I’m back after a week away sunning myself and sightseeing in Egypt and am ready to kick offThe Wrap Up‘s Rap Rundown again. I’m going to start with the man who excites most in the rap game; Mic Righteous. The Margate rapper released the visuals to ‘Up All Night’ taken off his recently released ‘Open Mic’ EP. The track is produced by TDH (Tom, Dick & Harry) and I like the grittiness of the video compared to most we see…
We caught a sneak peek of Sho Shallow’s new video ‘Bad’ as Rap Up UK released a behind-the-scenes video. The Brixton emcee reveals that this track was inspired by Wale’s ‘Bad’ because he liked the track and the concept.
Pound Sterling released his ‘Last Man Standing’ mixtape over a month ago and returned to drop a freestyle with a video spitting over Drake’s ‘5am In Toronto’ beat. This is one of my favourite freestyles I have heard as Pound Sterling sets some high standards with his flow and bars.
Paper Pabs from Bloodline took part in GRM Daily’s ‘Black & White’ where he talked honestly and openly about a few issues. One of the first things he questioned was “Is there even a grime scene? I think we need to rename it because I think UK rap is part of grime.” He went on to say they both need each other to balance and it needs to be renamed. What do you think?
USG’s founder Squingy released the video to ‘Rolling’ featuring Lefty. The instrumental draws you into the track instantly. The North West London collective are working on a USG album so look out for that coming soon.
As he gears up for the release of his new mixtape ‘King Of The Underground 2’, Joe Black drops a freestyle entitled ‘I’m Back’. You might recognize the instrumental from K Koke’s ‘I’m Back’ track. Joe Black’s tracks always sound effortless and as he says in this freestyle, he makes it look like ‘light work’.
It is bank holiday next week so there are lots of events going on. On Friday, J. Cole will be hosting LoveDough which will see Cashtastic and Yungen performing on the night which takes place in Proud, Camden.
Saturday sees Musicalize return to Indigo2 and for me it is the best line up I’ve seen from this event. Kano, K Koke, Tyler James, Sway, Ghetts, Scorcher and Lunar C will all be taking to the stage in this not be missed night.
Streetfest is one of my favourite events of the year and sees an emergence of street culture come together in a car park in Shoreditch; music, clothes, art, skating and more. This year the winner of iTunes ‘Hip Hop Album of the Year’ Oddisee will be performing, supported by Dot Rotten, DJ Vadim, DJ Nikki Beatnik, Livin’ Proof and Supa Dupa Fly.
Lastly, on Monday Link-Up TV will be having their first ever live show at XOYO in Shoreditch with a line-up so far announced consisting of Squeeks, G FrSH, J Spades, Yungen and Lady Lykez.
Lay Z is a grime MC affiliated with BBK. He has recently just dropped his Lobster EP which is 9 tracks deep and features Scratchy from Roll Deep, P Money, Footsie from Newham Generals and more. Shireen from Flavour talks to him about the EP, how he met BBK and started to make music with them, Lord of the Mics and what other projects are in the pipeline.
For those who don’t know about you tell us how you got into music and became affiliated with BBK?
I always knew JME and I always knew Shorty because they went to my school even though they’re older than me I knew them as bredrins. Skepta went to my school but he was a lot older than me, when he was in Year 11 I was in Year 7. As me and Frisco got closer he brought me round them lot, because I already knew them we already had a friendship anyways aside from music. That’s how we started and got close, we just did more together as bredrins and then the music came into it. We made tunes together, went studio more. I’m not in Boy Better Know, there’s 7 MC’s in Boy Better Know, that’s the frontline. I’m the Boy Better Know family, that’s my family.
As a group how do BBK function and work together?
The Boy Better Know album I’m going to be on there. When it comes to the Boy Better Know Frontline there’s 7 MC’s, then there’s producers, I’m in the family. When it comes to stage shows I’ll be there, videos I’m there. It’s difficult to explain, it seems like I’m in it.
As a whole how well do you think the grime scene is doing and what do you think about the current state of it?
