Artan is one of the freshest artists that has created a different dimension to his music, switching up between singing and rapping. It’s an exciting time for him as this is the first release off of his forthcoming debut E.P ‘Breaking Stereotypes’ on 24th May. It’s one for the summer too!
Frisco – Get Greazy
Boy Better Know’s Frisco drops a brand new very cold video for ‘Get Greazy’ where he spits over two different beats, the first one has an oriental theme to the production filmed with a dark background. After 2 minutes it changes to a white background with a more darker, bouncier beat.
CASISDEAD – The Grid
This is an artist who knows how to bring his lyrics to life with his visuals, and here it does it again with ‘The Grid.’ CASISDEAD spits gritty lyrics that match what is going on in the video.
Skrapz – Enemies
Ice City Boyz representative Skrapz heads out to Barcelona for the visuals to ‘Enemies.’ He speaks his mind about events in his life from his ambition, to being the coldest, and how you shouldn’t be fucking with him or his his energy.
Tizzy Gang – Shekel
Tizzy Gang drop the latest installement ‘Shekel’ from their forthcoming album ‘Opps Next Door’ out June 16th. Tizzy Gang members Merky Ace and Cadell are joined by Vic Santoro for this aggressive grime banger, laying down sick bars over a haunting beat.
Fresh from Anthony Joshua playing Skrapz’s ‘They Ain’t Ready’ as he headed into the ring to go on to beat Wladimir Klitschko, the Ice City Boys representative brings us a brand new track called ‘Enemies’. Rapping in his trademark flow, Skrapz’s lyrics reveal that he doesn’t “fuck with anybody that prevents progress.” He raps cold, real-life lyrics over a dark, trap production showing his ambition and drive, hence why he has a large fanbase and is thought of by many as one of the best in UK Rap.
Yungen – ‘Fools Gold’
Yungen brings us a laid-back, summery tune in ‘Fools Gold,’ where he discusses gold digging girls, how he’s not really just into looks, and how there has to be more to his woman than just a pretty face: “Snapchat she always sending me the whole filter, she got man coming home to no dinner. I’m like baby girl a wifey ain’t all about looks, so you best start learning to cook. I don’t want a pretty face with no brains get your head in your books.” He’s telling girls to dream bigger, be independent and do it for yourself. The visuals show Yungen and his girl in Central and South London in his car along with views of the London Wheel in the background.
Abra Cadabra ft. Sneakbo – ‘My Hood’
Abra Cadabra is joined by Sneakbo for ‘My Hood’. The dark track is joined by an equally sinister video that matches the mood and theme of the track. The video opens with an actor being asked to open a briefcase, where he pulls out two photos and is asked to get rid of the people in them. The men in the photos are Abra Cadabra and Sneakbo, and he clearly doesn’t get very far as we see him in the next shot bloodied and bruised. It shows off Sneakbo’s hard flow and strong lyrics stating his lifestyle, “I came a long way from a push bike, blacked out hoody I’m a hood guy, gas gang I was like Suge Knight, now I live it up every month book flights.” Abra brings his trademark delivery along with some hard lyrics, “When it comes to the beef then we dun talking.”
Dutch – ‘Speeding’
Hackney rapper Dutch brings us the inspirational and deeply emotional ‘Speeding’. Dutch brings his fans into his world and his struggles he has faced such as being able to give his family money in this introspective offering where he also talks about how Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’ made him realise that blowing your money on certain things wouldn’t help, so he went back to the drawing board. You can hear Dutch’s passion shine strongly in his delivery and lyrics over the melodic production from Michelin Shin.
Fekky – Billi
Fekky hits us with his brand new and brilliant video for ‘Billi’ after his return to Charlie Sloths’ infamous Fire In The Booth where he hit new heights with his lyricism and style. The new track is a taster of what to expect from his new album El Classico and shows Fekky with lots of swagger in a fur coat in the TV Toxic-directed visuals. The track is directed at his opponents and haters: “hating n****s everywhere they wanna lick man down.”
