Posts tagged ‘MTV’

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March 6, 2013

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

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.

*published on Monday 4th March

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February 19, 2013

WRAP UP AND WATCH OUT: SHAKKA [Interview]

Starting off his career with celebrity fans such as Wretch 32, Maverick Sabre and Rita Ora is no surprise once you hear 23-year-old Shakka’s voice. His ability to fuse rock, reggae, hip-hop and r&b is so unique, he calls himself ‘Bob Marley’s and Coldplay’s birthchild’ – which is probably the best way to describe it. Following his online ‘Shakapella’ series and the release of his introductory single ‘Sooner Or Later’, 2013 is set to be a promising year for the London-bred singer and songwriter…

The Wrap Up: Your sound is quite different to anything I’ve heard – a blend of hip-hop, jazz, electronic and rock. How would you describe it and can you explain the reason behind the fusion of sounds?

Shakka: I’ve always been into hip-hop, r&b and reggae because my dad’s a reggae musician. I’d like to say I am Bob Marley and Coldplay’s birthchild – that’s where my current sound is. I definitely have the roots in r&b, hip hop and reggae, but reggae and alternative rock is the fun stuff I’m doing at the moment.

TWU: Your online presence is fantastic. Do you think you will continue the ‘Shakkapella’ series, as it has done really well, or start another conceptual series?

Shakka: I have ideas all the time, but I have one in particular that I want to do… it’s more production orientated, but it’s still in the works. I’m definitely going to continue doing Shakkapella’s because they’re fun and a lot of people like them. It’s something I don’t really have to think about that much; I just literally record and get down – and it’s a good way to speak to the fans.

TWU: You have many celebrity fans. What is the best advice you have got from anyone of them?

Shakka: I was in the studio with Etta Bond one time and she said there was a time where Labrinth felt like it was just a madness with regards to press and all that stuff. He came to the conclusion that it was just about making music, so he said to Etta, ‘just make music, just make good music. Don’t think about how much it will sell, don’t think about numbers, or the business, don’t think about the gossip or the details. Just make good music.’ It’s easy to forget that sometimes.

TWU: ‘Sooner Or Later’ is your introductory single. Can you tell us the message and inspiration behind it?

Shakka: We wanted to explore reggae and alternative rock. Coldplay was quite influential to me with their albums, especially their first album ‘Parachutes’. I was birthed in reggae, so we wanted to see what we could do and make a Rastafarian festival smash. The ideology behind it is pretty much trying to find out where you’re from and thinking about the contrary opinion to where you may be from…

TWU: How have you developed since your first EP ‘Foolishness Vol.1’?

Shakka: With ‘Foolishness’, I went into the studio and wrote, produced and recorded it without really thinking about whether it would sell or not or if people would connect with it. I was just full of ideas at the time and I thought just making them was the main concept. That’s why I called it ‘Foolishness’, because like a child, I pretty much just experimented with the innocence of the music. Since then I’ve gone back to finding out exactly where my parents are from and the culture that I belong to – those things have definitely affected it [his new music].

TWU: Your EP is out this year – can you tell us more about the concepts and tracks on there?

Shakka: ‘Sooner or Later’ will be on there and that’s co-produced by DeanyBoy. The rest is entirely written, produced and performed by myself. There’s a song with a dubstep/indie/reggae tone to it called ‘Strength Of An Ox’ – I’ve performed that a couple of times. There are a few songs dedicated to love, attraction to the opposite sex, and the problems that may occur. It’s a thick bodied piece of a bunch of ideas that have been floating around in my mind. It’s a good transition from the ‘Shakka Crown Affair’, but I do still experiment with hip-hop, r&b and grime.

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February 19, 2013

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

Last Sunday saw the release of Mic Righteous’ ‘Open Mic’ EP and on Tuesday (12) he held a launch party in Camden with special guests. Support acts consisted of one of London’s finest female DJ’s – SB.TV’s Melody Kane, rapper MyNature, lyricist RoxXxan, grime’s Big Narstie and ‘the people’s prince’ Charlie Sloth…

Mic performed all of the tracks from his EP and the recent Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of ‘The Power Of Love’ with singer Lucia. Vocalist Ella Chi also joined him for my personal favourite track off the EP, ‘King Of Hearts’. Everyone was excited to see English Frank join Mic on stage along with wordsmith Akala. It really was a special night and it was great to see Mic captivate and wow every single member of the crowd.

