'Best of 2008' - VA - SK Vibemakers (free download)

SK Vibemakers, as is their wont, have collected together the best tracks from the grimy side of UK Rap music in 2008 and put them altogether in the mix. Interspersed are clips of interviews with the relevant artists (as they do).

It features Giggs, Bashy, Chipmunk, Sway, Ghetto, Wiley, Skepta, Dizzee Rascal, Estelle and many more. It also actually includes said artists biggest and bestest tracks.

Click here to see the tracklist and here to download it.

‘Food 4 Da Brain Second Serving’ - VA (album & DVD review)

If the aim of ‘Food 4 Da Brain Second Serving’ wasn’t to serve up a platter of perfectly complementing flavours then I’ll eat my hat. If that is what they set out to do then they’ve royally achieved it. The menu offers up tracks from the finest chefs on either side of the UK Hip Hop/Grime divide; in fact it tastily demonstrates the breaking down of the boundary.

With artists like Ghetto and Virus Syndicate represent Grime, rappers and producers such as Kashmere, Verb T, M9 and Jon Phonics provide the Hip Hop and MCs like Skinnyman, Klashnekoff, Mr Ti2bs and Shameless defy pigeon holing altogether.

MCD sets things off with a self-produced, firmly on the grime side, dubplate proving he has progressed and embraced newer, but rooted in older, music styles. Beat Butcha follows up with his remix of Terra Firma’s ‘Git Down’ and it’s just what you’d expect from that collaboration. Chemo then pops up as producer of Manage’s thriller ‘No One Needs To Know’ featuring LeEo. Mr Ti2bs, Virus Syndicate and Ghetto continue to provide quality platters of goodness, all challenging the listener to label it as either Grime or Hip Hop.

Skinnyman and Deadly Hunta serve one of the albums most delicious tracks – ‘Ballistic Affair’ which also comes in the form of a cool animated video on the accompanying DVD. Invisible Inc then provides a rest between courses with their ‘Invisible’ (or is it ‘Invisible Inc Theme’? It’s the same track that’s on 'Rapsploitation Sessions').

Supar Novar and Big Ben heat things up again and Jon Phonics follows with a remix of M9’s ‘Strange Fruit’ (possibly better than the album version?). Deadly Hunta brings a few more raga vibes on ‘Valley of Death’ and Foreign Beggars come with some electro-funk and Pharrell-esque vocals. Shameless, Bruza and Ghetto finish the sitting with some hard-as-nails riddims.

I can see what the guys behind this have done: they’re on a mission, a mission to blur the boundaries, to lure Hip Hop heads over to the Grime side and vice-versa. This is all about the music, and despite my review, it’s not about genre. This is, actually, what Hip Hop was – the combination of other music forms, a new way of expression that utilises the sounds around it. So whatever you’re preference, buy this and think about the message it not so subtly puts across, ask yourself: ‘Am I open minded?’ Let’s hope so.

'Judgement Day' - The Thunderclaps (video)

Here's the video to the apocalyptic 'Judgement Day' featuring Orifice Vulgatron, Ghetto and Shameless. It features loads and millions and then some more clips of your favourite films. You should watch it and spot them all. I think even the guy off the anti-piracy ad makes an appearance!

'Judgement Day' - The Thunderclaps (single review)

Oh my word! Banger of the year? It could well be, nothing else this heavy springs to mind. The Thunderclaps have chosen their name with such precision that one of the only ways you can describe 'Judgement Day' is thunderous, that's if you can pick your jaw up from the floor and form words.

The Thunderclaps are a British production outfit and their new track 'Judgement Day' features Orifice Vulgatron (of the legendary Foreign Beggars), Shameless and Ghetto. This is the UK version of a collaboration (imaginary of course) between M.O.P., Busta Rhymes and DMX at their most ferocious. Musically The Thunderclaps give Carl Orff a marathon for his money. This is epic, cinematic, screw-your-face-up, full scale drama on wax.

The combination of these three MC's couldn't get any better - it transcends UK genre and produces something more powerful than either side could create on their own. Ghetto is THE best, nay, the ONLY MC worth listening to in the new wave of British MC's with Grime roots. Orifice has fully paid his dues and has always done things differently to others. Shameless has recently brought the rock and live influence into UK Rap. They are all hungry, vicious rappers and together they make this track blisteringly terrifying (in the nicest possible way!).

If this track needed any more endorsement, here it is: DJ Yoda introduced his Fabriclive mix CD with the instrumental to this track. Can't say better than that. 'Judgement Day' is out now on All City and Ejectorseat Records and can be gotten for a fiver on 12". Do it. The track can be heard on their myspace page.

UK Royal Fam Vol. 3

When it comes to walking the fine line between Hip Hop and Grime in the UK there a few names that might spring to mind. Someone whose mind it obviously sprung to was the guy who track listed ‘The UK Royal Fam Mixtape Vol. 3’. Lethal Bizzle, JME, Skepta, Wiley, Ghetto, Klashnekoff, Roll Deep, Bigz, Bashy, Sway, Pyrelli…the list does go on. Believe this mixtape is big, if this type of music is your bag.

Also it’s not so much of a mixtape, more of a tape, well, a CD. It’s just the full tracks collected and sequenced – and I like it that way. And don’t make the mistake I did when I had the 1st instalment (which actually was pretty poor): I thought it was called the ‘Royal FARM Mixtape’! Ha! What an idiot I am.

This particular sub genre of Hip Hop is probably at it’s apex right now. It’s so full of energy yet it’s not as underdeveloped as it was and it’s not got too big for it’s own boots (that’s why Dizzee aint on here!) – it’s in that good old middle ground like Hip Hop was in the 90’s; it’s just coming of age.

It’s hosted by Manchester bod Solja too, who I once encountered outside of a J5 show in Manchester as he hustled his CD to my brother. Solja, shows promise here as one who may ride the dual waves of interest in the Manc scene and the aforementioned impending maturity of Hip Hop/Grime crossover music – usually poorly labelled as ‘Urban’.

It’s actually hard to pick a standout track here, it’s all surprisingly quality! Sincere’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ which features one of radio’s current pets, Natty (even my Dad liked him after seeing him on Jools Holland) is pretty jolly, it’s just annoying that it fades out (good job I've got the full track already then). Either of the Ghetto tracks display that raw rawness that can only be described as raw – check out 'Who's Got'. ‘What’s Your Grind’ comes courtesy of Swiss and has a beat that makes me say ‘Yeah, nice’, so that’s good innit? He talks about something we can all to relate to – the 9 to 5 grind, I know it’s been done, but, he does it well so it’s OK. Lethal Bizzle’s genre bending track ‘Police on my Back’ is here too - a fantastic ode to TWOCing. Skepta's tune 'Blood, Sweat & Tears' is awesome for managing to reference Rosa Parks and Pogs in the same track amongst other great things too.

The last point I must make is that this is free. A great chance to see what this side of UK things is really about because this does feature top album tracks and not just hastily recorded ‘exclusive’ freestyles over someone else’s beats. Go get it.

Download 'UK Royal Fam Mixtape Vol. 3' for nowt