This week I’m going to start off with two very special Fire In The Booth sessions. If you don’t know what it is, it was started by Charlie Sloth on BBC Radio 1Xtra and showcases the cream of UK MCs where they get to display their best lyrics. SN1’s Gunna Dee who recently released a mixtape ‘Hustler By Nature 2’ was up first. Keeping up the heat surrounding the tape, it was only right he went on the show…
North London rapper Squeeks dropped his first Fire In The Booth in 2011; two years on he returned for the second installment, really showcasing his progression since the first one. He makes this epic freestyle look effortless.
i Records are keeping it busy with two releases from the label this week.
Dru Blu keeps up the work level staying consistent by releasing another net video courtesy of Rap City TV. Keeping it real as always with this street banger, he tells us his reasons for working hard; ‘Rude boy I ain’t rich yet so what the f**k should I rest for.”
Snap Capone’s mixtape ‘Return Of The Shooter’ is the second release from i Records family. You might have seen some videos and freestyles of his recently leading up to this 25-track tape which sees him discussing life on the streets and in particular his own life. This is a hard road rap release and isn’t for the light hearted.
Producer Bayoz Muzik dropped the fourth video off his ‘Death Of A Beatmaker’ EP. ‘F U Pay Me Now’ features Tigger Da Author, Paigey Cakey and Tzy. Bayoz is known for producing beats for UK rapper Giggs as well as many others and his EP features J Spades, Blade Brown and more.
Wretch 32 caused a stir last week as he released the audio to his second single ‘Doing OK’ which comes after ‘Blackout’ featuring Shakka from his forthcoming third album. This time it features Jacob Banks, who is also part of the Renowned group. The album has no release date yet but is set to be released this year via Ministry Of Sound.
Rap Up UK return with another mini documentary this time looking at the Art Of Rap where they talk to emcees such as Jaja Soze, Political Peak, Fem Fel, Dru Blu, Pepstar, USG, Young Mad B, Yung Meth, Sho Shallow, Lyrican, Mike GLC, Pane & Yardz, Wholagun, Pound Sterling, Marger + More
South london’s multi talented singer and rapper Young Mad B releases the video to motivational track Find A Way featuring his i Records label mate Dru Blu.
Last week saw two of I Records artists going to Tim Westwood’s crib for a session and one of them releasing a track. Young Mad B’s video ‘Come So Far’ showed the rappers emotion and depth; he also laid down some bars for Westwood. Dru Blu also had a lot he wanted to say, passionately dropping some reality lyrics in the crib. We also saw another Westwood crib session, this time from North London rappers Squeeks, Joe Black and Kaz who showcased their effortless bars. I wonder who Westwood will be bringing in next…
Yesterday (March 3), Shystie released the video to ‘Control It’ featuring ‘212’ rapper Azealia Banks. The video sees the femcee holding men on a leash as she asks if they can ‘control it, work it, show me you deserve this’ – it’s an interesting watch.
Disturbing London’s G FrSH called on DVS and Scorcher to lay down verses and Loick Essien the hook for the new track ‘Welcome To My Life’. They all work well together on this track.
Sneakbo gave a free track away last week, refixing his ‘Zim Zimma’ track over various popular electro and bass instrumentals, giving it an extra party vibe.
Big Tobz released the ‘Behind The Music’ EP last week, and he also delivered the visuals to the track ‘Line Em Up’ with Jobey, courtesy of Link-Up TV. You can download the EP for free now.
Political Peak starts to pick things back up again this year by dropping this hot new freestyle for the streets and impressing with his wordplay. He also dropped the video to ‘My Moment’ off his latest mixtape ‘Dreams 2 Reality 2’.
Mr Mitchell begins 2013 with the new track ‘The Give And Go’ with a dubstep inspired instrumental and the main character in the video played by Mic Righteous.
Rap Up UK released another mini biography documentary last week; this time the spotlight was on South London rapper’s Ard Adz and Sho Shallow, who had previously been on the series talking about other artists. The documentary shows their journey and called them the ‘most exciting rap duo in the urban underground’.
