'Be Cool' - Wretch 32 (video)

The Thunderclaps - Free Stuff

Go here to download free stuff from the mans who brought you the epic 'Judgement Day'. All you MCs can get the 'Judgement Day' instrumental, you can download the video, a mix they did for Pyroradio, a track called 'Put Em In Their Place (Grime Remix)' and some other things.

The Thunderclaps - 'Put Em In Their Place (Grime Remix)'

'The Three Piece Exkursion' - Manny Moscow (EP review)

‘The Three Piece Exkursion’ is Manny Moscow’s return to the music industry and although I never knew he left or even existed, this is a welcome return.

‘Straight 48’ kicks things off with a no-nonsense policy; no glossy beat, no hook, just lyrics, and great lyrics at that. Manny plays word association over the haunting orchestral choral loop. ‘You Can’t Tempt Me’ featuring Shepherd follows a similar production mould but with a piano thrown in. Also added is a hook and guest verse.

‘Cross Over’ has the most memorable refrain (“Look left, Look right/Your crossin’ over the roads in sight”) but sees breathy, venomous raps matched to menacing strings.

Manny Moscow takes Hip Hop and life seriously and his prose gives something to listen to. His flow and lyrics are reminiscent of the East Coast greats; Moscow raps his influences in a London brogue. The three tracks don’t differ too much, possibly a problem on a full length, but here cohesion is necessary. For fans of M9, Triple Darkness and lyrical conscious rap in general, this is a must.

'Scene Stealers' - Skreintax (album review)

Skreintax may not have been the most obvious collaboration. Dr Syntax and Skrein each have quite a unique take on Hip Hop but in no way is ‘Scene Stealers’ a mash-up of the two. Synners and Skrizzle have cooperated to create a joint stage for their skills.

Dr. Syntax and Skrein retain their identifiable timbres; you know when one MC stops and the other start – more than can be said for some collaborative efforts. The other MC’s complement this; Stig of the Dump, Farma G, Verb T, Sir Smurf Lil’ and Dubbledge all show up to rap. ‘Mine for the Taking’ showcases yet another Farma G style – that man is really experimenting right now. ‘Express Train’ and ‘T.E.T.M.D’ (The Evil That Men Do) both feature Stig, who seems to have all but lost the Geordie twang but still raps ferociously.

Lyrically there are many messages to be had here. On an overall positive vibe, words of advice and encouragement flow thoughtfully, especially on tracks like ‘Mothers’ and ‘Reach’. Other tracks follow concepts; ‘Express Train’ discusses getting away for a day, ‘Back Down’, a night on the pull with disappointing consequences. ‘Venus’ examines a woman who, despite her name, revolves around material things. Other tracks, like ‘6 Bitters’ (Sick Spitters….get it?), are all about the ill lyrics. As usual Dr. Syntax shines as he displays his awesome propensity to write amazing rhymes.

The production is perfect, not a bad beat in sight. Boom bap, a splash of jazz, a hint of reggae, all stirred in the sunshine is the order of the day here. The beats are courtesy of Nutty P, Kelakovski, Chemo, DJ Snips, Dag Nabbit and Tom Caruana among others. Graziella also provides her golden tones on some deliciously sung hooks.

If you’re already a fan of Dr. Syntax or Skrein then I can guarantee you will want this LP in your collection. It’s out on Dented Records on December 1st; one for your stocking then.

'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.

'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.

'Strange Fruit' - M9 (video)

Tune into M9's new video for single 'Strange Fruit'. It's beautifully shot in sepia and the images and footage of Britain illustrate the message perfectly. The added text is a nice touch and overall this is a really well done, top class video:

'The Dark/The Light' - Brotherman (album review)

If there is any album that you buy this year, instead of downloading (legally of course), it’s Brotherman’s ‘The Dark/The Light’. The packaging is the most original I’ve seen in UK Hip Hop. The project is a double EP, 6 tracks on each so effectively it’s a 12 track album on two CDs. Each CD has its own sleeve, they slot together to combine the light and dark inspired artwork and to form one jewel case sized package… argh, you’ll just have to buy it to understand what I mean!

Thankfully, the marketing ploys are thoroughly backed up by the quality of the music. Brotherman has that likeable voice (also possessed by Dr. Syntax and Verb T) and is poetical with his lyrics. He gives a voice to society’s silent and scripts situations confined usually to the psyche.

