Following on from yesterdays post here’s the second selection of ‘sober enough to send an email at christmas’ replies to my end of year roundup questions.
Thanks to King Underground, Mystro, Rapshack, Rarekind, Ryan Proctor, Tom Caruana, Wyt Fang and the guys from Hoochinoo/Rappertag for taking the time out to contribute and if you haven’t seen yesterdays selection from Aspects, Associated Minds, Caxton Press, Chemo, Disorda, Donnie Propa and Itch FM yet then check the link at the bottom of the page.
King Underground
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resumeKingUnderground was established in 2005 as an independent online-record outlet operating from Milton Keynes. Today KU has evolved into a record label, specialising in the finest underground hip-hop and related beat music.
The aim of the label is to release quality underground music on vinyl as well as in digital formats. Whilst always being educated by the past and capturing the classic hip-hop sound, KingUnderground also endeavours to break new ground and introduce innovative forward thinking music.
Lewis Parker, Planet Asia, Mr. Brown, Simiah and Pings are some of KingUnderground’s growing roster of artists. We also have just added to the line up, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Apani B, Fredfades, Icerocks, Cappo & Nappa.
how was 2012 for you and what were the release highlights that might have been missed
2012 was a very positive year for KingUnderground. We released several releases on vinyl. All but 1 or 2 have sold out completely. If you were unaware of them, here’s a couple that are still available. The first one is a song by Lewis Parker featuring the legendary Sadat X of Brand Nubian and Shabaam Sahdeeq of Polyrhythm Addicts. It was available on a deluxe edition red vinyl of 200 copies and also a standard edition on black vinyl. The deluxe sold out in a few days. There are several music videos to go with it too, just follow the link. http://www.kingunderground.com/product/lewis-parker-walking-on-a-razor-12-standard-edition
The other release is a song produced by the UK producer, DJ Pings. It features Rob-O of INI and is available on a limited edition 7” vinyl. http://www.kingunderground.com/product/pings-you-me-feat-rob-o-7 It’s also available as a free download here. http://www.dephect.com/audio/pings-you-me-feat-rob-o
what are the planned releases for 2013?
Lots of releases planned for 2013. We have a 12” and full length LP called ‘Rebelbase’ dropping by the legendary Cappo & Nappa (Phi-Life-Cypher). This should be ready early 2013. We were very lucky to get Apani B on board and we have a project dropping called, ‘The End of the Bronze Age’. There will also be a warm up single. As well as Apani B we also have another Polyrhythm Addicts member, the legendary, former Rawkus Records signee, Shabaam Sahdeeq. The project has a number of Lewis Parker produced tracks on it and also 1 or 2 by KU’s DJ Pings. Here’s a little taster of one of the LP tracks… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kITeh7xDqLQ It would take me a while to go through all the projects we have lined up but just to give you an idea we have projects from: Planet Asia, Lewis Parker, Mr Brown, Simiah, Pings, Fredfades and much more.
what other music hit the spot in 2012?
Gangrene – Vodka & Ayahasca & the Odditorium EP. Action Bronson – Symbol, Damu – Soul Brother Number 3 7”, DXA – Ice’s Jazz, Roc Marciano – Emeralds, Lord Finesse – The Funky Technician (Instrumentals), Da Beatminerz – Another World (remix), Massinflu – Morning Breath Chasers,…There’s definitely a lot of stuff that I’ve forgot to mention and my head has gone blank but there are lots of dope releases coming out from these labels; Blunted Astronaut Records, Slice-of-Spice, Redefinition, Ill Adrenaline….
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
I think the UK scene is slowly building up again. There’s still a hope yet… Seems like a lot of the dudes from the past are back releasing records again.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead? are you worried about piracy/filesharing?
Physical formats are definitely not dead, however I don’t think it will ever be quite like it used to be in terms of units sold. I read somewhere there was a 40% increase on vinyl sales worldwide in 2011 so things are looking up.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
Props to the whole KU family, big shouts to D-fader, Mr Brown, Simiah, Lewis Parker, Huw Bowles, Hack and anyone else in the crew… Shouts to Kuba (Blunted Astronaut), Rich (Slice-of-Spice) , John Nota (Redef), Benny (Ill Adrenaline), Bob (Chopped Herring). Also props to Dephect.com. Go check them out for your fresh threads and of course thanks to Spoon for the interview.
any final blatant self-promotion, twitter, links etc.
