Coosie – Everything
Everything is the second single from Coosie‘s forthcoming album Bobadundee Flows Produced by G00SE.
Keshon Whyte – ‘7 Blanc’ Review
Keshon Whyte first appeared on our radars with ill summer single ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ last year and has continued to impress since then. Now resident in Ghana, the move looks to have brought with it a surge of inspiration allowing the lyricist to level-up again with new 4 track EP, 7 Blanc. From first track ‘True Religion’ which boasts some beautifully spacey production by 4stringsz, bars are effortlessly smooth. As lyrical approaches go, Whyte makes keeping things rhythmically and conceptually simple a strength; dispensing rhyme schemes that give instrumentals space to breathe and letting assured stanzas hang for a moment for listener digestion at the end of sentences. The resulting style is something that always comes off sounding honest, naturally cool and relatably human.
Speaking with this calm conviction lends cohesiveness to Keshon’s vibe throughout the EP, both serving to imbue a humbleness to his more pensive moments and helping to ground points where he channels his inner rapper-ego with outlandishly cocky claims such as “I’m a god figure” on ‘Who Am I’. Following the booming sub of ‘Who Am I’s trap influenced beat (prod. Foreign Local), final track and single ‘10pm In Adenta’ keeps the bass pounding while phasing in chill-jazz samples. With a lyric that firmly locates itself in the present day in Ghana, 7 Blanc has the feeling of ending with Whyte’s arrival in a new space at the start of his story.
We’re looking forward to the next chapter. 7 Blanc dropped yesterday and is available to buy here.
IYDK: Gus Stash — Barely Soba
If you’ve been plugged into the abundance of hip-hop that’s coming out of the city of Bristol at the moment, chances are you’ve come across Aristocrats. If you have, you should be familiar with the sound of Gus Stash. If you haven’t, stay tuned.
Hailing from the West Midlands but based in Bristol, Stash is an establishing member of the aforementioned Aristocrats. He’s also founder and director of DUBL Studios, a label come creative agency in Bristol, established in 2018 and run in the memory of the late Dubl $w£ggrz, the Aristocrats member who tragically passed away last year. While January saw the release of Answer, the group’s first project since the loss of their friend, fresh into March Stash came through with his debut solo project, Barely Soba.
As is becoming increasingly common within the rap scene, defining Stash within just one genre is a pretty pointless task. In a time when the qualities that had once been exclusive to genres such as trap are being increasingly incorporated into the sound of various sub-sections of UK hip hop, Stash has come through with a small yet diverse body of work that demonstrates exactly why the amalgamation of those genres works so well. In this six track EP, Stash has crafted a sound that is distinctly his own; embracing distinctive elements of trap and grime, while still harnessing itself within hip hop.
The EP opens with the first track, ‘Bisto’. While the title evokes thoughts of a certain brown, stodgy liquid that belongs poured generously onto a roast dinner, the visual connotations of the track itself are worlds apart from that. Using the same sample that runs beneath Jam Baxter’s ‘Altitude Sickness’, there’s a certain spaciousness to Circa’s production that allows seemingly endless layers to come together without creating a feeling of claustrophobia. Laid back in a way that demonstrates Stash’s musical diversity, this track might have you feeling like you’re floating around on clouds. Dreamy stuff.
On another level to the somewhat ethereal sounds of ‘Bisto’, Stash comes through on a harsh 140 beat with ‘Gutter Rats’. On a par with the EP’s final single release ‘Snowflakes’, Stash flows with an indisputable confidence. As he insists he won’t ever go “back to the race with gutter rats”, what could be perceived as aggy-ness is concealed beneath his ability to be so at ease over Sour Phree’s grime instrumental.
On a poignant note for the album, Stash teams up with VRBL Records resident and fellow Bristol inhabitant, Sylla B. ‘Drink Up’ sees producer Vern Akula sample the Elliot Smith classic ‘Between the Bars’, over a distinctively low tempo beat, unlike any other that features in the project. Stash and Sylla explore topics of love, addiction, and the experience of witnessing a loved one’s downward spiral. The track is as beautiful as it is heart-wrenching, and makes clear Stash’s skill for reflecting on, and in turn transforming, hardship.
