Knock Knock - Ralph Rip Shit, Zilla Rocca and Hekla Kosh

Associated Minds are readying Ralph Rip Shit's latest single 'Hold That' with P.L.O and have released 'Knock Knock' in the run up to its release. The track is a few years old and features Zilla Rocca and was produced by Hekla Kosh/Lou Hekla and is a free d/l through the above bandcamp player.

Blaktrix - No Drama feat. Ralph Rip Shit (Video)

New video for Blaktrix's single No Drama, which dropped a couple of months ago and will feature on his upcoming album Some People Never Go Crazy. A laid back, smoked out tune, featuring the heavily underrated Ralph Rip Shit.

Single is available on itunes here:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/no-drama/id403946419?i=403946432&uo=4

'Certified Celtic Connection' - VA (free download)

In collaboration with Northern Ireland's hardest working Jee4ce Certified Banger presents 'Certified Celtic Connection' (click the title to stream the album). It features varied styles of Hip Hop music from all the Celtic parts of the UK - Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The tracklist says it all really:

01. Skamma - 'Bomber' (Wales)
02. DJ Flip & Freeze ft. Richie Filth & Marc Stretch - 'On The Line' (Ireland)
03. I vs. Nature ft. Riddlah - 'Rollin'' (Scotland)
04. Mudmowth - 'Skullcrackology' - (Last Skeptik Remix) (Wales) *
05. Show N Prove ft. U-turn, Dandy, Holmes, Madhat - 'Down' (Scotland) *
06. Lunitic - 'Stacy's Story' (Ireland)
07. Ral & Gambit - Last House on the left (Wales)*
08. Mog - 'A Scum First' (Scotland)
09. Nucentz - 'Bad Man' (Ireland)
10. Ralph Rip S**t - 'Disco Louts' (Wales)
11. Jee4ce & The Riddlah - 'Never' (Father Jack Remix) (Scotland/Ireland) *
12. Werd - 'The Internet' (Scotland)
13. The RubberBandits - 'Bags Of Glue' (Ireland)
14. Dead Residents - 'Different Times' (Wales)
15. Rhymes Vital - 'Gaza' (Father Jack Remix) (Ireland) *
16. Steg G & Respek BA - 'The Show' (Scotland)
17. Jonny boy & Intox - 'Keep It Movin'' (Ireland)
18. Catchklick Emceez - 'Seek Balance' (Scotland)
19. AJ - 'Hands Up' - Produced by Sert One (Ireland)
20. Scatabrainz ft. Depths - 'We On It' (Scotland)
21. Perfect Practice - 'That's Life' (Scotland)

*=exclusive

A big thanks goes to Jee4ce from Certified Banger and from the Hip Hop scene in aforementioned places - we need more heads like him! For more info on any of the tracks or artists on this download contact Jee4ce@gmail.com.

Suspect Packages Xmas Bashing!

Have a UK Hip Hop Happy Christmas with Suspect Packages!

'OCDC' - OCDC (free download)

for some truly great Hip Hop that I know you're going to dig then get to http://www.ocdc.co.uk/ for the free download from OCDC!. OCDC are Associated Minds MC Ralph Rip Sh** and producer Stoph.

The EP features 8 tracks and it appears to be self titled. It doesn't really need a name - it's dopeness speaks for itself. This just seemed to drop out of nowhere and music of this quality is rare - be sure to download this and then be ready to support them to the max.

'Never' (Father Jack Remix) - Jee4ce & Riddlah (free download)

Keep your peelers peeled for a project compiled by Jee4ce and brought to you in association with Certified Banger entitled 'Certified Celtic Connection'. Jee4ce has mustered his Celtic troops from Ireland, Scotland and Wales and put together yet another compilation of tracks repping the unsung areas of the UK.

The mix will feature Skamma, Mudmowth, Ral & Gambit, Ralph Rip S**t and Dead Residents repping for Wales, DJ Flip, Freeze, Richie Filth, Marc Stretch, (the late) Lunitic, Nucentz, The RubberBandits, Rhymes Vital, Jonny boy, AJ, Sert One and Jee4ce doing it for Ireland and Riddlah, Show N Prove, U-turn, Dandy, Holmes, Madhat, Mog, The Riddlah, Werd, Steg G, Respek BA, Catchklick Emceez, Scatabrainz, Depths and Perfect Practice showing their skills for Scotland. There's also a track produced by The Last Skeptik.

To get a taste of what to expect, go download Jee4ce & Riddlah - 'Never' (Father Jack Remix) for free! It has sleigh bells, funky samples and top notch celtic lyrics from Ireland and Scotland. UNITED Kingdom - stand up!