Definitely. Go check www.KingUnderground.com / Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pages/KingUnderground-Online-Record-Store/243483257441 Twitter – https://twitter.com/kingunderground
Some free downloads here for you:
Mystro
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to now
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to nowI’m a Natural Born Spitta from West London who’s been working independently for over 10 years i have 4 EP’s a collaboration project & in 2012 an LP out as well as a bunch of features i’m part of world-wide. Your favourite UK rapper doesn’t like it when you mention my name even though they’re a fan secretly. I rap about what ever i feel like & i’m not afraid. This is probably why i’m still here inspiring people while so many of my peers have come and gone. And i can hunt deer bare footed with no weapons.
how was 2012 for you and what were the release highlights that people might have been missed
releases were my debut LP Mystrogen which i released via Don’t Bizznizz in September as well as ‘I Know You Got Sole(Heaven) a remake of the Rakim classic but sneaker heads, ‘Fire It Up’ by the Dirty Dubsters.
The year had it’s ups & downs i nearly quit because of how corny shit seemed to be in the industry but after a good talk with close friends and realising what it was that was putting me off i decided to come back with ‘Cockadoddledoo’ & got it all off my chest (youtube it). What’s more, the people who were annoying me don’t chat to me after that video so it’s a win, win situation & i’m much happier.
what have you got planned for 2013?
Mystrogen deluxe version hoping for a March release then some more releases from myself & Jargon so stay tuned…
what other music hit the spot in 2012?
Cloud Rap & Latin Jazz
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
It’s wicked man we just had the 1st ever all UK Hip-Hop festival ‘Boom Bap’ that’s never been done before and it was a success… i think that alone tells you how healthy the scene is.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead? are you worried about piracy/filesharing?
No they’re not dead, people still buy CD’s & vinyl just not as much as before because of the digital age. It’s kind of messed up because i feel like the value of the material is not the same, when you have something physical you’re a lot more aware of it, you keep the records in a safe place not wanting to get them damaged or you have your CD collection all in alphabetical order and know when ever there is one not in it’s place etc. you might enjoy reading the inly credits and all of that. A lot of that is none existent in the digital world where it’s all based around an icon on your computer. How many times did you forget to listen to something that’s been on your desktop for weeks because you forgot it was there?. So coming from the era where the physical format was at the forefront it’s quite easy to see the there is less value in the digital music world what with sound quality etc… piracy always been happening it’s just now there’s probably more people doing it and then buying the legal release if they like it enough or have the money.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
Natural Born Spittaz, Jargon & DJ LoK, Dan DNA, Black Einstein, Leaf Dog, DJ Hermano, everyone who helped out on the Mystrogen LP & Dr Manhattan
any final blatent self-promotion, twitter, links etc.
Follow @MysDiggi, http://www.mysdiggi.com
Rapshack
plug your shop in a few short words and explain why people should use you
plug your shop in a few short words and explain why people should use youPrince’s Trust Enterprising Award Winners, number 1 Google ranked (maybe not now but we were for a good few years in a row) We still have many great titles in stock, many deleted titles. We’ve been involved in Hip Hop since day one, since the days of Afrikka Bambataa and The Sugar Hill Gang so we kinda know our history.
I myself have helped manage long established shops before setting up Rapshack so the record retail industry isn’t new to me. Our customer service is great any we are always happy to help or give alternatives/advice.
what have been the big sellers this year
I’m guessing you want UK only titles??
To be honest UK hasn’t been a big seller for us this year, but we would have to say anything on Low Life still!!
what personally has hit the spot for you in 2012?