Sway joined GRM Daily for their Black and White series to discuss a few topics last week. He spoke on matters to do with his own career, elevation and how he perceives the music industry. Interestingly, he explained that record labels do not buy you respect and credibility – you have to earn that yourself.
It’s been a good year, especially for UK rap – we have seen it grow and reach some great heights. I have only been writing The Wrap Up’s UK Rap Rundown for six months, starting in July when I reported for you from L.A for the BET Awards. Now that it’s the last UK Rap Rundown of 2012, I guess I should do what everyone else is doing and give you guys a wrap up of the year. But I’m not going to do that; I’m going to give you some of my personal highlights – you may or may not agree, but this is what is what caught my attention and went down for me…
A female that has really impressed me this year is Shystie; from working with Azealia Banks to her videos and mixtape ‘Gold Dust 2’. This lady has really been putting in the work, proving even though she’s been in it for a while she’s still strong and here to stay.
South London’s windy music duo Ard Adz and Sho Shallow really caught my eye this year. Releasing their ‘P.U.S.H’ mixtape, putting out many videos and also being nominated for MTV’s Unsigned for 2013, these two are destined for big things.
Genesis Elijah has also had an outstanding year. Being a more established name in the game and one many look up to, he just keeps evolving and getting better. He released a few mixtapes such as ‘I Ain’t Even Charging Bruv 2’ and ‘An Emcees Worst Enemy’ – a standout track for me was ‘Underground King’.
Let’s look at some other mixtapes that deserve a mention. K. Koke’s ‘Pure Koke 3’ is the last in the ‘Pure Koke’ series which started with Vol 1 in 2010. Vol 3 saw a mixture of new and old tracks, with a standout track for me being ‘I’m Nice’. We also have the ‘I Ain’t Perfect’ album to look forward to from Koke next year.
Political Peak’s ‘Dreams 2 Reality’ caused quite a stir when it was released. He also put out many visuals to some of the tracks, including ‘Times Have Changed’, ‘Tables Have Turnt’ and ‘Tears In The Rain’.
Dru Blu has had a good year, releasing his street album ‘ This Is Don Strapzy’ and recently releasing a mixtape ‘Best Of Dru Blu’ – along with a flurry of videos and tracks to keep us entertained throughout the year.
Margate rapper Mic Righteous is definitely destined for big things in 2013. At the beginning of the year he released his second mixtape ‘Kampain’ which thoroughly impressed me. He also had the infamous beef with Tim Westwood, releasing a diss track to him called ‘Sack City’. Look out for the ‘Open Mic’ EP, coming early next year.
‘Wretchercise’ was definitely a big one this year, with Wretch 32 being many people’s favourite rapper. He definitely showed us why he was worthy of this title, as he gave us a first class 17-track deep tape.
Ratlin’s ‘Crown Me’ mixtape which was released in December and had a heavy buzz; with a solid two years in the game, Ratlin has quickly cemented his position in the UK rap game. Squeeks ‘Call Me Squeeko’ caught my attention from the beginning till the end, with ‘I Got You’ being my favourite track refixing The Weeknd’s ‘Rolling Stone’.
Melanin 9 aka M9’s album ‘Magna Carta’ is one we can’t miss; the album is a firm favourite for UK hip-hop heads. Mystro’s ‘Mystrogen’ was a cleverly crafted, witty debut album from the emcee that reflected his full range of skills, including wordplay and social commentary.
Blade Brown’s ‘Bags & Boxes 2’ made it high in the iTunes charts, as an independent artist this showed Blade’s progression and for me, he became the king of UK trap. Skepta’s ‘Blacklisted’ is another one we can’t miss out, with standout tracks ‘Ace Hood Flow’ and ‘Castles’.
There we go guys – my personal highlights of the year. Unfortunately I couldn’t mention all of them, but regardless I hope you have enjoyed my updates in UK rap for the past six months. Happy New Year – I’ll see you on the other side!
