Electro laced debut video from Grime's very own Mz Bratt. Word has it that Pete Tong's a big fan. Good thing or bad thing?
Today, 1st June 2009, is a landmark occasion in grime. Forget 50 Cent vs Kanye West (there was only going to be one winner there), this is the big one. Three of the scene's heavyweights all release albums (that's right, no mixtapes here) on the same date and go head to head to truly prove who is the real (and I quote Skepta by saying) 'king of grime'.
Following on from the preview below, here's the full version of
Riding For Love feat. Clea & Bashy.
The Rider mixtape is due out 8th June.
Get your digital release on the 7th June by texting: RIDER or RIDING4LOVE to 78789
Subscribe to www.youtube.com/DavincheTV and see exclusive snippets of various versions of Rider including Tinchy Stryder, Skepta, Wretch 32, Ny,
Tinie Tempah and more...
Pre-Order the 'Rider' Mixtape on www.play.com
Huge new track from heavyweight Grime producer Davinche. Some might recognise this as the intro to Wiley's 'experimental' album See Clear Now.
Also, take a look at the video preview for the alternate version featuring Clea & Bashy. The full digital release of the Rider project is released on 24 May which includes versions by Wiley, Ghettz, Skepta, Tinie Tempah, Ny and Wretch32.
www.myspace.com/davinche1
Whilst on topic, take a minute to cast your vote in the latest poll.
Bit late with this one but check out the interesting use of face paint.
Fan made video to Wiley's huge but yet to be released track Wheres My Brother. There's been been plenty of speculation surrounding who he refers to as his 'brother', could it be Dizzee, Titch or maybe even the self confessed king of grime, Skepta?
2. Artist - The Importance of Roll Deep
People within the scene know Roll Deep not only for being one of the founding crews in grime, but also as a collective with almost as many personnel changes as Destiny's Child/Sugababes. However, to their credibility, where many crews are falling by the wayside,they possess an underestimated quality - continuity.
Formed from the ashes of Pay As You Go crew, Roll Deep were formed in 2002 by the remaining members Wiley, Flo Dan, Target, and Breeze. It was also around this time that Dizzee Rascal was emerging as a young prodigy and was quickly ushered in by Wiley (who over the years, has been seen as the controlling element within the clique). It was this decision that really pushed the crew to the forefront of the grime scene.
Whilst honing their mic skills on pirate radio and performing at garage events such Sidewinder, Roll Deep quickly built up a strong following due to the individual elements that each member brought to the table. Like with any other musical collective, your end product is built on the input and quality of it's members - Roll Deep had this in abundance.
Having seen or listened to any of their shows/sets, it was clear to see that each member was strong enough to stand as an individual artist and still be a success. You only have to see where this took Dizzee Rascal (arguably, it could be seen as he outgrown/outshone the group) but there was plenty to come from where Raskit emerged.
Due to their ever growing popularity, the scene clamoured for hard copies of their radio sets in which they duly released the Creeper mixtape series. To this day, many still believe this to be their best work due to the raw, untamed nature of the beats and lyrics.
By this time, as you would expect, record label A & R's were sniffing around sensing the chance of a bit of easy money. This is where they secured their first major record deal with Relentless Records and subsequently released their much acclaimed (and maligned) debut album In At The Deep End. By this time, Dizzee Rascal had long left the group and had spawned a classic with Boy In The Corner.
In At The Deep End
Many praised the group for branching out to a more commercial audience but were also criticised for the use of 80's pop samples and cheesy hooks but, to their credit, still kept their integrity with the content of the lyrics. In my opinion, this was, and still is, their best work to date due to the diversity throughout.
In At The Deep End went on to spawn two singles which charted - The Avenue (11) and Shake A Leg (24). In between projects they also released an anti gun crime single Badman which was then included on their next 'album' Rules & Regulations. The group were also nominated for a MOBO award in 2005.
The album deal with Relentless then came to a mutual end which posed a difficult question of direction; do they continue with their chart friendly rap or focus on making a potential classic to match their former crew member? Luckily, they chose the latter and the self funded Rules & Regulations was announced as the notoriously difficult second album and later released on
This is a new section to the blog which puts the spotlight on the defining moments and/or movements which changed the game. If you have any suggestions or feel someone or something deserves an honourable mention, leave a comment against this post.
