Hip-Hop Newsround

A scattered post here, much akin to the back porcelain wall of your water closet after a particularly lively curry. Rounding up the recent movements in rap that I like and I'm intrigued by.

Kicking us off is Lecs Luther, an emcee who you will never believe is based in Dublin. Mainly because he sounds like MF Doom if he managed to drink a lot of cough syrup, got rid of that sore throat, and then listened to a lot of OFWGKTA. Which is a good thing, because despite there being no mention of the famous potato drought of whatever the fuck year that stereotype was born, he has potential by the bucketload, a great flow and sonics behind him that could catapult him much further than just these UK lands. Here's the vid for his self-titled opening salvo "Luther" from the forthcoming EP "Fish & Chips". I couldnt care less what accent a rapper uses personally, as long as he kills the track, and Luther just left this beat with its entrails stuffed up its own arsehole. A great opener:



Go to http://www.lecsluther.tumblr.com for more info on him and his new EP

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Next up we have a UK rapper who has had success in the past with "The Union Jack Album", which I distinctly remember getting quite a buzz on the UK rap blog-scene about three years back. Well, Jack Flash is back again, this time accompanied by a producer named Wizard, and they're packing more heat than a sauna in a suitcase.

Jack Flash passed me the following vid for his track "Tomorrow", featuring rolling acoustic guitars and piano tinkles underneath a cross-over chorus. The track is laid-back and showcases Wizard's production just as much as it does Flash on the mic.



I'm not going to lie though, I stumbled across this track, also from their forthcoming LP, and I absolutely loved it. Its a banger from start to end...exactly the type of track I want to hear from UK artists. And is it just me, or do I hear a tiny bit of UK legend Blade somewhere in that voice? Either way, the album sounds stellar and the guy is from the second place in the world I love besides the north-east, Huddersfield. Big up.



For more info on the album, buy previous Flash releases, and track both Jack Flash and Wizard's movements check out:

http://www.jackflashuk.co.uk/
http://twitter.com/wizardbeats
http://twitter.com/jackflashuk
http://jackflash.bandcamp.com
http://wizardbeats.bandcamp.com

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An artist that I personally hadn't heard of before it being presented to me is Nasty P, a scottish DJ/Producer who is making noise and incredible beats straight out of Edinburgh. Scotland needs a lot more frontline UK rap artists because there is a lot of culture up there, and Nasty is making the soundbeds for emcees to lay words on.

But its not local emcees who are getting the goods here, Nasty P's reach has extended to such luminaries as Jurassic 5 legend Akil, extremely dope US emcee Oddisee, and the ubiquitous british bread-and-butter hero Skinnyman. Thats some top company, and judging from the beats, he deserves to keep it. His new LP "Choosers Can't Be Beggars' is out now and there is a forthcoming EP billed for September so watch this space.

Check out the track with Akil & Profisee below, and also the solo track 'Signs' which samples reggae classic 'Lots of Sign' by Tenor Saw (also, as you SHOULD know and if you don't you should slap your FACE, used by Klashnekoff as the opening gambit to his classic track 'Zero') and has some cuts & scratches on it that I can only refer to as sick as fuck. Because thats music journalism folks, thats my extended vocabulary. Anyway, its great stuff, enjoy the two vids below:





For more info on Nasty P, and his previous album go to:

http://nastyp.bandcamp.com/album/choosers-cant-be-beggars

Also, he has uploaded a LOT of great stuff to his soundcloud page, both remixes of famous tracks and new exclusives, so check that out too at:

http://soundcloud.com/nastyp

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And finally, I'd just like to take a moment to say that I'm immensely proud of Foreign Beggars for their longevity, mainstream success and what they're doing both for UK hip-hop and also for the other UK-created genres they're championing such as dubstep and drum & bass. They're killing it right now and deserve every inch of money and bitches they acquire. In celebration, I know these are one/two months previous, which in online blog terms means ANCIENT, but here's two vids, one for their smash hit 'Bad Man Riddim' and one for their absolutely epic, song-can't-be-beaten, best drop of all time status cracker with Noisia, "Shellshock".

They Had Next?

So, a small step back in time today. September 2004. 5 and a half years ago roughly. UK hip-hop magazine HHC released a compilation in conjunction with Radio 1Xtra and one of their biggest DJs at the time DJ Excalibah featuring the names of many emcees and artists coming up, ready to bubble over and erupt on the UK rap scene.

I have to say, most of them really did, and this CD represents some of the earlier work of all artists at the time on their way to success. To be honest, quite a few of them were already established as names to watch out for, as by the time this was released Klashnekoff had already made waves with Daggo Mentality, Foreign Beggars had already released their breakthrough SMASH with Skinnyman "Hold On" and a few other names on there were featured with more experienced heads like Konny Kon and Lewis Parker.

A certain Sway Dasafo features on here before he dropped the surname along with at the time a new producer called The Last Skeptik, who of course has gone on to bigger and better things also. The cd also features a song which has since become a bit of a UK classic in "For The Haters" by Dirty Diggers.

Enjoy the selection and check out where all of these artists are now, many of them achieving at the very least national fame with their material.


1Xtra BBC & DJ Excalibah Present "We Got Next" (HHC Sep2004)

1. Intro
2. Micall Parknsun - Tha Shit
3. Beats In Progress (feat. Kashmere & DPF) - Space Cadets
4. Stylee Cee (feat. Skorzayzee) - Want Whats Yours5. J.T.W.R. - Get Over It
6. The Last Skeptik (feat. Sway Dasafo) - Prior To The Present
7. Verb T (feat. Red) - Ravenous
8. Cappo & Konny Kon - Capkon Entertainment
9. Yungun & Lewis Parker - The Big Idea
10. Klashnekoff - Black Rose
11. Caramac (feat. Low Key) - Happy Ending
12. Dirty Diggers - For The Haters
13. Foreign Beggars - Frosted Perspeks

Another HHC release featuring young and upcoming UK artists on the scene followed in 2005, with the cd entitled 1Xtra Homegrown Cuts 2005. Amongst others this compilation featured Humurak D Gritty, Phoenix Black and Shade One.

The artists on show have been a bit less noticeable as those in the DJ Excalibah mixed release, but the cd itself is nonetheless entertaining throughout and adept at showcasing some lesser known names, in turn aiding them to get their deserved shine. Enjoy.

1Xtra Homegrown Cuts 2005 (HHC)

1. ShadeOne - Let Them Know
2. Mr Sin - All Tha Way
3. Tor - Strivin'
4. U1 Goldsmiths - Maintainin'
5. Blaktrix (feat. Humurak D Gritty) - Indian Rope Trick
6. Jeye Severe - Song Of Solomon
7. Phoenix Black - Hip Hop & Proud
8. Tawiah - Superhuman
9. L-Marie - Sunshine
10. Lyrican - Lyrican
11. Motley - Oh Snap!
12. Kamikaze Boyz - Rollin'
13. YT - Wicked Act