Brum Rap

Fulfilling a request here while i get the rest of this here blog back on track, it’s ‘The Power & The Glory’ by Moorish Delta 7. MD7, hailing from Birmingham, and yes, on the skits you can here that Brummie twang in short bursts, they have been in the UK hip-hop scene for years.

This album is probably their most well known and well-received, and features some great singles they released such as ‘Extreme Speeds’, ‘Hot’, and the Baby J-produced songs ‘Don’t You Leave Me Lonely’ and ‘Silent Screams’.

The album was a pleasant surprise for me when I bought it because I wasn’t expecting much from a bunch of Brummie emcees, but rappers Jamar & Malik hold down the lyrics well, with Cipher JEWELS doing some great work behind the boards.

This album had more than a few songs I was very impressed with, not to mention ‘Rowdy’, which I thought would be absolute garbage due to the fact that it features JD aka Dready aka That-Annoying-Reggae-Guy-From-The-So-Solid-Crew, but it’s a very good song and its not the only one of its kind. A few other tracks benefit from good guest appearances from artists such as Yogi, Venom & Rodney P, not to mention Robert Lee (unfortunately its some singer and not the legendary Newcastle United midfield stalwart from the mid 90s). All in all a very solid album. Enjoy.

Moorish Delta 7 - The Power & The Glory

1. Intro
2. Power
3. Hot
4. Don’t Leave Me Lonely
5. Time
6. Dusk Till Dawn (featuring MJ)
7. Talk Time part one
8. Talk Time part two
9. Death Or Dishonour
10. Paper Cuts (featuring Yogi)
11. The Art Of Survival
12. Silent Screams
13. Too Late
14. Intermission
15. Rollin On (featuring Adante, Tre Styles & MJ)
16. Night-Time Chimes (featuring Robert Lee)
17. Rowdy (featuring Dready)
18. Extreme Speeds (featuring Adante)
19. Where We From (featuring Rodney P & Venom)
20. Wisdom
21. Glory

As a Brucey Bonus, on the subject of Baby J, over at http://www.babyj.biz/ the man himself has uploaded a new mixtape called FTP2: The Refix, which features new versions of the tracks from his second album and some mash-ups between UK & US rappers. Here’s the best part….it’s up for free download!
So go and get that.

Also, a few prominent bloggers from this here community that we so adore are putting together a new project called 'I Hook A Beat Up'. The site's premise is that a song is provided on the site and producers are invited to flip the song and make it their own, with the entrant's products voted for and against by a panel of judges. The Judges will include Travis from my personal favourite blog Wake Your Daughter Up, Eric from When They Reminisce, Max from the always interesting Hip Hop Isn't Dead, Mike Dikk from Dumpin.Net, Andrew from Strictly Beats and a guy I'm not familiar with called King E, from the Justus League message boards.

The site and competitions will be opened on Sunday, February 3rd and it should be very interesting for us fellow bloggers to see what happens with it. If you think you can create a good beat, get yourself down to http://ihookabeatup.blogspot.com/ and show your metal.

UK Classics Part 1

A belated happy new year to you all. My internet has been playing up for a LONG time since my christmas break, not to mention the boiler in my house breaking (now those were some bitter nights!).

Anyway, enough chatting, lets get down to our new series, 'Uk Classics'. Simply put, Over the next few...well, indefinitely, I'm going to be highlighting certain albums that have been created in the UK of the hip-hop ilk that I consider to be classic hip-hop albums. By this, I mean albums that have changed the whole UK scene, been studied and copied by the younger siblings and played over and over again by music lovers such as myself.

And what better way to start this series with one of the true quintessential albums of our scene. An album that truly ushered in a new UK hip-hop movement that didn't want to sit in the back anymore. The album in question, is 'Countryman' by UK producer and DJ Skitz.

Countryman was released at the turn of the millenium like a bolt out of the blue, and it took the underground scene by storm with possibly half a dozen or even more singles.

Skitz is behind the boards on every single track, proving his diversity with the different styles of rappers that perform from track to track. He has a song to suit every mood on here, including, for me, arguably some of the best posse cuts to ever come out of hip-hop. Period.

The album starts off with an ominous intro, completely taking you off guard as the first track's horns kick in. 'Domestic Science' is, without doubt, the best female posse cut of all time. Forget anything to have come from the US (in fact, if you can challenge this, drop a comment and I'll give your suggestions a listen), this is the one. The shout of 'Uk, UK' from Wildflower in the opening seconds sets the tone for the whole album, because it truly is one that united the whole of the british underground scene in one 17-track onslaught of an album. Wildflower, Tempa (formerly from Nottingham supergroup OutDaVille - which also spawned members such as Lee Ramsay, C-Mone & Scor-Zay-Zee to name just a few) and Estelle (who has gone on to be a huge solo artist in her own right since) all shine on this track with great verses over a bass-heavy beat complete with sharp horn samples and snare-heavy drums. Harry Love tops off the track like icing on a cake with some irresistible cuts and voila! the album has arrived.