“Talking beef, f*****g punk look at you now.” Fekky goes in with straight, savage lyrics like the D Double E bar, “Head gets mangled and dangled,” and no nonsense delivery that should really show anyone going up against him, it isn’t worth it. Fekky delivers us with another straight up banger, and we can’t wait to hear more from his forthcoming album.
After trying one of Bone Daddies restaurants – Flesh & Bun last year, I was destined to try another one of their different food havens dotted across London. With there being a queue extending outside at their first opening in Peter Street, Soho, which is a Ramen Bar, we walked to Old Compton Street to Shackfuyu.
Starting off as a pop up, it made it’s impression on the folk of London town so much that it became a permanent residency, serving Western-inspired Japanese dishes. You could almost say it’s Japanese soul food. Looking at the menu you can see much thought and effort has gone into the menu, they don’t over-do it with wide variety of dishes, these are carefully selected, and you can order a few as they are meant for sharing.
Shackfuyu like most of the Bone Daddies chains has a rock ‘n’ roll edge to it, with shiny tiles and brickwork and lots of small lights with a soundtrack to match. As you enter it feels smaller than it is, with seats round the bar when the back end of the restaurant with its booths and tables fill up.
Looking around to see what everyone else was eating, we decided on a main each and a few smaller plates so we could try as much as possible. The hot stone rice (£.8.50) was the larger, main dish chosen and it also came out first. Brought out as you would imagine in a hot bowl, the concoction of rice, beef and chilli with vegetables and sesame is literally steaming. It’s based on Korean bibimbap rice which is stirred at the table, as they do here also at Shackfuyu mixing the meat, veg and egg, but with a tasty sauce and a crunch from the sweetcorn in there too.
For the smaller dishes we opted for Korean fried chicken (£6) which is always going to be a winner. It came out as a portion of 3, so if there’s two of you there could be a fight over who gets the extra one, as these are so delicious. They have a sticky red coating dotted with sesames with a sour and chilli kick to them that will want you craving more.
The last small dish we chose was the seabass taco (£4) which were kind of small so it was hard to share, but we did manage as there was at least 6 bits of fried seabass each to enjoy. It came complete with tomatillo salsa like you would find in a Mexican restaurant. The seabass was cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and the fish was soft and flaky, with spring onions and red onions chopped on top.
We washed these dishes down with a few glasses of prosecco, although there was a nice cocktail list too. Unfortunately we didn’t even have room for the desert which sounds and looks delicious, kinako French toast served with green tea ice cream. Definitely one for next time!
This is a Birmingham to London link up from two of Grime’s heavy hitters Safone and Capo Lee for ‘Gyal From Brum,’ a flip on Safone’s now Grime classic track ‘She Wants A Man From Brum.’ Both emcee’s take turns, trading bars about swagging and wanting a gyal from Brum! This tune is going to bang at raves and festivals this Summer for sure as it’s a high energy bassline driven track, with Capo Lee and Safone throwing down some slick dance moves too.
Dapz On The Map – Mini Valet
West Bromwich/Birmingham artist Dapz On The Map brings us a strong new track ‘Mini Valet’ talking about his rise in the industry, following his own path, and how now he performs in the 02 with fans queuing to get in. It’s a motivational, inspirational track and shows how by putting in the work you can achieve what you set out to.
J Hus – Common Sense
‘Common Sense’ is the third track release from J Hus’ forthcoming album of the same name which will be released on 12th May, and sees previous bangers such as ‘Friendly’ and ‘Did You See’ on the album as well as a host of new material with features from Mist, Mostack and more. ‘Common Sense’ has a jazzy, live band natural feel to the track, and sees J Hus reflecting on things happening around him.
Mostack – Ussy Ussy
Mostack drops a vibrant new track ‘Ussy Ussy’ the first offering from his forthcoming new mixtape ‘High Street Kid’ out on the 2nd June. It’s another straight up banger, and the visuals show the North London artist out in LA with the Hollywood sign in the background and also shots in the UK too as he talks about his girl.