I think it’s good, it’s more professional now, its more business minded. It’s not really just about I just want to get my tune out now, I just want to make a tune and just let everyone hear it on the radio, it’s actually I just want to make a tune and make money out of it. How can I get it playlisted? How can I get it on TV? Before it wasn’t really looked at like an avenue I can live off. It wasn’t a scene I could make a career out of it, it was more I’m having fun with it, its giving me a little bit of money. There’s elements that’s been taken out because everyone is trying to be so professional. The rowdiness of it has gone; people actually care too much about what other people are going to think. Before grime was a thing where I’m doing it how I want do it, if you don’t like it you don’t like it. I think the way it’s developing it’s got its positives and negatives. Its growing to a wider scale now, it’s more accepted overall, but at the same time there’s elements missing because of that now.
Your new EP is out ‘Lobster’ why did you decide to call it this and tell us about the tracks on there?
I went to a restaurant one time and there was a lobster dish there, and the lobster was about £150 and I was thinking all these people talk about yea they can buy this and that but they can’t even afford the lobster when they go out. I put that in a bar something like ‘‘Every other guy wants to act like they’re balling, but they can’t go Pétrus and order the lobster’, when I sprayed that bar in Rinse one time with all of the mandem, they all went crazy, Shorty, JME, Skepta. Then all of the supporters went mad, I kind of got known for that bar. I thought let me call my EP that. The third track is ‘Come Around’ the single that I’ve just done featuring JME and Shorty. I’ve got a tune called ‘Outside Ting’ which is a bit controversial, but for those that know just know it’s obviously a bar from Lord Of The Mics 3. ‘Highlife’ is my favourite personal tune produced by Skepta and it’s got a guy called Matt Devenport singing, that’s what I’m banking on to be my proper single.
You seem to have a lot of features on the EP, who do you decide who to work with?
I decide to work with people simply if I rate you. I wont work with you if I don’t personally rate you. I’ve got a tune called ‘Another MC Gone’ which is the last track it features Scratchy from Roll Deep, P Money and Kozzie, all three of those MC’s I rate. I like MC’s that are not big headed and gassed over themselves. Footsie is a legend to me so when I had the chance to do a tune with him I jumped at it because it’s a dream come true. Them guys Footsie, D Double, JME, and Skepta they’re all inspirations for me growing up trying to write my lyrics.
After the EP I’ve heard you’ve got a lot coming out with your brother Solo 45, can you tell us more about this.
Solo he’s got his own project coming out ‘Phantom Addition’, me and him we’ve got a tune coming out that’s going to be on that, which is a very big tune. We’ve got another tune after that a single coming out hopefully next year. All I can say is it’s going to be massive, it’s going to cross the borders, it features another artist from Roll Deep and its got a signer on the hook.
Your also working on an EP with Frisco what’s going on with that?
Me and Fris started working on an EP about 6 months ago, we started a few tunes. The supporters have been asking for one for a very long time, so we thought lets do it. We didn’t want to rush it so were taking time with it, whenever it happens it happens. It’s definitely going to happen next year 100% it will be out.
Lord of the Mics is approaching, what clashes personally do you think will be interesting?
There’s JayKae and Discarda that clash is probably going to be the best clash on the DVD, I know them both there both funny. Blay vs., Fangol, Blay is a personal bredrin of mine, and I know he’s talented, he’s a very good MC so that’s going to be a good clash as well. Fangol’s good as well.
What do you think about the whole Jammer Snakeyman beef?
I think its funny; I wouldn’t even look at it as a beef. Jammer makes me laugh everyday, he’s just a character in the grime scene and that’s needed right now. I don’t know if Snakeyman is going to want to clash him, I don’t think he does. If it does happen its good if it doesn’t happen its even better, it would be peak for Snakeyman to be honest.
Are there any more projects after this that you can tell us about as a solo artist?
I’m going to be working on a free EP after the whole Lobster EP project is finished and give it as a free download. Its about time I give back to the supporters they deserve something. That’s going to be in mid 2013. At the end of 2013, I’ll give them a full mixtape because even though my EP was 9 tracks which is a lot it’s not enough for a mixtape. Then after I’ve done those two things I definitely think it will be time for my album.
