Category: Reviews
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Kano – Method To The Maadness | Album Review
The next generation of Grime spitters are privileged to have a handful of emcees whose blueprint to success has paid off in dividends. Dizzee Rascal’s mainstay at the peak of the charts and Tinchy Stryder’s status as a record selling artist have been heralded by both the wider audience and the underground communities – due…
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Nikko Gray – Love Seen | EP Review
Nikko Gray’s Love Seen EP has something of the nostalgic about it. Her artistry is firmly planted in 2010 nevertheless Nikko’s songs would not be out of place on the playlist of a late night quiet storm radio session circa 10-15 years ago. No wonder her take on Aaliyah’s ‘4 Page Letter’ was one of…
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Jamie Lidell – Compass | Album Review
From time to time I’ve found myself wondering why Jamie Lidell is not more of a household name. With some catchy-yet-credible singles under his belt, and an impressive retro voice you would think he’d have at least garnered the type of attention bestowed on his namesake and less-vocally-talented Jazz counterpart Jamie Cullum. Looking like a…
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Bei Maejor – Upside Down | Mixtape Review
The hybrid rapper/singer genre has really been around for some time now but in more recent months, Hip Hop’s golden boy Drake took the format and ran it to success [or to the ground if you’re sick of it now]. The latest jack of all trades to join the race is Bei Maejor, hoping to…
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Black Dynamite | Film Review
Blaxplotation is a film genre that emerged in America in the early ’70s targeted at black audiences both in the underground and mainstream sectors. Blaxploitation creators didn’t imagine at the time that they were making art films that would transcend black culture and decades later be considered iconographic, pop royalty and in the process influence…
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Fresh Daily – Mothership/Land | Album Review + Download
New York Hip Hop may currently be missing a big hitter to plaster all over the industry, but on the underground things are more than active. The likes of Mickey Factz, Charles Hamilton and others continue to put their grind in for the Big Apple and have put out some exceptional material. Hailing from Brooklyn,…
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Loudmouth Melvin – EP #1 | Review + Download
Whilst 2010 has so far been a successful for artists breaking into the charts, the UK Hip Hop scene has also provided some standout moments. From acclaimed albums to live events, Hip Hop hasn’t been left in the shade by those artists who choose to produce a more accessible format. So it makes for great…
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Mayra Andrade & Calypso Rose @BarbicanCentre | Live Review
More summer exposure to music from the Lusophone world continued Saturday 24 July with Cape Verdean beauty Mayra Andrade and band live at the Barbican Centre. There was a change of support act as advertised and the audience were instead warmed up by Caribbean music legend Calypso Rose. It was clear she meant business when…
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Japanese Cartoon – In The Jaws Of The Lords Of Death | Album Review
Trading his American emcee cape for a British accented post punk nine-track stunt, Lupe Fiasco’s Japanese Cartoon is dropping rocking for free download (I might add free, did I say free?) their first album, In The Jaws Of The Lords of Death. So LupE.N.D is not yet in our midst but can we wait while…
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Is Maxsta The Next East London Star? Listen/Download: The MaxstEP
East London has been the stomping ground for many of today’s seasoned Grime stars. Dizzee Rascal, Kano, Tinchy Stryder and Wiley all emerged from the home of EastEnders and cockney slang – and the next potential superstar to arise from these sides is Maxsta. Proclaiming in his lead single that “East London Is Back,” the…