Stash Peso – Glow
Stonebridge rapper Stash Peso drops ‘Glow’ in the lead up to his forthcoming EP ‘Shine’. It’s a song written from a personal place about embracing your glow, and not listening to others. It shows off Stash’s unorthodox style, wordplay and impressive lyrical flow captivating his listeners as he sings and raps over the production.
“When I was young I had to prove I could stand by myself, that I’m the best at what I do and all that crap,” admits Donae’O, taking a break from a studio session to talk to Clash. “As I’ve got older I’ve realised that trying to be the best is nonsense, because you can be the best but if no one else sees it, it doesn’t matter.”
The North West Londoner is already a legend of the UK underground; from the days of Garage crew Bubbling to his freshly-inked deal with Island Records, his work as a producer, song-writer and vocalist has made an unforgettable mark on the scene.
While working on his long-awaited fourth album, the follow up to 2009’s ‘Party Hard’, Donae’O has simultaneously been self-improving; endeavouring to put the song first, rather than attempting to outshine others. “I had to get over my ego to accept that I’m not the star in the scenario,” he says. “For instance, I’m not the star of [‘Lock Doh’], Giggs is. My job was to make him the star. It made me understand getting rid of that ego, giving more eventually that will come back to me.”
He experienced this good karma while working with WSTRN on the follow up single to their massive breakthrough ‘In2’. “Trying to be the best might not be the best for the song,” he implores. “I [was working on] a song called ‘Come Down’ for WSTRN. I made the beat and Louie wrote the chorus, but the song wasn’t finished. I couldn’t work out what it needed, so we got [other producers in to add to it]. Throughout the whole process my percentage [of royalties] were going lower and lower, but I had to get rid of greed and ego so that the song could be the best it could be.”
In the end his ego-less approach would pay off. The song would climb Radio 1’s playlist and prove more financially rewarding than it might have had Donae’O been selfish: “I’ve learned not to be so self-destructive,” he laughs. “Everyone has limitations.”
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Over the past couple of years Donae’O has been travelling back and forth to the US, examining how contemporary rap music is created in its homeland. The experience has opened his eyes to bigger aspirations, and has interestingly drawn his attention to the importance of his clothing choices. “I started seeing that even underground artists can make millions,” he explains. “I saw that image was part of the artistry. Wearing clothes was just as artistic as writing a song. It had never been portrayed to me like that before.”
He began to embrace streetwear, naming US brands Supreme and Stüssy, as well as homegrown staples Trapstar and Benjart amongst his favourites. “I like clothes and style that have a story behind them,” he says. “Benjart’s from North West and he’s doing well and I identify with that. Trapstar, they’re guys from West London. I love Supreme’s culture, the exclusivity… if you’re into it you’re into it, it’s not for everyone, it’s more about the culture than the clothing. I associate with the story, which I didn’t know before.”
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Me wearing black is the physical representation of me changing…
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In a similar way, the story behind a track brings context that helps reach listeners on a deeper level. To Donae’O, his single ‘Black’ – which features Grime heavyweights Jme and Dizzee Rascal – represents him coming to terms with letting go. “Me wearing black is the physical representation of me changing,” he clarifies. “It’s made me a better person.”
The track initially began life two years ago, around the time that Donae’O was shooting a video for his track ‘Mami No Like’ with director and Jme-collaborator Matt Walker. “Jme was going mad about the record, so I reached out to him and said thank you for screaming about it – because it helped it a lot,” he remembers. The pair soon began discussing ideas for collaboration, and Donae’O would send Jme an early version of ‘Black’. “I was chilling in Nandos when I got the verse,” Donae’O laughs. “I was like: what the fuck am I going to do with this, I’ve got a Jme verse!”
He’d also been in touch with Dizzee Rascal about a potential collaboration, and decided to send ‘Black’ over to him on the off chance that he might be able to bring a dream collaboration together. “Dizzee sent me his verse back in about four days!” recalls Donae’O, still with a hint of disbelief. “I was like: fuck what am I going to do with that!? I put it away for a bit and the rest is history.”
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Train yourself to solve problems and you will always be successful.
