Orion's Belt Shines

From one UK heavyweight to another, M9 has released a mixtape which rivals ANYTHING (yes, even the incredible Isis Papers Mixtape that his Kush cohort Cyrus Malachi released earlier in the year!) that has came from our shores this year, and thanks to Hypedog its here for your pleasure! The link itself is from M9's own website, and the mixtape is released to build hype and anticipation for his forthcoming solo LP, which is bound to be an absolute gem of an album.

Until that arrives, enjoy this journey into the dark side of hip-hop, with one of UK hip-hop's most potent lyrical duos trading verses on the regular...Cyrus in the passenger seat and Melanin 9 up front in the driver's seat. Strap your seatbelt in for the ride because they're going in cold.


FULL 18 TRACK DOWNLOAD

01 Intro (produced by Munoz cuts by DJ Roast)
02 Light Years
03 Il Padrino
04 Mont Blanc (produced by Anatomy)
05 When Brothers Die (produced by Chemo)
06 Elijah
07 Spritual Scrolls
08 Black Box (Feat. Cyrus Malachi & Blasphemy cuts by Evil Ed)
09 Why (Feat. Cyrus Malachi)
10 Black Widow (Feat. Blasphemy & Cyrus Malachi)
11 Shot
12 Skit
13 Straight Live (Produced By Anatomy)
14 Tug The Rope (Jon Phonics Remix)
15 False Ego
16 Black Sapphire Pt2 (Feat. Cyrus Malachi produced by Munoz)
17 Voice Of A Child Torn (Feat. Triple Darkness produced by Beat Buthcha)
18 The Book (Bonus)

Iron Man

Iron Braydz, one of the true UK underground hip-hop heavyweights, has made a bold move to re-release his album from earlier this year "Devil May Cry" for free on his website. The album came out to huge appraisal, even getting plaudits from Wu-Tang Clan's RZA for its hard-hitting and edgy sound.

In fact, the plaudits are not surprisingly considering the Wu-esque soundscapes that bump and bounce through Devil may Cry from start to finish. The lyrics are cold, the beats are colder, and the album works incredibly as a single piece of art.

Even the guest emcees are picked out spectacularly, with M9 & Cyrus Malachi (both members of Orphans of Kush...a UK group who had one of the best albums of 2009) and US Stones Throw emcee Guilty Simpson all turning in big verses.


The whole album was executive produced and overseen by Braydz himself and mastered by top producer Baby J, and they handpicked beats from Braydz, Lewis Parker, Chemo, Morph Beats & Proppa.

So, go back to the turn of the year and relive a modern day classic, remembering how powerful hip-hop can be when its done right. Unfortunately we've not had a huge amount to shout about in the UK underground hip-hop scene this year in terms of great releases (save for a few standouts), but this is an example of what we can do. Enjoy every minute.

To download, either go to www.ironbraydz.com or click on the album title below (same link either way) and it'll take you direct to the download section on the official website, complete with a video for "Golden Legacy". Just enter your email address and it'll send the download link straight to you!

Iron Braydz - Devil May Cry (2009)

1. Intro
2. Devil's Death Day (feat. M9)
3. Death Machine
4. Hang
5. Golden Legacy
6. L's Formation
7. Shattered Dreams (feat. Cyrus Malachi)
8. Savin Artillery (feat. Guilty Simpson & Sav Killz)
9. Lost
10. Magic Man, Where's The Sun?
11. Feelings From The Heart
12. Crushed Mooncraters
13. Golden Legacy (09 Mentality Remix)

We're Baaaaack!

Here we go! Finally I'm back with my proverbial shit together and ready to throw an all manner of stuff in your faces like a climaxing pornstar.

First up, we have what will more than likely be one of the best mixtapes of 2010 by one quarter of UK rap supergroup Orphans Of Cush, Cyrus Malachi.

The mixtape is presented by No Cure Records and Triple Darkness, who have took over the UK rap scene recently through producers Chemo and Endemic amongst others flooding the market with truly great, spectacularly hard beats and no-nonsense rhymes.