Again though, the change of track takes youto a completely different sound, as we go from this to the Rodney P solo cut 'The Killing'. This song can be described as nothing else but vintage Rodney. If you downloaded my Riddim Killa mix a month or so back you will know exactly what that means. If not, it means reggae-influenced dubplate type bass with Rodney's baritone thundering into your earlobes. Regardless of his position in the UK scene, Rodney P cannot do commercial. He is too steeped in his own sound and that alone is a beautiful thing. Supanatchlus provides the chorus (incidentally I don't understand a word he says, but that just adds to the effect) and we're off for another change in pace.

Roots Manuva makes three appearances on this album, two of them being arguably his two best tracks, or at the very least in his top five. Inner City Folk and the incredible Where My Mind Is At both rumble along with Manuva's ever-present malcontent bubbling over into his verses. Roots Manuva is a master at scizophrenic rap. He sets such a dark scene with his words at times and it can really draw you in to his little world. This is one of the reasons why he is one of the best artists working in the british scene today.

Personal favourites Phi-Life Cypher (who have incidentally released a compilation of material recently, get that bought people)appear first on 'Cordless Mics At 20 Paces' which is all about the lyrics. I've said before that rapper Life has THE best flow in hip-hop and I still stand by that. He's such an underrated artist. In fact, at one time I spent literally weeks in the early 00s trying to find all of his output wherever I went just to hear it.Yes, he is that good.

Tracks such as 'Vocal Workout' by Riddla, 'Let Me Down Easy' by Retna, 'Are You On It' by Covert and 'Double Reds' by Dynamite fit in nicely with the whole album with brooding production on each one and competent lyrics and verses from each rapper.

Speaking of MC Dynamite (yes, the drum n bass emcee) he is involved in the true 'curveball' on the album in 'We Make Them Make Noise'. This track is Drum n Bass in its sensibilities but undoubtedly hip-hop. Its beat pounds like the heartbeat of Godzilla and the atmospherics on it are spectacular. I've always respected Dynamite as an artist with his work with Roni Size, and this track has to be one of my favourites of his.

Before we come to the two-part shining finale, there are two other tracks by big UK artists, 'The Junkyard' by Taskforce and 'Dedication', another Rodney P solo shot. Dedication can go under the same bracket as 'The Killing' as vintage Rodney, and Taskforce does the same trick for their sound. 'The Junkyard' could easily fit into one of their 'Music From The Corner' albums without missing a beat.

And here we are, in my opinion to of the best examples of British hip-hop to play out the album. 'Fingerprints of the Gods' and 'Twilight of the Gods' are two incredible posse tracks featuring the cream of british talent, and no-one dissappoints. Even the scratches are brilliant, and its a very nice touch that the music changes up every time a new emcee starts their verse.

From you to me, Life steals the first track (not a surprise there), with vivd lines such as 'my rhymes colossal to your brain like a line of cocaine straight up your nostril', and on 'Fingerprints...' I have to go for Skinnyman, whose verse is backed brilliantly by a positively evil beat.

This is definitely a UK classic, and it has not dated one single bit since it was released 8 years ago. It showcases every artist at the top of their game, and that is a very rare thing to find in itself. Producer albums are always potential banana skins because they promise so much with their hugr amount of guest artist, but this one hits the mark every time like a pint of Kopparberg Pear Cider. Damn right thats my tipple.

Skitz - Countryman (2000)

1. Intro (feat. Solomon & Wiggy)
2. Domestic Science (feat. Wildflower, Tempa & Estelle, cuts by Harry Love)
3. The Killing (feat. Rodney P & Supanatchlus)
4. Inner City Folk (feat. Roots Manuva, Valerie Etienne & Deckwrecka)
5. Vocal Workout (feat Riddla)
6. Cordless Mics At 20 Paces (feat. Phi-Life Cypher, cuts by DJ MK)
7. Are You On It (feat Covert & Melissa, cuts by DJ MK)
8. Double Reds (feat. Dynamite, cuts by Joe 2 Grand)
9. The Junkyard (feat. Taskforce)
10. Dedication (feat Rodney P, cuts by Deckwrecka)
11. Where My Mind Is At (feat. Roots Manuva, cuts by Deckwrecka)
12. Let Me Down Easy (feat. Retna)
13. Trying To Make A Living
14. We Make Them Make Noise (feat. Dynamite & GQ Passin Tru)
15. Fingerprints Of The Gods (feat. Roots Manuva, Life, Si-Phillie & Skeleton, cuts by Tony Vegas)
16. Twilight Of The Gods (feat. Rodney P, Skinnyman, Wildflower, Riddla, cuts by Prime Cuts)
17. Countryman Skit

I'm currently compiling my review of 2007. know every other blogger has already done it, but I'm arrogant enought to say mine could be better. Should be coming your way sometime soon. For now though, enjoy this great album like I have.

Who Is Kid Acne?