A mini biography documentary on Giggs was released by Rap Up UK recently, talking us through his come up, achievements and why he is important to UK rap music. It features artists like Ard Adz, Sho Shallow, Pepstar, Propane, Manga, D Dark and Squingy, who all gave their positive and respected views on him, showing how significant Giggs is to the scene.

Wretch 32’s biography video came out last night via the same platform, looking at his career from his huge underground success and being part of The Movement along with Devlin, Ghetts, Scorcher to his most recent mainstream success.

His ‘Crown Me’ mixtape dropped in December 2012 and became a much talked about and listened to mixtape; so it was only right for Ratlin to drop the video to one of the bangers off their entitled ‘Roley’.

Sneakbo released another video from his forthcoming ‘Certified’ EP, getting people geared up for the release. ‘They Don’t Know Me’ has a catchy beat and hook and is definitely one I can expect to hear in clubs. Sneakbo’s bars and flow sounds effortless too.

Young Spray hit up Fire In Booth on BBC Radio 1 with Charlie Sloth, starting off by spitting hardcore bars over the instrumental ‘Clique’ then ‘Renegade’ and ‘Home Town’. His lyrics switched to different subjects but irrespective are fueled by his passion and emotions.

A lot of heat was surrounding Bayoz Muzik last week as his ‘Death Of A Beatmaker’ EP was released. It has seven strong tracks and features some of the UK’s best emcee’s including Giggs, JME, Blade Brown, Gunna Dee, J Spades, Youngs Teflon and more. The tape has helped propel him more into the limelight and spark new interest and fans.

This is my favourite track of the week… ‘Passion’ comes from South London’s DVS. The piano led instrumental is beautiful and fits the various topics of the track, with the lyrics showing DVS’s depth and thoughts.

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February 3, 2013

WRAP UP AND WATCH OUT: RATLIN [Interview]

Ratlin only been on the scene for a tender two years, yet the lyricist’s authentic style and lyrics grabbed the attention of the underground – which saw him pocket an OMA last year, hailing as the ‘Best Newcomer’. With his third mixtape ‘Crown Me’ dropping in December and the ‘Infinite Possibilities’ EP already sorted for 2013, The Wrap Up’s Shireen Fenner speaks to Ratlin about future projects and the idea of getting signed…

The Wrap Up: Hi Ratlin. Let’s take it back in time – your dad was a producer. How did he influence you as a musician?

Ratlin: My dad played a major part of me getting into music. As you said he was a producer; he’s worked around many artists. He did give me that spark to start rapping, but it was more of a self-decision. It was the people I was around – life experiences and what I’ve been through in my short period of time gave me the power to talk. [It also] made a lot of people want to listen.

TWU: Tell us about life after dropping your first mixtape ‘Youngest In Charge’ in 2011.

Ratlin: That was the crucial biting point for me. If I thought the people didn’t like it enough, I don’t think I would have continued making mixtapes to that extent – I maybe would have carried on making music, but not as seriously. ‘Youngest In Charge’… I loved it, everyone loved it, I done a few videos and in no time ‘Summertime In Mexico’ came out. Off that I won the ‘Best Newcomer’ Award at the OMA’s in 2011 – I’m just getting over that, I was happy about that! This December I’m dropping a mixtape called ‘Crown Me’.

TWU: You have quickly built a name for yourself in the scene. How do you think a rapper maintains a good reputation in the UK?

Ratlin: Stay positive and keep being yourself; don’t change for anybody, that’s what people want you to do. Once you change, you fall off. If you continue being yourself and making the music people liked in the first place, you’ll have no problem as a rapper.

TWU: What is it that you love about the UK music scene that sets it apart from the US and the rest of the world?