The closing song, ‘Hockney’, pays tribute to the late Dubl $w£ggrz as Stash speaks on the loss of his friend. ‘Hockney’ is a lyrical journey that delves into the experience of dealing with the tragedy of death and healing through it; sharing the struggle with those around him and making the most of all that $w£ggrz had taught him. Harrowing, and with a beautiful instrumental produced by Circa, ‘Hockney’ will undoubtedly strike a chord with anyone who has lost a loved one at a young age.
There’s a feeling that this is a coming-of-age project for Stash. While he’s still got some of the front that seems inseparable from fresh faces on the scene, Barely Soba saw the artist turn his focus towards topics such as social commentary, substance abuse, and death. The EP grants room for Stash to explore himself as an emcee aside from his Aristocrat family, and while the group are onto something great, it’s clear he stands strong as a solo artist.
All profits from purchases of the EP throughout March were donated to PAPYRUS; a charitable organisation working to prevent suicide in young people. It can now be downloaded for free from Bandcamp.
Uncle Paulie – Afterlife
New video dropped on our channel today from Uncle Paulie. ‘Afterlife’ is a fire hazard. Watch out for more from this guy in 2019.
Datkid & Leaf Dog – Scheme On ft Roc Marciano
Another massive UK x US collab from the High Focus stable! This one sees Datkid and Leaf Dog combining forces with NYC veteran Roc Marciano. ‘Scheme On’ is yet another unsurprising indicator that the forthcoming Confessions of a Crud Lord LP is going to be strictly fire.
3 Reasons Not to Sleep On… Society of Alumni
If Society Of Alumni (or members of) don’t blow up in the next couple of years, I’ll eat my hat. The hat in question is a blue slouch beanie. Admittedly, compared to a safety helmet or even the modest fedora, ingesting this item would definitely be in the shallow end of headgear consumption. Due to its soft woolly consistency, if slow boiled and heavily seasoned, with a lot of chewing I think I could munch the whole thing.
That said. Even this meagre feat of fabric digestion sounds proper unpleasant. I distinctly don’t want to do it. That’s how confident I am that the Alumni are going places.
Here’s 3 reasons why I won’t eat a hat in 2021…
For the Family:
This one’s an appropriate selection for a bunch of reasons, not least because the title neatly sums up one of the things that’s most formidable about the collective. In an ocean of young and hungry spitters willing to flow-mimic the currently cashable styles, MCs with an ethic that’s against the grain are a rare breed. Having a distinct ethic is a potent thing on its own. Forming a large family of heads with the same one, holds serious potential power. SoA have got the strength in numbers thing down. With stylistic unity and no weak links in terms of talent, the Alumni have used their combined energy to pull in the same direction and build something bigger than the members could have achieved on their own. With a channel and releases that allow dope solo efforts from artists to stand under the Society of Alumni banner alongside crew heavy tunes (instead of everyone going off hungry for spotlight on individual artist brands), the resulting output is a blueprint for notoriety.
‘For the Family’ is lifted off last year’s Here As We Are. Beyond this mellow anthem being ill as fuck, the slick video by Jomr & King Royale is a noticeable step forward in visual wizardry for the Alumni fam.
Mango Juice Sessions Cypher:
There’s something beautifully old school about seeing this young London mob (who probably weren’t born in the Golden Era) piling into a cypher with all the spirit of hip hop’s original trailblazers as if bars were as easy as breathing.
This 3 track, 11 minute, monster of a cypher features dope bars from every featured member of the Society from start to finish. More impressive than that, unless there’s been some sly editing of the raw looking footage, the whole thing seems to be one continuous live take without so much as a slur from anyone. Uncut, straight-from-the-rock, professional murkage.