This year has been great for Hip Hop UK and US Hip Hop is in a strong position right now, there’s some big underground tracks as well as the commercial stuff. But UK wise has to be the strong production coming from the 4 Owls camp and the new Jehst, Funky DL and Chris Leese the long a waited Mystro new albums.
how do you see the health of the uk hiphop scene at the moment?
Kinda answered this above, but yeah UK Hip Hop is healthy at the moment I feel. Strong production, people getting more passionate about the scene again. The Boom Bap festival should help if they stick to it in the years to come.
give us a tip for 2013
Hmmm With the strength of the scene already this year the momentum has already started. The Don’t Flop peeps have got a good thing going on and there seems to be a new breed of younger cats doing strong stuff with an older style but with upto date production techniques. So there’s something there definitely.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead?
Hip Hop is strong right now, again which is great. It’s too big to disappear and there is more of a need and want for decent quality stuff. Even the more commercial stuff has started to take a more older style using older samples again.
There will always be a want for a physical format, maybe just in a different format. Look at the new wave of Dongles appearing with albums and artwork on. Another new collectable format!! Vinyl will never die and a few cassettes have started to reappear a la Raekwon and his ‘Purple Tape’ re issue.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
Shoutouts:ALL Hip Hop crews Worldwide new and old keeping the passion alive and UKHH.com of course still reppin!
Thanks:
To our customers, our listeners and our fans. Thanks for sticking with us!
To our customers, our listeners and our fans. Thanks for sticking with us!
Christmas wishes:
Peas on earth.
Peas on earth.
any final blatent self promotion, twitter, links etc.
Massive clearance sale, still many deleted titles in stock.
The Rapshack Radio Show a FREE weekly downloadable podcast. Exclusive new joints, current new features on your favourite Hip Hop artists, Diggin In The Crates At 8 – digging in the crates of wax. To top it all off every week is topped off with the UK Rap Round Up – new and old UK tracks back to back!
Follow us Twitter: @rapshack_co_uk
Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/Rapshack
And check my website: for bookings, mixtapes, watch videos, view event listing and more
www.urbanitedj.com
www.urbanitedj.com
Rarekind
plug your shop in a few short words and explain why people should use you
plug your shop in a few short words and explain why people should use youRarekind Records is a real world record shop in Brighton, we stock all kinds of music, new releases and 2nd hand, but specialise in Hip Hop. We started selling UK hip hop back in 2004 as part of the Rarekind Grafitti gallery and now probably have the biggest selection of UK hip hop in any walk – in shop in the country. We also stock lots and lots of US hip hop, both new releases and rare collectables.
what have been the big sellers this year
Biggest sellers for us UK wise would be all the High Focus releases, Jehst’s Dragon of an Ordinary Family, Dr Syntax and Tom
Caruana’s album, Rum Committee – Booze Town, Datkid and Split Prophets albums and we restocked all the MFTC’s / £10 bags and chester P releases recently too and they’ve been selling well.
Caruana’s album, Rum Committee – Booze Town, Datkid and Split Prophets albums and we restocked all the MFTC’s / £10 bags and chester P releases recently too and they’ve been selling well.
DJ Format – Statement of Intent was amassive massive seller for us this year as well, and The Purist’s debut 7 sold like wild fire. US wise we sold lots of Action Bronson albums, Blu & Exile, KA’s Grief Pedigree, everything on the Chopped Herring , Diggers WIth Gratitude, Slice of Spice and Blunted Astronaut labels sold well, Ohnomite, Masta Ace & MF Doom, KEndrick LAmar album just landed and has flown off the racks… probably lots more I’ve forgotten. Gregory Porter – 1960 What? was probably our best selling non hip hop record of the year.
what personally has hit the spot for you in 2012?
Not UK hip hop, but Grief Pedigree would be hands down my favorite record of the year. There was a Wendy Rene compilation on Light in the Attic that’s been on pretty much constant rotation too, Masta Ace and MF Doom got a lot of plays and the Action Bronson album. UK wise, in addition to what was mentioned above i enjoyed Concept of Thoughts album, Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn, Adam & Cuth – Letters EP , Skuff’s Destroy Everything and his Deep Covers thing.
how do you see the health of the uk hiphop scene at the moment?