Putting in more work last year than any of the other fifteen that he’s been in the music industry has paid off. In 2016 he had three tracks in circulation on the Radio 1 playlist – ‘Come Down’, ’Lock Doh’ and ‘Black’ – as well as underground hits ‘My Circle’ and ‘Polo’.
This prompted the the decision to let go of his previous control-freak approach, allowing others to handle business while he puts his all into the music. “I don’t need to be the businessman anymore, no-one’s gonna fuck me over and if they do I can walk away,” he explains. “I thought, let me put the business side away because I’m good at it, but I’m great at making music. I’m going to put my energy into just making a banging tune.”
Donae’o’s freshly inked deal with Island Records gives him the balance of creative freedom and business support that he needs to move forward. “They want me to make the music I want to make,” he says. “They’ve given me a label to release my own music. I understand the underground. If you ask me to market a record in that world I can do that, but I’ve never really gone mainstream before.”
“I feel like ‘Black’ has crossed over into another world, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that. Island understand me and understand how to get it to that point.”
As he puts the final touches on his new album, Donae’o reflects on his journey so far, admitting that the position he’s found himself in, was never one that he envisioned. “You can plan as much as you want and I think planning is excellent, but your never going to land where you think you will,” he says, sagely, as our conversation draws to a close.
“The key in life is that nothing stays the same, the only thing you can do is trust that you’re intelligent: everyone is smart, they just have different things they are smart at. Train yourself to solve problems and you will always be successful.”
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*Published on Clash Magazine 20/03/2017 http://www.clashmusic.com/features/ego-is-the-enemy-clash-meets-donaeo
Hardy Caprio and Not3s have joined forces for ‘Together’, with Not3s bringing a heavy, catchy hook. The track, produced by N2theA, allows Hardy to flow effortlessly over the rap beat talking about money and street life. The video – shot in an estate – shows how it hasn’t exactly gone to plan, as they had to shoot without Not3s. The guys made it lighthearted with a script running through it that definitely makes you chuckle and includes some fun dance moves too! The track is taken from Hardy Caprio’s recently released The Hollywood EP which you can buy now on iTunes.
Don Strapzy – Mustard
Lewisham rapper Don Strapzy returns to our screens with ‘Mustard’ – a track full of bars on bars. Intro’ing the track stating, “I never did it for the fame G, I can’t complain now I get loving from the ladies, but I never done it for that,” the OG rapper then goes on to talk about everything from rappers to trappers to the hood, South London, trust, women and much much more. He shows off his powerful, natural flow with strong delivery coupled with braggadocious lyrics, “It’s donny from the manor I’m the dogs bollocks.”
Pep ft. Big Sneakz – One Time
Pep takes the cinematic visuals for ‘One Time’ to the stunning location of the Dominican Republic. The stunning backdrop seamlessly flatters Pep’s individual flow alongside Big Sneakz’s catchy hook. Opening up with a meeting taking place between Pep and an associate then leads into the track that talks through Pep’s situations with women. Self-produced by Pep himself, he brings a summer vibe to the steelpan instrumental.
Dims x Tremz – Bang For My Bros
It’s a Northern link up next in ‘Bang For My Bro’s with two equally hard rappers: Dims from Manchester and Tremz from Liverpool. The video fits the ominous mood of the track, with men clad in balaclavas and masks setting the scene. The trap beat allows the two to apply their inimitable melodic style rap which Dims uses on the hook as well as in his verse and Tremz uses in his verse too. Dims has a strong, aggressive delivery, where he talks about street life. Tremz comes in second rapping, “Way back I been a rowdy yout, cause I never knew the other way, so don’t ask me what the f**k I do.” This is Northern talent at its finest.
Potter Payper x Luey Locs – Last 32
Potter Payper is one of the best UK rappers; his wordplay, lyrics and flow are just impeccable. At the moment he’s gearing up to release a brand new project titled ‘Real Back In Style’ which we are hugely looking forward to. His new banger ‘Last 32’ with Luey Locs shows the two barring about their lifestyles, which include chasing paper, expensive tastes in watches and cars, smoking and more which the video portrays perfectly showing off some flashy cars, nice creps, women and icey watches. Watch out for more from Potter Payper in the forthcoming months.
