Illinformed

10 Questions with Wish Master

February 15, 2022 by Kieron Sullivan

We caught up with Official Recordings bossman, Wish Master, somewhere towards the end of last year and fired 10 quick questions at him looking back at his 2021 release and general OR Records movements. Here’s what he had to say…

1) You’ve been keeping shit prolific for a long time, 6 albums released since 2018! Have you settled into the rhythm of one project a year now?

To be honest it got to be at least one a year now but if I can get two out why not. I believe if I got something ready then let it off don’t hold it, give it to the people.

2) This year’s marked the heavyweight release of Cold Harbour Tales with Illinformed. To anyone who hasn’t heard it, how would you describe the LP?

Tales from my life script The world from my verbal perspective. I would say It Real Raw, Gritty Rap, a very honest and strong body of work. In my Book Instant Classic.

3) 2020 saw you drop the The Bull which felt like a more reflective album. Safe to say Cold Harbour Tales is more banger driven. Did you set out to make something harder or was it more of a natural response to the process of writing to Illinformed’s brand of Boom Bap?

The Bull is definitely a more reflective album but I don’t set out to make anything in particular I just let the music take me where it takes me, the beats kinda dictate the vibes and how I attack the track. I was working with Illinformed, he built me a sound and I trust in his process so it just ended up being more hard hitting and more banger driven. Not to mention ill’s got a lot of dope people that he works with so feature list was crazy.

4) How did the Illinformed link up come about?

I knew of him from back in the day through the music and that but met through both sharing a few mutual friends. Think Datkid introduced me and we just kinda linked up and we got it cracking straight away. I recorded the album in like 4 months But i Had to wait for a-lot of features.

5) Features are crazy. A lot of Bristol talent. Was sorting the guest spots mainly reaching out to extended family? Anyone on there that you’d not met or worked with before?

A Bit of Both really i want to bring my family through cause it always a family affair O.R to the world . But there were a few people I already wanted to work with and ill was producing or produced a project for them already so it just made sense, it was more case of the right feature on the right track which I think I picked em well.

6) Clocked a little while back you had a billboard up in Bris. Is that a Wish Master first?

Yeah it was my first billboard massive like that, but was all part of the album marketing campaign. Cant lie it felt good people telling me they seen it.

7) On top of your own material, you’ve been doing bits at the helm of Official Recordings. What originally led to you starting the label?

Just the need and want for my own creative hub and platform, so I’m self sufficient and could help bring through the family.

8) Looks like the label fam has been expanding. Checked the full roster on the new website and the full team is looking like a threat. Is it safe to say there’s a lot of music incoming? What’s up next?

I have a few artist dropping this year gunna be a big year for O.R. We got stuff coming from Da Regiment, Tac, Tona Montona, Gaza Glock and Billy Whizz got an album as well so fully loaded this year trust me. And as I do yearly I will have something to come this year just deciding which project to drop. There is also an O.R compilation album in the works.

9) Would have liked to have made it to the Cold Harbour Tales album launch party. Line up was a madness. How was it?

The party was crazy, it was really dope to see everyone having a good time, after all its been a very unsure stressful rollercoaster of a year. It was actually raining that day but that didn’t stop the love and support, people showed out for me. Everyone on the line up killed it. My set was crazy had near enough all the features from my album preform the songs minus a few, overall dope night.

10) Any OR events coming up to plug?

Got few shows I’m booked for and O.R take overs coming, keep your eyes peeled.

Wish Master X Illinformed – Stop Rewind Fast Forward ft Chillman

January 17, 2022 by Kieron Sullivan

New visual from Bristol’s Wish Master, featuring fellow local legend Chillman. ‘Stop Rewind Fast Forward’ is taken from 2021’s Cold Harbour Tales. The LP is entirely produced by Illinformed and available to cop on vinyl HERE.

Verb T & Illinformed – Feeling Strange ft King Kashmere

January 12, 2022 by Kieron Sullivan

One of the illest tracks off recent drop Stranded In Foggy Times, Verb T links up with fellow HF veteran King Kashmere for feeling strange.

Datkid & Illinformed – Thorn In Your Side ft Babylon Dead

November 21, 2021 by Kieron Sullivan

Not really a music video this… Posting anyway because it’s served as a reminder of how hard this Datkid X Babylon Dead link up bangs. ‘Thorn In Your Side’ is lifted from this year’s dope Wakmo LP.

