Genome Saga "Back To The Future"

A Labour Of Love

We have more great UK hip-hop for you today, with UK emcee Chuks Agu dropping his new mixtape "Labour Of Love Part I: The Passion Project" on his website.

His style is distinctly rooted in british culture and the beats transform and shapeshift from the modern 808's and sparse basslines of "Holy Ghost" to the horns and soulful snaps on "You Can Do it Too".

Another interesting and divisive aspect of Chuks, and the mixtape, is that towards the end (and intermittently throughout the mixtape) he speaks of christian values and how they affect his life. This adds an extra layer of emotional attachment to the lyrics, lending him a chance to tackle more introspective content.

Go to www.chuksmusic.com for information on the man himself and the brand new video for single "Worried", and either play the music from the section below and follow the download links or go straight to http://www.reverbnation.com/chuksmusic to check it out. Enjoy!

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)

Droop-E Diamond

Inspiration comes from many different places, whether it be from your peers, your family, your friends, or your idols. My inspiration for the past few days has came from a low-key EP from a 22-year old producer from The Bay Area, California by the name of Droop-E (for those of you not in the know, he is Bay Area legend E-40's son).

The guy has been producing bangers since he was 14/15, and was a product of the hyphy movement that swallowed and spat out rap music for a strong couple year period and created some of the most innovative (yet sadly also some of the most ignorant) rap music the US have made in the last decade.

Droop-E's style has evolved since, and on his new EP "BLVCK Diamond Life", he found his inspiration.

Sade.

The EP sees Droop-E sampled from her/their seminal album Diamond Life for 8 tracks of hip-hop beauty. Laidback basslines, horn sections, airy synths, mellow vocals, all layered superbly and topped off with some of the Bay Area's finest. Its one of the best breakthrough EPs of the year, and its a massive evolution in sound for the kid who has already stepped out of his father's shadow to excel on his own.

Droop-E - BLVCK Diamond Life (2010)

1. Blvck Diamond Intro (feat. Matt Blaque & Laroo)
2. Like A Tattoo
3. I'm Loaded (feat. E-40)
4. Cherish The Bay (feat. Ya Boy & J. Valentine)
5. High In The Sky (Instrumental)
6. Sade Interview
7. Hungry (feat. 1st Place & Work Dirty)
8. Dreams

To Download, click on this link straight to his website:

http://www.droop-e.com/Download-Black_Diamond_Life.php

Savior Faire

Updates

...They've been a lot more sparse of late on this blog...but don't worry, its still going and we're still pumping them out. This is nothing more than a quick message and reminder that we have a sister blog at http://the13thduke.tumblr.com which is updated much more regularly with a lot larger scope of videos and music posted. Its essentially more for new music of all types in video form for everyone to sample the best out.

However, don't take his as any evidence Northern Author is slowing down though...we're still very much at large and in charge.

DCYPHAAAAA!!!!!

Finally the second instalment of Sway's Delivery mixtape series has dropped on his website www.sway.uk.com and it just heightens the anticipation for his forthcoming 2011 full-length official album "The Deliverance".

Its the usual high-grade mix of lyrics, lyrics and more lyrics. Which is the ONLY blueprint any emcee should follow (yet sadly no-one does). Is he the best rapper in the UK right now? There certainly arent many contenders who could spar with him on any shore for pure lyrical ability and flow. I certainly wouldnt disagree with him claiming #1.

Anyway, here's the link and tracklist....enjoy yet another GREAT mixtape from Dcypha Productions.


Sway - The Delivery Mixtape Vol. II (Lost In Transit) (2010)

TRACKLISTING:

01. 2nd Delivery
02. Here We Go Again
03. Bring Me ft. Klayz
04. Blow Ur Horns
05. 5001
06. Whose Line Is It Anyway
07. Walk Out My Life ft. Monica
08. Chart Attack ft. Leo LeVox
09. Come On
10. Blackberry Man
11. F64 [100 Bar Special]
12. 2011 (Still Attacking) ft. Raptor
13. It’s My Time [Freestyle]
14. Outkast ft. Wretch 32
15. My Soul Pleads ft. Simon Webb
16. Nelson Lives [Freestyle]
17. My Home Town ft. Benny D & Rock City
18. Wonderman
19. Road To Deliverance
20. Overtime ft. Akon & T-Pain

And in addition to the mixtape, Sway and his team have leaked his version of Tinchy Strider's upcoming hit "Over":

DJ esSDee ‘Bag of Goodies’ 2004-2010

Grab this NOW NOW NOW…

A case full of stuff, and it’s all FREE.

With your Download you get 3 mixes (‘White Eyed Influences’, ‘Charity Shop Tapes’ & the Live version of ‘Whispering Eye Mix’), 2 Mash-ups (Ducky Boys ‘Ugly Duckling v Beastie Boys’ & J.C.R.E.A.M by IRN MNKY ‘Johnny Cash v Wu-Tang Clan), and a nice selection of pictures that include mix covers & photo’s.

So enjoy this ‘Bag of Goodies’ everybody, and stay on the lookout for this new BIG mix.

Love to you all…

RIGHT CLICK THE ARTWORK ABOVE AND CHOOSE ‘Save Link As’… ENJOY!