UK hip hop is in great shape right now I would say – on a par with how it was in the early 2000’s and certainly more popular than it’s been for awhile. Lots of good acts, quite a bit of originality, new people coming thru, some old vets releasing good stuff.
give us a tip for 2013
Thought and Frankie Stew, Rag N Bone Man outta Rum Committee and also a duo called Barcode if they release anything. US wise I’m looking forward to the KA and Roc Marciano Metal Clergy LP.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead?
I’m not sure my opinion can be objective, but from where I stand the physical format is a long way from dead, some people still enjoy buying a physical product and collecting music. Vinyl sales were definitely up for us this year, and there’s been loads more good stuff out on vinyl in the last couple of years. Particularly US hip hop with loads of quality small labels springing up, but more UK rap on vinyl in the last 12 months than for a long time .UK hip hop sales on CD have been pretty strong for some releases too.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
Too many shout outs to mention everyone really. Big ups to all the independent labels and people releasing good music, thanks for letting us stock your stuff. Massive shouts to everyone that comes in the shop or buys from us online and still likes to own music in a physical format. Respect to all the Brighton heads old and new and everyone who works at or is connected to the shop.
any final blatent self promotion, twitter, links etc.
If you are in Brighton or visiting come see us at 104 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4ER or check us out online at rarekindrecords.co.uk or
the facebook page facebook.com/rarekindrecords
the facebook page facebook.com/rarekindrecords
Ryan Proctor
introduce yourselves and what you do
introduce yourselves and what you doMy name is Ryan Proctor and I’ve been active in the field of Hip-Hop journalism since the mid-90s. Over the years I’ve written for numerous magazines and websites including Downlow, Fatboss, Hip-Hop Connection, The Source, XXL, Undercover etc. I’m probably best known for the fortnightly Hip-Hop column I wrote for Blues & Soul magazine from 1999 until the magazine went out of business in 2007. I can now be found online at www.oldtothenew.wordpress.com
what have been your albums/singles of the year
uk albums:
M9 – “Magna Carta”
Mystro – “Mystrogen”
Verb T – “Morning Process”
DJ Format – “Statement Of Intent”
Kingdom Of Fear – “Kingdom Of Fear”
uk singles
Big Cakes – “Elephants”
Genesis Elijah – “Underground King”
Dr Syntax & The Mouse Outfit ft. Sparkz & Kosyne – “Escape Music”
Juga-Naut ft. Vandal Savage – “Mortar Shells”
K.I.N.E.T.I.K. – “Products Of The City Life”
which artists/event impressed you most during the year?
The event that most impressed me this year has to be the Boom-Bap Festival that happened in September. It felt really good to see so many people turning-up to support a three-day UK-artist only event. There was a good mix of acts from up and down the country with both younger and older heads all mixing together and enjoying the performances. A brilliant weekend and hopefully there’ll be another one in 2013.
I also have to mention the 4our Pillars events in London which happened in 2012 – organised by members of Son Of Noise and featuring performances from MCM, Kamanchi Sly, Rodney P, Killa Instinct etc, 4our Pillars provided a great opportunity to celebrate some homegrown Hip-Hop heritage – make sure you reach the next one if you can in the new year.
what are your plans for 2013?
Nothing particularly dramatic – to keep looking out for good Hip-Hop and to try and stay in a day job to keep the bills paid.
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
The scene is very fragmented nowadays which is fairly reflective of Hip-Hop as a whole with so many different styles, artists etc fighting for attention. But overall I think there’s a lot of quality music coming out of the UK scene right now, but then there always has been. I’ve been listening to Hip-Hop since the early-80s and the UK has always had talent, but the positive difference now is that British fans are more willing to support their own rather than always looking to the States for inspiration and validation. The main issue now is about ensuring that support translates into actual sales so quality artists can
continue to fund their music and don’t have to give everything away for free either by choice or because people are getting those unofficial downloads.
continue to fund their music and don’t have to give everything away for free either by choice or because people are getting those unofficial downloads.
give us a tip for 2013
George Fields is a UK producer to lookout for who I think will be making some noise in 2013 – check his “From The Sticks” instrumental project for proof.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
I’d like to shoutout all the artists out there still putting their heart and soul into Hip-Hop here in the UK to ensure us fans out there still have quality new music to listen to. I’d also like to thank everyone who takes the time to visit my blog on a regular basis – considering how many blogs, websites etc there are online nowadays it’s definitely appreciated.
any final blatent self promotion, twitter, links etc.
