The ever clever Mikill Pane is back with an excellently-titled EP, drawing inspiration from the project that launched him to national fame, Ed Sheeran’s Collaborations EP, for a guest-packed effort of his own.
Mikill’s stock has risen considerably over the last 6 months, and that increase in stature is represented by the feature list reading like a who’s who of the UK music scene (and Katie Price, for some reason), as artists from a wide gamut of genres come together to help Mikill produce another reputation-boosting project, with Paloma Faith, Yasmin, Ed Sheeran, P Money and more making appearances. I’ve yet to dive into the music, but being the hugely consistent rapper that he is I’m sure the content will match the co-signs. Free grab courtesy of SB.TV below.
After a few weeks away, R&B Fridays is back and swollen with star quality for this week’s edition. Of course, in keeping with tradition, it’s also released on a Sunday. Nice to be back into routine eh?
Preeya’s recently finished her second (or third?) stint at Eastenders and returns to the music scene with this new single. Featuring one of my favourite UK producers in Davinche, the production on this track doesn’t disappoint. The song is about Preeya trying to keep her private life just that, private.
I find it hard to separate this track from Drake’s demo that leaked the other year. Obviously we were never supposed to hear the Drake version as he wrote it for a female lead in mind, but he did a damn good job of it! Once it had leaked I didn’t think we’d ever hear a singer take and finish it, but eventually it’s found its way to new Roc Nation signee, Rita Ora. Those who aren’t familiar with that name should know that she’s a British singer, who’s creating a lot of buzz at the moment, so get in on the hype now.
The video itself is nothing special but does well as support for a big single. I do think that getting Tinie Tempah in as a feature is a good attempt to add some original flavour to a song many had rinsed when the Drake version had leaked. You can pre-order this single by clicking on below.
Considered by most to be one of the greatest MCs in history, then selfishly refusing to make any more music due to being dead, Biggie is one of those artists whose vocals have been cut and pasted onto projects varying from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Here, French producer Kensaye manages to find something new to do with a BIG track, creating a hauntingly relaxed beat for the Life After Death classic. Kensaye himself explained his reason for making the track, saying: “Anyone that loves Hip-Hop today needs to pay dues to the King of Brooklyn. That’s why as an avid Hip Hop fan I remixed one of his tracks, opting for the more chilled and atmospheric approach.”
Does this stand out among the plethora of Biggie remixes? Let us know in the comments.
Context MC delivers us his new video 25 feet underwater!
The video is directed by Louis Ellison – at the very same studios that the Bourne Trilogy was filmed, and has already been playlisted by both MTV and MTV Base (so chances are a fair few of you have seen this before!). Really feeling the concept of this video and track, which has heavily featured in my rotation for a while now! Go give it a watch for a left, and you can preorder the single below on iTunes.
Multi-talented Labrinth, who is an instrumentalist and produces, sings and even raps, has gathered this all star cast. Three leading UK urban artists alongside the legend that is Busta Rhymes? A recipe for a classic collabo.
Labrinth’s album, Electronic Earth will be released on the 19th of this month.
I’m contemplating a comeback. To be honest, I haven’t had an influx of new music since the turn of the year. I’ve been listening to alot of this and this. That’s not even a joke. With that in mind, here’s a little something from the UK which my brother pointed in my direction to give me some direction.
Dirty Dike hails from Cambridge, which is where our very own OTU ninja Indi is from. I hope he doesn’t mind me telling you this. Although now it’s too late and it’s all over the Internet. I’m from Norfolk and have sex with my Mum. There. Parity restored.
Pfffftttt, not sure I remember how to do music reviews anymore. American followers: this man raps funny. Now if that’s not worth a watch, I don’t know what is.
Hit up High Focus’ website for the low-down on their talented selection of (British) artists.
No artist in the R&B and pop genres has generated the buzz Rita Ora has over the past week, so it’s only right that the Roc Nation signee and London native gets the headline spot for yet another milestone episode.
Mikill Pane recently released his fantastic new EP, The Morris Dancer, and has climbed as high up as #2 in the iTunes hip hop chart thus far – a great achievement from an artist I expect to see big things from this year.
Here’s his new video for Kings, which features on The Morris Dancer, and is a great advertisement for why you should be copping the EP. Mikill successfully fuses good lyrics to a track that will make you move and resonate in your head; assisted by the vocal talents of Yoshee, you’ll find yourself hitting repeat!
Something a bit more grimey for your ears, Marger brings you visuals for his latest single, Outside Ting. Produced by Sibling, we get treated to some pulsating production! It really accentuates Marger’s strong flow.
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from JAMIESON, here he returns in 2012 with a great song, detailing his journey thus far – the good, the bad and the ugly. The hook on this is pretty addictive!
To see what else JAMIESON’s been up to click here to check out his ode to his hometown London, and click here to see part I of the trailer for his upcoming I Came, I Saw Vol. 3, which features co-signs from Yelawolf, RZA and Steve Rifkind!
Lethal Bizzle returns with his new single Not a Saint, which features an underrated legend in Donae’o! Not a Saint sees Lethal Bizzle continue on with his recent dubstep/dance type grime fusion and it continues to sound rather good.
The video portrays a group of lads out doing what lads do best, get up to mischief in the pursuit of good bants; really fits the mood of the track well. The constant Denchwear promotion is a tad tiresome though.
Not a Saint available through iTunes and other such sources on March the 19th!
Eric Turner’s Youtube channel mentions Turner’s “stadium sound“, and that’s a rather accurate description. I’ve had this song on repeat ever since it was released a short while ago, and it’s stadium pop style is a big reason for that, making for an uplifting and engaging listen that feels suited to any listening environment.