Starting off with a strong foundation in hip-hop production, and since moving onto garage, bassline and grime, Dexplict has become a highly respected producer and DJ. He was behind the hit record ‘Pow’ in 2004, a track that despite being banned from the radio and clubs, is now still widely played in both. Whilst his focus at the present is primarily in grime and baseline, he is still bringing his hip-hop and bashment influences to his production, creating a unique and highly recognisable sound and making his music stand out strongly.
“I’d say grime is my favourite. Grime is a bigger scene than the bassline scene. It’s stronger than ever right now I’d say. We’ve got so many people that shout out grime now. It’s changed the position of everything. I think back in the day there were no millionaire MC’s the scene had a different vibe to it. It was more like a grime scene, not a grime genre”.
Dexplicit is about to do something very different with his next project ‘The Dex Files’. He will be releasing 12 instrumental EP’s over the space of 12 months, with the first released on February 28th.
“This project is to create a new way to release music, as opposed to having one release and putting it out like most people do. Trying to create a different way of doing things. The essence of it is just more interaction with the people that’s actually buying it”.
‘The Dex Files’ is not just a straight forward instrumental release, as Dexplicit has put a twist on it to make it more interesting, allowing his fans to interact with the project, “My whole aim is to try and get the people who support my music to feel like they are part of the releases. When the songs come out with the artists on I want them to feel like it was their choice, they created the release”.
After each EP is released, fans are then invited to vote on what instrumental they want off of it to be vocalled by an MC, by going on the thread on Grime Forum or tweeting #ThatBassLife, “I can see what people actually like, because their picking the tune that they like the most, the one they want to hear vocalled. I’ll have my favourite MC’s”. The track that was voted for and vocalled will then be released as a single along with the next EP, “It’s also about what tunes people like the most on each EP, it’s market research at the same time”. The roster he has is top secret right now, but I think we’ll be in for a few nice surprises.
As a sampler of kind of what to expect Dexplicit has put out a remixed version of Tulisa’s ‘Live It Up’ featuring Big H. He explains the method behind this free download, “That’s not really an example. I did that remix for Tulisa already. H’s studio is around the corner from my house, so he’s local to me and he’s a great MC. That was the only thought process behind getting him on the tune. The rest will be different because I picked this tune”.
To celebrate the release of the ‘The Dex Files’ a competition will be running where one aspiring MC will win 6 hours studio time with Dexplicit and a studio engineer. To enter the MC’s must spit at least 64 bars over a Dexplicit instrumental past or present, with Dex himself choosing the winner.
“If I pick them that means I really like them. I’m a guy that’s very not so much about names; I’m more about skills. I’m about up and comers; they’re the future really. I would have picked them because there heavy so I will do stuff with them. I deal with up and coming MC’s and producers now. I do tutoring in my studio for up and coming producers regularly”.
When talking about the musical influences other than grime that we will be hearing in the instrumentals he says, “There will be a few. Grime is the ethos of the EP but there are influences from dubstep, hip-hop, raga, garage, you’ll know what I’m talking about when they come out. I’m releasing so many, so I’m trying to be experimental to keep them different. There will be lots of different influences even changes in tempo”.
Croydon’s legendary producer Skream hooks up with Brighton’s award winning producer Friction who are joined by a stellar line up of MC’s Scrufizzer, P Money and Riko Dan. This tune is just a pure banger.
Warm up your vocals and dust off your ‘gunfingers’ as Jammin uncovers the official video for his new banger Singing My Song. Counting on G Tank’ssignature sound and an extremely catchy hook, the visuals compliment the Nationality MC’s lyricism, positioning him as one of the most exciting grime acts at the moment.
Having already received support from the likes of Toddla T, Roses Gabor and Jammer on Twitter, video anticipates what is yet to come from the adlib lord in the near future.
Roll Deep release the video to their first single Palava off their forthcoming mixtape No Comment Star. The mixtape will see the crews return, and will include features from Jammer, Riko Dan and Discarda and production from Scratchy, Swifter Beater, G Tank and more.
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ROLL DEEP FT OPIUM – PALAVA
Roll Deep release the video to their first single Palava off their forthcoming mixtape No Comment Star. The mixtape will see the crews return, and will include features from Jammer, Riko Dan and Discarda and production from Scratchy, Swifter Beater, G Tank and more.
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