Independent UKHH labels are the foundations of any underground rap artist. They provide a camp to hone lyrical ingenuity and engineer desired output in an environment which shuns the materialistic ideals of the mainstream industry. We formidably support the underground and every independent UKHH label because they continuously produce music that thrives without commercialised mass-exposure or finance, in our opinion providing the finest testament to the extensive home-grown talent that exists nationwide. For these reasons we thought it best to do our part and promote to you, the loyal supporters, insights into the incredible material set to emerge from a selection of the livest UKHH collectives. Lee Scott, Ill Move Sporadic, BVA MC, Smellington Piff, Upfront MC, DJ Steady Rock, Jehst, Telemachus, Apex Zero, and Strange Neighbour spoke with us exclusively to confirm what their labels have in store for the people in 2014.
It’s true that some of the most innovative and chilling UKHH is currently emerging from the #blahcult. Now with over half a decade’s worth of releases accumulated between the Antiheroes, Children Of The Damned, Herrotiks, Reklews and the maverick duo Dirty Dockerz amongst others, they’ve ceaselessly provided some of the most diverse and cynical UKHH material to date. Be prepared for coldly demented bars, unnerving beats and a reconstruction of each knowledgeable fibre your brain possesses. This is a cult that was grimly endeavoured to fulfil the vices of only the illest hip-hop heads. The reputations of the founding artists are constantly being exceeded from an experience which is shed upon the ever-expansive cult following that is Blah Records. Blah veteran and lyrical maestro Lee Scott reveals exciting material to arise in 2014:
I’ve got some more solo projects finished, in the bag, complete, which included my album ‘Tin Foil Fronts’ and a Dirty Dike produced project. We got the COTD/Baxter collaborative project which won’t actually be released directly on Blah but it still has that Blah cult vibe. We got Black Josh – #Ratchet, and if you don’t know about Josh, get to! He’s going to smash it. We got Tommy Dockerz solo joint and I got some mad shit I have been making with Shakes, Grubb and Reklews. There’ll be loads of SH!T’s in there… And that’s just the shit I can remember. Look out for some Sly Moon shit too!
In 2014 Starch Records will be releasing more ruff, raw, realness – taking shit to the next level/stage. We gonna surprise you again! Bringing through some new heads and resurrecting some old ones. Keeping it DRING as usual. Keeping it underdog. Hopefully we gonna shake people up a bit! In 2014 Starch Records will not be listening to the hype!
High Focus has Cracker Jon release coming up, a new Fliptrix album and Edward Scissortongue has the Theremin EP coming as well. I’m sure there’ll be a Dirty Dike release at some point too. Me and Leaf Dog also have a label called RLD records where we have a Smellington Piff album (Notice of Eviction) and a Jack Jetson album (The Adventures of Jonny Strange) set for 2014.
Real Life Dramas got a lot in store for 2014! We got Jack Jetsons album entitled Adventures of Johnny Strange, then we’ve got my album entitled Notice of Eviction both reaching the final stages… it’s all go!! Beyond that I’m working on an album with Life MC, watch out for the Brainstorm!! I’ve finished an album with Cracker Jon (Bad Characters) and NLP are looking to start a new album. Plus we’ve got Index lining up numerous projects. We’re Gonna Fuck Shit Up! 2014 is the year. Now’s the time.
It’s gonna be a busy year from the camp with a few different projects dropping, including my solo album “Upfront & Personal”, Flying Monk has a solo EP coming, me and him have a joint EP as well as Res who is also working on something. Me and Datkid are part way through an album and work with Life MC is almost ready too! As I say, there is a lot popping so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open for this years releases. Split prophets business!
Well, this year is BBP’s 10th anniversary so there’s plenty in store! There’s a bunch of new artists I’m working with and projects dropping throughout the year. Look out for Steady & Oliver Sudden – The Shutdown Remixes, Oliver Sudden – Phenomenaler Steaz, Steady & Oliver Sudden – Preservatives and new singles from Lego and Benny Diction as well as a new B.O.M.B project. Besides from that there is a bunch of stuff that’s still being developed: including some new artists and some new projects to watch for!
YNR Productions will be kicking off 2014 with the debut mixtape from South London’s Confucius MC – ‘The Highest Order’ – entirely produced by Parisian beat-smith Keor Meteor. Keep your eyes peeled for the sophomore LP from Telemachus, which we can promise will take listeners even further afield as he expands his musical palette in terms of rhythm, tempo and texture. Plus new music from Jehst, the return of Kyza, and a whole lot more!
Telemachus on behalf of himself and his label Kilamanjaro added:
I’m gonna be focusing on releasing stuff as Telemachus. I’ve also nearly wrapped up an album with Jam Baxter. An EP with Onoe Caponoe is in the works and My Mate Does Beats will receive a 3rd installment. Also I will be the first UK HIPHOP MASSIVE CELEB to swim across the English Channel. Just need to buy the goose fat.
Lyrical themes of militancy, revolution, racism, social inequalities, war crimes and exposing the worlds evils in typically neo-hardcore fashion is commonplace. The West London-based label which will be the ultimate legacy of the sworn-brotherhood between OMeza Omniscient and Apex Zero has effectively struck chords and stirred awareness into hip-hop heads nationwide. Their priorities are primed in revolutionizing the nation in opposition to a global dictatorship that will inflict poverty and murder for it’s own self benefit as well voicing many of the internal issues in the West-London slums. Set to awaken audiences with an “intention to bring about a new mentally aware consciousness that’s being prohibited in ways unimaginable” Apex Zero explains why Design Chaos isn’t to be slept on in 2014:
Following the release and success of Apex Zero’s debut solo album ‘Reality Provoking Liberation’ in December 2013, the next release from Design Chaos will be a new mixtape from OMeza Omniscient called “Administer of the Hip-Hop Assembly”, with Apex Zero as the guest speaker. This is scheduled for release early in 2014. There is also more solo work from both OMeza Omniscient and Apex Zero in the pipeline, as well as the work being put into a new First and Last project.
Big Dada’s unique and it will always be unique because it’s a philosophy, y’know? It’s unique because it dares to stick its neck out and it’s run by people who genuinely love music. It’s not just a record label, it’s a movement. – Roots Manuva
TPS crew’s new album Hot Water Music will emerge taking its name from Charles Bukow-ski’s collection of short stories. With guest contributions from Dark Circle, Efeks, Phoenix Da Icefire, Res, Datkid & Geebag, Hot Water Music will give you an insight into the lives of crew members, Jack Diggs, The Strange Neighbour & Big Toast. Efeks and Jack Diggs have the E&J EP coming with Jack Diggs on the beats and Efeks on the rhymes sharing part vocals with Jack Diggs. This EP Has features from TPS and Verb T and possibly two other legendary special guests but this will all be revealed in due time. There’s Strange Neighbours & Phoenix Da Icefires Cinematic LP which will be bringing in heavy weight feature artists from Iron Braydz, Genesis Elijah, Fliptrix, Verb T, Cappo, TPS, Copywrite, Skriblah Dangogh, Manage and Kevlaar 7… And the list goes on! Not one to be missed!! Big Toast has his Save The Pub EP, where Toast tells his tales of growing through the pub years! This is still in the making and sounding dangerous! We also we have a LTD vinyl release by Hermit The Slob 8 track white label! Hermit pulled together TPS, Geebag, Oliver Sudden, Al Mighty, Dowta, Joey Menza, Cracker Jon, Datkid and more… This project is so early in the making it could possibly be a 2015 release!
Words By Ethan Everton