No, it’s not a superhero child with a face like the inside of a malteser, it’s an off-the-wall throwback rapper/artist from Yorkshire, UK. Acne first came to my personal attention as a graf artist, cartoonist (whatever you want to call it) through his cover art and full page works in Hip-Hop Connection magazine. At around the same time, as I started to remember the name, his album ‘Council Pop’ hit the shelves and it was an under-the-radar gem that was rewarding, if maybe a little awkward in parts. He has gone from strength to strength over the past few years and is finally getting some well-deserved recognition with the release of his biggest album yet, ‘Romance Ain’t Dead’.

But you can find out for yourself whether you rate that album as one of the best of 2007, because here we’re focusing on his two earlier albums, ‘Rap Traffic’ and ‘Council Pop’.

The first of the two, ‘Rap Traffic’, was released in 2001, with Kid Acne handling all of the lyrics and his mate Req One holding down the beats and the turntables. Together they created a decent LP full of love for the old-school and an even bigger love for the old-school approach. This album is minimalism at its best. Forget The Whisper Song, which was so polished you could see your face in the sound waves, this album sounds like it was made underwater in a cave on a dusty old beat machine.

‘Rap Traffic’ is a little patchy and there aren’t many stand-out tracks that really move you, but the overall feel of the album is what kept me listening.

Kid Acne - Rap Traffic (2001)

1. The Emphasis

2. Bus Stop Emcee

3. Def Prezident

4. Rubber Body poppers

5. Ill Mic Dragster

6. Squirrel Hunters

7. Wasteground Revival

8. Ghosts With Teeth

So, the creases were ironed out and Kid Acne came back again in ‘03 with ‘Council Pop’, a much more cohesive set with standout tracks such as ‘Reality Raps’ that convey Acne’s true character and his happy-go-lucky perception. Req One is still present on the beats, and the pair seem to keep getting better and better.

At this point I think I have to point out that Kid Acne is hardly a brilliant rapper. In fact, his flow and voice are very weak, but his music has such an endearing feel to it, and his lyrics are often very funny, so you quickly forget about that. He has definitely improved with each album, and not many artists can say that.

Kid Acne - Council Pop (2003)

1. Chase Intro

2. Gyp-O-Hop

3. Radio Music

4. Rap Dracula

5. Reality Raps

6. Hot Up District

7. Junction 20

8. Strong Captains

9. Hooligan 78

10. 9T4 Rugged

11. Twocker's Hi-Fi

12. Chase Outro

Both albums come complete with Kid Acne’s trademark artwork, and its very easy to see that graf art is possibly his first love about the hip-hop scene. Either way, the two albums are worth the hard drive space and his new album is worth the tenner, so get it bought you tight miserly bastards.

Apologies

To my readers, the millions of them (obviously) I feel ashamed to have let this charade go on for so long. Its been three weeks since the last post, and that is not the definition of hard work and elbow grease.

Truth be told, I have been irritated over the past few weeks. First, my typical arrogant approach to the England vs Croatia game left me looking like a pompous twat in the end as we lost to the Eastern Europeans 3-2 and will not be partaking in the European Championships next summer. Then, my local footy team Newcastle United went on a big streak without winning leaving me depressed. I don't know what its like in the US, or with other people throughout the UK, but if my team don't win (this applies to whichever sport be your choice) then it ruins my whole week. That one loss seems to set the ball rolling for a clamity of errors that continue up until our next match when it starts all over again. Well, Newcastle have got back on track (kind of) and I'm back to better days.

Another thing stopping from me from contributing to this illustrious site is that I travelled home to the North-East to see Queens Of The Stone Age live, and only hours before the gig Josh Homme (lead singer for those not in the know) pulled out with a chest infection. He could have told me before I bought a train ticket and travelled 200 miles to see him. Ginger twat.

Oh well, things are back on track, and you can expect a few posts coming in the next week. One being the long-awaited posting of some old school Kid Acne, who has came on leaps and bounds in '07 due to his critically acclaimed new album 'Romance Ain't Dead'. Another you can expect is the start of a series reviewing and highlighting UK hip-hop classics. It will be me putting forward a claim for a certain album and explaining why I think it is a classic. Feel free to agree/disagree with them when they come up and put forward your own shortlists.

Check back in the next few days for new shizzle. Or does that mean 'sure'? These days I'm not so shizzle about where to use certain hip-hop slangterms. Maybe thats because I'm of the school of thought that if you actually like Soulja Boy's music then you should be anally deflowered with a cleaver. But hey, that's just me...

Bugger.

Just give me a day or so of mourning, lads and lasses, eh?

Israeli Pride

As it stands, the average English male’s favourite country besides his own will be Israel, after they beat Russia in stunning fashion earlier on tonight to do us Brit’s a solid in the European Championship qualifying campaign (For you yanks, we’re talking about proper football, not this arrogant mockery of rugby where you wear 10 inches of padding and celebrate each tackle).

It was a bit strange supporting Israel and at the same time not knowing who the effing hell any of them were, but buggering hell, as long as they beat Russia, they could have been 11 rapist paedophiles out on the pitch and I’d still cheer them on like they were ‘my lads’.