Ratlin: We’ve got our own sound, a traditional sound. That’s what some artists in the US are trying to catch onto now. We need a bit more unity; if we had that there would be nothing stopping us. There’s not a lot of support, if you’re not already a team no one is willing to give that extra hand. [But] we’ve got our own sound, that’s what keeps us different.

TWU: What is your take on getting signed?

Ratlin: Getting signed… that’s something that comes with how talented you are and how much work you put in. I have no problem with getting signed, but it’s getting signed to who and for what. If a deal comes along down the line then I’m grateful, but right now it’s just music. You can get far on your own, but it depends how far you want to get and where your dream lies – it depends where you want to be as an artist. I’ve only been in the game for two years so I ain’t rushing anything.

TWU: A lot of the content in your songs focuses on how little you had growing up and how hard you had to hustle to get by. Has music saved you from a risky path in life?

Ratlin: Not just yet, I’m still me and I’ll continue to be me. I wouldn’t say I had a hard life coming up, but I went through a lot of stuff coming up. What I’ve been through has made me who I am today. I’m a very smart guy; I would have come up with something else to do. I didn’t plan to start rapping, I started music as a hobby and people started liking it; I saw the business in it. I would have come up with a plan B.

TWU: Your new mixtape ‘Crown Me’ is out in December. What’s the idea behind the name and what can we expect from it?

Ratlin: ‘Crown Me’ is about the fact that everyone wants to be the best and everyone thinks they have got talent. Me personally, I don’t think rappers are touching me. They don’t hit the subjects I hit; they can’t switch it up, they’re not versatile like me. They might have a few hits out there, but they don’t reach out to the people and touch people’s souls – they just make people like [their] music. ‘Crown Me’ is something completely different to what every other rapper has thought about – my dreams are something crazy. I want that crown; I want to be crowned a legend.

My other mixtapes had a few features, but I’ve never really reached out to other artists. On this mixtape, every single track apart from two have features; I’ve got around 20 UK artists on there. I’ll be premiering a lot of the songs soon on BBC 1Xtra. I’ve got people like G FrSH, Squeeks, Benny Banks, Harry Shotta, Blade Brown, No Lay, Sincere, a singer called Karina from Birmingham and a singer called V.

TWU: Following that, what is next for Ratlin?

Ratlin: After ‘Crown Me’, ‘Infinite Possibilities’ is going to be out, my seven track EP – it’s already finished. I’m just waiting on the right release date and talking to a few majors because I’ve got a few signed people on there. It’s gonna be more of an iTunes thing, so get your 79p out because I’ve given away a lot of mixtapes – now it’s time to get a little bit back so I can continue. There’s a lot in store, don’t sleep on me. Next year I’m [also] planning on releasing a mixtape called ‘The Lost Tapes’ – that will be another free mixtape with every song that I haven’t released yet – it might be a double CD, it might be a triple CD.

Words: Shireen Fenner (@Shireenxoxo)

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January 24, 2013

MTV The Rap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

I hope everyone has been enjoying the snow over the past few days; last week was pretty jam packed and we have a few good events this week to look forward to! It looks like Chip has been having a hard time with singers recently, as he tweeted last week: “Hollering at singers for hooks does get long after a while. Time to start singing them myself here and there. #onthescene #actionman #GDS”

The Grand Hustle signee also headed down to Madame Tussauds last week, releasing a video unveiling East Coast and West Coast rap greats, Tupac, Biggie, P. Diddy and Snoop Dogg. Alongside it he wrote, “I wasn’t really allowed Biggie or Tupac’s music as a kid. The first I think I bought Biggie Smalls ‘Ready to Die’ and ‘Life After Death’ at the same time, I bought both at an age when I was actually allowed to have them as music on my own.”

Last week saw more videos from the USG collective. One from the youngest member Geko, who dropped ‘Night n Day’ off his recently released ‘Voice Of The Future’ mixtape. K Koke’s visuals to ‘Real Right Now’ from the ‘Pure Koke Vol 3’ mixtape was also released, as well as the behind-the-scenes to his latest single ‘Lay Down Your Weapons’ with Rita Ora – the video for that is out now.