Personal Classics Vol. 1

Here we are with a brand new series of posts I'll be constructing over the next few months, maybe even longer.

There are albums in hip-hop culture that are regarded as classics of the genre by everyone. Certified classics that have changed the face of the culture through thier existence, either through sheer quality, through controversy and through how it resonates with the fans. Often these albums are untouchable. Think "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." by Public Enemy or "The Low End Theory" by A Tribe Called Quest.

However, there are also albums that every single hip-hop fan has that they love, which aren't necessarily seen as classics by the wider public. Albums that weren't recieved very well by critics but that certain fans connected with on a personal level at the time and have somehow changed their life or perspective. I have many of these albums.

I understand some of these albums aren't considered classics by most, if any people, but theyre albums which have been important to me in my life. These are my Personal Classics.

Personal Classic #1: Busta Rhymes – Genesis (2001)

As far as hip-hop artists go, Busta Rhymes has always held a special place in my heart since I was a kid. In fact, the first EVER album of any kind that I bought with my own money was “When Disaster Strikes” in 1997 when I was 11 years old. I had heard “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” on MTV at some point, and right at that very moment, it was the best song I’d ever heard.

I loved that entire album so much that the second album I bought was Busta’s 1996 album “The Coming” for a cut-price. I played them both to death throughout my early early teen years. So even though before this, I had heard and liked famous carting rap songs that did well in the UK, as an 11 year old, Busta Rhymes’ music was essentially my way in and starting point with hiphop, and thankfully it has largely governed my life ever since.

I spent huge amounts of time going back to ‘88-‘94 era rap music in my teens, so while my mates were listening to trance bollocks like Eiffel 65, Indie music like Oasis and the occasional Limp Bizkit album, I was listening to Organized Konfusion on my huge headphones that engulfed my whole skull. This fascination STARTED with Busta Rhymes.

So, history lesson over and background in place, the stage was set for me, waiting with baited breath for pretty much any Busta Rhymes LP. I liked “Extinction Level Event”, I loved “Anarchy”, then came Genesis...

I was 15 years old going on 16 when it came out, the top year of comprehensive school, and from listening to Tim Westwood’s show on Radio 1 late Friday nights (back when it was great and he was effectively the CNN and News at Ten for everything hip-hop related in England) I had heard a lot of tracks that were to be on the album.

“Break Ya Neck” had already blew me away, with Busta on his fast flow and Dre producing his best beat since he’d released “Chronic 2001”. The Neptunes were behind two other tracks to be on the LP in “What It Is”, a track previously on the Violator 2.0 compilation, and “As I Come Back”, a synth-rap song driven by a resung element of Busta’s classic verse on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” as the chorus. These were the songs Westwood absolutely rinsed in the weeks leading up to the album’s release in late 2001.

Then it dropped...

I bought the album literally on the day it came out, and listened to it on my Sony Discman (yeah baby!) on the bus on the way home from Newcastle. At full blast, from the “Intro” beat entitled “Dolemite’s Theme” produced by Nottz all the way through to the same producer’s “Bad Dreams”, with Busta detailing a bad night out on the lash, it blew me away completely.

Busta was always an incredible emcee, with more different and varied flows than anyone else in the game, but often his albums (although good) were let down by too much filler. He’d do 20 track albums with 10 incredible tracks on each that were clogged up in-between by unnecessary anti-matter. Even his first two solo albums which acted as my entrance to rap had many flaws despite my love for them.

Not this one though, Genesis was a keeper...

The album successfully straddled the mainstream and pleased purists at the same time, as for every commercially viable track there was an equally respectable underground song. To counteract Dr. Dre’s “Truck Volume” & “Break Ya Neck”, you had “Shut Em Down 2002” with Pete Rock. To counteract the two Neptunes songs, you had “Genesis” & “Make It Hurt” by the late J.Dilla, seemingly on his space-age tip.

In fact, the producer list reads like a best of hip-hop catalogue: Pete Rock, Nottz, J.Dilla, Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Diamond D, Yogi (of Bad Boy & Cru fame), The Neptunes, Dre’s right-hand man Melman, west coast legend Battlecat and also newcomer Michaelangelo who was getting shine on his beats at the time.

But it wasn’t about just the beats. Busta was at his finest, channelling his insane Leaders Of The New School style and fusing it seamlessly with mainstream appeal. Almost every track could have been a single due to the abundance of memorable hooks and choruses, yet that never compromised the overall quality and grounded sound.

For me, “Genesis” is Busta’s best album, and an absolute CLASSIC.

Busta Rhymes - Genesis (2001)

1. Intro
2. Everybody Rides Again
3. As I Come Back
4. Shut Em Down 2002
5. Genesis
6. Betta Stay Up In Your House (w/ Rah Digga)
7. We Got What You Want
8. Truck Volume
9. Pass The Courvoisier (w/ P. Diddy)
10. Break Ya Neck
11. Bounce (Let Me See Ya Throw It)
12. Full Moon
13. Wife In Law (w/ Jaheim)
14. A** On Your Shoulders (w/ Kokane)
15. Make It Hurt
16. What It Is (w/ Kelis)
17. There’s Only One (w/ Mary J. Blige)
18. You Ain’t F**in’ Wit Me
19. Match The Name With The Voice (w/ Flipmode Squad)
20. Bad Dreams