So, all we have to do is draw with a team we’re better than in our own backyard midweek to qualify. Sounds easy, but you just know we’ll be a goal down to Slaven Bilic’s Croatian Army within minutes and we’ll be scrambling about like retards with rubber legs trying to stand up and secure a victory

On the England front, yes, we did beat Austria in a meaningless friendly, but more importantly, something brilliant happened for my club, Newcastle United. Our worst thief of a player, who still consistently gets picked, Michael Owen, is injured. Hallelujah!!!!! We don’t have to see his ugly mug for a few weeks, and maybe our manager will put on the better striker in Obafemi Martins instead. I mean, bloody hell, if we can’t beat our main rivals and purveyors of utter tosh football, Sunderland, then we may aswell just not bother.

What happened to Scotland was pretty harsh, but also a incy wincy bit funny. I mean come on, they have their own destiny in their hands, to win at home against their main rivals for a qualifying spot, and they go a fudge it up in the last minute of play by not bothering to mark the World Champions in the box because they were still sulking about having a decision given against them. Och yes, it was a poor decision, but och no, they can’t blame the ref for their loss.

I actually wanted them to qualify….but only if we did. If England were dumped out by a Russian win tonight and Scotland triumphed I would NOT be pleased. I’m not having some scruffy red-nosed berk telling me that their nation is better than mine at our own game. They couldn’t even get over Hadrian’s Wall for christ sake - and that’s only about 5 foot tall.

In celebration of our ‘triumph-without-doing-bot-all’, here’s some good old English boom-bap from back in the day, links courtesy of an actual right proper hard man called Adam Ross. He killed a guy with a spoon once you know. Ate his face like a strawberry sundae.

Katch 22 - Diary Of A Black Man Living In The Land Of The Lost (1991)

1. Ghetto Child
2. Katch Mission
3. Cynical World
4. Service With A Smile
5. Son Of Shem
6. Mind Field
7. Diary Of A Black Man Living In The Land Of The Lost
8. State Of Meditation
9. Who’s Business
10. Stalag 22
11. Rogues Gallery
12. Brown Clown
13. Get Together Now

Faze One - Heroes (1987)

1. Jump On The Jock
2. Get Buzy
3. Shango-Tac
4. Mellow Down
5. Pleasure Seekers
6. The Only Thing I Need
7. Kick Up (Something Fatter)
8. Dutch Cheese
9. Good Friends
10. Here To Win
11. Money Eater
12. Question Mark

Caveman - Positive Reaction (1991) - (Writer’s Tip: This one is a classic!)

1. Troglodyte History
2. Victory (Remix)
3. Positive Reaction
4. Cool (Cos I Don’t Get Upset)
5. Pages & Pages
6. Fry You Like Fish (Jazz Remix)
7. I’m Ready
8. Caught Up
9. You Can’t Take It
10. Desmond
11. The Dope Department
12. Back To Cause Mayhem
13. Victory
14. Introduction To A Caveman

Sindecut - Changing The Scenery (1990)

1. Demanding Cycle - Of A Word Bound Hammerhead
2. Having
3. Live The Life
4. Won’t Cahnge
5. Too Rough
6. Passtime
7. Braincell
8. Tell Me Why
9. Slow Down
10. Crack Business
11. To The Heart
12. Wisdom

Get downloading or I’ll go all Prodigy on you and ‘stab your brain with your nosebone’, which may I say is grammatically incorrect and very uncouth to say the least.

A Post Both Scattered & Long

My five day weekend back in Durham (North-East England) was much needed, and much appreciated, as my life, or at least social life, was getting a little stale. A few nights round my old mates, a trip to the cinema and a Foo Fighters/Serj Tankian gig soon changed that.

Now, its back to the daily grind in terms of my job, and the same applies here on Northern Author, starting with today’s post. On my trip back home I came across a great mix CD from UK DJ/Producer Blufoot. The album came out in 2005 just after his debut solo LP ‘The Ablution’. The mixtape/compilation album is one of a kind, chronicling some great old school tracks from both Great Britain & USA.

‘The Old Testament: Book I & Book II’ is, as you can see, split into two halves, with Book I being a large collection of tracks from the USA mixed together by Blufoot. On this CD you have everyone from Brand Nubian, Lord Finesse & Masta Ace to lesser known US underground gems from the 90s such as The Raider men & Sista Souljah. The CD spans 57 tracks, and if you read the tracklist you will see that it has a hell of a lot of good material on it. Book II is the same drill, but with all of the old UK hip-hop classics that have helped shape the foundations of the scene. This CD will definitely be one to listen to for those who aren’t necessarily deep in the UK scene, as it displays our roots and what our own versions of say, Lord Finesse and the like are. This CD has all of the big names on it from the early 90’s, such as London Posse, Demon Boyz, Hardnoise, Caveman, Hijack, Derek B and many more.