It’s been a busy week for me as I headed to various events that were happening around London, one of which being RWD’s 11th birthday party on Saturday. Room 1 saw sets from DJ Target, Logan Sama, Fonti and Bushkin as well a live set from Boy Better Know. Room 2 saw a hip-hop takeover as DJ Semtex and Shortee Blitz and others spinned the decks. I saw a few familiar faces in the crowd, including Clement Marfo and Roll Deep’s Manga…
In news, it seems that Wiley has signed another album deal for his upcoming album ‘The Ascent’, which is said to be released in February next year. Tracks on the album will include his hit No.1 single ‘Heatwave’ and second single ‘Can You Hear Me (Ayayaya)’ featuring Skepta, JME and Ms D. Standout features on the tracklist include Emeli Sande, Angel, Kano, Chip, Ice Kid and a mysterious line up of seven grime MC’s – I wonder who will make up the magic seven?
Fans were disappointed when Giggs delayed his video release by a day for NY who released her album yesterday, proving what a good friend he is. Watch out for the video ‘What N****s Want’ tonight at 8pm as it will be released via Rap City TV. I know I’m excited to hear what Giggs has in store, are you?
Charlie Sloth recently announced on his BBC 1Xtra show that he had a meeting with the MOBO’s bosses and they had agreed to let ‘The UK Rap Anthem’ be performed live at the award show. This reminds me of the epic moment when Tinchy Stryder’s ‘Game Over’ was performed for the first time there. ‘The UK Rap Anthem’ was made to celebrate the power and variety of the UK rap scene in 2012 and unites rappers from across the UK together on one track. It includes Mic Righteous, English Frank, Madhat McGore, Shotty Horroh, Flow Dem and more.
Rap City released ‘The Trap’ movie, a 48-minute piece written by Arnold Jorge, aka A Squeezy. It features UK rappers J Spades, Dun D, Margs and Fekky. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s definitely worth a watch.
Joe Black surprised me with a mixtape last week! I didn’t expect there to be a ‘Realionaire 1.5’; I expected the north London rapper to jump straight to number 2. His first ‘Realionaire’ mixtape caused quite a buzz last year and I can’t wait for the next one. In the meantime, check out the free 20-track mixtape featuring some of rap’s heavyweights including Blade Brown, Squeeks, Margs and Fekky.
In other news, Dru Blu told everyone why you can’t mess with him and his ‘Clique’ as he spat some heavy bars over the original G.O.O.D Music instrumental. We also saw two other videos be released recently; one was Cashtastic’s ‘Alarm Clock’ and the other saw Political Peak release the video to ‘Jump Off’.
Dru Blu formally known as Don Strapzy is the rapper hailing from Lewisham, South London, who has steadily over years been making a name for himself in the UK rap game. The want to turn his life around is what made him get into music and take it seriously, becoming an inspiration to others. His debut album ‘Fingers Crossed’, is set to be released later this year with features from Young Mad B, King Zion, Professor Green, Davinche and The Thundacatz to name a few. Shireen Fenner talks to Dru Blu about his name, being from South London the message behind certain songs, the UK rap game and more.
Where did the name Dru Blue come from?
My names Andrew and I’m from Lewisham, which is also blue borough. It’s quite simple, that’s it.
Why did you change the name from Don Strapzy to Dru Blu?
I changed my name because it was holding me back, there were to many political problems with that name. I couldn’t get certain shows, and DJ’s weren’t supporting. I just changed it before I got bigger and it became more of a hurdle.
What was it like growing up in South London?
It’s my home, it was good, it was all right, I’m not going to lie. Of course it was a bit rough at times but that’s what makes me who I am.
Do you think its influenced you music, life and beliefs today?
Yes of course. Things I’ve seen and things I’ve been through influences me and what I write about. Most of my memories are within South London.
Tell us about your involvement in MC contests around South London.
When I was growing up when I was in school, I used to clash certain people, and go to youth clubs and that all over South London. It was quite competitive, but it was good.