A track for the streets and a big collaboration is also here as Pound Sterling joined Jaja Soze to talk about being ‘Real OGs’. Sneakbo has definitely been putting in the work this year, as we saw him drop the third video from his forthcoming EP ‘Certified’ recently.

SN1 representative Gunna Dee also has a mixtape coming out on January 31 and gave us a video from it – ‘4 My Town’ features singer Loick Essien and is produced by Wizzy Wow. This is a banger and I look forward to listening to ‘Hustler By Nature 2’ when it drops.

Cashtastic is back with Steel Banglez, who produced most of his tracks for their first one of the year, entitled ‘One Day’ which features three great vocalists – Abel Miller, A.R.I and Akua.

Black The Ripper headed to Amsterdam to shoot the video for ‘You Will Never Know’ which is one for the smokers and the first track to be heard from his forthcoming EP called ‘Married To Marijuana’ – the EP will drop on January 31.

There are a few good events happening this week – weather permitting I will be down at I Luv Live tonight to catch Ard Adz and Sho Shallow, alongside singers Tom Prior and Bobbi Lewis.

Saturday will see Musicalize go down at the o2 where you can see Chip, Krept & Konan and Professor Green take to the stage. See you there!

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January 16, 2013

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

What’s up Wrap Up readers! I hope you’ve missed me and my UK rap updates since the Christmas holidays – I’ve been away in Brazil so I’ve just started my working year today! It was my birthday on Friday (11) and I celebrated it at the Jazz Café in Camden, where they played 90’s hip-hop and r&b. I saw Emily Rawson and Big Ted take to the decks, and live performances from the brilliant Joel Culpepper and Rough Copy…

2013 is going to be a big year for UK rap – we have seen it progress and mature so much in 2012. This year got off to a fantastic start; Clement Marfo & The Frontline’s top 40 UK hit ‘Champion’ is going to be used for another sporting event, this time as the theme song for the World Wrestling Entertainment event ‘Royal Rumble’ on January 27. In 2012 it was played during the BBC Olympics & Paralympics coverage, Wimbledon Tennis and more.

We saw DVS release the visuals to a track from his ‘1 In A Billion’ mixtape, ‘Go From Here’, where the south London rapper shares his thoughts on a special female. Speaking of, J Spades released the video to ‘What It Is’ featuring DVS, which is taken from his ‘More Money More Pagan’s’ mixtape.

In the lead up to his EP ‘Certified’, Sneakbo and singer L Marshall got together for ‘Me And Mine’ which shows his development as a rapper on this thought-provoking track. A week later he then released another video from the EP entitled ‘I Love Girls’… the title being pretty self-explanatory.

Political Peak also released a video to his deep track ‘Asking Why’ at the beginning of the year, which comes from his ‘Dreams 2 Reality’ mixtape and features Jaja Soze and signer Ruby Smith.

Black The Ripper has released two videos in the space of two weeks. The first week saw the video to ‘Home Sweet Home’ featuring Shystie taken from his ‘Black Is Beautiful 2’ mixtape. Last Monday he put out ‘Real Recognise Real’.

Mic Righteous’ ‘Open Mic’ EP is out next month, but he gave fans a preview of what to expect from it as he released a video. He hit BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge and covered Gabrielle Aplin’s ‘The Power Of Love’ beautifully as part of 1Xtra’s Hot 10 for 2013.

Pakman and J Spades got together for a new track ‘Four Seasons’ which you can find on Pakman’s forthcoming mixtape ‘Legend’.

Ard Adz and Sho Shallow put in a lot of work last year. They kicked off this year by releasing the visuals to ‘Get Drowned’, an unconventional track that works off their ‘G.H.E.T.T.O’ EP.

USG’s Squingy, Lefty, K Koke, Exo and Don Jaga kicked off things by giving us a taster of a track ‘Stay Up’ which is set to be on their forthcoming album. Judging by just this one track, the album will be definitely one to look out for. K Koke also visited DJ MK and Shortee Blitz at the Kiss FM building to drop a heavy freestyle recently – be sure to check it out.