Altogether, Blufoot has done an excellent job in crafting two collections of tracks that encapsulate the essence of both the UK & US scenes in the 90s. You can definitely see the differences between the two, and you can see the growth from song to song also, and as a mix CD its one of the best I’ve heard come out of England (DJ Yoda’s craziness aside!).

Blufoot - The Old Testament: Book I & Book II

DISK 1 - The Old Testament Book I (USA)

1. Intro
2. Prayer
3. Funky Enough - DOC
4. Boys In Da Hood - Eazy E
5. Bitch Is A Bitch - NWA
6. Efil 4 Zaggin - NWA
7. Grand Verbaliser - X-Clan
8. In The Way Of The Scales - X-Clan
9. Untitled - Brand Nubian
10. All For One - Brand Nubian
11. 360 (What Goes Around) - Grand Puba
12. Comin' Thru Ya Fuckin' Block - Artifacts
13. Just Wanna Chill - Large Professor
14. Get Funky (remix) - Beatnuts
15. Return Of The Funky Man (remix) - Lord Finesse
16. Most Beautifullest Thing - Murray, Keith
17. Tonite's Da Night (remix) - Redman
18. No Equal - Beatnuts
19. How The Fuck Would You Know - Positive K
20. Top Billin' - Audio II
21. That's How It Is (remix) - Casual
22. Me O Mi O (remix) - Casual
23. Swing - Camp Lo
24. Coolie High (Paradise mix) - Camp Lo
25. Crazy Noise - Stezo
26. Down The Line - Nice & Smooth
27. I'm Not Playin' - Ultimate Force
28. Wreknoize - Smif-n-Wessun
29. Jeep Ass Nigguh (bizcappella) - Masta Ace
30. Magnetic - Raidermen
31. I'm Kurious - Kurious
32. Straight Outta Compton - NWA
33. Step To Me - Tim Dog
34. Amerikkka's Most Wanted - Ice Cube
35. Gangsta's Fairytale - Ice Cube
36. Buck Whylin' - Terminator X & Sista Souljah
37. You're Gonna Get Yours - Public Enemy
38. On The Run - Jungle Brothers
39. Poison - Kool G Rap & Polo
40. Soul Clap - Showbiz & AG
41. Fuck What Ya Heard - Diamond D
42. Mission - Special Ed
43. Take A Rest - Gang Starr
44. Flow Joe - Fat Joe
45. Bucktown - Boot Camp Clik
46. Gotcha Open - Boot Camp Clik
47. You Can't Front - Diamond D
48. Gangsta Of Hip Hop - Just Ice
49. La Di Da Di - Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick
50. Ill Street Blues - Kool G Rap & Polo
51. Calm Down - CNN
52. Ultimate (showbiz mix) - Artifacts
53. Tonite's Da Night (original version) - Redman
54. Safe Sex (remix) - Sermon, Erick
55. Get Lifted - Murray, Keith
56. Outro

DISK 2 - The Old Testament Book II (UK)

1. Intro
2. Hip Hop Beat - Rapologist & MC Master C/DJ Whizz Kid
3. Human Time Bomb - Derek B
4. We Got Juice - Derek B
5. Stop The Negativity - Outlaw Posse
6. Our Time - MC Mello
7. North Side - Demon Boyz
8. Glimity Glamity - Demon Boyz
9. Gangster Chronicle - London Posse
10. Money Mad - London Posse
11. Phat Skillz - MC Duke
12. Demanding Cycle Of A Word Bound Hammerhead - Sindecut
13. Battel Creek Brawl - Gunshot
14. 25 Gun Salute - Gunshot
15. Untitled - Hardnoise
16. Bring Forth The Guillotine - Silver Bullet
17. I'm Ready - Caveman
18. On The Mic - Points Proven & Fly
19. Back For More - Cash Crew
20. Taxi - Cash Crew
21. Style Wars - Hijack
22. Don't Go With Strangers - Hijack
23. Class Dismissed - Dynametrix
24. Mind Of A Ordinary Citizen - Blade
25. Crazy Mad Flow - Sonz Of Da Noize
26. Step On Stage - Scientists Of Sound
27. Reverse World - Katch 22
28. X Versus The World - Overlord X
29. How I Make Papes - London Posse
30. How's Life In London - London Posse
31. Pass Me The Rizzla - London Posse
32. Subtraction - MC Mello
33. Mice In The Presence Of A Lion - Hardnoise
34. Onslaught - Standing Ovation
35. Weapon Is My Lyric - Overlord X

Speaking of the gig I went to, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how good the Foo Fighters were live. I know this is a hip-hop site primarily, but whatever, I can do what I want, and Grohl and co and really play. They made a 14-15,000 capacity arena seem like an intimate town hall gig, were personable with the crowd and even did an acoustic set on a second stage halfway through.

