I'm not usually into promoting things for big companies but HMV have got some good deals on a few UK Hip Hop titles that you might be interested in. So you've you've worn out those illegally downloaded mp3, snapped that copy your mate did for you, want to find out who produced that track or just want to do the right thing, get over there and pay a few quid to get some quality music:

All at £4.99 with free p&p:

Roots Manuva - 'Awfully Deep'
Braintax - 'Birofunk'
57th Dynasty - 'Boro 6: Volume 2'
Asaviour - 'Borrowed Ladder'
Dizzee Rascal - 'Boy In Da Corner'
Roots Manuva - 'Brand New Second Hand'
Ty - 'Closer'
Mystro - 'Music Mystro'
Dizzee Rascal - 'Maths & English'
Sway - 'One For The Journey'
Wiley - 'Playtime Is Over'
Roots Manuva - 'Run Come Save Me'
Dizzee Rascal - 'Showtime: 2cd: Includes Dvd'
Million Dan - 'Spektrum'
Sway - 'This Is My Demo'

There are also a couple of good US releases there too.

'Out Now' - Sway (free download)

Just to prove that Sway didn't just sit back after his album was released, here's a track he recorded soon after the release:

Sway - Out Now

'Rei EP' - Teef & Toes (free EP download)

Teef has knocked up another freebee for the likes of you and you and you. This time he's done it with the help of a producer named Toes. It's called the 'Rei EP'.

You can download it here.

It seems that Toes like Metal and Electro and Hip Hop cos he's fused the three together and Teef's taken to it like a duck to water.

The pack also includes an acapella so you can get remixing if that's your bag. If not then why not give your computer a nice Teef desktop?

Anyways, its really about the music innit and this is slightly quite different to what the average man is doing nowadays so grab your vitual copy and bump it, bump it.

'The H-Bomb EP' - Styly Cee & Cappo (12" EP review)

“Can we listen to something else? This is too hectic”. Hectic: a word that sums up Cappo and Styly Cee’s latest collaborative outing, a limited pressing 3 track slab of wax entitled ‘The H-Bomb EP’. H-Bomb: another accurate term of description. This is explosive, in the way that Public Enemy were on many of their heaviest tracks; expect an ear-battering session reminiscent of the rap releases of the late 80’s.

In fact it draws together a few influences, some may hear Rza and the Wu-Tang, some Rick Rubin and his many MCs, some the Bomb Squad, some the Young MC-esque releases of days gone by. Whatever it is you hear, it’s bound to evoke nostalgia and in a climate of some pretty lame, spiritless versions of Hip Hop, this is more than a good thing. In a wistful way this is invigorating.

Styly Cee does update the old sounds though, in many ways the production here is mature and professional compared to its roots – it’s suitable for this century and is more than a re-hash of aged ideas. Cappo harnesses the angst of street commentators both modern and traditional, and with a Nottingham lilt he supplies the necessary other half to Styly Cee’s weighty sonics.

As far as I know, and my knowledge has considerable distance (but do correct me if I’m wrong), no-one in the UK is running things quite like this and the ability to rise above the sea of sameness is everything right now. Cappo and Styly Cee; we salute you, for you rocked.

'The H-Bomb EP' is out on November 10th on Son Records but can be bought with pounds at places like this and this now!

'Out Of The Ghetto' - Sef (single review)

Yawn. ‘Out Of The Ghetto’: better than counting sheep. More chuffin’ auto-tune, more oozey R’n’B; hard title, soft track in reality.

Yeah, OK, Sef has a good voice - I can’t sing like that but so many millions of other Usher wannabes can. Seriously, haven’t people heard enough of this? At least people like Usher have the talent/producers/marketing budget to really do something different.

Sef’s vocals may come in useful, say, on a hook, but a whole track of noodling, meandering vocals just doesn’t ring my bell. Well, it rings bells, as I mentioned above. Some girls will probably like it but it falls far from the mark when falling on my ears; I’m just nowhere near his target audience.

The remix features Meleka and Swiss and contains a dialogue of sorts between male and female. Swiss’s rap are weak man, weak.

It’s out on 1st December (or the date on the jpg above?) on Music Kidz Records/RGS and I’ve done my bit for good music.

'Through The Storm' - Silver (single review)

Now this track has been getting good reviews, so they won’t mind if I lay into it.

The dramatic opening flops into a mismatched stuttery beat after 12 seconds and soon after follow the club synths and auto-tune vocals. And no, this isn’t a track from Lil’ Wayne or Kanye West’s latest LP, it’s the single from Silver produced by Sermstyle. The beat was apparently shopped to major labels in the states – nothing to boast about really; that your track is a reject before ever hitting the shelves.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad track, but in a take it/leave it situation, the latter would be my decision. Amongst all the other stuff released this year, this does not hold up. Give me Sway’s album any day.

And that is what Silver appears to be - a good MC, not a great MC. He does describe adequately, using a rather American vernacular (not accent), his ‘grind’ and has a cheeky pop at poppy lyrics. Imitation may be the best form of flattery but in Silver’s case mimicry makes it all the more evident he wishes it was him who’d had a hit with ‘Umbrella’.