Eric’s been involved in some big tracks with both artists in the past, as Indi’s already covered in the audio review, and their inclusion makes for a big duo of co-signs. I’m a fan of Lupe’s verse on this, with his speed and timing sliding in nicely with the production, whilst Tinie’s contribution is surprisingly enjoyable, alongside the huge Eric Turner vocals which are an excellent listen that really anchor the track.
The video has a likeable spray paint effect throughout, as the respective performers are visualised in an exciting, perpetually-moving art style that adds an unpredictability and uniqueness to the visual, in a relatively simple manner. Decent watch that brings the audio to life.
Marger is back with a vengeance as the long awaited Cheeky EP has finally arrived. Cheeky features the previous hits ‘Shadows’ (ft. Molly), ‘Goonz’ (ft. Scrufizzer and No Lay) and brand new single ‘This Year’ (ft. Josh Osho).
What you can expect from the album is a real example of Marger’s versatility as an artist, as he evolves above the label of East London Grime MC. There are a range of musical styles featured throughout Cheeky EP including Grime, Dance, Dubstep and Pop. His exciting and controversial lyrics are delivered with a raw energy in true Marger style, as he joins forces with up-and-coming producer Sibling.
Eric Turner’s worked with both Tinie Tempah and Lupe Fiasco on separate tracks in the past, so it’s only natural these three come together for a big collaboration (keeping with the theme of transatlantic-ism!).
If you’ve heard any of Eric Turner’s collabos with urban artists from both sides of the Atlantic, then you’ll know what to expect: Very addictive vocals from Eric with a banger of a beat to match. Lupe and Tinie both come through with decent verses, but would it be fair to say that Tinie’s verse is the better of the two? These are controversial times we live in. Download below.
Speaking of JME, he just posted this video on his Twitter account. Basically, whenever he gets stopped by the police he tends to film it on his phone and post it on his Twitter for all to see (this appears to be a regular occurrence!).
Well something unexpected happens in this encounter; I’ll let you see for yourself.
JME performs his new single 96 Fuckries over his classic instrumental 96 Bars of Revenge (whilst also blending in some lyrics of the latter track also).
You can listen to and see the official video for 96 Fuckries here and you can buy it from iTunes by clicking here now! The single is already in the top 40 with no marketing budget and no radio play. A phenomenal achievement, considering the title contains a swear word and has no chorus, which shows the value in engaging with your fanbase.
Been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me over the last month! A guilty pleasure as this is a song about a footballer who plays for a team I dislike very much. I can’t hate on Mario though, he’s hilarious!
The track is rather addictive too, the opening verse and subsequent hook is the real highlight of the song. The video’s been shot well too, but a little disappointed they didn’t get Balotelli himself involved.
Apparently Tinchy and Mario have come together to create an official “Why always me?” t-shirt, so look out for those soon too.
Man of the moment, Mikill Pane’s new EP, The Morris Dancer , will be released through Invader Music on 13th February . The five-track EP includes a track entitled Cut Back , which features vocals from Ursa Minor’s Little Bear and is currently being used in an Nation wide O2 Academy /Fair Share Music campaign.
Here is one of those tracks from the EP, I Like U. Really into this track, Mikill Pane has a lot of wit which is what makes his songs so easy to listen to. Nice little track for those crushing on someone right now!
This is the first time I’ve heard the up and coming producer Dan Kent try at his hand at a more dubstep and electro vibe and I have to say it works! Remixing the Artful Dodger song, Could Just Be The Baseline, he takes this rather joyful and head bopping track and turns it into a dark dub one, accompanied with some verses from Jimmy Jitsu. Definitely my kind of thing! You can listen and download it for free below.
JME blesses us with a new track and video which displays exactly why he’s one of the most unique emcees around. The video is very JME, a simple one but subtle effects gives it that excellence that’ll have you viewing it more than once.
“In the stereo I got Krept & Konan,
In the boot I got my Creps & my Canon”
Ghetts becomes the latest UK artist to get the DJ Whoo Kid mixtape treatment and brings us 19 tracks of new material. One worth checking out, including features from Giggs and Devlin. Download below.
Tinie Tempah wishes us a merry Christmas with this little freestyle vid. Rapping over Drake and Lil’ Wayne’s track, The Motto (for which they just released a video for), Tinie flows pretty nice to this beat. Pretty cool cameo from the delightful Ed Sheeran too.
Go grab Tinie Tempah’s Happy Birthday EPfrom here. As you can tell he likes special days.
I’ve never been the biggest fan of this guy’s music (though undoubtedly, some of it is irresistable in a club!), but he certainly has his fans and the recent release with J. Cole and Wretch 32 from this project wasn’t a bad track by any means.
The full (free) project includes more big guest spots, including G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean and Pusha T, UK favourites Giggs and Chipmunk, and many other names from both sides of the Atlantic. I’m sure there will be a couple of entertaining club stompers on this for the mainstream heads, and you can grab the whole 8-track project for free below.
Some UK goodness to brighten up your week, Scorcher, Kano and Wretch 32 jump on the remix for Ghetts’ successful On a Level track. Like the original, this song’s production is unbelievably disjointed, but it works. Drum & Bass elements as well as some garage and dance along with a more traditional sound, it’s actually quite hard to describe how the production flows on this one, it’s certainly not linear.
In these four artists though the beat’s eclectic nature is tailor-made for each of their flows and that’s why it works. Scorcher impresses and Kano continues the excellent return to form he’s brought in 2011. Accompanied by Wretch 32 who has surely got the most chilled and best feel-good flow in the game. Go buy the track from iTunes by clicking the link below.
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