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'.
Wiley - Race Against Time
Skepta - Microphone Champion
Bashy - Catch Me If You Can
In the build up to today, it was widely predicted that there would only be one winner, Wiley. The tale of the tape will show based on previous efforts, the Godfather wins hands down. Although widely recognised as a true grime album, Skepta's previous effort Greatest Hits, left something to be desired as it was fully of three year old lyrics/beats. Some would recognise that it does exactly what it says on the tin and includes all his biggest smashes. However, it would've good to see him push the boundaries of the sound and maybe bring something new to the table.
Microphone Champion includes Too Many Man and Dark feat. Trigger along with Sunglasses At Night and Rolex Sweep as bonus tracks.
Whereas on the other hand, having listened to a few of the tracks prior to release, it seems Race Against Time is nailed on to be a success. With tracks such as Where's My Brother, Hummer Activity and of course, She's Glowing Remix, this, (like all his releases) has the potential to be an instant classic. (We'll ignore The Olly feat. MC Dream, the less said about that, the better).
Then peering over their shoulders stands Bashy. Although a constant within the scene, he's also branched into out with other avenues such as big screen musical direction (see Adulthood) and a reported upcoming collaboration with Blur's Damon Albarn. It's clear to see that Bashy can pose as a real threat in this three horse race. Catch Me If You Can includes the huge Who Wants to Be A Millionaire as well as Kidulthood to Adulthood & Black Boys as bonus tracks (wise move).
If this can be more rounded, varied and polished versions of The Chupachups Mixtape, who knows what could happen?
Both Catch Me If You Can and Microphone Champion can be found at all the usual outlets whereas Avalanche Music Hut have Race Against Time as an exclusive until 8th June 2009.
I leave you with a memorable piece of marketing that marks the run up to this monumental and maybe even, historic day...