I can’t recommend this track but if I hear better from him I’ll let you know. I won’t give up on Silver yet.

'She Looks Good' ft. Kevin Mark Trail - L.Star & Tweetie (single review)

What do you do once you’ve plundered one of the biggest pop songs in history in order to get a hit? You draft in a slightly jaded R’n’B singer and go for the jugular of Ironik’s target audience. You also add said Eurythmics-sampling track into the package. I’m talking about L.Star & Tweetie’s latest track ‘She Looks Good’ featuring Kevin Mark Trail.

Apparently they “deliver a combination of bouncy basslines, manipulating melodies, poignant punchlines and cheeky comedy, that only they can get away with.” Read it as such: “They deliver a mish-mash of no basslines, boring piano loops, awful chat-up lines and disgustingly clichéd lyrics that you will not let them get away with.”

Maybe the bouncy basslines come on the second track; some kind of remix (imaginatively entitled ‘bassline remix’) which might be half decent if it wasn’t for the whack lyrics and orgasm sounds littered all over it. The third track is ‘Street Dreamz’, probably the one featuring Skinnyman and Flirta D but I couldn’t be bothered to listen to it.

‘Doin It’ (the name of their T shirt brand, which take about 2 months to come if you order one) jacks some UK garage two-step beats last heard probably on Craig David’s debut with Artful Dodger. In short, their half sung/half rapped, unintentional impressions of everyone from Sean Paul to Eminem leave me with the conclusion that they are most certainly not ‘Doin it’. Unless ‘it’ is missing a two-letter prefix.

If you do want a copy, then you’ll have to wait until 8th December when it’s being distributed by Real Records. Poor misguided, mis-named people.

‘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.

'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."

'Somebody's Watching Me' - Marvin (free download)

Marvin (formerly Marvin the Martian) has just dropped this mixtape via his blogspot.

Marvin streams consciousness over previously ignorance covered instrumentals (I think, I'm only guessing, I don't really listen to ignorant rap but it sounds like some these beats once belonged to some gangsta wannabe's - no offence if they didn't). There are instrumentals from the likes of Masta Ace and Joell Ortiz on here too so it's not all like I just said!

Anyway, tracks like 'Line for the Toilet' commentate on situations and ideas that Marvin has an opinion about and he does it in an entertaining way.

Well, it's free so what are you waiting for? Download it!

'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.

The IRS & Precise Da Analyzer Freestyles (video)

Here's King Kaiow, Ed Strong, Random DV of The IRS 'longside Precise Da Analyzer spittin' pre-writtens ahead of a show:

'The Get Together' - Evil Ed & Conspicuous (album review)

At 15 tracks deep, coming in at just over 50 minutes, ‘The Get Together’ is no hard slog. I’ve already listened to it a few times today and am beginning again; it doesn’t get boring despite the outwardly conventional Hip Hop template.

Evil Ed is known for having produced for Jehst, Yungun and a whole host of other UK names. His production LP ‘The Enthusiast’ featured vocals from Kyza, the Colony, Doc Brown, Tommy Evans and Asaviour amongst others. Conspicuous (aka Conspicuous the Coroner aka Cons) a member of The Colony along with Willo Wispa, Grimlok and Sir Smurf Lil’, has previously dropped two albums, ‘Backgammon’ in ’05 and ‘The Family Photo Album’ last year.

Cons is on point with some carefully constructed verses that proudly display his rhyming ability (probably the reason why ‘81’s Favourite Son’ was sequenced first). The guests contribute only pure fire too, there are no duff appearances and no-one steals anyone else’s shine. It’s not just ‘BBQ’ that has a brotherly BBQ-ish feel; the whole album is like one relaxed cipher. Ed’s production is of a high quality, there are no hastily looped breaks here, no drums slapped on top of some old soul; this is sampling at its most professional and top that, it’ll keep your head nodding all the while.

Stand out tracks come in the form of UK/US posse cut ‘Ill-Out’ and ‘Big Headed’. The former for its jazziness, cuts, contrasting accents and sick lyrics. The latter for the pianos, Willo Wispa’s inimitable slackness and Mudmowth’s mentalness.

‘The Get Together’ serves as a great follow-up album for both artists. With a multitude of big guests, including some from over the pond, the duo has crafted a comprehensive body of work that should garner many spins by any Hip Hop head fortunate to pick up a copy of this.

Evil Ed & Conspicuous Videos

I also got Evil Ed and Conspicuous's 'The Get Together' album, look out for a review of that very soon. Meanwhile here's two video snippets:

'Time After Time' featuring Cobane, Shameless & Sir Smurf Lil':

'The Night' featuring Willo Wispa, Iceman & Yung Blud:

'Press Ups' - Cobane (video)

I just got Cobane's 'F.Y.I' in the post today, the free lead-up release to his 'Multitasking' CD. 'Press Ups' will be on that second release but meanwhile here's the video:

Check back for a review of 'F.Y.I'