Haze released his ‘Loyalty, Honor, Respect’ mixtape in March and last week kicked off 2013 by heading over to Paris and dropping the video to ‘On My Own’.

Last but by no means least, rap fans can look forward to MTV’s Best of the Best: UK MCs show this month, which airs on MTV Base on January 28 at 10pm. The show sees judges from Charlie Sloth to Naughty Boy and others take to a panel to discuss who deserves of the title of the Best MC of 2012. In 2011, Wretch 32 won – who do you think deserves the title this time?

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January 4, 2013

MTV The Wrap Up – UK Rap Rundown: The 2012 Round Up

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!

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December 19, 2012

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

Yesterday Clement Marfo took to Twitter to explain to what a straggler was, making myself and others laugh as he described Caroline Flack as the perfect example of one. Take note! “‪#stragglers a woman who remains at a bar long after the more attractive women have left/been taken home by men. Considered to be last resort…

“‪#stragglers a woman who has slept/dated with 3 or more men in the industry… and if this is you; I’m sorry luv, but you are a straggler!

“‪#stragglers a woman who expects a lift home just because you live in the same area… ‘You see that night bus, it’s got your name on it!’”

On to the music; there were a few free mixtapes released last week. Firstly, one of the finest MC’s in the UK Genesis Elijah released ‘I Ain’t Even Charging Bruv 2’. With seven tracks, the tape includes one of my personal favourites ‘Underground King’ and features come from Context, Loudmouth Melvin, Pyro Barz, Dream Mclean and Sibling Jointz.

He also dropped the visuals to one of the tracks, entitled ‘What I’m On’. The video was shot at the ‘Hip Hop Isn’t Dead’ night held a few weeks ago at Brixton Jamm and features English Frank, Mic Righteous, Skinnyman and more in the video.

Geko dropped his first official mixtape ‘Voice Of The Future’ last week. The 15-year-old from Manchester and the youngest USG member has impressed many with this release, showcasing his solid flow and content way above his years, which many can relate to. This should cement Geko as one to watch in the UK rap scene.

Show N Prove has produced for some of UK rap’s heavyweights including Wretch 32, K Koke, Benny Banks, Lowkey and more. Last week saw him release the free download ‘Show N Prove Instrumentals Vol 2’. He reportedly already has tracks lined up in 2013 with Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Dot Rotten, Roll Deep and Giggs.

Micall Parknsun gave us another video last week; ‘Grade & Liquor’ comes from his forthcoming ‘Me Myself & Akai’ album which is to be released in January 2013.

UK hip-hop MC Big Cakes dropped the video to ‘4 Elephants’ where he talks us through his grievances about the rap game now and how many artists are fake. This track is taken from the ‘CCC’ album.

This combination of artists is beautiful on this one; Squeeks was joined by singer Tom Prior and MckNasty on the drums for their live session of ‘I Ain’t Gonna Beg’. The levels were high from all three artists in this acoustic version. MckNasty also released his first mixtape 12.12.12 last week.

Respected Brixton-bred rappers DVS and Jaja Soze went to Westwood’s Crib recently to lay down a freestyle. PDC’s Jaja Soze was first up and laid down some deep bars over a mellow beat, with him passing the mic to DVS who goes in deep too. They then go in over Juicy J’s ‘Bandz A Make Her Dance’.

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December 12, 2012

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

On Tuesday I went down to Music Is My Drug, a live music showcase which takes place weekly in east London. Blizzard and Lady Lykez were two rappers performing on the night; they received the biggest reception from the audience, who seemed to really take to them. Lykez came on before Blizzard who was last – they had brilliant stage presence and got people moving…

Dappy and his on-off girlfriend have been at it again on twitter; Dappy is currently on tour across the country and his partner seems to think he’s been having too much fun with his groupies.

“Why don’t you just f**k off with your groupies and seriously leave me alone. Ur sad as F**k…” she tweeted. She also threatened to ‘Do a Rob Kardashian’, then hacked his Twitter with some very crude and vulgar tweets.

