Posts tagged ‘Grime’

January 3, 2016

Five Emcees To Watch Out For In 2016 @UncleMez @AJFromTheLane @Jammz @MsBanks94 @TheCocoUK

Mez

Mez is definitely the next in Grime. A young Nottingham artist from Crew 12, he started 2015 on a high by spitting bars on Sir Spryo’s Grime Show on Rinse FM. The rest of 2015 saw some pretty big accomplishments for him such as being on the legendary Lord Of The Mics series where he battled Trappy, putting out a single with DJ Cable ‘One Line Flows’, going on Stormzy’s ‘Live In The Flesh’ tour, performing live at the Boiler Room x Eskimo Dance alongside artists such as Ghetts and last but not least being asked to record for the Grime Live Orchestra at Maida Vale on a session back to back with AJ Tracey. He has serious energy and a lyrical badness that’s not to be messed with.

Mez

 AJ Tracey

West London’s AJ Tracey has had a lot of heat surrounding his name due to the amount of hard work and consistency. He has flourished in 2015. He represents Grime’s original days, where MC’s would go to pirate radio as much as they could for the love and commitment they have for the music. He has been putting in the work on radio shows in 2015 from Rinse to NTS to Radar Radio and 1Xtra. This shine’s through in his bodies of work he has released in 2015, his two EP’s ‘The Front’ and ‘Alex Moran’, as well as individual singles such as ‘Spirit Bomb’ and freestyles where his wordplay shines.

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Jammz

East Londoner Jammz has really struck out this year. I’ve seen him MC’ing on sets with Plastician at festivals and raves such as Ceremony Festival where he drew the crowd in like a pro. This year has been a fantastic year for him; he released his ‘Hit Then Run’ EP in March, and if you listen to radio, well you can’t miss him as he’s performed on sets on Radar, Deju Vu and Rinse among others. Not only does he MC, he also produces too making him an all-round artist, producing his own tracks such as ‘Hit Then Run’ and ‘Warrior’. His lyricism and work ethic makes him a serious threat for 2016.

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Ms Banks

 21 year old Ms Banks is ready to make this year her year. The South London fiery MC is everything we need from a female MC; she’s genuine, commanding and confident. Last year saw her release a string of tracks such as ‘Hallelujah’, ‘The Get Back’ and more. Beware as she’s not afraid to take on anyone as she says on track ‘Halleljuah’ “any brothers can get it”, and you know she means it with her powerful delivery and clear cut lyrics. She means business and this year she’s also featured on Tinie Tempah’s new project on track ‘Been The Man’ with two other high profile MC’s JME and Stormzy. She will take no prisoners in 2016.

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Coco

Sheffield’s Coco has shown you don’t have to be from London to be accepted in Grime. He has come through full force this year with single’s ‘Target Practice’, ‘Big Bou Yah’ and the ‘Big Bou Yah Remix’ ft Jammz, Terminator and Trigga all produced by Toddla T and receiving airplay on Radio 1, and being on the playlist on 1Xtra. His Fire In The Booth dropped on Boxing Day, confirming his status as a next to blow MC, as his lyrics and flow are untouchable, changing pace to suit different vibes. Coco sound and lyrics are different and witty and this is why he’s shut down stages at Nottinghill Carnival, various raves and Ibiza Rocks this year.

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December 21, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @Prez_T @LunarCFT @FekkyOfficial @PrinceRapid @OfficialFudz @RoachMaterial

President T – Don’t Give A Monkeys

President T one of Grime’s supreme MCs dropped his mixtape last week Greatest To Ever Touch Down quite rightly named too and celebrated the moment by releasing his Spooky produced track “Don’t Give A Monkeys” featuring XP. This is just a taster of what’s to come from the President of Grime as he has revealed his album ‘Stranger Returns’ will be out next year, and this mixtape was for fans to enjoy whilst they wait for the album.

Lunar C – 1000 Bitches

Lunar C is best known for being a battle rapper on “Don’t Flop”, as well as a stimulating, cultivated and clever rapper who has collaborated with Zeph Ellis (Dot Rotten), JME and more. His latest mixtape Breakdown Rebuild dropped in Summer, and last week saw the official video to “1000 Bitches” be released ft. Dream McLean.