Serj Tankian (of System Of A Down fame) didn’t fare as well as the opening act. Not because he and his band, which Serj said were called ‘The Flying Cunts Of Chaos’ (incidentally drawing giggles from infantile men such as me, and looks of horror on the faces of parents who were with their children) weren’t good, because they were. It was just that people didn’t seem too interested. Plus, a man who essentially metal to the core, regardless of his often zany vocal ramblings, just seemed a bit bewildered to be on stage a 7 in the evening. Anyway, it was a great gig, and proved to me that out of all of the chart Rock outfits that there are today, the Foo Fighters are definitely one of the best.

We’re just riffing here at Northern Author with this post, recalling things to have happened in the past week. First off, I did promise to get some Kid Acne albums up last week but it never happened and I was away from the internet for 5 days. In those 5 days I bought more albums and one I have already shared, but rest assured those Kid Acne albums WILL be upped soon, so be patient.

Also, I may be a little late in declaring my love on this one, but I finally bought ‘Of Gods & Girls’ by Mr J. Medeiros after downloading it and playing it to death. This album has to be one of my favourite albums of the year, and I can’t see that changing at all (maybe I’ll do a ‘top 10 albums of…’ post in December - you never know, if it holds the test of time it may be top). This album has so many songs that should be hit singles its unbelievable. Its just harsh the way the music business is that a great artist like Medeiros (and his group The Procussions) will never get the success they deserve because of politics. An artist such as Kanye West or Lupe Fiasco would have loved to have crafted songs such as ‘Constance’ and ‘Keep Pace’ and for me ‘King Of Rock Bottom’ is one of the best ‘club’ tracks of the year, regardless of the fact that you’re more likely to hear the Iranian national anthem coming out of the speakers of your favourite party establishment.

Another surprise, at least for me, came coupled with disgust at myself, as I downloaded some tracks from probably the biggest hip-hop ’blog’ on the net (if you can still call it a blog) ’The Smoking Section’. A Chris Brown song was in the mix, but I decided to resist the urge of skipping it out of sheer laziness, and found myself nodding my head! The track is called ’Fallen Angel’ and I actually don’t mind it, even though it makes me nearly projectile vomit onto my wall just typing that.

Back to some proper hip-hop to try and redeem myself and earn back my readers, here’s some old Mark B & Blade CD singles from 2001, complete with their B-Sides and bonus loveliness. I bought them when they came out and while looking at my old old old collection I thought a few of the extra tracks on them would be of interest to you lot.

On ‘Ya Don’t See The Signs’, not only do you get the original, and the famous rock version, but you also get the absolutely incredible Phi-Life Cypher remix, in which Life asserts himself as the man with maybe the best flow and rap cadence in hip-hop history. On the ’There’s No Stoppin’ It EP’ you get even more bonus tracks - the EP title track, another track with Life called ’Superior Mind State, the two classics in the form of ’Sealed With A Diss’ and ’Survival Of The Hardest Working’. Without trying to sound like a presenter from a bog-standard shopping channel, these are not to be missed.

Mark B & Blade - Ya Don’t See The Signs (2001)

1.Ya Don’t See The Signs (Grant Nicholas Rock Version) - Prod. by Grant Nicholas of Feeder
2. Ya Don’t See The Signs (LP Version) - Prod. by Mark B
3. Ya Don’t See The Signs (Phi Life Cypher Remix feat. Phi-Life Cypher) - Prod. by Nappa

Mark B & Blade - There’s No Stoppin’ It EP (2001)

1. There’s No Stoppin’ It - Prod. By Mark B
2. Superior Mind State (feat. Life) - Prod. By Mark B
3. Sealed With A Diss - Prod. By Mark B
4. Survival Of The Hardest Working - Prod. By Blade

UK BX

Easily the most underrated producers in the land, The P Brothers have released four instalments of their incredible vinyl series ‘The Heavy Bronx Experience’, each one being a testament to true hip-hop, and that the UK are keeping the genre alive as good as anyone else - maybe even more so.

The old school sensibilities are rife within the tunes - booming bass, beats that can easily blow speakers given the chance, and guest rappers that have only one focus - bludgeoning the track lyrically. P Brothers have aligned themelves with some of the best Nottingham talent - Scor-Zay-Zee, Cappo, Mr 45, Lee Ramsay, aswell as some legendary US rappers that have stood up and took notice to their sound, namely Sadat X, and a handful of other New York-based rappers such as Milano & Gang Starr-affiliate Smiley Da Ghetto Child.

Their sound is their ace in the hole - it can’t be ignored or shrugged off as poorly made or set in its ways, because to do so you would be insulting the very essence of hip-hop. Paul S & Ivory have recreated the sound of ‘88, and backed it up with a British sensibility to prove it to be more than just a US knock-off.

Here is their ‘Best Of’ compilation, an album taking the best tracks from the Heavy Bronx Experience series and putting them all on one CD for new ears. I hope you all enjoy this album as much as I do, and support their live show, along with buying their vinyl series up quick sharp.

This is the Heavy Bronx Experience!!!!

