Melanin9 - Pistola

Magna Carta LP coming 3rd December 2012 featuring Roc Marciano, Triple Darkness & Madame Pepper. Production from Jehst, Anatomy, HeyZues, 7th Dan, Parental, Ohbliv & Tony Mahoney. Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Chemo at Kilamanjiro Studios, London. Pre-Order here:http://m9ether.bandcamp.com/album/magna-carta-pre-order-snippets

http://www.melanin9.com/
@Melanin_9
http://soundcloud.com/melanin9-aka-m9

M9 AKA MELANIN9 - GODZ INK REMIX (FREE DOWNLOAD)

New/old unreleased track from my brother M9.
Posted originally on HIPHOP is AWOL
You can get it free right here
Check it on youtube below.

Cyrus Malachi - Hell's Garrison feat. M9 (video)

Here's a second video from Cyrus Malachi's Ancient Future album. This track sees him and frequent tag-team partner M9 drop trademark dark social commentary over eerie, atmospheric production from Nottingham's Endemic. The low budget black & white vid sits pretty well with this vibe. I believe the album is released on monday. Go Cop.

Whilst we're on the subject of Cyrus Malachi, also check out:

Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future (Review)

and,

Cyrus Malachi - Native Son (video)

'Half Past Calm 2' - Jon Phonics - Coming Soon!

Here's the blurb, no point in me re-hashing it (there usually is):

Jon Phonics' debut album for YNR Productions, Half Past Calm 2, will be available exclusively from Monday 3rd May via the brand new YNR Productions website. Produced entirely by Jon Phonics and featuring exclusive tracks with YNR artists Jehst, Kashmere, Verb T & Micall Parknsun, plus extended fam Melanin 9, Cyrus Malachi & Nasheron of Triple Darkness, Obba Supa, 9 Planets, SonnyJim, Kosyne, Ramson Badbonez, T-Bear, Fliptrix & More.

The album will be available in a limited edition run of 300 x hand printed 4-ply fold out covers, screen printed by Brixton Basement Press (Some of the process can be seen in the video trailer below) and also a free download from the YNR website for a limited time only.

Take some time to check out this trailer an prepare yourself for what's to come from one of the countries illest producers doing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSpylJXegWs

'Scratches' - DJ Slademan & Skriblah Dangogh (free download)

Not sure what the deal is with this but the Bandcamp release date is two days away?!

DJ Slademan has put together a mix of all Terra Firma's most underrated best verses and tracks. Skriblah Dangogh's verses from tracks by M9, Micall Parknsun, Triple Darkness and Terra Firma are brought together to prove that this MC has more than just a few skills. Solo tracks also crop up - mainly ones which have not seen a full release.

Go here to download it now for free.

Orphans of Cush Interview with DJ Gone

'Baptism Under Fire' - Phoenix Da Icefire (review)

Bringing real trad-rap Phoenix Da Icefire has dropped a pretty hot/cold mixtape. Mixed by DJ Roast and hosted by M9 'Baptism Under Fire' features a whole host of wholesome and meaty full tracks - it's more like an album that happens to be mixed and cut up (big ups to Roast for the quality scratching).

After an hour your neck will ache and your brain will be busting - beats are dope, rhymes are deep. Coming with a similar thesis to the whole Triple Darkness crew but with slightly more of a good time feel Phoenix Da Icefire proves that he's an MC worth making noise about.

Tracks such as'Purple Mist', the lullaby-like 'Silver Lining' and 'Mic Check' will repeat themselves in your head whilst others just sound ill each time they play. Banger '3rd Degree' features Young Roots and Prophet and elsewhere M9, Masikah, J Tha Exodus, D21 and 9 Planets feature.

If this is a mixtape then watch out for the album - it can only quality when it comes. 'Baptism Under Fire' is out now and is available at Suspect Packages.

'White Noize' - Orphans Of Cush (review)

So whilst everyone who cares (apart from me) is out at the launch party for ‘White Noize’ I thought I’d join them in spirit by rocking the promo again and writing my review:

With the MCs’ words wrapping so snugly round the beats you’d be forgiven for mistaking this for an album proper. In fact ‘White Noize’ is a mixtape, or as M9 says, it’s a “project”. With beats from the likes of RZA, The Creators, Lord Finesse, Havoc and Mathematics you already know what sound to expect.

The combination of Kyza, M9, Cyrus Malachi and Masikah is successful with Kyza displaying diversity when compared to his recent ‘S.O.S.’ mixtape. An unexplainable pull is built in to the styles of the crew and if this release anything like the Triple Darkness LP, that magnetism will draw you to play the CD again and again.

Lyricism is rife, rendering the usual UK street commentary gleaming and ultimately very listenable. I’m unsure of some of the racial references and inferences, for example the title track seems to solely blame a white government for the struggles in black communities. Whilst I’m sure they play a part, and I know that it’s important for these issues to be discussed, I’m not sure this kind of attitude helps to solve problems. Whether you agree with all their viewpoints or not, there’s no denying this is dope Hip Hop that deserves the anticipation it has reaped.

‘White Noize’ is pre-orderable now at Suspect Packages and is released on October 2nd – go get yours now.

Free New Orphans of Cush Tracks

Couple of free tracks for all you salivating Cushites out there: M9 just dropped these on his blog to whet your appetites for Orphans of Cush (pictured left in a very 90s rap group pose - think Onyx or Naughty By Nature).

'Rain Blood' and 'Reflections' can be yours - they're just a click or two away so do the download thing and get some of that hardcore British realness.

'White Noize', the group's first LP, will be out on October 5th. You can expect every track to tackle "particular issues" and the album as a whole "aims at raising awareness of what is really happening with our youth, particularly black youth as statistics show that they are the most affected in an environment which is not only void of support but almost void of any spiritual, moral guidance." - deep stuff as usual.

'White Noize' - Orphans of Cush (video)

Check this - a genuine rap video to remind the youtube generation what's what! Orphans of Cush are Kyza, M9 and Cyrus Malachi and also possibly Masikah so beware of words you'll have to look up in the dictionary!

Joker Starr and Micall Parknsun on June's Suspect Packages Show

Gots to check out the new Suspect Packages Radio Show with Disorda and special guests Micall Parknsun and Joker Starr.

Tracks included are by Knew Jeru'slum, SonnyJim and Kosyne, the new UK Hip Hopsupergroup Orphans of Cush (Kyza Smirnoff, M9, Masikah & Cyrus Malachi), Mystro, Mr. Scruff and Roots Manuva and loads more including a ton of Joker Starr and Micall Parknsun exclusive material.

Check it out here and now.

'Digital Revolution Vol. 2' - VA - Tricksta (free download)

On the second installment of 'Digital Revolution Tricksta has got together a great line up for his new internet-age-embracing free download. One of last years heroes M9 of Triple Darkness hosts and Ironbraydz, Stylah, Skandal, Kyza, Grit Grammar, Joker Starr, SonnyJim, 10Shott amongst others feature.

Interesting, and relieving (for me, because Tricksta is big in the game and knows what he's talking about whereas I'm guessing and hoping that I'm right) to see, a whole host of artists who I've featured on 'On The Radar' on there! These are the next men in this UK Rap thing - look out for them 'cause Tricksta says so (and for what it's worth, I do too)!

'Terminal Illness' - Endemic (album review)

UK producer links up with US rappers - a format seldom practiced but one that has a deep history of producing some quality Hip Hop (insert own example here). Endemic has followed the recipe closely and as a result his ‘Terminal Illness’ set is a collection of tracks bound to appeal to Hip Hop fans worldwide.

12” single track ‘Robin Hood Theory’ features Timbo King and Planet Asia is the album opener proper and ‘Comin To Kill’ featuring Sean Price, Rusty Juxx (who both appear later) & Sav Killz, the 12” flipside, comes in at track number 4. Wu affiliates Hell Razah and Killah Priest pop up on ‘Three Kings’ and ‘One Day’ respectively. Homegrown talent comes in the form of M9, Cyrus Malachi and Nasheron of Triple Darkness and C Mone, most famous for her appearance on The Streets album ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’.

But this being a producer album, I have to focus on the beats - the bread to the MCs' butter. The instrumentals are straight up classic boom-bap type productions that sample soulful breaks with weighty effect. With a sound that has come to represent the east coast streets Endemic has created a very consistent set which will only occupy 47 minutes of your time, ensuring an all the way through listen is possible.