S.A.S aka Mega and Mayhem dropped their new mixtape ‘Coming To America II’ last week along with the visuals to the track ‘Drug Flow’. Hosted By Big Mike, DJ Snips & DJ Allure, it was only right that they had a follow up to ‘Coming To America’ which really got them heard during their Dipset days.

As Ratlin geared up for the release of his mixtape ‘Crown Me’, putting out a video on Friday for the track ‘Crunch Time’ featuring his brother Shak Corelone. ‘Crown Me’ is out today and you can download it from GRM Daily.

Haze was joined by Sincere and Ghetts as he drops the visuals to ‘Where I’m From’ which is taken from his recently released mixtape ‘Loyalty, Honour, Respect’ and sees him take us on a tour of London.

SN1’s Giggs and Waka Flocka Flame took to the studio again whilst Waka was over in London for their second collaboration ‘Lemme Get Dat’. SB.TV popped down and got some visuals for the Bayoz Music produced track.

Joe Grind had something interesting for us this week as last night he released the inventive visual to ‘I’m The S**t!!!’ showing clips of his fans who filmed themselves for the video.

Yungen picks up a bottle and drowns his sorrows in ‘Off The Record’, produced by Steel Banglez. This is interesting material, as he raps about the bad times he’s been through for the first three minutes before singer Ari takes over for the remaining two minutes.

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December 4, 2012

MTV The Wrap Up: UK Rap Rundown [News]

Last Monday night I headed down to XOYO in east London for the event I Luv Live. The bill was particularly strong, with singers Jacob Banks, KOF, Arlissa and north London rapper Ikes. Last week Ikes dropped his mixtape ‘The Intermission: Sliding Doors’, hosted by DJ Infamous. ‘The Intermission’ series started in 2010 and have all been strong thus far. Ikes has proved he deserves his solid upcoming status as he showcases his raw lyrics on the tape…

Wednesday night was the MTV Brand New for 2013 gig and saw nominees K Koke and Rascals perform alongside the headliner DJ Fresh. The other eight nominees were announced on the night and included producing duo Disclosure and rapper Angel Haze.

Rap quartet Rascals were the first to perform with tracks showcasing their infectious energy, proving why they were picked by music experts to blow in 2013. K Koke was up next and put on an incredible show with fellow USG member Exo joining him on stage.  The Roc Nation rapper performed ‘Roc For Life’, ‘Power’ and his newly released first official single ‘Turn Back’. We also got to hear his next single with Rita Ora called ‘Lay Down Your Weapons’.

Sway enlisted some fantastic MC’s for the remix of ‘Charge’; ‘Supercharged Part 1’. Lunar C, Stig of the Dump, Shotty Horroh, Rizzle, Black the Ripper and Jehst kill this track. They all go in and it’s actually hard for me to name who had the best verse. It’s great to see so many talented MC’s all on one track.

Meanwhile, SAS (Mega & Mayhem) dropped the audio to their remix of ‘Suave Life’ featuring Vinny Cha$e and CurT@!N$ which will be on their ‘Coming To America II’ mixtape.

Boy Better Know’s Skepta has made it clear he wanted to collaborate with So Solid Crew for a while now, and his wish has come true as co-founder Megaman joins him for a track off his recently released ‘Blacklisted’ album, called ‘We Begin Things’. The video dropped yesterday and goes back to the old school garage roots.

South London rap duo Krept & Konan talked us through the ‘Devils Playground’, i.e the streets, for their brand new hard-hitting track. They collaborated with JME, joining names for ‘Boy Better Play Dirty’.

The king of UK trap released his anticipated ‘Bags & Boxes 2’ mixtape which you can get from iTunes. The 21-track mixtape shows Blade Brown’s strength as he brings in some other well known, established rappers such as Youngs Teflon, Squeeks, Fekky, Fem Fel, Skepta, G Frsh, Sincere, Chip and more. It’s good to see again so many names on one mixtape – it is definitely proving the strength of the scene.

Until next Monday…

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