P Brothers - Live Hardcore Worldwide Part. II (The Best of The Heavy Bronx Experience)

1. Live Intro
2. The Illest (feat. Cappo)
3. 45 & Cappo Live From The Boat Club
4. 3 Kings (feat. Scor-Zay-Zee, Cappo & Mr 45)
5. Nottingham BX (feat. Cappo)
6. Come On Down (feat. Sadat X, Eddie Cheeba & GS)
7. Showstopper (feat. Mr 45)
8. Scor-Zay-Zee & Lee Ramsay Live From The Boat Club
9. Make It Better (feat. Cappo)
10. Incomparable (feat. Cappo)
11. Rock The House (feat. Lee Ramsay & Donald D)
12. Showstopper Part II - 45 Rocks The House (feat. Mr 45)
13. 4 Kings Live (feat. Scor-Zay-Zee, Lee Ramsay, Cappo & Mr 45)
14. Great Britain (feat. Scor-Zay-Zee)
15. Kill - Make My Songs... (feat. Cappo)
16. Outro

For more info on The P Brothers and their music visit www.myspace.com/pbrothersnotts or http://www.heavybronx.com/ !!!

"All up in your Knickers, Y-Fronts & Jockstraps..."

A half-arsed post is what you’re getting here to tide you over till the end of the week. it’s a re-up of the Ty Collection from a couple of months back for some nutter naming himself ‘Blokey’ and for anyone else who wants to learn how to make great music. Ty truly is one of Britain’s most consistent artists, and if you don’t know much of his material, these 10 songs are a mix of tracks from his three albums and ‘We Don’t Care’, his contribution towards Big Dada’s ‘Extra Yard’ compilation. I’m a huge fan of Ty’s work and I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do, enough for you to go out and support it yourself.

Northern Author’s Ty Collection

The Tale (from ‘Awkward’)
Ghetto Perspective (from ‘Awkward’)
Break The Lock (from ‘Awkward’)
We Don’t Care (from ‘ Extra Yard’)
Ha Ha (from ‘Upwards’)
Groovement (Part I) (from ‘Upwards’)
Dreams (from ‘Upwards’)
This Here Music feat. Speech from Arrested Development (from ‘Closer’)
Closer feat. Maceo from De La Soul (from ‘Closer’)
Hustle (That’s Why We) (from ‘Closer’)


Our other treat for you today is an album from one of my favourite punchline rappers in the world. Seriously, pound for pound, when it comes to impact of words, turn of phrase and jokes in lyrics, not many people can compete with Mystro, on any shores. He truly is a great rapper to listen to and even though I’ve listened to this album on dozens of occasions, his words still have the power to make me chuckle like Skinnyman busting your lip with his knuckle (do your homework, bitches). In fact, just to highlight his talent, here’s one of his verses from the classic ‘Awkward Thief’.

“The Awkward Thief! Just give me 20 minutes
And I’ll let you witness how to clean out each house on 40 streets!
The smartest robber pulling scams like the Artful Dodger
Even stole out my own house you can ask my lodger!
So be real prepared when I’m on the road
Cos I’m quick enough to steal the hair from under your nose
The type to break into the bank when its closed, take a sack full of dough
And take the videotapes and the cameras home,
And I ain’t chatting garbage
I had to grab the Tardis off Doctor Who once I bagged Aladdins Carpet
And car jackers feel I’m the smartest
Cos in a week I’ll jack enough motor parts to build a brand new car with
And Ali Babar’s 40 thieves, did a lot of dirty work
But still not more than me, I hold all the keys
So getting through your dorr’s a breeze,
Far from a rat but tryna trap all this cheese
And from day through to evening, I make moves like reaching
For the book in your hand to leave you with just the page you were reading
Knew Mr T but never saw the guy since,
I walked off with like 4 or 5 rings before his eyes blinked!”

I can’t think of another rapper who is like Mystro, and this is one of the reasons why ‘Music Mystro’ is so good. I don’t usually put up full albums that are studio releases unless they’re quite old, but I figured that hopefully once people hear how good this guy is, they will support his more recent projects and see his shows. Without further ado, Music Mystro!

Mystro - Music Mystro

1. Instro
2. Music Mystro
3. Nutrition
4. Skit
5. Awkward Thief
6. Yeah!
7. Tellin’ You
8. Strong Rhymin’
9. Free The Walls
10. Don’t Drag Me In!
11. Skit
12. My Type Of Party (Remix)
13. Outstro

There you go, people. The next post will either be full of delight or despair, depending on how good ol' Blighty does in the Rugby tomorrow.

New Britain

We’re on a little bit more of a commercial tip today, with some promo releases by two artists that have recently captured mainstream audiences with their two very different styles of UK Hip-Hop.

First up, we have Plan B, a rapper/acoustic guitarist who instantly gained success with his hard-hitting lyrics and delivery and his nod to the British Indie/Rock scene (who incidentally seem to welcome him with open arms, word to NME). His songs are said to use ‘shock lyrics’ in a similar way Eminem did back at the turn of the century, but I disagree. Plan B just raps in a way that makes you listen, which in my opinion, is exactly the point of rapping in the first place.

