hip Hop or Rap flavoured Ragga it’s all here – providing its origins are in the UK. This does mean that probably not every track will be to your liking – some of the Grime tracks I still can’t get with, mainly based on the daft lyrics (Spitta raps about Slimline PS’s and DS Lites).

On the Hip Hop side of things there are loads of artists on here to make this more than worth a purchase: Wordsmith, Kashmere, Jehst, 10Shott, Sir Smurf Lil, Ramson Badbonez, Dr. Syntax, SkinnyMan… I could go on but instead, go check the tracklist. Some of the tracks are little dated but it’s still great to have them alongside newer and more exclusive material.

This is a significant release – it’s the first time Grime and Hip Hop have been mixed together on one release - a good sign of some unity between the two scenes. The music from both sides is of high quality and Tricksta and Lunatrix do nice job of mixing it and making it flow.

‘Flying the Flag’ is out now on RGS Entertainment on 2xCD or mp3 download. UK Record Shop have it in stock now.

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.

'In Pursuit of Harmony' - Wordsmith (album review)

Nearly 4 years has passed since Wordsmith dropped his debut LP ‘The Roadman Showcase’. Now he’s back with follow up set ‘In Pursuit of Harmony’, an album sure to make a mark on UK Hip Hop this year.

Wordsmith takes a mature approach to many issues – the ins and outs of weed smoking (‘The Cro Debate’), being a father (‘Son’), gun crime (‘Never Would’ve Thought’), the ups and downs of life (‘Carry On’ and ‘Beautiful Life’) and today’s youth (‘They Don’t Seem To Care’). When he’s not proving he could teach an MP a thing or two he’s straight illing out with his partners in rhyme – check ‘Lok Dat’, ‘Runaway’ and the ridiculously tense ‘Leave It Alone’ for a few examples of that.

With perfectly crafted rhymes Wordsmith proves he’s not a one trick pony – he’s a well rounded artist who has fashioned an actual album, rather than a collection of songs. This LP really deserves one of those track by track breakdowns; every one is of such high quality.

With a list of producers like this (Apa-Tight, Vee Kay, Chemo, Beat Butcha, Ido, Tom Caruana and Show n Prove) I don’t have to tell you that the beats are proper, heavy Hip Hop with an emphasis on the uplifting. The fact that there’s not a skip-able track on here speaks volumes – you’ll wanna listen right through.

Mic duties are shared with Foreign Beggars, Dr. Syntax, Dubbledge, Micall Parknsun, Skribblah, Diamond Ruff, Big Ben, Genesis Elijah, Supar Novar and Ahmos –all of whom put in sterling work.

‘In Pursuit of Harmony’ is out now and is available from Suspect Packages as a download or on CD. Support the music, pay the pounds, don’t download! Check the snippets in my last post to get a taste of greatness!

'Scene Stealers'/'Last Dayz' ft. Plan B - Skreintax (single review)

Skreintax, the hook-up between Skrein and Dr. Syntax, released their album ‘Scene Stealers’ in December, an album which despite being excellent, sounded like it should have arrived during the summer months.

Now a few months and a whole load of snow deep into winter, title track ‘Scene Stealers’ still needs some sun however its combination of limber putdowns, Dag Nabbit’s heavy drums and DJ IQ’s cuts is welcome.

Flipside ‘Last Dayz’ is what’s going to attract attention here, not least because it isn’t available elsewhere. It’s a neck snapping, British type Hip Hop club banger that features Plan B, who leaves the guitar aside and spits harder than he’s ever done before. The three MCs rail against all aspects of social evils whilst giving real UK Hip Hop fans what they want and need.

‘Scene Stealers’/’Last Dayz’ featuring Plan B is out on Dented Records on 23rd February. Their album ‘Scene Stealers’ (pictured) is also available now.

'The Audio Workout' - Vee Kay (album review)

Vee Kay’s producer album ‘The Audio Workout’ is a perfectly cut gem. At 11 tracks and 34-ish minutes long it’s short but incredibly sweet. Vee Kay himself said “I don't listen to music to bring myself down, I listen to it to try to cheer myself up” – this album makes it evident he makes music to please himself; whilst in no way soft it’s cheery stuff.

The chosen samples are funky, soulful and uplifting. The productions don’t just fall back behind the voices of the MCs – they have their own presence (an area where producer albums often fall). It’s the pure musicality of this album that’s made it one of my most played in the last month or so.

The guests are a well selected mix of known names and the skilled up-and-comers. ‘Lok Dat Remix’ is just that, a version of Vee Kay’s track from Wordsmith’s forthcoming LP (Vee Kay has other beats on there too) and it features Dubbledge and Micall Parknsun – in my world that’s star studded! Stig and Syntax rear their double-time heads on ‘Goldwings’ and Dead Residents own ‘Bogey Homecide’ – a hilarious ode to flicking snot. Wordsmith features a second time on the tuneful ‘Bring Me Down’ – it gets me in sing-a-long mode!

