Day 6 of 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop and we haven’t moved from 1993 yet. Here Come the Lords – Lords of The Underground (1993) Produced by Marley Marl, K-Def and DJ Lord Jazz The debut album from LOTUG, with the last full-length production job from Marley Marl, this album was a huge …
We don’t have five gold rings for Day 5 of 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop but and we’re still in 1993. Black Sunday – Cypress Hill (1993) Produced by DJ Muggs and T-Ray It was a close call with this slot. I almost plumped for Guru’s Jazzmatazz Volume 1, which might just edge it …
Meet Tay Devenny: an emcee out of the UK with a laid-back and smooth flow reminiscent of Guru from his Jazzmatazz projects. Backed by jazzy and downtempo beats, Devenny showcases how hip-hop isn’t just about aggression and braggadocio. Take his recent collaboration with your boy Languid, for example. From the cold smooth production to the poetic imagery laced …
Day 4 of 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop and we’re onto 1993. Menace II Society Soundtrack – Various Artists (1993) Produced by Various Producers I start with the first of the albums released in hip hop’s most golden of years: 1993. I was 14 and knocking about with inappropriate boys. I was too young …
A great documentary on the shortlived TB-303 that spawned some influential basslines after its “death”. If you’re a musician, producer or just a music tech head, you’ll almost certainly possess a piece of Roland equipment. The most well-known machine, of course, is the TR-808, taking up about 95% of trap and mainstream hip hop music’s …
Day 3 of our 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop and we’re journeying back to 1992. The Chronic – Dr Dre Released December 1992 Produced by Dr Dre and Suge Knight Whichever way you slice the pie, this is an important record. I’m from Manchester and I barely give a fuck about the geographical …
Onto Day 2 of our 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop and we look at another classic, this time from 1992. Mecca and the Soul Brother – Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth (1992) Produced by Pete Rock, C. L. Smooth and Large Professor The debut album from Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth …
We kick off our 12 Days of Early 90’s Hip Hop with a look at a 1991 classic. The early 90’s was a golden era for hip hop. Some of the most impressive music of all time was created within a three or four year period (1993 in particular yielded an unprecedented body of work). …
Languid’s trip to Amsterdam produced a superb Dilla flip and an awesome video. Recently, UK-based producer Languid took a trip to Amsterdam for some much needed R&R (records and records) and as a souvenir, he brought back this beautiful Dilla flip and video to go with it. The best part is it features on the Pragmatic …
Dutch producer Nubbz is back with another remix.
The man of many aliases, Dwarf Nebula drops a new album.
KLIM beats of the Ukraine releases his new album ANTEATER. If I have learnt anything this year in music, it’s not to sleep on European hip hop. KLIM beats is a reason why. I’d heard SUMMERTIME earlier this year while searching for Ukrainian talent and he was definitely a cut above the rest. From the …
The reggae DJ legend David Rodigan talks about dubplates and soundclash culture with the RBMA in today’s Saturday Matinée. When you talk about Jamaican music (and specifically reggae), you hear the usual names of people like Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Toots and the Maytals, Buju Banton, Beenie Man and the like. But in terms of …
We pay our respects to the late great Ravi Shankar. Last week, on the 11th December, came the sad news that one of the greats of world music – sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar had died. This blog post will not be a recollection of his life journey or character analysis, nor do I intend to …
Here’s the video for The Throwaway starring the Yancey Boys, Frank Nitt and the city of LA. We finally have some visuals to go with The Yancey Boys’ (Illa J and J Dilla) posthumous track, The Throwaway. If you haven’t heard the track already or don’t know about the background, it was an unreleased track …
Cheesy TV album commercials are the best is but it’s our Throwback Thursday this week. If you have cable, you may have seen a really long commercial with some black couples talking about their favourite love songs and selling this love songs box set (if anyone remembers it and can find the video somewhere, I …
Apollo Brown and Guilty Simpson give us a “free run” through their bonus track Parkour.
RKZ releases his free mixtape, Words of Adrenaline. After all those videos and teasers from the past few weeks, RKZ’s hotly anticipated mixtape has finally arrived. Describe as having a theme revolving around “waiting/floating”, the release contains fifteen of the smoothest experimental R&B/hip hop cuts you’ll hear out of the UK this year, with production …
The Broken Orchestra recorded an acoustic version of their track In The Same Way. Since releasing Shibui, their debut album on Phonosaurus Records, The Broken Orchestra have been busy promoting. Fortunately, the Hull-based group found time to invite vocalist Lauren Jade and guitarist Jeff Parsons into the studio to record an acoustic version of In The Same …
Potholes Music’s AbJo releases The AbJonian Suite, a precursor to his upcoming album.