After Hours:
With the soul of 90s hip hop pervading the SoA style throughout their catalogue to date, ‘After Hours’ is a strong example of the crew’s ability to stay true to that influence while time stamping that shit with today’s date. With a seriously murky-spacey beat providing the backdrop, fluidly interweaving back-and-forths between Alumni members form a vocal soundscape that maintains the signature smoothness with added ominous undertones. Add in the frequent switch ups between bars and melody and some rowdy adlibs and the resulting product is something crazy ill. Sonicly, ‘After Hours’ is one of those rare tunes that summons a musically induced feeling that exactly matches the premise of its title. Try listening to this tune and not picturing a late night cityscape, a crowded mash-up after party or some gloomy scenario under street lights. Ideal playlisting for late night journeys home from the club.
Gi3MO – Hurricane
New visual from Rum Committee’s Gi3MO, the self produced ‘Hurricane’ is lifted from his recent project The Unmistakable which can be streamed below and all streaming platforms.
Mick Swagger – ‘Villianaire’ Review
Mick Swagger’s unique style is showcased in full force on his self-produced LP release Villianaire, as his distinctively incisive vocals and complex rhyme schemes deliver punchlines with a wittiness that most battle rappers aspire to- such as “fuck around and catch a bullet like Penn & Teller” or “call me Pill Cosby, spike my own drink probably”. Moreover, Mick’s skills as a producer really shine through as Villianaire takes us through an impressive array of soundscapes, spanning the laid-back and self-proclaimed “ignorant shit” on ‘Corruption & Filth’ to the layered rhythms of ‘Hulk Hogan’. This is assisted in no small part by the spectacular cast of features on the release: where New York rapper Alpha Memphis brings decidedly bombastic vocals to accompany Mick on ‘That’s About It’, Connie Bond is given free rein on the closing track ‘Starshine’, with Mick’s production bringing a trip hop vibe that would feel entirely at home among the discography of Portishead or Radiohead’s later releases.
Opening track ‘Call Me’ is equally impactful, stringing together triumphant horns and an uplifting chorus that is cut through effortlessly by Mick’s coarse voice and sharp punches. It is also the perfect opportunity for Mick to show that, lyrically, he is a cut above the rest, bringing intricate patterns full of internal rhymes that give his verses an almost inherent logic as they meander their way to a seemingly natural conclusion: “Still ill from back in the day, yeah I’m bringing the pain and if not let’s sing in the rain. Butterfly flutter by like Cassius Clay, I’ll be acting this way ‘till I jump back in my grave”.
Meanwhile, the main single from the release, ‘Hulk Hogan’ is accompanied by visuals that are equally as memorable as the Nickelodeon Loud House character with whom Mick Swagger shares his name. In much the same way as his comedic storytelling on ‘Never Been Stoned’, the layered instrumentation on ‘Hulk Hogan’ provides a rich environment for Mick’s lyric-heavy style to flourish, all the while structured in verses that are neatly framed by a torrent of eclectic samples. Even MF Doom would be proud.
Despite only clocking in at around 30 minutes, Villianaire brings 8 potently crafted songs that all hit different notes. With such highlights as ‘Starshine’, ‘Never Been Stoned’ and ‘Call Me’, Mick Swagger’s cohesive project’s worth is far in surplus of the £5 digital download price. Cop it now here!
Catch Mick alongside George Bucks as part of our UKHH Takeover at this year’s Nozstock festival!
Illitamin G – Gone Wrong O’Clock
First drop from the collaborative project from Illiterate and Vitamin G – ‘Gone Wrong O’Clock’ is lifted from the full length Illitaman G LP dropping 16th May on Yogocop records. Pre Order on vinyl here
Kingdem – The Conversation (We Ain’t Done Yet)
Following on from the hugely successful tour, super crew Kingdem (Rodney P, Blak Twang & TY) drop a visual for the first single lifted from the forthcoming Kingdem EP. ‘The Conversation (We Ain’t Done Yet)’ is produced by Nutty P and filmed over the course of the recent tour.