It's been a minute but here's a very special Live Gem courtesy of London poet, George The Poet. Extremely talented, eloquent, and just smart, He shares the same management as the team behind some UK's most exciting new talent like soul singer, Jacob Banks and producer, Wizzy Wow. Having appeared on BBC Radio 1Xtra, George is rapidly putting spoken word on the map as a fresh and exciting form of artistic expression- and audiences are really connecting to what he has to say. It's little wonder he was booked to perform on the legendary show Later... with Jools Holland. Check out this piece of lyrical awesomeness right here- this is "YOLO".
Fearless, potty-mouthed rapper Azealia Banks dropped the visuals for her track 'Yung Rapunxel' from her long awaited debut album Broke With Expensive Taste. The Jam Sutton- directed video features Banks giving a series of moody, pouty, knowing glances to camera as she performs the track. There's also a lot of weird eyeballs: red eyes, black eyes, eyeballs in hands, and the now imfamous, but always creepy, mouth-in-place-of-eyeballs image from the track's artwork. The film is loaded with cryptic artistc messages that are the subject of much speculation on social networks. Say what you will about Miss Banks but she knows how to create a buzz.
Emerging rapper Macklemore and his long time collaborator Ryan Lewis have released the epic video for the song 'Can't Hold Us'. It's a cinematic offereing that was conceptualised by the duo and their team of creative partners. Part of what I love about Macklemore is that his whole project, feels like an artistic movement. He is the front-man for this bigger collective of artisans, all working towards a common goal, and this doesn't come across as contrived or gimmicky. Together, Macklemore and his team produce work that is rooted, organic, bold, and ignighted with quirky personality. It's really intriguing- I'm excited for what the feature holds for these guys.
Catch the remix of Kendrick Lamar's 'B*tch Don't Kill My Vibe' featuring none other than Jay-Z. The track was debuted at America's annual South by South West (SXSW) festival. The version has not been officially released yet, but have a little listen here...
Months before 'Thrift Shop' blew up the global charts, the very cool film maker, Jabari Johnson caught up with rapper, Ben Haggerty- better known as Macklemore- to talk about his journey so far.
Macklemore has been working as an independent artist, releasing music for years. A lot of the time when a record by a non-mainstream artist song blows up, people tend to think that the entertainment fairy godmother waved her magic wand and made it so. But in this film Macklemore, along with his long time collaborator, Ryan Lewis talks the ferocious belief and work ethic required to build a career as an artist. He also talks about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
This is an awesome piece, a great insight into the story behind the music and lovely to watch it now, knowing that all the hard work paid off.
Online broadcaster Link Up TV take an insightful look at the the history and evolution of the UK rap scene. The twenty minute film contextualises the music, the culture in terms of its "Britishness", authenticity and commercial viability. It packs a lot of information and opinion from the perspectives of artists, DJs, industry executives, and fans. UK Rap: The Story So Far provides a much needed education on the roots, and more importantly, the potential of the scene; plus it features opinions on the contentious, UK rap Vs US rap issue.
This is an entirely necessary piece; I urge you to watch it and learn from it.
Fresh from his win for Best Rap Album at last night's Grammy Awards, Drake released the video for his forthcoming single, Started From The Bottom. The visual is a tongue-in-cheek take on the typical zero to hero story. Directed by Director X and C. Papi , the video shows a more fun side of Drake that was mostly missing from 2011's Take Care. The scenes in the supermarket are hilarious, almost channelling oddball comedies like SuperBad. Nice to see a rapper who has the guts to poke fun at himself. Drake also announced over the weekend that his third studio album due out later this year, will be called Nothing Was The Same. Looking forward to that, but until then, here's Started From The Bottom- enjoy!
Earlier this week Drake announced that a new single was on the way and here it is Started From The Bottom is the kind of mellowHip Hop track, that Drake does so well. He reflects on his journey to carve a rap career.It comes after the release of his throw- caution- to- the- wind, party tracks like The Motto, off 2011's Take Care. But Started From The Bottom is a song that puts the party antics to one side and instead circles back to how it all started. It's like Drake's effort to keep himself grounded; to remind himself of the hustle and not just the glory of his success. The track is a great way to kick start the buzz for album number three.
This is a bit of a cheat 'Flashback' because it's only from like 18 months ago (if that) but I'm doing it because it was my intention to do an 'Introducing' post on Childish Gambino but I never got around to it *slaps wrist*. Childish Gambino is one of my favourite rappers right now. The 29 year old is also a scriptwriter and actor and comedian. His debut 2011 album Camp was hot because it said something different: he has all the flavour and energy of more typical rappers but he is talking about relationships, growing up being one of the only black kids at a white school, and about the awkwardness and anxiety of feeling like you're constantly straddling two world's. He is super witty as he makes shrewd observations about society. It's a solid album with interesting flows and excellent production too. Here's one of my favourites, Heartbeat.