Before he released his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Who Needs Action When You Got Words?’, he released two different Promo CDs. The first, was an introductory CD that was making the rounds, featuring his breakthrough songs ‘Kidz’ and ‘Sick 2 Def’. ‘Its Time 4 Plan B’ really got people listening, and it features some exclusives tracks such as his remix to Blade & Baby J’s ‘Its Your Time’ and the extremely err…interesting ‘Hows It Feel’ featuring Skrein.

Plan B - Its Time 4 Plan B

1. Intro
2. Sick 2 Def
3. Hows It Feel (featuring Skrein)
4. Its Your Time
5. No Good Cuts
6. Kidz
7. My Life
8. Rakin’ The Dead
9. Some1’s Switched In Harvey Nicks

While touring to help promote his music, Plan B sold a homemade album called ‘Paint It Blacker’, which featured his songs along with some freestyles and exclusives tracks over beats created using samples from various classic tracks. The album features samples from The Rolling Stones, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Nirvana, Coldplay & more. it’s a great album, and really works well as a demo to show off his sound. This album is worth it even just to hear how he’s flipped the samples to use them in hip-hop tracks.

Plan B - Paint It Blacker

1. Paint It Blacker featuring The Rolling Stones
2. Luscious (skit)
3. Who Needs Actions featuring Nirvana
4. Happy As Larry featuring Larrikin Love
5. Missing Links featuring Radiohead
6. Not This Time Gal (Skit)
7. Kidz featuring Willie Mason
8. Dave From Leicester (skit)
9. Knoxville Girl featuring The Lovvin Brothers
10. Hustling featuring Coldplay & Rick Ross
11. Mama Loves A Crackhead featuring Hall & Oates
12. Wild Horses featuring The Rolling Stones
13. Couldn’t Get Along featuring Thom Yorke
14. James Brown Is Dead (skit)
15. Suzanne featuring Leonard Cohen
16. Cast A Light featuring Jose Gonzales

Plan B - No Good (Video)

Our second artist that has broken into the mainstream in recent times, and maybe even more prominent than Plan B, is Sway Dasafo. He dropped the second name, and released a series of mixtapes that garnered a lot of attention on the British Underground, and soon enough a very sizeable bidding war between record companies ensued. Sway deserved all the success he has got, and I bought the vinyl singles of both ‘Up Your Speed’ & ‘Little Derek’.

However, that said, I must admit I was a little disappointed with ‘This Is My Demo’ and thought that it could have been much better. Not to let that spoil anything though, I’ve always been a fan of him as a rapper. Over time he’s released the ‘This Is My Promo’ series, and a LoveDough mixtape entitled ‘This Is My Rave’, which should get an honourable mention because it features a lot of skits set in my home region, the North-East, and specifically Newcastle.

The CD has Sway rapping over a lot of the well-known British songs at the time (2005-2006), along with er…the Magic Roundabout theme tune, and many others. Well, if Sway could only be a bit more selective in his beat choices I think he really could be a great artist - he just has to break free from all of this grime rubbish that seems to hold him back in among some lesser intelligent emcees.

Sway - This Is My Rave

1. "Mackems In The Toon"
2. "Intro"
3. Sway - "Ain't No Stoppin Us" (Freestyle)
4. Sway - "Up Your Speed" (feat Skinnyman, Bruza, Bigz, Triple Threat & Pyrelli - remix)
5. Bigz - "Cor Blimey" (feat Sway & Mayhem - remix)
6. "Taxi Driver Skit"
7. Sway, Tor & Bigz - "Coming Soon" (remix)
8. Sway - "Interlude"
9. Sway - "No Dough No Show"
10. Sway - "Set The Record Straight"
11. Tedi - "Around The World Like LoveDough"
12. Bigz - "Bump Bump Bump Bump"
13. Sway & Baby Blue - "Love Story 05" (feat Suwese)
14. Sway & Pyrelli - "You Need To Know" (feat Ny)
15. "Bouncer Skit"
16. Sway & Pyrelli - "Bouncers Theme Tune"
17. Sway - "Interlude Part 2"
18. Sway - "5,4,3,2" (feat D-No)
19. Sway - "Magic Roundabout" (remix)
20. DJ Shux & Bridget - "Musicflows"
21. Low Key & Styla - "Broken Language"
22. Stacy & Emma - "Toliet Skit"
23. Fallacy - "Freestyle"
24. Sway - "Locked Up Freestyle"
25. Sway - "Carry On"
26. Sway - "My Manor"
27. Sway - "Stalker" (feat Tedi)
28. "When Sway Met Matt"
29. Pyrelli - "Caribbean Love" (remix)
30. Sway - "Interlude part 3"
31. Sway - "Rolling Stone"
32. "Outro"
33. "Shouts For Mayhem, Terra Danjah, Haunted House, taz, Fama G & G Money"
34. KC - "Attacks Of The Evils"
35. KC - "Hungry For" (taken from the unreleased Deadly Sins Mixtape)

Sway - Little Derek (Video)