Dice Recording artist Izzie Gibbs gives us another straight-fire riddim ‘Chillin’ produced by Maniac which features Donae’o on the hook. The track and visuals show how they like to Netflix and Chill with Izzie’s flow fast and manic and his lyrics a bit naughty. Izzie told SBTV, “Maniac blessed me with the fire riddim I knew it was SICK but when I sent it to Donae’O and he sent the chorus back in like 20 mins, that fully gassed me and I banged it out straight away.”
Tizzy Gang – Old School Roadman Jacket
Tizzy Gang’s Tre Mission and Merky Ace release the first visual off of their forthcoming mixtape, ‘Opps Next Door’. The record represents the transatlantic spread of grime with Tre Mission also being hailed as the first international grime emcee. Both emcees lay down greezy lyrics over a sinister beat that is sure to get a wheel up in every grime rave.
Lethal Bizzle ft. Skepta – I Win
Although there has been a delay with Lethal Bizzle’s album ‘Lennox Rd,’ Bizzle is hitting us with an EP, ‘You’ll Never Make A Million From Grime,’ a title aimed at the haters. He gives us the first visual from the EP that features another grime king, Skepta who also produced the track along with adding a verse and hook. The two heavyweights of course have made a winning track and the video comes complete with some sick cars and bikes.
Reeko Squeeze ft. Donae’o – Beginning
A cold, cold tune track from Reeko Squeeze which features Donae’o who comes in first on the track with the hook which is a rather inspiring one talking about how he’s in it to win it! Reeko then comes in with some his inspirational bars and also mischievous lyrics about women. The visuals show both of them at night with views of London in the background.
Yellows – Cure Remix
North London rapper Yellows takes Fish Go Deep ‘The Cure & The Cause’ track remixing it for his track ‘Cure Remix.’ He talks about road life, stacking money and the video shows him and his girl arguing and her being at home trying to get hold of him and him locking calls off. This is a hard track with a very good remix of a house track that Yellows has absolutely killed. Props.
Devlin is one of the UK’s best lyricists in grime, and not just according to us but also Wiley – the Godfather of Grime – and many other emcees. His new album The Devil In and new Fire In The Booth showcase why he is up there with the best, and once you listen, you can’t deny his lyrical prowess.
Shireen Fenner snagged some of Devlin’s time to speak about the old-school days of grime, staying grounded, taking time away from music and his new album…
Devlin, tell us first of all about what life musically was like for you growing up?
Grime music was always big in Dagenham, but before that I liked the sound of Garage. It was the OT Crew that were the boys I fell in with in the end, they had a big show on Rinse which was a massive platform, and they used to work with Roll Deep and do shows with them. So when I met them I started getting a little audience listening every week and things started building from there.
Where does your music influence stem from? You’ve mentioned So Solid and Roll Deep and Sharky Major – what was it about them that made you want to start writing?
I thought they were good and they captured me. Their lyrics were more complex than the garage stuff I had heard. They were thought out, they were talking about stuff that was going on and that I was seeing as I was growing up. I just wanted to have a go at it myself, and I loved it, stuck at it, and then it started coming through.
I liked the tempo of Garage, but when I heard Grime, the sounds of the beats and the lyrics, I could relate to it a bit more. I liked that dirtier sound.
Back then it was a very pirate mentality and the goals for Grime MC’s was to get on pirate radio…now Grime has gone mainstream, MC’s can think a lot bigger. What’s the difference between your goals back then and now?
Your right, when I landed on Rinse I thought I’d struck gold, I’d listened to people growing up and tape tapes and tape set for years so it was a blessing that I’d made it there. From that where the listeners were growing, we started doing raves, all the older people had been doing raves, but I started doing a few and noticing the fan base growing.
Nowadays it’s been pushed through into the mainstream and there is a lot more opportunity now, back in the day we only had pirate radio. The internet is massive now, you can utilize that to get your videos across and social media is also a massive thing which we never had which helps people network.
