05 Jul Darq E Freaker : Get Familiar
Tempa T's "Next Hype" was literally a next hype when the tune dropped in clubs up and down the country and came at a time when grime music was at its peak in the UK. The producer behind the track, South London spitter turned beatmaker Darq E Freaker was little known then - but his head banger of a beat put him in good stead to become one of the UK's freshest producers.
12 Jan Kof : Get Familiar
No stranger to the music scene, this young Liverpudlian first generated a buzz under the alias of Young Kof with a sound that combined house and electro. Having performing at Glastonbury on the BBC Introducing Stage in 2009 and collaborated with the Godfather of Grime Wiley in 2010 on his debut track "Fire It Up," the singer now simply going by Kof has built up a solid name for himself on the UK underground scene.
19 Jun Wiley – 100% Publishing | Album Review
For all of his many achievements, arguably the greatest accolade which Richard “Wiley” Cowie has attained has been to remain relevant within the fast moving world of Grime. From the early Pay As You Go days to the emergence of Roll Deep right up to his affiliations with Boy Better Know and the A-List, the Bow E3 general has always remained at the forefront of the numerous underground scenes, even when many of his former comrades and enemies have disappeared.
With a work ethic that could even put the greatest US stars to shame, Wiley has given the loyal following (as well as the mainstream newcomers) countless amounts of material to skank and mean mug to. 100% Publishing, his latest endeavour, again places the Grime Godfather under the spotlight and aims to reaffirm his importance to the 140 movement as well as British music in general.
29 Aug 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 to the financial gains they have received from their success.
Standing tall as many critics' choice emcee however is Kano; East London born, akin to Tinchy and Dizzee, but has won praise for keeping his sound predominantly enriched in a murkier sound, even when exploring different directions. With a back catalogue labelled "Genius," "Underrated" and "Pure" across his three albums to date, Method To The Maadness aims to further compound the positive responses of critics - ranging from the Fleet Street bigwigs to Grime Forum’s hardcore following.
15 Jul Wiley’s Grime Giveaway: Gems From The Zip Files
Roll Deep, Eskimo dance, the Godfather of Grime and not turning up to events are some of the things associated with Richard Cowie aka Wiley. But all would agree that the man’s work rate is second to none and his latest venture will confound the few who still doubt his graft.
Wiley, in an act of kindness/madness, gave away for free via his Twitter page ELEVEN zip files of music - freestyles, dubs, guest features and released tracks all make up the material which is circulating the web for free. Now as appealing/crazy as it would have been to sit and review each file track by track, here are just a handful of grimy gems you can find on his latest offering:
18 Jan Chipmunk – For The Fun Of It (Mixtape Review)
For many UK emcees, making the jump from the subterranean Grime scene to the glitzy mainstream is always done with much hesitance. But for North London’s Chipmunk, the cautious leap was replaced with a confident stroll. Embracing a daytime radio format of music led to a number one single, a debut album, a MOBO Award and many live performances for Mr Munk. Returning to the mixtape circuit which bore his early success, For The Fun of It aims to solidify his success story and reduce the forum critics who refuse to be convinced of Chipmunk’s superstar status.