As I mentioned, people can check the blog oldtothenew.wordpress.com
for music videos, interviews, reviews etc and can also reach me on Twitter – @RyanProctor75.
for music videos, interviews, reviews etc and can also reach me on Twitter – @RyanProctor75.
Tom Caruana
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to now
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to nowmy name’s Tom Caruana, I’ve been making music for about 15 years. Have worked with some other humans, who mostly do the vocals on my beats.
how was 2012 for you and what were the release highlights that might have been missed
2012 was a busy year for me, I was working on several albums of which 4 of them were released: Dizraeli’s White Man Moves, Longusto’s Too Big To Play, Dr Syntax’s A Slice of Fried Gold & Professor Elemental’s Father Of Invention, I spent most of my year working of these.
what are your planned releases for 2013?
planned releases for 2013, currently untitled instrumental/solo album. Menagerie album which features Tea Sea regulars: Longusto, Elemental, Teej, Koaste, Syntax, Dizraeli, Vecks, Baba Brinkman, Nick Maxwell, Jon Clark and Mole. I’m hopefully going to finish the 3rd and final Bombadeal album too.
what other music hit the spot in 2012?
Large Pro’s Main Source album was one of the only new albums I bought.
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
I’m not sure really as I don’t tend to keep up with the scene all that much. It does seem quite healthy though, some pretty good releases still coming out of the UK.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead? are you worried about piracy/filesharing?
I think it’s a great time for the industry, much more direct artist to fan relationship, which means better experience for the listeners and better profit margins for the artists. Not worried about filesharing, you’ve just got to embrace these things, if people want the music they should be able to get it.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
shouts to the alien visitors from the first question and everyone else
any final blatent self-promotion, twitter, links etc.
Wyt Fang
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to now
for those alien visitors who won’t know give us a quick resume up to nowCamden based beatmaker, been doin it since 1998 and still going. Part of Underground Alliance (UNDALI) alongside Skrein, Graziella, Doobie (Screaming Soul), Defdfires, Stig, Moodie (Reggae Roast) and that.. Too many heads..
Had tunes with Plan B, Skinnyman, Nomadic Poet (The Planets), Doc Brown, Mr Daktis (Jam Baxter) etc..
I had the pleasure of having a Hip-Hop record in Camden for a while where i started up Filthy Habits (the label), and hanging/fucking around on ukhh.com a lot.
Now I’m just building beats and trying to get shit out. Emcees hit me up, I’m on it on it.
how was 2012 for you and what were the release highlights that might have been missed
2012 was a great year for UK Hip-Hop in general. So many good releases (allot for free too..)
You had that YNR, High Focus, Boot, Killamanjaro, Strange Universe, Flame Griller, Taskforce, Melanin 9, Cappo, Paul White, Defdfires, Skuff type shits… There was soooooo many releases, should be loads more to come too. Keep them peepers peeled.
Been allot of UK/US collab shits too. UK producers on American albums and American Rappers on UK releases. Good shit.
You had that YNR, High Focus, Boot, Killamanjaro, Strange Universe, Flame Griller, Taskforce, Melanin 9, Cappo, Paul White, Defdfires, Skuff type shits… There was soooooo many releases, should be loads more to come too. Keep them peepers peeled.
Been allot of UK/US collab shits too. UK producers on American albums and American Rappers on UK releases. Good shit.
what are your planned releases for 2013?
I wangled an EP with Cappo somehow, it’s called “BEASTS”. 7 tracks of just me and Caps, no features, no fillers.. The deluxe 12″ version comes with a tee, snapback, Download, coloured wax etc we going all out on this release, with Videos, Merchandise etc. all created/printed/molested in the Filthy Habits office by us. It’s not everyday you get to put something out with one of your favourite rappers, so I’m going all out with this shits. I hope you like it.