‘The Dark’ is a 6 track lament with Brotherman’s everyday observations providing fodder for his lyrics. A focus on education and children appears to be the inspiration for these songs as crime of all kinds are discouraged and family values are promoted. Brotherman brings a message of hope to those in difficult situations and opens a window to those who don’t really understand the plight of the ghettos of the UK. The production lifts the poignant subject matter, furthering the feeling of hope.

Some elements of ‘The Light’ set it apart from ‘The Dark’ although it’s really a natural progression of its other half. The production is more upbeat and the introduction, for example, is just straight rap boasting. ‘One I’ is an ode to a life with Hip Hop but ‘Heart of Dem’ returns to analysing today’s youth. ‘Wrong’ pushes the message that relationships need to be worked at, something society needs to heed. ‘Who Knows What’ is the stand out for me, the opening lyrics (ones I’ve already quoted here) are so beautiful and emotive and the growing up theme is done to a T.

‘The Dark/The Light’ is one of the best releases this year and Silent Soundz should be proud to add this to their already quality back catalogue. Everyone from the streets to the Natty-fan-in-Tesco should love this album; let’s hope they get to hear it.

'The Beast From The East' - TB (mix CD review)

For all who may have been suspicious or confused - T. Bear is TB and Tuberculosis. His new mix CD ‘Beast from the East’, mixed by DJ MK, is out now on Ottomanelf Music and this is what I think of it:

There is one thing you must do on inserting this CD into your player – turn it up. This CD does not work quietly. Despite the cuddly name, T. Bear may be one of the UK’s gulliest MCs – overall the 29 tracks are face contorting although he does take time out on some more chilled tracks. The instrumentals add their contribution to the audio assault with production from Farma G, P*Nut and Chemo as well as others.

Lyrically TB is pretty dope: ‘I imagine I’ma die like John Lennon, but believe, I’ma leave a prettier widow than Yoko Ono’, you get the impression that he’ll say anything. Flow-wise he doesn’t miss a beat, he’s tight with the snares. Tuberculosis credibly walks the Hip Hop/Grime line, ‘Bang this Out’ demonstrating his double time flow well. This CD contains concept tracks like ‘Off 2 Work’, a topic touched on by a few rappers recently but Mr. Ti2bs and TB contribute a catchy hook and some good lyrics to the collection. On the funky ‘Freestlye’ you get a glimpse of TB’s sense of humour as he sings ‘La-di-da-di-da’ – sing along.

TB must be hard working; more than an hour’s worth of music spread over 29 tracks is impressive although it’s probably best listened to in two halves. Skills and charisma are evident but I’m more a fan of proper albums, I’d like to see him focus on say, 10 tracks, that contain everything he is capable of. As it stands though, the mix CD format serves it purpose.

Get yourself a taster of this CD here.

'Grime' - VA - Mixed and Compiled by Lunatrix & DJ Vokal (compilation review)

There are certain Grime artists who have matured the genre into something listenable. Some of those artists (Wiley, Asher D, Wretch 32, Bashy, Virus Syndicate and Skepta) are assembled on HHB Radio’s ‘Grime’ mix CD. Other artist on this CD generally fit into the mature mould although there are a couple of Channel U moments, ya get me?

Primarily, I’m a Hip Hop fan but there are many Grime artists who have crossed into my consciousness as the boundaries between the two genres have blurred. This does mean that I’m not up to speed with everything on this CD, but to my ears it sounds pretty fresh.

Stand out track is the massive ‘Punctuation Remix’ and the mix into ‘Streets on Lock’ by Nasty Jack is nice. ‘Badder Dan Dem’ by Lady Lykes, ‘The Formula’ by W.A.R. Material and Fr3e’s ‘I Got This’ could have been left on the cutting room floor but overall the track selection is educated.

If you’re a Grime fan then buy this, if you’re curious, buy it because it could change your mind. It’s ideal for your car’s subwoofer or for getting hyped up to before you hit the town in your cris new creps. It's out now on OYM records.

New stuff at Suspect Packages

Run on over to Suspect Packages 'cause they've got a few of those releases you've read about here and have been waiting for:

Mudmowth - 'Circus in the Cemetery EP'
M9 - '144,000'
Illustrate - 'The Stuff'
Wretch 32 - 'Wretchrospective'
Evil Ed & Conspicuous - 'The Get Together'
Mystro - 'F.D.T. EP'

How's life in...East Anglia? Chronic Redeye Interview

Certified Banger: Yo! Tell us a bit about yourselves. Who are you? What’s your history as a group? What’s your individual history? What releases have you had?

Chronic Redeye: Yo! Chronic Redeye is the crew name which originally comes from the combination of DJ Chronic and emcee Redeye, but it‘s grown over time to include singer Littleface, DJ Scotty and human beatbox Crez One, plus we always roll with emcees Franko Fraize and Lyrical T.

DJ Chronic was originally part of DestaNation reggae sound system and we met through going to Exodus dances in Luton. Over time we started rolling in the same crew involved in warehouse parties and free festivals. A lot of the crew we were moving with at the time were squatting big disused buildings and turning it into a living space for loads of the fam where there would be after party sessions and a real basic recording set up. That’s where the first hip hop sessions as Chronic Redeye took place, in 2003. It was hectic up in there, I remember trying to get a tune done when the crew where putting on a rave that night and there was so many people passing through they’d all be jammed in the hallway we couldn’t contain the noise we’d just have to record with it all going on in the background!

Our first release was the ‘Seein Red’ CD album in 2005, then we put out a 4 track vinyl EP called ‘FreeUpThaSound.’ Next was ‘The All Or Nothing Days’ CD album in 2006 and we have just dropped our new CD ‘Knowledge Is King.’

CB: Where are you from? Can you tell us a bit more about the Hip Hop scene there?

CR: DJ Chronic is from Oxford and the rest of us are from around the Norwich area, East Anglia. EA bang bang! Franko Fraize and Lyrical T rep Thetford which is 20 minutes down the road from Norwich.

Hip hop is alive and well in our area! We’ve got nights like Roots N Culture putting on stage shows with the biggest artists alongside local talent, plus we’ve got underground sound systems like Concrete Roots that aren’t afraid to pump out the hardcore hip hop. Our area is also full of artists, from battle rappers to hip hop bands so we’re doing our thing.

There are people that moan about a lack of a scene, but they’re usually the fassies that stay at home arguing on the internet while everyone else is up in the party.

CB: Redeye, you’ve got a quite a different voice to most rappers. How important is that in making your music sound unique?

CR: It’s been an advantage that my voice comes across as different, but it’s not something I’ve worked at. I just rhyme how I talk, but it has helped make the tracks stand out as unique and everyone knows when I’m kicking a verse so it’s all good!

CB: What are your current or upcoming projects? ie albums, singles, tours, guest spots…

CR: Upcoming projects from our crew include a Franko Fraize album ‘Heart On My Sleeve,’ a Lyrical T album called ‘How We Livin,’ a compilation called Ruffneck Intellect Vol 1 featuring freestyles and exclusives from all of our crew and loads of other rugged hip hop artists, and there is a collaboration album between Redeye and producer Al Royal called D&A – The Codes. Al Royal is one of the original Norwich jungle dons but we are going back to his hip hop roots with a new twist so watch out for that.

CB: The production on ‘Knowledge is King’ is quite sparse sounding. What’s the reasoning behind that?

CR: We’re on that rugged tip and love it when an MC is just catching wreck on some ill stripped down loop. There’s ‘nuff people out there making that over- produced, syrupy shit and there’s a place for that, but we’re taking it back to the gully with our beats.

CB: How would you describe your sound? Is there any one track that would best define your style?

CR: ‘Tales From da Weedspot’ is a track that defines our style, Chronic has chopped up a random old sample and made it sound sinister over some big drums and I’m kicking a story about something that happens all too often round ‘ere – mans getting their weed crop nicked.

CB: Who have been your biggest musical influences and which Hip Hop artists have inspired you? Which are your favourite albums? What music were you brought up on?

CR: Wu Tang have to be mentioned as a big musical influence, the ruggedness of 36 Chambers blew everything else away when it dropped and that sound is still something we aspire to years later. Other favourite albums include Smif N Wessun – Dah Shinin, Mobb Deep – The Infamous, Shyheim – The Lost Generation, Gunshot – Twilight’s Last Gleaming and Skinnyman – Council Estate Of Mind.

We were brought up on allsorts from the Rolling Stones to Tracey Chapman to The Wailers, and in the early nineties we were definitely caught up in the rave explosion and birth of jungle. Chrome and the Def Tex crew also deserve a mention as inspiration, they paved the way in our area for that real hip hop and if it wasn’t for them a lot of the best jams we’ve had over the years wouldn’t have happened.

CB: The other week in Leeds we had the BPP (British People’s Party) demonstrating against the sale of Ice Cube’s ‘Death Certificate’ album because they say it is racist against white people. What are your views on freedom of speech and Hip Hop?