The mixtape is Cyrus featuring partner-in-crime Melanin 9, and mixed by DMC World Champs DJ Switch & DJ Furious P, and is a prelude to his debut solo album “Ancient Future” (which is to be released in the autumn of this year) and brings harrowing street tales from his life and experiences growing up in Hackney.

Enjoy, and support. If you like the mixtape, please buy a hard copy from the sites and links below and help a great emcee get his shine.



No Cure Records presents Cyrus Malachi – The Isis Papers mixtape (2010)

1. Intro (prod Endemic)
2. Praying mantis
3. Millennium ft Melanin 9 & Crown Nectar [Triple Darkness] (prod Beat Butcha)
4. Bloodhounds ft Melanin 9 & Crown Nectar [Triple Darkness] (prod 7th Dan)
5. The hammered bracelet ft Melanin 9
6. 1000 daggers (prod Diplimat)
7. Robin hood theory freestyle (prod Endemic)
8. Captivity’s tear
9. Lion’s den (prod Jon Phonics)
10. Feathers of Tahuti ft Melanin 9
11. Redemption
12. 7 plagues (prod Blastah beats)
13. Politikin remix feat crown nectar & melanin 9 [Triple Darkness] (prod 7th Dan)
14. Hood Novelists ft Melanin 9 & Njeri Earth
15. Hell's Gate ft Melanin 9 & Crown Nectar [Triple Darkness]

The Isis Papers mixtape is also available on hard copy exclusively from the following stores -

http://www.suspect-packages.com

http://nocurerecords.co.uk

For more info on cyrus malachi go to -

http://twitter.com/cyrusmalachi

http://www.myspace.com/cyrusmalachi

http://nocurerecords.co.uk

http://twitter.com/nocurerecords

More posts to come throughout the week so keep your eyes peeled like onions, but try not to cry.

No Compromise

I finally managed to purchase my copy of the Orphans Of Cush album 'White Noize' which came out late 2009 today and gave it a full listen. I have to say...its already the best album I've heard so far in 2010.

The Orphans are essentially a supergroup of emcee extraordinaires, with Kyza, Cyrus Malachi, M9 and Masikah all killing it from start to finish with vere after verse of deep, dark lyrics over brooding beats.

This sort of LP is what puts my faith back into not only the UK scene but hip-hop as a whole. Its been a while since we've had a group come out on that Wu-Tang type of album style....by that I mean not the Wu sound but the way the Wu just packed every single song with verse after verse of intelligent, thought-provoking and entertaining material over great beats. Not even the Wu themselves does that these days but the Orphans Of Cush show a consistency and quality control second to none here.

Song after song after song just hits you with more and more "realness", for want of a better word, and the beats are perfectly matched to them, leading with piano spills and low basslines and melancholy key changes. Producer Chemo is credited as the Executive Producer of the album but nowhere does it state who produces each beat on the album (although one or two are clear beatjacks or big samples). I can only assume Chemo handles a lot of it on the boards and he does a sterling job aswell.

The great thing about this LP is not one of the four emcees outshines or overshadows another. In fact every emcee blends so well its honestly like a Voltron situation where their minds have met as one. Cliche, yes I know. Cheesy, yep I know. Another small reference to Wu-Tang (Meth famously said they form like Voltron), yep right again. But its totally correct.



Staying true to this blog's ethos of not taking away from the artists I have always only ever uploaded either free albums, mixtapes or old albums in an effort to familiarise fans with the artists and get them back into the record shops so I won't upload the album.

Instead, I'll slap a 9 out of 10 on it here and plead with you all to get it bought. Here's a link to where you can do so:

http://www.suspect-packages.com/artists/m-q/ORPHANS_OF_CUSH.php

..And if you need any more convincing, here's a couple of the songs and videos and extra titbits from the group.

Chemo's remix of the title track. HEAVY.

A nice impromptu live performance of Novocaine by Cyrus Malachi & Kyza

A nice interview with three quarters of the group just explaining the reasons they hooked up and the group's reason for being

And finally just as a treat here's one of the tracks from the album...'Pop Tarts', over a classic Pharoahe Monch beat ("God Send" I think).