Phoenix Da Icefire & The Strange Neighbour ‘Expendables’ Lifted from Cinematic out now and available HERE.
Featuring: Manage, eMCee Killa, Tesla’s Ghost, Da Flyy Hooligan, Genesis Elijah, Big Cakes, Logic, Fliptrix, Verb T, Mic Assassin, Big Toast, Jack Diggs, Kyza & Cappo.
Starring: Alfie Green from Global Movement Agency LTD & DaddyMakesDoh Directed by Dfacer.
Finally an answer to the age old question. If you’ve ever found yourself perplexed at where your rider has gone. TPS Fam did it. Beat on ‘Who Drank the Rider?’ by Hermit the Slob is a banger and verses from Big Toast, The Strange Neighbour and Jack Diggs are all hard. Gold stars all round.
TPS Fam got tagged in by Cracker Jon for the 7th Episode of Rappertag Season 3. The first ever crew episode! Find out who gets tagged in next…
Performed by:
Big Toast
The Strange Neighbour
Jack Diggs
Produced by:
Oliver Sudden
Satrumentalz
Jack Diggs
We live in trying times. Brexit, Trump, the impending threat of nuclear war, the resurgence of autotune; it’s enough to make anybody question just how long the human race has left. Thankfully, there are still some people making a case for our existence, even if it’s by pointing out that we’re all fucked.
After dropping their 2017 debut as 40% of the South London group Gatecrasherz, Jack Diggs & Big Toast are back to present Call It On and stick two fingers to the “bedwetter trendsetters.” An instant underground classic, Call It On serves up a helping of boom bap beats with a side of wry British humour to deliver a bitch slap to the Tarquin’s of 2018 Britain.
After establishing his credentials with his 2013 debut Dirty Finger Nails, Diggs’ production is on top form here. ‘Nocturnal’ sways like a Japanese skyscraper, smooth bars intercut with a smorgasbord of samples and more scratching than a crocodile at a dermatitis convention.
With Call it On, Toast and Diggs are angrier than ever. Razor sharp put-downs rub shoulders with delicious digs at everything from triggered teens to celebrity worship, all wrapped up in a sneering, caustic indictment of modern British society.
Simultaneously, the brothers aren’t above the odd schoolyard-cypher put down. Bars like “No difference whores, tarts and bitches, or shitty emcees with a poor grasp of English,” could go either way, but it’s delivered with such a bone-dry humour, it’s hard not to crack a grin.
Although Call it On is their first release as a duo, their time working alongside each other – not to mention with every other labelmate from Revorg Records – has honed Diggs & Toast’s delivery to a fine art. ‘Twelve Quid’ closes the album with a kick like a shotty, channeling the spirit of early Jehst to tear apart the entitled, royal wedding loving young-Tory mindset.
Above all else, you get the feeling that the London duo really is as cynical as they come across. Looking around at the world they paint, it’s understandable why. They might spit bars “more dead than a Tory’s conscience,” but as long as we have narrators like Big Toast and Jack Diggs to shine a light on the austerity, food banks and Jacob Rees-Mogg Jnr’s hiding beneath the surface of our ‘Strong and Stable’ nation, there might be hope just yet.
Call It On drops March 30, 2018, on Revorg Records. You can grab your physical or digital copy here.
TPS Fam, Revorg Records and Gatecrasherz generals Jack Diggs & Big Toast have a new album on the way. Call it on drops on March 30 on Revorg Records, and is available for pre-order now.
UK hip hop has come so far since it first started slinking out from behind smoky rooms and dank basements in the early ‘90s that it can be easy to forget where it all started. But have no fear, because hip hop supergroup Gatecrasherz are here to remind everyone where it all began.
The London-based 4-piece are a motley bunch of rappers and producers with as much industry experience as everyone currently in the Top 40 combined. There’s been serious hype around the group since they tore the stage up at a Holdin’ Court event in Reading back in January 2015, and Uninvited doesn’t disappoint.
Comprised of industry veterans Jack Diggs, Big Toast, Oliver Sudden and Gee Bag, Gatecrasherz bring a uniquely fresh take to a classic sound, dusting off old samples to mash them up with a funky dose of fever-dream basslines and niche culture homages (even perpetually drunk comedy-genius Doug Stanhope gets a look in on aptly titled The Solution).
WATCH Gatecrasherz – 2-3 Break
Fresh off the release of his 2016 EP Save Yourself Kill Them All, Big Toast is on top form, smattering every track with his unique brand of lawless derision. Gee Bag’s down ‘n’ dirty sneer drips with the cynicism that only comes from a few goes round the block. Tracks like Remembering hark back to a day when a crew worked the scene together. Now, as Gee Bag himself says, “Nobody gives two shits, you ain’t gangster, bounce with your wack bars, too many groups now all they do is solo shit, whether egos clash or a Yoko bitch.”
