I'll post a better quality video when I can find one, for now enjoy it for the song...

Mark Devlin – Tales from the Flipside

Private jets, getting drunk and glamorous women flocking round are just some of the few things that spring to mind when you think about the life of those superstar marquee name DJ’s. For the small minority all this and more is certainly true but outside the Premiership league of DJ’s the lifestyle is very different.

Blues and Soul writer and DJ for the last 14 years Mark Devlin lifts the light on what reality is like for the vast majority of DJ’s in his book Tales From The Flipside. As any clubber knows the real nights specializing in R’n’B, Hip-Hop & Dancehall are not in a vast supply and thus the world of a DJ in this arena is very different from those dance DJ’s who can enjoy bigger fees, more opportunities abroad and become household names in half the time.

While you may think that after a few chapters Devlin is moaning perhaps too much about a career many would do at a drop of a hat and he could easily go get a 9-5, realize that the guy like many others in the urban field have put in years of graft while still having uncertainty and repeatedly annoying scenarios while out playing.

This book serves as an eye opener for those who think that a DJ’s job is merely turning up to a club and throwing on a few records. Equally entertaining as insightful Devlin lets the reader in on a day in the life of a DJ and all the circumstances that come with the job. Stupid requests from pissed-up clubbers, dodgy promoters and everyone’s hated people, bouncers, all get taken to task while lifting the light on a career you wouldn’t expect your careers teacher accepting back at school.

From his own personal accounts to anecdotes of major players and friends in the scene this book is as equally as important as Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton) to anyone that is passionate about music. If you want to DJ and believe it’s all money and no problems, then ignore this book and keep daydreaming, but if you want to be told how it is pick this up now.

The UK’s finest Yungun has teamed up with Guru for the ultra funky Too Slick. The Gang Starr man’s next installment in his Jazzmatazz series is about to drop in the coming months but unless it’s a bonus on a UK edition it doesn’t look like it’s made the cut judging by the track listing below. One UK man that does make it is soul man Omar, but with regards to the Yungun track head to his myspace to check it out and keep an eye out for any release.

1. Cuz I’m Jazzy – feat: Slum Village
2. State Of Clarity – feat: Common and Bob James
3. Stand Up (Some Things’ll Never Change) – feat: Damian Marley
4. Look To The Sun (Solar)
5. Connection – feat: Kem
6. Fine and Free – feat: Vivian Green
7. Wait On Me – feat: Raheem DeVaughn
8. International – feat: Bobby Valentino
9. This Is Art – feat: Ronny Laws
10. Fly Magnetic – feat: Dionne Farris
11. The Jazz – Style feat: Omar
12. Follow The Signs – feat: Shelley Harland
13. Universal Struggle – feat: Brownman
14. Infinite – feat: Blackalicious
15. Kissed The World – feat: Caron Wheeler
16. Living Legend – feat: David Sanborn

Last year I posted a short clip I found of JME, Skepta, Tinchy Stryder and DJ Cameo at the Isle of Wight festival. This weekend while bored I was having a butchers at a load of myspace videos when I found the actual full length documentary. The guys were performing in the Strongbow Cider rooms alongside the Heritage Players in a grime meets instruments mash-up. Take a look...

Isle Of Wight Documentary

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Like Cameo says, Grime just doesn't have to be about Playstation beats...

Calling all budding female emcees! 2007 sees the 4th year of the Phuturehype female mc/rapping competition. Each year the competition has grown bigger from just 7 people turning up to the first ever audition in 2003 (one of them was Lady Sovereign) to last year where they cut and shot the first video for the single Phuture Journey, featuring the 2006 finalists. Along the way the competition was featured on Channel 4’s Chancers and 2006 finalist VdoubleE on Music Cool. The first stage of auditions takes place in May with all the details below; those that are interested should contact the brains behind Phuturehype Denise Destini (denisedestini@phuturehype.com).

Phuturehype on myspace

Phuturehype auditions-Sat 5th May @12.30pm
05 May 2007, 20:30
157-163 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1, London and South East WC1
Cost : nothing!!

Roll Deep - Celebrate That



Klashnekoff - My Life

Buddy Video


It's been a long three years since Musiq dropped any material but after a few tracks leaked to radio we now have a proper single to get our hands on. Buddy is the first release from the forthcoming album Luvanmusiq out 19th March. Lyrically it may be along the lines of his debut single Justfriends but it's just nice to hear the Philly soul mans voice on record again. This mid-tempo beat has serious cross-over potential sampling Taana Gardner's 1981 disco fantasia Heartbeat.