'Celtic Underground Session 3' - VA - Mixed by Jee4ce (free download)

Celtic Underground Session 3 Mixed by Jee4ce

01. Capital 1212 ft. Mikey Krummins - Shootin Stars (Scotland)
02. Terawrizt ft. Jambo - End Of Dayz (Ireland)
03. Qred ft. Joe Blow 4dee and Skamma - Lunar Burn (Wales)
04. Respek BA - OH (Scotland)
05. Jee4ce - On The Rise (N.Ireland)
06. Ralph Rip Sh** ft. Dubbledge - Kiss The Guns (Wales)
07. Evil Residents - Demonic Soldiers (Scotland)
08. Rubberbandits - Pure Awkward (Ireland)
09. Sweet And Tender Hooligans - I Have Seen (Wales)
10. Intox ft. Jonnyboy - Take Me Back (Ireland)
11. Skribbo ft. Loki - Heavyweights (Scotland)
12. Nugget - Loser (Ireland)
13. MasterSystem - Its Time (Scotland)
14. Werd & Deeko - Mad World (Scotland)
15. Cullo - Who Am I (Ireland)
16. Dave Gunn - Under The Forgotton Page (Scotland)
17. Lineage ft. Maverick Sabre - Cambia Tu Fortuna Remix (Ireland)
18. Hoax MC - Rhymin Son (Wales)
19. Holmes - HipHoperation (Scotland)

Download or stream as one track

Download with tracks separated

Mudmowth Interview

"As for calling everyone label mates... that’s too official, we’re all boys. If I do ever marry Lily Allen they’re all in the front row except for Ralph – he’s down front giving up the ring!"

Certified Banger: Yo Mudmowth, how’s it going, what’ve you been up to?

Mudmowth: What’s happening? Everything’s wicked at the moment man, the record’s been selling real well, just got back from a small tour of Denmark and Austria now, the crowds were amazing over there, they love their Hip Hop man. Besides touring and pushing the music just been real busy recording new stuff with Metabeats we got an EP coming soon called ‘Sledgehammer Kisses’, I’ve been doing stuff with P.L.O who produced ‘Skullcrackology’ which is pushing the boundaries, its gonna be a project for everyone into music full stop - we got violinists, guitars everything on there, the stuff we got recorded so far s**ts on anything I’ve ever done so I’m really excited about getting that out! As for my album ‘Breakin Blocks in Legoland’, that’s recorded waiting to be mixed down and features production from Ghost, Evil Ed, Conspicuous, Sam Rockwell (who produced ‘Circus in the Cemetery’ and ‘Broken home’) and others. I can go on all day about how good it is but I’ll just sound like an egomaniac, all I will say is if it had been released this year it would have s**t on everything in UK Hip Hop that came out.

Click here to find out what Mudmowth will be doing at Christmas, what he thinks of Goldie Lookin' Chain and more (including something to do with a midget and some rhubarb).

Mudmowth - 'Circus In The Cemetery' 12" review

You have to chuckle - Associated Minds are hilarious. They're just edging into the scene, loudly mind you, bringing Welsh Hip Hop to the ears of the still London-centric UK Hip Hop listeners. It's just pure comedy value, given that the Hip Hop plus Wales thing that most people think of is Goldie Lookin' Chain's idiotic banter, that their releases are all so RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!

Mudmowth's latest offering, a shexy white vinyl with dopey-dope-dope artwork, is just so hardcore it's mental. Mudmowth is a tremendous MC who mixes clarity with humour, seriousness and sickness in perfect measures.

Essentially, this release is a 5 track EP featuring labelmate guests Willo Wispa and Ralph Rip Sh** and production by P.L.O., Devize (from Australia) and Sam Rockwell. The overall feeling is of hard, dark but outright bouncy and jouyously heavy Rap music. Next time I get a chance to see Mud perform live, I know my trainers will get stepped upon, one part of my will be body bleeding and there will be a HUGE grin on my face; this is mosh pit inducing stuff.

'Skullcrackology', produced by P.L.O., opens up proceedings and is orientated around live rock drumming, synthy, filthy bass lines and screaming guitars. Mudmowth comes across most vehemently with millions of quotables e.g. 'The only police record you've got is 'Every Breath I Take''. It's great to hear such a brilliant Rock infused track that suits the MC'ing down to a T.

'Return of the Cavemen' is fresh, Devize offers a jaunty beat that somehow has an Australian sound to it - there's something about it that sets it's sound apart from the UK or the US. Willo brings a more chilled out contribution, his style is so lazy and laid back compared to Mudmowth's - it's great to hear MC's who sound different - usually you can't tell when one has stopped and the next has started! ('Shouts to Steve Irwin, Down Under - Literally'!!!)

The intro to 'Circus in the Cemetery' must have been robbed from some bad 80's horror movie and it heralds perfectly what's to come. The title track is menacing both in lyrical content and delivery and the two MC's have come up with a nice concept with plenty of scope for more classic lines. Not my favourite track on here but nonetheless a banger.

'Knuckle Down' is another Devize jobby and the beat is on the lighter side of things whereas the verbals are still gnarly. I like the fact that even though the lyrics are classic battle material the beat is not a doom-and-gloom, dreary sounding backdrop. This track really showcases Mud's overactive mind; I don't know how he thinks up this stuff!

'The Broken Home of Mr. Jones' is a lovely but sad track and the title says it all. Mudmowth takes on the persona of an alcoholic man whose life is in tatters and he paints the picture real well. As Mudmowth says himself: 'The sad thing I know is that half of Britain understands me'. This is an insightful examination of the state of many people in our country.

I can't really say anything I didn't already say in the intro to this review. This is simply brilliant Hip Hop that reveals new treasures on each listen. For the price of a couple of beers this could be yours and if you buy it right off Associated Minds they'll no doubt throw in a load of free stuff; don't be a Mr. Jones - buy this EP!