True to it’s roots, Uninvited flips between casually tearing apart the tired tropes of the modern UK scene and deftly dismantling the cliches of yore. Acerbic syntax and a machete sharp delivery keep every track bouncing, even when they turn the tempo down a notch, as on Remembering. With it’s serene soul instrumentals and lilting flow, it’s the perfect number to kick back to with some good friends and Amsterdam import, but this is symptomatic of the whole album – one big nostalgia-fest with an extra dose of hindsight-infused sentimentality.
Uninvited lands all the right punches precisely because each rapper comes with his own unique approach. From the anarchic big bars of Big Toast to the cerebral wordplay of Oliver Sudden, you can sense the group feeding off each other in a way that makes you yearn for the golden days of Task Force.
WATCH Gatecrasherz – Say Rah
British wit abounds across Uninvited, tearing down the hypocrisy of the modern day chart chasers and skewering the banalities of modern British living. It’s hard not to think that this is an album designed distinctively for now – a pivotal time when you’ve either found your way into the 9-5 you swore you’d never get, or you’re still cruising the same haunts, reminiscing about summer nights set to the sounds of Jehst and Lewis Parker.
Thanks to some top quality instrumentals and razor sharp production values (courtesy of Downstroke), Uninvited feels a little more polished than anything getting put out back in the golden era. Regardless, it will make original fans want to grab a rucksack and wander the streets of their hometowns with old friends, a paint pen in one hand and a warm can of lager in the other.
The album boasts some sweet samples, including a great little tidbit from Doug Stanhope on The Solution. Meanwhile, the funky grooves of 2-3 Break give way to some smooth soul rhythms and some beasting bars courtesy of Big Toast and Oliver Sudden. To top it all off, there’s some premier scratching on Mighty Strokes to get you all misty eyed for the days of old school disc play.
WATCH – Gatecrasherz – Pardonnez mon Francais
Choosing a stand out track is hard, if only because there’s such a diverse mix of sounds. Closing track Say Rah delivers a hook more infectious than Pete Doherty’s toothbrush and wraps the album up nicely. Likewise, Pardonnez mon Francais nails the sound so many young crews aspired to back in the day, and too few groups try to emulate today. The Herbaliser inspired instrumentals and simile-laden wordplay exemplify everything that Gatecrasherz stand for. As Sudden himself says “Obvious we’re the followers of an old school, back each other up in a way you know that’s so cool.”
It’s a promising debut to say the least. Uninvited will sit so well with real hip hop fans because it manages to sound and feel like the most British hip hop release in years without just cutting and pasting the classics. The 12 track LP is a flashback to the early days of UK hip hop, and numbers like Down Since… will have you reminiscing for days when a basement mixtape made it halfway round the country from word of mouth and post-show purchases alone.
The egos take second place to precise flows and bars that complement while still landing enough force to stand on their own two feet. Individual styles are essential, but when they come together like this you’re reminded just why the UK scene is such a tight-knit community. They might not have been invited, but Gatecrasherz are more than welcome to stay.
Uninvited is out now on Revorg and you can buy it right here.
Jack Diggs – ‘Blue Rain‘ ft. Granville Sessions‘ Mnsr Frites, Archetype & Luca Brazi lifted off the album with the same name out now on Revorg Records
Lok’s back with his fortnightly Free podcast – part 19 of 2015 now in association with 4649 Worldwide Clothing. Check out the tracklist below, and don’t forget you can grab all of these from 2013, 2014 & 2015 Free here
Tracklist
1. Mystro – Kiss That Ass Goodnight
2. Verb T & Illinformed – Rolex Dreams ft Leaf Dog
3. Philly B ft Dirty Dike & Jam Baxter – Never
4. Big Toast – Unbelievable Krimewave ft Jack Diggs, Oliver Sudden, Ogre Drool, Gee Bag, Stinkin Slumrock & Flowtecs
5. Life MC & Badhabitz – Round The Corner
6. Dirty Dike – Me & You ft Jam Baxter
7. Dubbledge – L.O.V.E
8. Manage – Soul Root
9. Dead Players – Oh Well
10. Ghost Writerz – Wind Up Your Waist ft Shiffa Dan, RTKal & G.O.L.D
Lok’s back with his fortnightly Free podcast – part 18 of 2015 now in association with 4649 Worldwide Clothing. Check out the tracklist below, and don’t forget you can grab all of these from 2013, 2014 & 2015 Free here
Track List:
1. Mystro – Da Milkman
2. Dirty Dike – Paper Tigers ft Chester P Task Force & Verb T
3. Jack Diggs – Run
4. Sherlock Bones – webdemic ft Tenchoo & Gi3mo
5. 2SHY MC – Mugboat Freestyle (Diss track)
6. S.A.M – Pick Your Wisdom
7. Ill Move Sporadic & Joey Menza – Outside The Box
8. Manage & Emcee Killa – On Top
9. Ghost Writerz – For The Love
10. Final Boss – Low & Behold
As the Winter steadily draws to a close, the seasonal depression has slowly begun it’s process of dissipation, but it seems that a last wave of cold is about to hit Britain before the Spring can set. The London-based triple lyrical collective TPS consists of Big Toast and rapper/producers Jack Diggs and Strange Neighbour. Since launching their gradually recognised underground label Revorg Records in 2013, TPS return to the scene after soaking the success of their Big QP début album with their sequel release Hot Water Music ready to launch on February 21st. Its name takes from Charles Bukowski’s short stories for it’s depictions of city-life, work and excessive drinking which together bind a strong element of what to expect from the album content.