Early 2013 I’ve got an EP dropping with the Defdfires and a whole album with DDF member Bill Daggs soon after + stuff with Koaste, Longusto, TBear (The Colony), The Chinstrap Penguins (WY), Lucid Mover etc.. Loads.
what other music hit the spot in 2012?
The U.S has got me gripped too. I’m gonna have to get another job just to buy music right now. There’s classic artists banging out shit again, Commons calling women bitches again, iss all good.
Shit that got me this year was Roc Marciano, Sean Price, OHNO, Flying Lotus, Shiwbiz & AG, Joey Bada$$, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, Nas, Termanology, MOP, EL-P, Styles P, Action Bronson, DITC, WU, Luv NY, Danny Brown, Freddie Gibbs, Busta, Meyhem Lauren, Quelle Chris, Radnom Axe, Pete Rock, Mobb Deep and anything Alchemist. Again, too many to mention.
Been a great year for Rap music.
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
I think the ukhh scene is healthy at the moment. There are allot of good artists/crews about, there’s new clothing labels, Blogs/online shits etc..
Loads of shows about all over the country + stuff like Boom Bap happening. I’m missing out on shit nowdays coz i can’t afford to reach or are too busy/hungover to go.
any thoughts on the future of the industry? are physical formats dead? are you worried about piracy/filesharing?
The industry is evolving so we’ve got to act accordingly. Yes people’s are going to DL your music/film/thing free.. You have to just get your doe elsewhere (merch/shows/barmitzvah’s etc).
Listeners can now buy/listen to pretty much whatever they want from the shitter nowadays. Remember what it was like just trying to find an album before the Internet. Paying £20 (or whatever) for that imported 12″/CD, pain in the arse..
There isnt an HMV/Record shop near you anymore. The days of loads of people (labels/press etc) earned off one artist/band/crew are dead, everything’s allot more streamlined and direct.
There isnt an HMV/Record shop near you anymore. The days of loads of people (labels/press etc) earned off one artist/band/crew are dead, everything’s allot more streamlined and direct.
Most of my mates buy they music direct from the artist at a show or whatever, the rest gets downloaded.
There isn’t any mags no more, I’m getting all my fresh shit (from fans upping shit, Blogs, Sites like Ukhh, Twitter, the artists themselves etc) a lot quicker then I would 20 years ago.
Because artists can’t make as much money as they usually do on they releases were seeing a lot more honest music. Nas don’t have to get a R. Kelly verse no more, he’s dropping that music he wants. No need to “sell out” no more. You’ve got Corinne Bailey Rae on a Wu album, Little Dragon on a Big Boi album, Plan B/English Frank/Skrein an them doing films/tv, EL-P/Killer Mike album, Cee-Lo still doing his singing shits.
Labels will still press wax/CDs but possibly as a limited product and mainly rely on DLs. Manufacturing costs, a lot. I suppose people are thinking “put out a project in 3 months or a year?”, generally people just make their money back (if they’re lucky) anyways. Might as well bang it online, get your project out.
With so many releases every week, it’s hard to make a splash with your release. Artists are making more of impact with their product/artwork/videos/shows/characters, and putting out tracks/releases more regularly.
As long as musics still coming out, we’re all good.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
Huge shout to ukhh for the opportunity & for holding it down for so long. Shout to all the heads that bought/downloaded my shit. There’s loads coming..
Big shout to all the new babies in the family (UNDALI), give it 10 years for Underage Alliance to drop.
Props to all the people out there doing it in HipHop, stay grinding. All the people’s buying stuff and keeping the scene going, stay up.
Lets see what 2013 brings…
any final blatent self-promotion, twitter, links etc.
Make sure you check BEASTS and the rest of my shit when it drops.
As ever, I’m available through the usual avenues:
@Wytfang, @FLTHYHBTS, Facebook and stuff.
Go download my shit, it’s pretty much all free.