Verb T & Illinformed – First Step

September 11, 2021 by Kieron Sullivan

One of the most prolific/consistent veterans in the UK hip hop game Verb T reuniting with one of the most prolific/consistent producers Illinformed on latest High Focus drop ‘First Step’. Visual wizardry by Honey JD. Dope.

BVA – ‘Lex Neville’ Review

May 27, 2021 by Ben Graham

The last 14 months have been weird. No pubs, no festivals, no shows. Thankfully, some things have stayed the same. British weather is still shit, Piers Morgan is still a blethering bellend, and BVA is still one of the sharpest emcees in the UK today.

For the uninitiated, the Beav established his impeccable credentials through his time in 3 Amigos, Brothers Of The Stone and Four Owls. But despite over a decade in the game, Lex Neville is only his second solo LP. Thankfully for BVA (and hip hop heads everywhere), it’s quality over quantity.

That’s not to say the album is low on tunes. The sixteen tracks zip by so quick you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s just a ten-track album. Lyrically, there’s more of what made Be Very Aware slap so hard; the righteous anger, puerile petulance and endlessly quotable slogans.

‘Bring It Back’ is BVA at his best, painting vivid visuals with a liquid-smooth flow. Like his fellow RLD labelmates, he excels in mixing late the effortless vibe of ‘90s East Coast classics with a quintessentially British no-fucks-given attitude.Likewise, ‘Role Model’ twists a nifty little bassline around a Greek lyre that works as surprisingly well as Ouzo and energy drink (trust me, try it).

BVA is joined by the cream of UK hip hop, with guest spots from Datkid, Smellington Piff and, of course, Leaf Dog. Jack Jetson and King Kashmere join BVA to usher in the apocalypse in ‘End of Days’, while fellow Owl Verb T graces the instant classic ‘Rolling’. That oh so sweet mix of chopped up soul, obscure jazz and classic ’90s boom bap is still present. But the beats (courtesy of Leaf and brother IllInformed) throw up a few surprises too. The G-funk inspired ‘Groundhog Day’, wouldn’t sound out of place on a GTA soundtrack. Jazz T also drops in to provide some sublime cuts on several tracks, most notably ‘Carving Tablets’.

But this is BVA’s moment. OK, so there’s not exactly anything new in Lex Neville. But the Beav is very much living by the “if it ain’t broke” mantra.

After a year and a half of bewildering change, it’s nice to know some things are exactly as good as you remember them.

Lex Neville drops 28th May 2021 on RLD Records.

Gee Bag x Illinformed – American Dreams

August 24, 2020 by Kieron Sullivan

This year’s Respect Ya Elders! LP from UK heavyweights Gee Bag and Illinformed became an instant classic upon release. With numerous tracks worthy of being singles, the project that is a gift that keeps giving. We’re proud to drop the video for ‘American Dreams’ featuring Gee name-checking his dream list of US collabs and their impossible price tags. Shot by our own Dfacer.

Sure fire addition to our the next wave of additions to our new regular Spotify playlst IYDK: The UK Hip Hop List. Hit follow Below:

Verb T & Illinformed – Rotten Luck

August 22, 2020 by Kieron Sullivan

The tried and tested High Focus team-up, Verb T and Illinformed, are back it. Completely unsurprisingly ‘Rotten Luck’ is some high grade, mellow fire. No details yet on whether this could mean a follow up to 2015’s excellent The Man With The Foggy Eyes LP. Fingers and toes crossed that we get more from the duo soon.

Gee Bag x Illinformed ft Verbz & The Strange Neighbour- What You Speaking For?

August 5, 2020 by Theo Specone

Lifted from the LP “Respect Ya Elders!” by Gee Bag & Illinformed. Album is available on Cassette, CD and Double Vinyl @ http://www.revorg.co.uk

Babylon Dead – Nineteen84

July 21, 2020 by Kieron Sullivan

On the very slim list of good things about 2020, the dystopian shit show we’re living through is actually kind of the perfect backdrop for the reappearance of Babylon Dead. ‘Nineteen84’ features J Man on acerbic form with the kind of enraged ragga-rap flows that make BD unique. Illinformed smashing the beats side of the equation out the park as expected.

New LP Book Of The Dead drops on RLD Records on September 4th. The list of features is mad.

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