A cold and vivid first-person representation of the working class struggles, Hot Water Music is moody, miserable, and somewhat melancholic. So be prepared for depressive outlooks and perspectives, but also appreciate the distinctively rugged verses and creativity in producing the motivating tales which detail every common persons quest to overcome life’s hardships. Returning with an enhanced group reputation, Hot Water Music exercises the TPS Fam’s lyrical development and talented productions. It also features impressive collaborations from a range of acclaimed rap artists from across the South, including Res and Datkid from Split Prophets, Dark Circle, Triple Darkness’ Phoenix Da IceFire, Gee Bag, Bristol’s own Sirplus and fellow Revorg signed lyricist Efeks.
The intro A Poem Is A City emphasizes the almost unlimited visionary that poetry (or lyrics) can induce on a listener, leading into the down-beat track Monday Blues. The lyrical themes do contain elements similar to that of disgruntled blues music, and the choruses saxophone sample only enhances the bluesy emotion. Big Toast starts the bars in a low slur, as a hangover sufferer might, generally voicing his discontents before Strange Neighbour and Jack Diggs follow the depressive tact without much dynamism, however you do get an immediate taste of their diverse lyrical capabilities. Efeks features on track four 5 Nuggets and alongside TPS they profess consequential financial troubles, conquered by constant grind and big aspirations. Afterwards Sirplus guest vocals in HD and starts spitting on point to a first-rate beat for the oncoming lyrical onslaught. Strange Neighbour takes charge to confidently boast Revorg before Jack Diggs intercepts with intricately spat metaphorical wordplay. Big Toast finishes with volatile verses and a blunt TPS statement:
It’s the sounds of the A team / Saving the soul as it drowns in the mainstream
The album takes a respiratory break in the reflectively poignant As It Crossed My Mind skit, inducing downbeat levels. TPS tackle their antagonisms in Drift Away over a sentimental instrumental. The gripping rhymes are uplifting and the collective conclusively state music as the finest form of escapism from their lives. The pessimism and depression continues through Tea Break where they detail their troubles, persisting only to reach the end of the rat race. Dark Circle spits laid back verses and relaxes the albums tone in Chill In, rapping his daily routine. TPS unwind and rhyme about their happiness to relax and shed some more insight into their pleasures and perspectives.
Track eleven Hero see’s the TPS crew confess their criminal persona’s and unashamedly reflect on society as well as their own lives alongside Split Prophets member Datkid over a soothing instrumental. Broken Smile is another pensive track which reveals the clans cynical outlooks, dismissing life’s conventions and the world that spins as a result of finance. For a real boom-bap feel, hip-hop heads will appreciative the heavily collaboratedRuff Draft which entails TPS, Triple Darkness’ Pheonix Da IceFire, Split Prophets’ Res and veteran Gee Bag to a breathlessly engaging lyrical cypher over an industrial beat. With such diversely demonstrated wordplay this is undoubtedly Hot Water Music’s diamond in the dirt.
Although at times the lyrics can lack enough differentiation to mesmerise a listener across it’s seventeen-track entirety, in regards to producing a means of escapism, this certainly isn’t an album to slept on. With relevance to anyone grafting to see next week, Hot Water Music voices the genuine thoughts and concerns of those trapped in a struggle to survive in lower-class Britain. TPS have really stepped up to the plate and have contributed a genuinely exemplary record to the scene. The album offers brash humour as well as insightful sincerity, and undoubtedly there’s something in it for everyone to relate and enjoy.
Cop the record for yourselves from the Revorg Records website:
