The problem with some rappers today is that they don’t pay homage to their UKHH forefathers, the ones who paved the way and laid solid foundations for them to build their music on, there is not enough respect for the legacy. I’d even dare say that some don’t know the names of legends like Blade and Scorzayzee, or the meaning of Britcore, so sometimes a message needs to be sent.
Case in point, Haynesy aka DJ Cue Tips drops his second album ‘Dope Beat Biz: Volume 1‘, a compelling reminder about the beginnings of UK Hip Hop and a funk infused throwback to uptempo rapping, reminiscent of Gunshot, Killa Instinct, Silver Bullet and Hardnoise. The theme throughout the album is about pioneering in the early days of rap and what it meant to make real hip hop back then. This is not to take anything away from the current scene but there is definitely a certain nostalgia about listening to this type of Hip Hop that I am sure you will appreciate.
“..If I never heard your name back in the game, you wasn’t in it..” ~ Suspekt
The album features 9 artists across 13 tracks, 4 of which Scorzayzee devours with solid wordplay and clever witticisms. Especially on ‘Trained Assassins’, where he layers his leisurely delivered bars on top of fresh sounding breaks, torn apart by Jabbathakut, who continues to provide impressive cuts throughout the release. Also Scorz gets big respect for mentioning the Atari ST in his verse, a computer from the 80’s that had built in MIDI capabilities and was the starting point for many producers back in the day, some still use it now, go ask Pete Cannon!
Many seasoned pros make an appearance on the album, people like Chrome (Chrome & Illinspired/Deftex) the Norwich based artist who flexes a little muscle on ‘Start The Panic’, Whirlwind D, an artist who has previously featured with MC Mell O, Big Ted and a fledgling Kold Sweat graces ‘Now & Then’, with Blade exploding onto his feature ‘Use Your Head’, a stand out track on the album that will get you nodding to beats that bang. Dweller picks up two tracks and previously featured on Haynesy’s first album alongside Scorz, putting in a respectable performance. It’s also good to see Geebag on this record, another artist making great music right now.
Clearly there are too many artists to mention, it is packed full to the brim of flavours and you can really feel that everyone who performs on this album had fun doing so, the love of the music really shines through on each song. This is a solid piece of purist production from the UKHH veteran that will leave you waiting in anticipation for volume 2 no doubt..
‘Dope Beat Biz: Volume 1‘ is out now on Bandcamp, you can also order one of the 300 limited copies of the album on vinyl, each will include a free digital download link, so grab yours now!
Words by Theo Specone
Also I previously reviewed Haynesy’s ‘Hip Hop Advocate’ release last year, you can read the review here.