'Back in the Game' - Kid Rad (free download)

Taken from the forthcoming UK Runnings/HHB Radio link up double CD album 'Flying the Flag' is Kid Rad's 'Back in the Game'. Whilst here he's saying nothing new, you can appreciate the skills; Kid Rad has tongue twisting clarity.

Look out for 'Flying the Flag', a 50 track epic covering all ground between Grime and Hip Hop and obviously featuring purely UK artists.

Kid Rad 'Back In The Game' From 'Flying The Flag' from OYM Media on Vimeo.

'100% Exclusive' - VA - Tricksta (compilation/mix CD review)

Back once again for the very third time; UK Runnings and The Urban Shop drop a bigger and better CD. This time every track is new and never heard before, hence the name: '100% Exclusive'. Now who else could do that? No-one, only Tricksta. To add to the largeness there’s a DVD that almost deserves a review of it own.

Not only has Tricksta orchestrated the whole thing, he’s also produced exactly half of the tracks on here, recorded most of it and then released it on his own label: the famous, 50+ release deep, Wolftown Recordings. Anyone who’s ever listened to any of the UK Runnings releases knows what to expect from ‘100% Exclusive’ and they wont be disappointed.

Featuring UK wide artists as well as the home grown Wolftown talents this CD is chock full of bangers. I’m not going to list the artists involved but you can click this link to see the full track listing. If you’re into discovering new music then listening to this wouldn’t be a bad thing, many of the acts here are of a high quality but as yet are not too well known – once more, Tricksta is one step ahead.

The DVD features videos from Million Dan, Supar Novar, 10Shott, Conman and more. It features interviews with Late, 10Shott, Kid Rad, Jai Boo and more. You also get a tour of the HHB.com radio headquarters and Tricksta’s crib. It’s an entertaining documentary about the UK’s hardest working; it had me hooked. It also features some art and some snowboarding. Here’s to more DVD’s like this.

All in all: buy this and you’ll get your money’s worth. 30 great tracks that you won’t find anywhere else and an hour’s worth of visual entertainment. Can’t say fairer than that.

Check out some of the tracks from this CD in the player to the right.

'Ma Money EP' - Dap-C & Lil' Wayne (EP review)

Now this is a strange one; Newcastle’s Dap-C and New Orleans’ Lil’ Wayne on a track together. Lil’ Wayne isn’t usually to my taste and the jury’s out on Dap-C but this release may change my mind.

‘Ma Money’, produced by The Elementz, is a good track. I even prefer Lil’ Wayne’s verse over Dap-C’s, in fact Wayne’s is just straight fire whereas Dap’s is a bit shouty and high pitched. The production is on a big dirty south tip and it stands up to some of the biggest tracks outta the south.

‘Ma Money part 2’, produced by Quincey Tones, is even better, it features Royce da 5’9 and a song-long guitar solo; the instrumental is entirely different and it suits Dap-C, Lil’ Wayne and Royce a whole lot better. ‘Ma Money part 3’consists of a brassy production and a handful of UK MC’s and it’s not as good as the other two parts. The ‘Nasty Boi Remix’ has a nice rock edge to it – worth checking.

‘Bang Bang Bang’ isn’t bad but it’s nothing special and it’s made worse by the presence of Geejay. ‘I’m Still Here’, the US MC heavy track, is OK too but it doesn’t really compare to an actual American track – it comes off a bit weak.

‘Ma Money’ parts 1 and 2 are really worth a listen, get your hands on this to hear those tracks and who knows, some of the others may take your fancy too. Dap-C gets respect for linking with one of the hottest artists in the Hip Hop world. UK/US link-ups are still thin on the ground and they’re certainly a way to make some fresh and diverse Hip Hop so right now, I can’t hate.

Kid Rad - 'When Clouds Break'

A late contender for your summer compilation CD is Kid Rad's 'When Clouds Break'. It's an updated, british version of 'Summertime' by JJ&TFP with a less obvious, more thoughtful title. You'll have to burn a new copy with this on the playlist.

Lyrically, it's not lyrical. It's just good times - cars and cash and that. The chorus is sung by female vocalist, Corrina Joseph, and the one jarring note aside, it's not too bad.

We should expect more sensible Hip Hop music from this rapper producer whose album 'Disturbing the Sequence' will feature Just Jack, Shade Shiest and Masta Ace! Oh and he's only 17.

Go to his myspace to download 'When Clouds Break'.