So 2013 is not just the year of the comebacks- we've had those before- remember when Steps came back?? *shudder*.No, 2013 is the year of the music comebacks you actually want to see! First Sugababes, then Destiny's Child and now Justin Timberlake has returned to music after six years with "Suit & Tie" sophisticated track with a welcoming summer vibe produced by long time collaborator Timberland and featuring the eternal Rapper of the moment Jay Z. The song has classic Justin flavour with a twist of maturity. It packs a bigger punch than DC's lack- lustre offering. "Suit & Tie" is the first single off his forthcoming third studio album entitled The 20/20 Experience.
Both Big Boi and Andre 3000 feature on a remixed version of Pink Matter off Frank Ocean's critically acclaimed album Channel Orange. This track originally featured Andre 3000 anyway, but the inclusion of Big Boi adds an interesting layer to this dreamy, indulgent, sexy track. Together Andre and Big Boi steal the show from Ocean, a little bit: They each have this amazing way of putting their stamp on any record they're featured on so Ocean's vocal seems, somewhat marginalised to the point where he sounds like the featured artist on an Outkast track rather than vice versa! None the less it's a great remix.
So, Azealia Banks kicks off the new year with new song 'BBD' (Bad B*tches Do It) we still await an album but she keeps us in suspense with interesting new stuff. This track produced by Apple Juice Kid and Sup Doodle gives us more of Banks' patented "Witch-Hop". Have a listen!
Gossip Note: As I write there is a Twitter beef going on between Azealia and Angel Haze. After Banks, rather territorially commented on people who falsely claim to be from New York, (They do that, presumably because it sounds a lot cooler than them saying they're from somewhere like Iowa). Anyhow, Haze took this as a personal jibe and so the back and forth began. Still not sure whether these tiffs between rappers, (especially female rappers) actually more harm than good!
I remember first hearing this album and going into sensory overload! The fusion of different musical genres is immense: there are elements of Hip hop, Funk, Pop, Alternative Rock, Dance and R&B all fused together, blending and separating to create this amazing Alternative Hip hop Psychedelia. The group did receive some criticism for clumsy, crass lyrics, but I think this is a misunderstanding. The lyrics mirror the music to create a fusion of odd words and unconventional imagery. This album is about finding new, original and relevant ways to express and define age old feelings of angst, isolation, identity, love, sex and freedom. In Search of... is full of layers so everyone is invited to listen (or search); whatever you find is up to you.
This album was never really given the due credit it deserved for helping to open up a new kind of freedom of expression within Hip hop music. I remember Missy Elliott describing N.E.R.D as "grunged-out hip hop" and she was right. Pharrell and his band mates were skateboarding, trucker cap wearing, tattoo bearing rappers, the like of which, hadn't really been seen before. N.E.R.D made it OK to be a different kind of Rapper- a different kind of R&B singer and you can see the legacy of this with artists like Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino and even Lil Wayne.N.E.R.D will always represent a kind of punk Hip hop and In Search of... is as relevant now as it was then.
Azealia Banks is the newest female star on the scene and already she has come to represent a new brand of rebellion and fearlessness. The 21 year old New York rapper burst onto the music scene last year with her particular brand of Hip-Hop that she has described as "Witch-Hop". Her music combines elements of 90's House beats with quick-witted rap vocals. In late 2011 Banks released her debut single, 212. The sexually charged track is peppered with profanity. This resulted in limited airplay but did not stop the song charting inside the top 20 and becoming a dance floor favourite. We have come to recognise the commercial brand of fearlessness churned out by artists like Nicki Minaj or Rihanna. But Banks is not just going to don a studded leather jacket or extra short hot pants in the hopes that such style choices will be interpreted as an "I don't care" attitude. Having topped NME's 'Cool List' and received a nomination for the BBC's 'Sound Of 2012' it's clear that Banks is not style over substance but rather the substance of style.
Unlike most
of the headline female artists in the industry at present, Banks is not heavily
endorsed by a popular male Hip Hop artist. It's fair to note that the
partnerships between Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne, Rihanna and Jay-Z, and even
fellow rap newcomer, Iggy Azalea and T.I. have boosted the success of these
artists. But Banks is doing her thing without the backing of a Hip-Hop
heavyweight and for me; this makes her brand of fearlessness all the more
authentic.
Her music
addresses issues of youth, sexuality and otherness. There is a feminist current
that runs through her work. Even in her styling she often takes inspiration
from popular mythical female images such as genies and mermaids. These are
creatures famed for being beautiful, mysterious and strong. She frequently
refers to herself as the 'Liquorice Bitch’, a reference to her skin tone which
is darker than most of the currently popular black females in the music
industry. Banks is celebrating her difference and her otherness in obvious ways
as well as subtle ways. Banks wants the world to know she is as a unique artist
in every aspect and it’s refreshing to see an artist not afraid to be honestly
outspoken in their music and style. Azealia Banks' 1991 EP and Fantasea mixtape are out now. Visit: www.azealiabanks.com Twitter: @AZEALIABANKS