Let's start the series with what is no doubt universally recognized as the classic grime album since it's conception...
1. Album - The Impact of Boy In The Corner
Unless you had your ear firmly nailed to the ground, the sounds, feel and style of this album had never been heard before. Dizzee stated at the time that he felt his music sounded like 'the end of the world' in which you can see his point. At the time of release, NME described it as 'balaclava-clad gangs of teenagers wiring London's tenement blocks with dynamite and razing them to the ground.' which is difficult to disagree with considering the use of harsh, relentless synth/drum combos, crisp snares and stadium rock-like bass which feel have been put together as if they're fighting for speaker space.
It's a pure unabashed tale of real life struggles as a youth growing up under the pressures of the bright lights of LDN. Topics such as street robbings, under age pregnancy and general street life are all explained with such brutal honesty and transparency.
Now, almost six years on, Boy In The Corner is seen as inspiration for any rising Grime mc. Despite numerous attempts, this album has yet to be bettered and is seen as the ultimate reference point when introducing a listener to the genre.
Boy In The Corner went onto sell over 250,000 copies and was nominated for (and then won) The Mercury Music Prize later that year. It's with this in mind, how strange it is that the general public choose to dismiss Grime as a musical genre when it produces masterpieces such as this.
Long awaited video to the autotune laden She Glows. Make sure to look out for Ghetts' Inspector Gadget style overcoat. She Glows is taken from Wiley's much talked about project Race Against Time which, if believed, has been pushed back to early 2010.
This is Durrty Goodz' latest mixtape which precedes his hotly anticpated album Born Blessed and is already being touted as one of the best releases of the year (and it's only February?). This is out now exclusively at Ukrecordshop.com. A review is planned soon so be sure to keep an eye out.
New video from the General's new single - Head Get Mangled taken from their forthcoming debut album 'Generally Speaking' out this month (according to myspace.com/dizzeerascal )
Great Prodigy-style production which has already grabbed the attention of numerous digital music channels and nicely sets up the introduction of their long awaited album.
Now I know what your thinking, Grime needs no saviour, it's rolling nicely. What the title refers to is that I feel they can change the way the mainstream views Grime as genre. It's clear to see this track has massive public appeal and is going to be a stormer at this summer's festivals, hence leaving the audience hungry for more. The obvious next step is for them to go hunting for their album so, with the right promotion and track selection, success could be just around the corner. The signs are even brighter when you consider that their mentor Dizzee Rascal had last year, enjoyed a UK number one single on their shared record label, Dirtee Stank.
On a personal note, this track poses an interesting question - do they stay loyal to their Grime roots or forge a career in dance music a la Leftfield/AudioBullys? Their potential for this change in direction is there for all see.
Click here to watch an RWDmag interview with the Generals about Head Gets Mangled.
myspace.com/newhamgenerals
Latest offering from the Boy Better Know CEO but it makes you wonder - when is Grime and Electro going to end their sordid love affair?
Video to Roll Deep's latest release 'Moving In Circles' taken from their album 'Return Of The Big Money Sound'. A different style to what they usually bring but still a decent effort nonetheless.
www.myspace.com/rolldeepofficial
What a start to 2009 it's been for Tinchy Stryder.
It's just been confirmed that 'Take Me Back feat. Taio Cruz' has hit no.3 in the Official UK Singles Chart. Anyone who's followed Tinchy's progress since he won Best Newcomer at the 2003 Sidewinder Awards will agree that this success is fully deserved on his work rate alone. People may point of other artists with a similar ethic but none have come close to the crossover appeal of tracks such as 'Breathe' and 'Something About Your Smile', so this will come as no surprise to many.
This now means that there's been three top five singles by Grime Artists in the past twelve months which brings back the same familiar question - are the British buying public now ready for the Grimewave? Or this is another false dawn with record companies nipping at bits and pieces from the scene a la UK Garage?
Will this open doors for others? It's shaping up to be an interesting year...
Watch Tinchy and Taio's acoustic version of 'Take Me Back' here
www.myspace.com/tinchystryder