Dialekt, Lowercase, Yosh and Cariz provide the other vocals, holding their own on the bangers courtesy of Vee Kay. Of the 7 MC-fronted tracks here there’s no stinker, it smells just rosy.

‘Third Child’ is an awesome demo of skill – a Hip Hop show tune if I ever heard one. The ‘Intro’ and ‘Outro’ are also worth a listen, they bookend the album nicely making the whole affair comprehensive.

‘The Audio Workout’ is one of my favourite releases this year and it’s released digitally on November 24th on Sweatbox Sounds.

Hip Hop Producers - Vee Kay interview

After producer Vee Kay sent me a copy of his forthcoming album 'The Audio Workout' I had to know more. The LP is excellent, full of good vibe boom bap rap and a few little surprises too. We hooked up an interview to let you know exactly what he's all about:

Certified Banger: Yo Vee Kay! How are you today?

VK: All good thanks fella.

CB: Let’s get things cracking, I’ll switch things round a bit: Tell us about your latest piece of work: ‘The Audio Workout’.

VK: Well, the record is a long time coming, it's been 4 years since my last solo release, in that time I've been busy, but I decided that it was time to have my name at the front again, rather than in the liner notes, haha. It's a collection of songs that have been recorded at my Studio over the last year or so, well, the best ones anyway, so there's a variety of tracks on there, from the classic sounding hip hop to the more up tempo double time type tracks. Listening back to my last release, the whole sound of it was similar to that golden age hip hop, and that was pretty much it, so this one's tracked my maturity in production. There's still the classic hip hop sound on it, but I've peppered it with other bits and pieces too.

CB: Your instrumentals, certainly on this album, are top quality – I’m a big fan. What do you aim for when making a beat? What sound do you look for?

VK: Cheers mate, appreciate it! Without a doubt, the most important thing when making a beat is that it catches you straight away, ‘cause no one's gonna want to use a track that sounds s**t or doesn't grab you. The drums gotta bang too, I'm a complete sucker for big drums, I listened to nothing but boom bap for years, so I was immediately grabbed by big heavy drums and breaks. It's also gotta sound as original as possible, because when sampling, you're already taking something that’s been finished, so now you've got to try to mould it into something completely different, so that the first thing someone hears isn't the track you've sampled, but the track you made, using bits from other songs.

CB: What inspired you to make your first ever beat? Can you remember it? Tell us more!

VK: I started off as a rapper, and I worked with another Producer, who had been in the business for years, so we went ahead and made a demo, this was way back when, probably about 10 or so years ago...anyway, didn't work out, so I started learning how to make beats. I went to college to do a course, but it was s**t, and I left after about 9 months after showing the tutor how to MIDI up a sampler, I'd been going to studios for a few years to record, plus I read every magazine and book I could, so I just learnt by listening and watching. From there I just started collecting bits of kit, trying to find out what worked best for me, and the end result is the Sweatbox Studio. So I guess, back onto track, my inspiration was just so that I could have something to rap over, that didn't come off the latest Ja Rule 12"

I think I made my first ever beat on a cracked copy of some weird sequencer that Roland made, it came with a sound canvas, and it was so s**t, there was a massive latency problem and the sounds were your horrible generic MIDI sounds. I had an Akai S20, but really couldn't figure out how to use it for ages, I remember making my first 2 bar loop on it, but not figuring out how to save it, so I left that bad boy on for about a week straight, until I got bored and wanted to make another loop, so I just deleted it.

CB: So you sample? What, in a typical digging session, do you go for? What makes for good Hip Hop?

Click here to read more

'Why Oh Why?' ft. Yosh - Vee Kay (free download)

Vee Kay sent a copy of his new producer album my way today. I've listened to the whole thing and it's awesome. I'll be giving it a proper review soon but as a taster he's letting you all have a track for free.

The track features up and comer Yosh and is called 'Why Oh Why?'. Check it out.

Vee Kay has recently been at work on Wordsmith's forthcoming LP, which he assures me will be out soon. 'The Audio Workout' features Wordsmith, Dubbledge, Micall Parknsun, Stig of the Dump, Dr. Syntax and the Dead Residents amongst others. It's going to be available in a month's time on download only.

According to the press release "Vee Kay has been diligently working away in the background for a hot minute now. Having self-financed his first sold-out EP 'Mindless', he went on to put out the much sought-after 'Myster-Vee Tour' in 2004. He followed that up by producing the debut album for UK Hip Hop veterans, Beefeaterz, eating up the boards for their 'Badge of Honour' album and working with international acts, Arsonists, Dead Residents and Josh Martinez. This time, it’s all about Vee, and 'The Audio Workout' is his first full-length LP and he is hungry to finally push his sound to the forefront of the UK hip-hop scene."