Fekky – Stop It

Whilst Fekky was in Paris performing, he decided to make his time there useful and shoot his latest video to track “Stop It”, produced by Slic Vic. Two days after he shot the video, the Paris terror attacks took place, so he has dedicated this video to the people who lost their lives. The track is off his recently released mixtape Brandy & Coke and sees the ever confident Fekky in various parts of Paris including by the Eiffel Tower with an appearance from Skepta.

Ruff Sqwad – That’s How We Are

If you know Grime, then you will know who Ruff Sqwad are. The East London crew are key figures in scene responsible for some classic instrumentals, tracks and bars. They dropped the audio to “That’s How We Are” back in September and now have put out the visuals to match, with Rapid, Roachee and Fuda Guy are spitting over a nostalgic beat.

 

November 11, 2015

One To Watch: YGG (@YGG_ @Saint @Lyrical_Strally @TheReal__PK )

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YGG are a Grime trio from North London made up of Saint P, Lyrical Strally and PK. Through their hard work freestyling on radio sets on stations such as Rinse FM, NTS and Radar Radio, they have attracted a lot of attention this year. They dropped their official debut single “Okay” produced by Moony back in September which also brought a lot of attention their way, along with a recent freestyle on Fact’s series. They are full of charisma with big, fierce bars to match. Although the crew work undoubtedly well together keeping the connection there, they each have individual lyrical qualities that sets them apart from one other. 2016 is set to see huge things from this impressive and talented crew.

Check out their debut single “Okay” here 

Watch their Fact Freestyle here 

September 3, 2015

Sunday Review: Reading Festival 2015 [Review} (@OfficialRandL)

Sunday feeling a little bit tired after sleeping in a tent we awoke and livened ourselves up hoping to catch The Skints with Grime MC Rival, which unfortunately we missed.

Walking past the BBC Radio 1 Dance Tent I was enticed in by some banging tunes played by 99 Souls who I’m ashamed to say I’d never heard of before, but this is what I love about festivals finding new artists! The DJ’s got me raving as soon as I stepped into the festival!

I headed over to the 1Xtra Stage next to catch Isaiah Dreads. The young, West Country, Grime MC who pulled in a decent crowd even though it was early and had people singing along to his lyrics which included ‘Wait For Me’ off his recently released mixtape. You could see he had impressed crowd, some who hadn’t heard of him before too.

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Fekky was the next live artist we chose to see. His live performances always win over more fans for him. He set the stage alight more than I’d ever seen before, with pure energy and charisma. Performing tracks such as ‘Still Sittin Here’ ‘Way Too Much’ ‘Hot Boy’ and more he sprayed water over the crowd and handed out plastic cups filled with champagne. His two surprise guests brought a huge buzz especially when General Levy came out performing ‘Incredible’ and fellow South London don Sneakbo who performed ‘The Wave’.

Taking some chill out time we headed to the NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage to watch a band completely unheard of to our ears; Glass Animals and yet again they won us round. It’s amazing what listening to a band live can do and how it can change your perception. I really would advise checking them out as they blend R&B, soul, hip hop and indie.

Next up was Young Thug the American rapper who made his debut appearance in the UK at Reading Festival and what a chaos he caused over in 1Xtra. He certainly made an impression on festival goers with his incredible energy and stage presence, showering fans with water who knew every words of his lyrics.

Excitedly rushing over to the NME/BBC Radio 1 stage I knew I had to catch Jamie XX live and in all his glory. The DJ literally left me in awe and dancing for the 30 minutes I witnessed of his hour set. The atmosphere of the crowd was pure entrancement. This set was definitely another favourite of the weekend, and one I had never witnessed before.

I caught some of South London’s Stormzy set over at 1Xtra. He played again to a full house where the energy was high performing hit ‘Not That Deep’, ‘Shut Up’ and more, bouncing all over the stage with the vigor transferring to the crowd. Krept & Konan were next up on 1Xtra and they drew even more of a crowd performing tracks from mixtape ‘Young Kingz’ such as ‘MDMA’ and ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ and also tracks from their new album ‘The Long Way Home’ such as ‘Freak Of The Week’. The South Londoner’s also shut down their performance bringing mad energy and special guest Yungen on with them.

