Young T x Bugsey x Belly have COME THROUGH with the damn ting. The ad libs are perfect on this. I have had this tune on repeat since it dropped on the 5th.
Lifestyle Gangland. Snm
Future dropped two albums last week HENDRXX and FUTURE. Both bang hard.
Mask Off has become a fast favourite for most.
Selfish featuring Rihanna gives all the feels.
Coming out strong featuring the Weeknd is also unbelievably peng. Well done Future.
Did you see what I done?
Yes J Hus enter the place. This has been on repeat all week. I don’t know how but he’s pulling off that hat. Come through like crocodile dundee. J Hus has been talking about an album dropping soon – bound to be the sound of summer. He announced his tour and tickets are on sale now. No London dates announced tho kmt.
Kojo also killing it. No comparisons need to be made, he and J Hus are both doing things for afrobashment. They both make the waviest tunes.
M Dargg repping South London. Listen to chit chat here.
24/02/17
The date that has been heavily promoted for the past few weeks has finally come to be.
Stormzy’s album Gang Signs and Prayer was released today.
As a body of work it is solid and seamless, from interludes, content and features.
His album covers many themes, his depression, trauma, youth violence, living in the ends, doing road, drugs, sex, his friends, girlfriend Maya Jama, family and his faith.
His first official release was “Big for your boots” a raw banger that suggested the rest of his album was going to contain screw face content about bussin up a man. This definitely plays a prominent role as Big Mike reflects on his upbringing and the environment he now finds himself out of. Below is a quick review, favourite bars and themes. Thealbum is BIG go cop that.
I wanted to make a beautiful gospel song. But there’s a psychological thing that happens when I go into the booth [to sing]: when I’m listening back, I’m judging the song based on my vocal range. I said, “I’m not a fucking singer, I’m not Frank Ocean.” So I told [producer Fraser T. Smith], I want to record this in the studio, just on the sofa, live on the mic. I was able to do it without judging myself. “Blinded” reminds me of that Kanye West song, “Only One,” which is one of my favorites. The world loves that song, and we’re not judging Kanye for not sounding like fucking Usher. You can hear the sincerity of it, and it works. I needed to do that on my album. I was hellbent on getting all my emotions out in whatever way they needed to.
Lord help me please I’m breaking down
Tryna’ call my name and take my crown
Little bit of pain I’ll paint the town
When they put me in my grave don’t make a sound
Cos’ there’s still some days I find it hard
Smoke my spliff and write my bars
I know they see me climbing charts
But plaques won’t help me find my heart
Yo God, what’s good? I need you bad
Devil’s in my ear I need you back
Got scars in my soul I’ve been attacked
Even when I’m low I seem relaxed
But then year’s been mad I lost my way
They think I went ghost to drop my tape
Not knowing that I fell and lost my faith
Like Satan please no, not today
So fuck this shit this ain’t a joke
Just to get away I take a toke
I took this pain and made a boat
Lord knows how the fuck it’s staying afloat
Last year I cried too many times
Weren’t for Flipz and weren’t for rhymes
Weren’t for Rachel, weren’t for Kelly
Man them people saved my life
Like man’a get low sometimes, so low sometimes
Airplane mode on my phone sometimes
Sitting in my house with tears in my face
Can’t answer the door to my bro sometimes
Roaming around all alone sometimes
Don’t know sometimes
I was a young Ned Stark
But this shit’s like Game of Thrones sometimes
In time for the weekend tun up.
Migos are having an interesting time in the limelight. After Donald Glover accepted his Golden Globe for Atlanta (if you haven’t watched it yet get on it) and claimed Bad and Boujee to be the best song ever, Spotify saw a surge in the search for Migos.
The Viceland documentary on Atlanta features Migos, Lil Yachty, Young Jeezy, Young Thug and Killer Mike. If not to watch a neeky guy hanging out with all of the above it was entertaining to see the conception and growth of all these artists.
Their rendition of Llama Llama Red Pyjama is so jiggy it’s a wonder that all children’s books don’t come with a Migos inspired audio book.
I have listened to Kelly Price every day at least twice for the past 2 weeks.
It might not be the best off their album Culture but for me it’s hands down the tune you want to hear before you go out/in your uber.