CR: Haha didn’t anyone tell them that album has been out for years anyway lol they could have at least protested about his new one, helped his sales a bit! Fuck censorship, we defend freedom of speech 100%. You’ve just got to remember that with freedom comes responsibility.

CB: If you don’t mind talking about it, what are your views on race and Hip Hop? Redeye, how well are you received as a white MC in the sound system culture? Are there still race barriers in Hip Hop?

CR: I gotta say I’ve never experienced race barriers, I don’t know whether that’s testament to the sound systems we roll with or the times in general. As a white dread you’d have thought that I might receive friction but when most Rastaman come to check out what we’re about the vibes are good and we build a spliff n have a little reasoning session! No one should be trying to get away from the fact that this is black music but as long as mans are moving humble and keeping it true then let the music speak for itself.

CB: The album features Franko Fraize and Lyrical T quite heavily, how do they fit into your ethos, sound and general set up?

CR: That’s extended family right there. It’s been a natural progression how they got down, doing more shows and spending time building in the lab and just kicking it blowing trees. They both study their craft and know their shit so they were on that path anyway but our paths crossed and it’s just clicked into place without trying. We’ve all got quite different styles but put ‘em all on a track together and its burial time.

CB: Something I’ve been thinking about recently is the self-sufficiency of the UK scene. Now I know people don’t make a whole lot of money, they do it for the love and I see documentaries on people like Yungun who is a lawyer during working hours. What’s your view on how UK Hip Hop is funded and why the MC’s and producers do it? Do you work day jobs? How does that fit into the ‘Hip Hop’ lifestyle?

CR: It’s definitely a labour of love but I think there’s some change to be made if you do it right, spreading your wings and being more than just a rapper or a producer you could be doing graphic designs or promoting events. But having said that, it’s still mad difficult to earn any decent money legally in this country, let alone in this UK hip hop business. But people still work at it cos hip hop is like the fire inside that keeps you going, and giving up on that is like admitting you’ve given up on everything and you’re just gonna stay at home and watch telly and let your mind rot! We have to work day jobs in some capacity but it’s a case of working to live and not living to work. I spend most of my working days with my head in a rhyme book blowing bongs out of the window. Good job I’m not a bus driver.

CB: What’s next for Chronic Redeye? Will you be experimenting with new sounds? Pushing things further? Exploring new concepts? Or just perfecting what you already do?

CR: We’re just gonna carry on putting our lives down on the track, we don’t really have to set out to explore concepts they just evolve from writing about what we see on the daily. It’s all about keeping the skills sharp though, every time our crew gets into a cipher someone is pushing the bar higher so things are constantly progressing lyrically. We’re always gonna make that gully boom bap hip hop but Chronic has started experimenting with some some nasty dubstep sounds and we’ve started having a section of our live show spitting over dubstep, so things are always evolving naturally. Word to the mums!

'Graveyard Poets' - The Mantis Chapter (EP review)

The Mantis Chapter take it back 15 years sonically and 300 years topically. ‘Graveyard Poets’ is an EP wrapped in gothic imagery - it’s like a Hip Hop vampire film soundtrack, created in the UK, in 1992.

Vocal and production styles both ignore at least the last decade of progression in UK rap. As a result fast paced break-beats and lyrics ensue as in the Britcore days of yore. This isn’t a bad thing either; there’s no-one else currently peddling this sound so it does stand out.

The subject matter is influenced by all things archaic. Folklore, magic and mortality feature heavily but this is just their way of saying ‘I’m the illest’. The crew and their guests are all pretty eloquent and the album exposes yet another facet of UK Hip Hop.

‘Graveyard Poets’ is poles apart from much of the UK’s current output, it’s nothing like Sway, it’s nothing like Blak Twang, it’s nothing like Dizzee – it’s its own thing and if you’re into building a diverse but grounded-in-the-UK music collection, this has to be in it.

Colin Powell is Hip Hop

UK MOBO Winners

Congratulations to our guys who won MOBOs last night. Let's hope next year people take them a bit more seriously and turn up.

UK Female - Estelle (also she actually turned up)

UK Male - Dizzee Rascal (for the second year in a row)

UK Newcomer - Chipmunk

Gospel - Jahaziel (pictured - check my interview here)

Song - 'American Boy' by Estelle

Radio DJ - Trevor Nelson

Club DJ - Tim Westwood

(Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images Europe)