On his next outing Endemic will benefit from MCs who take his work and run with it to create something beyond the ordinary (in the way that female MC Sima Lee does with the upbeat ‘Look My Way’) – some of the tracks here can sound a little samey. But if it’s good, solid rap music you want, Endemic got it and you wouldn’t be going far wrong by snapping up a copy of this LP.

Endemic's 'Terminal Illness' is out officially on March 23rd on No Cure Records in the UK and on EMI records in the US.

'Sin City' - DJ Gone (mix CD review)

The tracklist for DJ Gone's 'Sin City', out now on Kung Fu, kinda speaks for itself to any UKHH head. Featuring the cream of the scene and in the vein of Kung Fu's showcasing 'Sin City' is over an hour's worth of exclusive freestyles and tracks - it's basically a must for those fans who strive for more than an artist's album and single output. It's also pretty essential for anyone who just wants to bump quality Hip Hop for an hour.

Poisonous Poets, Mystro, TB, M9, Charlie Sloth, Million Dan, Mr Ti2bs, Sincere, Mr. Drastick, Task Force, Ramson Badbonez, Teef, Harry Love and Wretch 32 all pop up here.

Lesser known artists drop just as credibly - check Kulture's 'Whoops' or 'Big Deal's 'Sun Up To Sun Down' for perfect examples of my statement.

Check out DJ Gone at his myspace, go to his myspace blog for the full tracklisting and a link to buy it for only £6.99. Check out Kung Fu's myspace too.

Sarah Love mp3

Sarah Love's UK Spotlight January mp3 and my original post.

Kashmere – 'The Jazz'
Evil Ed & Conspicous ft Shabam – 'The Ill Out'
Asaviour – 'Beefy'
Jack flash ft. J Simple & Apatight – 'Ground Wurq Anthem '
Ramson Badbonez – '3 Endings /Saga Of Death'
SonnyJim – 'Next Generation'
Jon Phonics ft. Mr Drastik & Verb T – 'Jealousy'
Mystro – 'Banishment'
Beat Butcha ft. Skandal – 'Home Economics'
Chain Of Command – 'Truss'
M9 – 'Higher Learning'
Blak Twang – ''96'
Chester P – 'Suicide Switch'
Sir Smirf Lil' – 'Back At You'
Scorzayzee ft Fayol – 'Scorz Chat'
Roots Manuva – 'Let The Spirit'

Unattended Baggage Blows!

Disorda has dropped another Suspect Packages radio show on us; the first of 2009.

Click here to download the show which features tracks and exclusives from Scorz, M9, Chester P, Mr. Loop, Kasha, Illustrate, Ramson Badbonez, Brotherman, Sir Smurf and a whole host of others who shouldn't be offended if I didn't type their name on the list. Anyways, you can go to Disorda's blog and read the whole tracklists hould you so desire.

There's also a nice old skool selection featuring Krispy 3, Black Radical Mk II and others.

Sarah Shows Love For UK

1xtra's Sarah Love shows love for the UK in this weeks show.

The majority of UK features are part of a UK spotlight mix although Jehst and Jack Flash feature elsewhere in the show alongside a load of other great Hip Hop. Good to see someone on 1xtra doing what we all thought 1xtra would do in the beginning.

Her best of UK spotlight tracklist goes exactly like this:


Kashmere – 'The Jazz'
Evil Ed & Conspicous ft Shabam – 'The Ill Out'
Asaviour – 'Beefy'
Jack flash ft. J Simple & Apatight – 'Ground Wurq Anthem '
Ramson Badbonez – '3 Endings /Saga Of Death'
SonnyJim – 'Next Generation'
Jon Phonics ft. Mr Drastik & Verb T – 'Jealousy'
Mystro – 'Banishment'
Beat Butcha ft. Skandal – 'Home Economics'
Chain Of Command – 'Truss'
M9 – 'Higher Learning'
Blak Twang – ''96'
Chester P – 'Suicide Switch'
Sir Smirf Lil' – 'Back At You'
Scorzayzee ft Fayol – 'Scorz Chat'
Roots Manuva – 'Let The Spirit'

Here's a radio rip mp3 of the show

‘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.

'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:

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'