As weird as it sounds I never had a massive major plan or goal in my head, I just loved doing what I was doing. I just wanted to be the best that I could be at what I was doing because I enjoyed it, I loved it and that took me on a journey I suppose that I never saw myself doing. I never pictured it like that. My goals are still to just keep making sure my music’s good and people are happy and my fans.
Wiley has dubbed you the ‘greatest Grime MC’ and a lot of other artists also rate you highly – what do you think it is about you that sets you apart and made Wiley give you this title?
I’m blessed that people think that and I take that as a massive compliment, but I can say whatever I’ve done I don’t expect everyone to love it or hate it. I always put my heart and soul into it and I’m my own worst critic when it comes to my lyrics. Maybe that’s something to do with it, I’m very critical about what I do. Passion and wanting to be the best, but if I fall short I fall short, but I’ll come up somewhere half decent.
Working with The Movement crew must have trained you and them lyrically to be the best you can be, was there a lot of competition?
Yea definitely, that firm was all about lyrics. We all had love for each other and a mutual respect. It definitely helped push my lyrics. I always wanted to be the best, everyone was hungry, on the day you had to come fucking good. It was good times back in the day.
From ‘Bud Sweat & Beers’ your debut album to your recent album ‘The Devil In’ talk us through the evolution as Devlin as an artist and as a person…
It all seems like a whirlwind to me. I’ve spent my life writing music and it all seems to have gone so fast. It’s hard to remember half of it. I’ve just grown naturally as I’m getting older. I grew up I suppose in front of everyone’s eyes; I was only very young when I started, so naturally I’ve grown as a human being. I’m just normal, I’m just me, there’s not too much science behind it. I just love music, I try to do my best, and I’m lucky enough that people have gone and brought my albums for some reason, I’m not too sure why.
‘The Devil In’ shows all different sides to you as a person and is a more mature, unapologetic Devlin – can you tell the readers what different sides to you there are and why it’s important to reflect these in the album?
I think there is a little snippet of every side of my personality on there. There’s happy, there’s sad, there’s twisted, there’s angry, there’s loving, there’s caring. That’s what I tried to do with the album. Whenever you’re making songs your trying to capture an emotion and trying to relate to people.
I’d say it’s a mixture of me and my own thoughts and what I feel and other things I’ve seen I put myself in different people’s shoes mentally. I try and be creative.
What are your favourite tracks on the album and why?
‘Blow Your Mind’ I’ve always liked the music on this track, the oldy, feel, it’s got pace in it still, and I like the music and the beats, it’s uptempo.
You seem like a very grounded, down-to earth person still, not really stricken by the fame element, how do you stay like this, it must be hard?
Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but without those people I’d have nothing really so it doesn’t bother me, I take a picture with anyone. On the flipside it could be worse, I wouldn’t have job if it wasn’t for these people, but yeah sometimes it gets overwhelming. I stay grounded, I don’t care for much, I love my family I love my friends, I love making music and I’m lucky enough to do it. I don’t let nothing else bother me.
It’s been 4 years since your last album release and you took a year out of music – why the decision to take a break?
I’ve just made music since I was so young, I was stressed, and I was trying hard to write. My second album didn’t go as well as my first one, that probably pissed me off a little bit. I suppose I’ve got my own life, I’ve got my own stuff going on in my own life I needed to sort out. I came back with a fresh head. I had to go and be a young man for a couple of years. When you’ve made music from a young age with a camera always in your face, I just needed to go and be a young man and get that out my system and come back with a fresher head and a bit more grown up.
Explain what is The Devil In Devlin is?
There’s every different side to me on the album and that’s what makes me; love, joy, hate, it’s almost like conflicted emotions. That’s the man behind the music.
Two of Islington’s finest rappers return with their brand new video ‘FuckBoys’ – taken from their forthcoming collaborative project BNB – proving their weight in the UK rap game. The brazen track sees the two trade verses with their standout voices, direct deliveries and impenitently real lyrics. The two combined have always posed as a threat to other UK rappers, and their tracks heard from their forthcoming project shows these two are definitely back on their A game and willing to fight for the crown.