West Coast, American rapper Kendrick Lemar was up next on the main stage where he brought the mood up and down performing hits from his album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’ and ‘Good Kid M.A.A.D City’ such as ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’, ‘Swimming Pools’ and more. He showed Reading why he deserves his mainstream success as he lit up the stage.

The next two artists I wanted to watch were luckily at the same stage (BBC Radio 1 Dance) and finished off the Sunday night perfectly for me. Hudson Mowhake was first and warmed me up nicely for the headline act over at the dance stage BBK. Hudson Mowhake shone with his amazing productions mixing hip hop, soul and electronic and I was amazed to be in his presence while he stood on stage.

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The Dance tent suddenly became more and more packed as it seemed like the whole of Reading Festival had come to watch Boy Better Know for their hour set with Frisco coming on stage first, followed by Jammer and then the rest of the crew through from Shorty to Skepta, JME, Maximum and Solo 45. They performed a whole host of tracks such as Frisco’s collaborative ‘Walking With The Elephants’ with Shakka, ‘Shaky’, ‘Too Many Men’, ‘That’s Not Me’ ‘It Ain’t Safe’ and ended with ‘Shutdown’. They showed Reading why Grime will always live on and why they are the Grime Kings.

July 29, 2015

Bugzy Malone @ 02 Islington Academy [Review] @TheBugzyMalone

Manchester wordsmith Bugzy Malone played a sold out show at the 02 Islington Academy on Tuesday 28th August. He’s had a fantastic week with the release of his EP ‘Walk With Me’ reaching No.6 in the national album charts, along with the sold out show.

Hosted by Charlie Sloth who has been supporting the artist on his BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra show heavily, where Bugzy also hit the radio presenter’s infamous Fire In The Booth freestyle series. It was evident that Charlie along with other faces in the crowd such as Kiss 100 DJ Logan Sama and A&R Benny Scars also have faith in the 0161 artist.

Arriving at 9pm just as Bugzy hit the stage, I unfortunately had missed warm-up acts such as Potter Payper. The Mancunian Grime star brought a strong energy with him, bouncing around as he delivered his first lyrics to the captivated crowd.

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Bugzy repeatedly got the crowd shouting “0161 Manny on the map”, as he moved from track to track such as ‘M.E.N’ a more personal track off the EP. He quickly began with one of his older tracks with an aggressive, delivery. He performed his Fire In The Booth which fans were eager to hear live and they spat the lyrics along with him.

As he moved to a track close to his heart about a family member passing, his storytelling technique in his rhymes really shone through, and his manner and attitude softened. He asked the crowd to put lights on their phones or with lighters and turned the stage lights off so he was barely seen and the audience was lit up as a mark of respect.

As he swiftly brought the energy back up, moving onto a track from his EP produced by Rude Kid ‘Watch Your Mouth’, which saw the MC return to his more passionate, powerful and lively state.

He controlled the crowd like only a true star can, getting them involved and bringing a quality stage presence. He truly had them walking with him as they knew every word to his lyrics and were like his soldiers. Bugzy Malone is the next Grime artist to blow so keep your eyes peeled on him!

July 13, 2015

Pixies Tracks Of The Week @MerkyACE @Izziegibbs @Rejjiesnow @Novelist @Meridian_Dan

Merky Ace – Cuss Match

A new one from the Dirtee Stank camp comes “Cuss Match” from South London spitter Merky Ace. Ahead of his Peak Levels EP which drops on July 17, he brings the war on a devilish beat produced by one half of Newham Generals, Footsie. The video was directed by Dizzee Rascal himself and also sees him make a cameo appearance, along with Footsie in the ghostly and eerie setting.

Izzie Gibbs – Swear Down

Izzie Gibbs is gearing up to release his EP Justsu and shows us what’s to come with his first track to be heard from it “Swear Down”. He takes it back to the old school Grime days with the beat, and proves why he is one to watch with his sharp and clever wordplay and lively delivery.

Rejjie Snow – All Around The World

Rejjie Snow is known for his unique take on hip-hop and has been rising steadily since the release of his debut EP Rejovich. His new track “All Around The World” sees Johnny Deep’s 16-year old daughter Lily-Rose play a smitten fan who Rejjie picks out from the crowd. Production comes from Chance The Rapper affiliate Cam O’bi along with a poignant melody.