I dare you to listen to it and not wile out.
Skrrt skrrt.
Yxng Bane is fast becoming a favourite.
Previously known as G Mula, Yxng Bane hails from Custom House, East London. His mixtape Full Moon was a success, he can both sing and spit bars. This accompanied with the new penchant in the UK for afro-bashment or afro-swing as some publications are calling it (not feeling this afro-swing title but whatever), means he is rising in popularity.
If you haven’t heard Fine Wine, where the hell have you been? This guy is killing it.
Ed Sheeran’s shape of you is catchy af. What do we expect? He does the damn ting every single time. Yxng Bane’s remix is the only version I can listen to now though. Big ups. Here is my tune of the week.
Listen here and get ready to catch a pre valentines-wine.
The documentary below also discusses a bit of the story behind Yxng and his first mixtape/EP
I honestly cannot stop listening to this. The feel good tune by Runtown called Mad Over You is everything. Afrobeats make me feel so happy. Positivity and vibes for everyone.
If you weren’t mad over someone before, you will be now 😍
Ghana girl say she wanna marry me o
I hope say she sabi cook waakye 🔌
J Hus enterrrr the place. Kojo what? Kojo who? (sorry Kojo)
All I have been waiting for is J Hus to release his new new and here it is.
Dave and J Hus are you dumb. The collab I always wanted.
Keep quiet I’m preaching.
Mix the gentleman with gangster.
I was never the cool kid, more like strange and awkward.
Looking forward to more releases from Dave and J Hus respectively this year.
ENJOY
Jamila Jones voice is flawless on this track and Kojo shells it down proving he can be your black Romeo. Fire mix of dancehall and afrobeats. Nice sample from Sean Paul and Keshia Cole give it up to me. I love it.
Not everyday gang gang and trap sometimes whine and bubble.
Watch here.
One thing that is apparent with this album is the quality of the lyrical content. Wiley is not playing games. A pioneer of grime he sets the bar for his bars – literally.
For a sick review of Godfather by Jesse Bernard for Complex click here it’s pretty accurate.
And here is my homie Ian McQuaid in an exclusive interview with Wiley talking about the future of Grime, his legacy and being blocked on twitter by the legend himself.
In November I saw Wiley perform in Manchester at the Warehouse Project and I’ve copped tickets to see him at the Roundhouse on February 9th for the Godfather Show. If you haven’t done so already get on it. Go on then go on then. It will be blessings on blessings.
Here are some of my favourite bars from each track. Lyrics for lyrics calm.
Birds n Bars
“Most of my gyal dem are cool but some of them are divas”
“Man get weak off a gyal like Julius Caesar”
“I’m like Nike, I do it, I come through with a swoosh”
“You’re plain and I’m the loaded nachos
I played the game for long on my cash flows”
Bring Them All
“I’m nang and I know it
Pass me the mic, I’ll show it”
“If I wanna bring 25 MCs out
I’ll bring them all”
“Wanna talk grime? Then I’m still the one
All of the doubt, that’s gone
Why? Because I’m the lyrical don”
Bring Them All/Holy Grime feat Devlin
I posted about his track in October Ngl one of the hardest opening lines to a track
“Drink ‘nough beers before the game, what d’ya call that? Georgie Best MC,
Listen, I don’t rest MC,
You man sleep, that’s why you’re not the best MC,
You man are part time, never had beef,
Now you’re on the mic like a bulletproof vest MC,
I’m a double, precious Tek MC”
“Come sailin’ along like a boss
With the flow I’m like rah, what the ras?”
Name Brand feat JME, Frisco & J2K
The features on this are mad. The instrumental is grimey af reminiscient of nokia days.