You write some thought provoking songs such as ‘Survive’ and ‘She’s Gone’ so what is the motivation behind them, and are they based on real events?
‘She’s Gone’ was because I lost my niece, my sister’s daughter, which was a very emotional time and I used that to write about it. The verse was about a girlfriend, which was just so more people could relate to it. The tune was dedicated to my sister and daughter. ‘Survive’, was because it was a cold winter and you always see homeless people on the streets, and it made me realise how lucky we are. A lot of us complain about how hard life is sometimes, but were very lucky really. There’s people out there that are struggling much harder than us, so that’s what it really was, ‘Survive’ was for the homeless people and we did it for the charity Broadway, and just gave everything to them.
Thematically what does your music talk about normally?
I’m quite versatile, I talk about a lot of stuff, sometimes banter or it might be more emotional deep stuff, also football people know me for my football I love football. There’s a new dream team coming out soon as well. I prefer to write about more emotional stuff
What was the first hip hop song you ever listened to?
Ohh flip. Probably Eminem to be honest, Jay Z I can’t really pinpoint it.
Music means something different to everyone, but what does it mean to you?
It means hopefully the opportunity to get rich. Other than that music is life, everyone listens to music, whether your rich and your famous or your poor and your struggling, you still listen to music. It’s a worldwide language, it doesn’t matter how you’re living your life. Music is very important to me; I would listen to it even if I wasn’t a rapper. It’s a way for me to vent my stresses and express myself.
If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing?
I’d be out here, probably have to go and get a job somewhere. I used to do football which I still like, I got my coaching badges so I’m qualified as a football coach, so I’d probably be doing that. I used to do it before music.
What was your dream as child growing up?
To be a professional footballer
You’re using your music to try and turn your life around, but why?
I’ll be honest, I was going down bit of a bad road at one stage in my life, when I was in school and just come out of school. A lot of my friends are in jail and some of them are dead, and it’s like music was my chance to change my life around. At one point I couldn’t go to certain areas, there was people that I had issues with over stupid things, and now through music I’ve managed to link up with a lot of people from a lot of different areas. It’s given me a career path, I’m serious about my music, it’s realistic to me. If my music wasn’t going anywhere I’d be the first person to say it’s not working and go and get a job. It gives me something to focus on and concentrate on, and get away from the roads. Instead of sitting on the block and doing nothing, I’m here doing a video shoot.
Do you class yourself as a role model?
It would be nice to be looked upon as a role model, but that’s a lot of responsibility, I wouldn’t describe myself as a role model, everyone is human and can make mistakes. It would be nice to influence young children and other people for positive reasons. I want to be rich, I don’t know if I want to be a role model. It’s a lot of responsibility, when your out there you have a responsibility to your listeners to act in a certain way.
If you could work with anyone, who would it be?
Jennifer Lopez or Alicia Keys, nah I’m joking. Musically Adele or Jay Z as a rapper or Eminem, other than that Coldplay. I’ve worked with the majority of UK rappers. I rate Exo from USG I like the way he moves and his music.
How do you see the UK rap scene progressing?
It seems very healthy at the moment and it’s progressing well. It’s in a good state, and its important to artists like myself to cross over soon. It’s very congested at the same time, you have to look at yourself and separate yourself. People from overseas are watching us.
Who would you predict as the artists that will crossover?
K Koke is signed to Roc Nation and has got a big buzz. Benny Banks is doing well; his last single did really well. Cashtastic. There is a handful of artists who I think are on the fence, and this is a very important year and will show who’s ready.
What can we expect from you next?
This is an exclusive for you lot. I got one single “Living The Dream’, which is releasing in Australia. Warner Australia wanted it. I got my ‘Let Me Loose’, single dropping in June, I shot the video the other day so that will be out on TV in a couple of weeks. My next single is featuring Professor Green, I don’t know when that will be, but there’s loads of stuff coming. Just keeping busy, my name will be popping off anyone who wants to know about my name change just YouTube Dru Blue vs Don Strapzy to find out why.
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