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Doc Brown – Corruptible
You might know Doc Brown as the stand-up comedy success who talks about being a failing rapper and is currently touring with Ricky Gervais, but actually, he’s really good (at rapping) and his new track ‘Corruptible’ proves it. He’s been spitting for a long time, and his re-entrance into UK hip-hop comes at a perfect time. This track is the first track to be heard off of his forthcoming album Stemma, and comes with a polished black and white visual to match.
C Biz – Super ft 6IXVI, License To Kill & Look At You
C Biz is on one hell of a roll this year, releasing a string of tracks, and in the past two weeks alone has dropped three tracks ‘Super ’ ft 6IXVI, ‘License To Kill,’ and ‘Look At You’ ft. Hurricane.
First up is ‘Super’ produced by The Forbes and shows the North West Londoner rapping over a trap-inspired beat featuring another rapper 6IXVI with both of them barring back to back over verses with bossy, saucy lyrics.
‘License To Kill’ produced by Impack, quite rightly samples Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger’ keeping in the James Bond theme, but with a trap twist. He delivers his lyrics with confidence and fineness.
‘Look At You’ is the latest to drop and features another £R member Hurricane. This one has is still a trap beat but more lively with the whole tone of the track more lighter than the others. It’s upbeat and C Biz and Hurricane talk about making money amongst other things and being at the top.
Sneakbo – Thank God
Sneakbo gives praise to the most high on new track ‘Thank God,’ which he opens with an interlude from a Tupac recording talking about trusting nobody. It’s a deep track about making it out the ends and how people don’t want to see him make it, and he can’t trust many. The beat has a bashment influence, but nowhere near as bold as what we’re used to. Sneakbo speaks more reflectively and openly about his life: “I thank God for my mum she the man, I give her anything her young boy can. Before it’s too late see I love you mum, daddy left a real woman and she raised a son. Can’t tell nobody bout the things I’ve done, see I’ve had a hard life it was drugs and guns.”
I’ve also got some brand new UK mixtapes for you to check out. First up is from Fredo who has released his brand new project Get Rich Or Get Recalled, which has some cold features from Blade Brown, Donae’O and Ratlin.
Bonkaz has dropped the sequel to his 2011 release Quality Control with Quality Control 2.0.. The project is produced by New Gen’s Soul and Bonkaz released the first video off of it ‘Cash Money’ ft. S Loud.
Ayo Beatx x SOS Music ft. Red Cafe & Chip – Abu Dabbin Remix
Ayo Beatz and SOS Music dropped movie worthy visuals for the ‘Abu Dabbin Remix’ getting Brooklyn lyricist Red Cafe and London’s Chip to spray some seriously weighty bars for the worldwide link up. It’s a high energy track that is the perfect sound to lead you into the forthcoming Summer months.
Fazer – I Woke Up
Producer/rapper Fazer is back in the game with a brand new single ‘I Woke Up’ which sees him lay his soul bare detailing the lows he faced in his lengthy music career. It’s self-produced and draws on elements of trap along with soulful strings. It’s great to see Fazer back doing what he clearly loves and re-connecting with the music.
Tremz & Big Narstie – BD Gang
Tremz drops the lead single ‘BD Gang’ from his mixtape ‘Lifestyle Of A Pirate’ which features his label mate and grime legend Big Narstie. Produced by Show N Prove over a circus themed beat, the two artists go bar for bar with Narstie taking on a scouse accent for his bars and Tremz keeping it authentic with his powerful scouse accent.
Cadenza – Till We Do It ft Prynce Mini & Bugle
Cadenza is the West London producer known for mixing a variety of sounds fusing the sounds of London with Jamaica. This is taken from his recently released ‘Hijack’ EP and features a very sick UK rapper Prynce Mini and Jamaican artist Bugle. The camera follows Mini around the streets as he provides us with punchlines over a menacing beat.
Belly Squad – Morning
Belly Squad drop a video titled ‘Morning’ from their recently released debut EP ‘Banana’. Mixing afrobeats with rap, bringing us a party vibe to their music, this track is no different and shows the three members in a house party setting.
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