“That’s the gameplan
The thug dem rate man
The gyal dem rate man
Frisco’s a name brand
And where I come from, the police all hate man
Haters hate cuh they ain’t man”
“Is that cool? Well, that’s swell
Do you feel me? Well, that’s braille
I’m like a high street store to the gyal dem
Who can’t keep their hands off the name brand sales”
Speakerbox
Yo, hear me on the sets ’cause I grace ’em
Me and Dizzee made it an occupation
Came from a council estate, I know ’em all, you can name ’em
I was outside in the cold it was rainin’
Standin’ on stairs chattin’ shit about the pagans
Nuttin’ don’t phase us, nuttin’ don’t phase ’em
You got a top boy on your side? Nobody rates him
Skepta comes in on the outro:“There’s no point in sayin’ these numbers to us anymore because we’ve seen them, yeah. So now everyone’s head’s on puttin’ this thing on the map in a way that all the kids of today never have to go through what we went through”
Back With A Banger
“Backstage chillin’ in the dance with my dargs dem
None of them are fake, you can ask them
People who are lookin’ a hype, I walk past ’em
Dons could be richer or poor, I won’t class ’em
Dons could be ready for war, my bars spark ’em
My sound travels the seas, that’s why I part ’em”
Joe Bloggs feat Newham Generals & President T
“Oi, remember when Sharon Stone opened a leg,
Man are old school like Bill and Ted” – D Double
“Man ah man are old school, two strap FILA” – Footsie
“When I was a kid, I went so many house raves
Somebody always came through with the leng”
Pattern Up Properly feat Flowdan & Jamakabi
“My darg, remember your manners
Cuh mi nuh tek tough talk, rise every cannon
Slap one out of the rooftop
We mek dem scatter when they say they wanna group up
Bumbahole dead, tell a man move up
Alright then, shut down, shop and then roll out” – Flowdan
“I’m a lyrical phenomenon
When I’m on the riddim, ain’t nobody badder than this
I’m honey, lemon and overproof rum
You’re just a likkle Lemsip”– Jamakabi
Can’t Go Wrong
“I used to go and get what I’m given,
Now I go and get what I’m worth”
“What’s gwaning? What’s the motion?
Fresh out the oven like a Sunday roast”
Bang feat Ghetts
“Culture vultures, they owe us,
Oh, now they know us?” – Ghetts
“If I send for an MC,
Then man better reply tonight, not a week late,
If a man can’t move on from the war,
Right after it, bro, that’s a weak trait”
U Were Always Pt 2 feat Skepta & Belly
“Told me that you were at home sleepin‘ (liar!)” – Skepta LOL
“All the fights and the hype got a G stressed out but I can’t lose sleep,
But this time I know that’s it’s over, bare more tings in the sea” – Belly
On this
I’ve shown you already what a string of luck brings
Don’t matter about your upbringin’”
“Top grime dons are the livest
All the fans come through and decide this
History’s written, I ain’t gotta rewrite it
Man are the elite, bro, we ain’t gotta hide it”
“Got a way with the words, haters wanna rain on my turf
‘Til I take ’em away in a hearse” – Ice Kid
Bait Face feat Scratchy
“I walk in the place like, “Everybody’s better than me
Hmm, sike”, yeah, that’s hype”
My Direction feat Lethal Bizzle
“Yo, my name’s Wiley, I’m grimy
I’m too shiesty, you won’t get beside me”
Like It Or Not feat Breeze
“Like it or not, I was at the start
You was sayin’, “Stop dat”, we was in the dance”
“Man are on the street with MACs, knives and Glocks
And dons gettin’ ran down, chased round blocks
Dons gettin’ skied by multiple shots
Dons gettin’ kidnapped, dons gettin’ robbed
That’s why I tell a don, “Just go get a job”
Lucid
“All these days in a month
Tryna get everythin’ done
When I try do too much
I don’t get anythin’ done”
“I wanna see my genre where it belongs
It’s gettin’ bigger, are you hearin’ the songs”
Laptop
“Let me tell you how man got here,
Started off with the cracked software,
All them plugins made man”
P Money feat P Money
“I tell a don it ain’t funny
That’s why I practice, so I stay on point like P Money”
“First ten years, G, I was on a block hype
Some MCs are alike but I’m not like”
“None of them, and I’ve had wars with a ton of ’em
Nobody’s ever gonna do what we done again”
HNY HNY HNY
If you were feeling Belly Squad – Banana then 2017 presents the remix featuring Abra Cadabra, Young T, Bugsey, Timbo and the late Showkey (RIP).
Apart from the fact Belly Squad are a madness bringing you straight wahala, anything with Abra is a jeez yes please. Expecting big things from these guys this year. I beg 2017 comes through with more of the Afro/UK Rap that is blessing my ears. The waviness is too much.
Listen here.