Novelist – War

Novelist is one of grime’s most powerful, up and coming MCs and has been working non-stop. He uses the Jon E Cash classic riddim “War” to deliver 3 and half minutes of intense and menacing bars. He definitely doesn’t hold back on the snarling instrumental where he is cheeky and threatening all at the same time.

Meridian Dan – In The Street 

Bloodline member Meridian Dan drops a brand new, bass heavy track ‘In The Street’ which premiered on BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra.

 

April 4, 2015

One To Watch: C Cane (@OfficialCCane)

ccane

C Cane is an MC from North London, Enfield that is about to cause some serious waves in the scene. Not only can she rap, she can sing, play the drums, piano and the guitar. She’s been in the studio recently with the New Money Recording team and has gone from putting out some sick freestyles to now laying down and recording tracks in the booth and releasing visuals such as ‘Whos Dat’. She’s worked incredibly hard the past few years, doing as many live shows as she can and building the foundations to become a recognised, serious and talented artist. As a lyricist she has some serious bars and can go from a skippy, fast flow to switching it to a more relaxed one. Check out ‘Just Cool Nah’ her recent collaboration with DJ Cameo, Scrufizzer, Saskilla, Drifter & Lil Nasty.

Go to C Cane’s Youtube channel by clicking here

 

January 27, 2015

One To Watch: J Hus (@JHusMusic)

J Hus

J Hus

J Hus is a name you should start to be hearing more often, a lot of eyes and ears are on him this year. He’s from Newham, East London and has had a lot of artists already telling us to watch out for him such as Fekky. He’s released freestyles on all the big ‘urban’ channels most recently an SBTV Warm Up, last year saw him record a Street Heat with Link Up TV, and a GRM Daily Rated. His unique style is perhaps what might draw you to him, and the fact his name is all over Twitter, but it’s his controversy, flow and wordplay that made him me a fan straight away. Keep an eye on this talent…

Check out his Soundcloud here 

January 8, 2015

Rival (@JusRival) – Soul Speech [Audio]

East London Grime MC Rival bares his soul about his thoughts on the UK music scene in his brand new, Kid D produced tune ,with the beat matching the thoughtful track. He brings up issues such as Stormzy winning the first Grime award at the MOBO’s and how someone more cemented in the scene should have won, whats changed in the scene and more. A good start to the year from Rival with more to come…

January 6, 2015

Kano (@TheRealKano) ‘Home Sweet Home’ album is 10 Years Old This Year: I Name My Top Tracks

2015 (Summer) is the year that marks the 10th anniversary of Kano’s debut album ‘Home Sweet Home’, one of the most influential albums in the UK Grime scene. I have decided to dedicate a blog to this album and my favourite tracks from the album and why…lets go back in time and remember one of the greatest albums in Grime. It was so hard to pick my top tracks but I had to be strict with myself and get it down to 7!

Big up Kano one of the best MC’s to touch the mic and don’t forget you can catch him at Fabric on January 17th for the 5th Butterz anniversary.

P’s & Q’s

The first one has to be P’s & Q’s which is still on an old skool mixed CD in my car and whenever it gets played is turned up loud. This is just a classic, catchy one that I think most people know, Grime fan or not.

Nite Nite

Another classic one. When Kano and The Streets hooked up for ‘Nite Nite’ the outcome was pretty magical. This one got the girls wanting to play the girl in the video and hooked on Kano’s deeper side and the boys looking for that chick.

Ghetto Kid

A grimy banger with Kano just being the raw, real Kano, there was no white wash to this song and this is simply why it’s in my top 5. Plus it features Ghetts on it.

Mic Check

‘Mic Check’ is a war riddim apart from the fact he’s not sending for anyone in particular, he is just stating that no one can fuck with him and his crew.

Reload It

Sick flow and lyrics on this tune “I get a reload purely for the flow”, calling out some MC’s such as Tinchy and Hyper when on the hook when he says they get no reloads. This tune is what the essence of Grime is on one track.

Sometimes

This shows the reflective and down to earth Kane Robinson. The man behind the music and the man who questioned why it was him that made it.. ..Well Kano I’m sure there’s a few of us that can answer that!

 Nobody Don’t Dance No More

This tune hit the raves and was basically telling everyone to stop being stoosh standing on the edge of the dancefloors and just get up and have a good time! It definitely did as the rhythm got everyone moving and still does to this day when it comes on.