MCs, hit me up for beats yo.
Hoochinoo/Rappertag/ukhh.com
introduce yourselves and what you do
introduce yourselves and what you doMy name is Theo Specone, i am the manager of ‘Hoochinoo’ the alternative hip hop showcase here in London, the co-creator of Rappertag UK and one of the new managers here at ukhh.com. My partner in crime is Dfacer, we are running all of these projects together currently…
what was your highlight event of the year?
For me it was taking part in and having our own Hoochinoo tent at the Boom Bap Hip Hop Festival in Peterborough.
what have been your albums/singles of the year
i) Stig of the Dump – Cannon fodder
ii) Mystro – Mystrogen
iii) Verb T Morning Process
iiii)Klashnekoff – FTLT
iiiii) Phoenix da Icefire – The Quantum Leap
which artists impressed you most during the year?
Too many to mention really – the workrate at high focus has been second to none – I Think Mystro’s debut LP was sick. Don’t Flop is always growing, Tony D’s been killing that this year, as well as Shotty Horror internationally. Granville sessions at boom bap festival were really impressive There’s so much good stuff coming out of the UK right now
what are your plans for 2013?
what are your plans for 2013?We are doing a major overhaul of ukhh.com and bringing it up to speed for the new year, we will be running more Hoochinoo events and hopefully taking part in Boom Bap Hip Hop Festival 2013. As well as this we will continue to film Rappertag UK up and down the country depending on who gets tagged in, we will follow this wherever it goes, so people keep Ibiza in mind!! Don’t rule it out ;0) Finally we will be covering everything that is UK hip hop and making regular updates to the site, so make sure you drop in on ukhh.com and have a look.
how do you see the health of the uk scene at the moment?
I see it better than ever before, I think this is the beginning of what could be the UK golden era. For the first time we have a UK ‘old school’, artists and sounds that have been making music since the late eighties and early nineties. We have different recognised crews and styles popping up all over the UK, we have a hugely popular battle scene, beatboxers and breakers, all of which seem to intertwine within each other. It really feels like the scene is pulling together, promoters are talking to each other and collaborating on various projects and producers are getting more and more inventive. The very fact that 2000 people came down to the Boom Bap Festival shows that there is a strong and renewed interest in what some of us have been doing for years. It’s a great feeling.
give us a tip for 2013
Stockpile food, water and weapons and find some kind of off-road vehicle…. i’m just sayin’.
shoutouts/thanks/christmas wishes
If you haven’t seen it already go and check out Stig of the Dump’s new Christmas persona, Bad Man Santa – www.merrydissmas.com
Shouts as follows:
Thank you to Smiff and Spoon at ukhh.com for giving us the opportunity to take over this ‘hub’ of uk hip hop, the potential for the site is limitless and 2013 is going to be our year.
Ivan and Jack at Boom Bap Festival for getting us involved this year, they are putting in hard work for the scene.
any final blatent self promotion, twitter, links etc.
If people still don’t know about Rappertag UK, please visit www.rappertag.co.uk and check out the videos myself and Dfacer have been running around and filming throughout 2011 and 2012, huge amount of talent in the UK and I love this project, peep that ish.
Also follow us:
@ukhhcom, @hoochinoo @RappertagUK @Dfacer1
And that’s it for another year. Thanks to all of the artists, labels, shops and journo’s that took the time to complete my little questionnaire. If you’re reading this and thinking ‘why wasn’t I asked’ then check your DM, inbox or spambox as I hit up a lot of people but didn’t pursue you relentlessly, this scene thrives if people step their games up and take the opportunities that arise. If I genuinely missed you out then my bad, follow us on twitter and go hard into 2013 and we might look you up next year.
Please go back through the links in these articles, follow, join and most of all purchase something.
ukhh.com has gone through a lull the last few years but we’re hoping the new guard of Theo & Dfacer will give it a much needed kick into the 21st century and myself (@spoon_ukhh) and @smiff_ukhh will still be lurking around in the background sticking our oars in.
ukhh.com – Putting Knowledge Into Heads since 1999. At what age do we officially become old school?