Tracklisting:

1. Buddy
2. Millionaire
3. Teach Me
4. Better Man
5. The Questions
6. Today
7. Make You Happy
8. Ridiculous
9. Ms. Philadelphia
10. Take You There
11. Lullaby
12. Greatest Love

While those whose heads don't nod to the Hip-Hop beat may forever associate Jazzy Jeff for being the guy who was always being thrown out of the Banks household in The Fresh Prince, those that do will know what high holding he has in music. Following on from the critical acclaim of his last long player and after a load of various Hip-Hop and Soulful House mixtapes, Jazzy Jeff drops an EP before the release of The Return of the Magnificant. The James Brown sampling and Rhymefest featuring Jeff N Ness takes it back to the days of when the MC and DJ went hand in hand, while fellow midwest rhymslingers Little Brother pop up on Whatever You Want. For the soul heads out there the excellent and vastly underated Raheem DeVaughn complements the smoothness of My Soul Ain't For Sale while the funky Bossynova maybe minus vocals but provides plenty of layers to get into. The EP is perfect for DJ's but it's the full LP I want to get my hands on, the wait isn't long.

It's been a lengthy lay-off for any official output from the man from Brick City, but while Jay-Z may have been busy with his comeback and signing R'n'B singers, Redman has been putting together some of his best material. After the Gilla House mixtapes teased us into what was in store he now drops Live From Brick City which includes a take on the classic Roots Manuva track Witness. Although not as good as the original (although what is?) Redman is clearly on top form and finally Def Jam look set to end the waiting for his next official album on 26th March.

Red Gone Wild Thee Album Tracklisting

1. Fire-Feat. E3
2. Bak Inda Buildin
3. Put It Down
4. Gimmie One
5. F**k Ur Opinion (Skit)
6. Sumtn 4 Urrbody-Feat. Blam, Runt Dog, Ready Roc, Icadon & Saukrates
7. Pimp Nutz
8. Freestyle Freestyle
9. WutchooGonnaD-Feat. Melanie Rutherford
10. Walk In Gutta-Feat. Erick Sermon, Keith Murray & Biz Markie
11. Dis Iz Brick City-Feat. Ready Roc
12. Rite Now
13. Blow Treez-Feat. Ready Roc & Method Man
14. Suicide
15. Mr. Ice Cream Man (Skit)
16. Hold Dis Blaow!
17. Get 'em-Feat. Saukrates & Icadon
18. Merry Jane-Feat. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dog
19. Gilla House Check
20. No Mo Soopaman Luva (Skit)
21. Soopaman Luva 6-Feat. E3, Hurricane G & Melanie Rutherford
22. Soopaman Luva 6 1/2-Feat. Hurricane G & Melanie Rutherford

Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake -

Urban Nerds

Example is one of the many guys reppin the UK who I believe is in for a great 2007. His debut album What We Made drops in June but in the meantime his mixtape We Didn't Invent The Remix is about to drop which includes myspace bangers Toxic Breath, Bikini Woman and the Lily Allen remix Vile.

Dizzee Rascal has teamed up with the Arctic Monkeys ahead of the release of his third album Maths & English. The track Temptation sees the raskit boy lay down a verse over a track the Sheffield lads had done, but which is minus from their forthcoming album.

Dizzee met up with the guys in London to record the vocals and is set to team up with a couple more surprise guests for his first return to the mic in three years since Showtime.

Lily Allen sings the hook on the track So You Want To Be Gangsta and an unlikely teaming up with Joss Stone on a yet to be named track.

Maths & English is scheduled for a June release with the single Sirens just before.

Serious Remix

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Nice to see JME doing it with his own video, you may have caught this on Base but every time I turn it on they keep playing Smack That, really no need...

Below is a piece I wrote for the excellent resource that is Rap News on some of albums to keep an eye out for in 2007.

Sway

It seems like such a long time ago that Sway dropped 'This Is My Demo' after some solid mixtape success. Although the album did great things and earned Sway a Mercury nomination and BET award, those that were familiar with Mr DaSafo will have felt a little disappointed that so much of the album had been heard before. Fear not though, as 'Not Another Flipping Rap Album' should drop in the first half of the year with a mixtape coming February 10th and an EP to drop in between.

Tracks floating around at the moment include 'True Stories', sounding similar to 'Up Your Speed' and an overview of life in the UK today and 'We Love You', which features Lupe Fiasco. Although nothing concrete has been signed yet, everyone’s least favourite chipmunk Akon has been mentioned a few times in interviews about a possible collabo, while one American act definitely working with Sway is Small World from Ludacris' DTP camp. They have worked on the upcoming 'Global Warming' mixtape.

JME & Skepta

The Adanuga brother’s names were on the lips of grime fans more than any other through 2006. Whether it was JME with his conscious Grime or Skepta drawing plenty of pull-ups with dance floor smash 'Duppy', they go into this year with the hope and anticipation from fans to carry the grime scene further. From Old Street to Oxford Street, the word is being spread through the street fashion must have – the Boy Better Know t-shirt. With the t-shirts, label and hilarious myspace diaries JME has received plenty of praise for his work ethic, sometimes overshadowing his skills.

If the scene is going to grow, then artists like JME are needed. Rumours are saying that either 679 or The Beats could sign him to an album deal. After four mixtapes and no sign of burning out of material, 2007 should see JME gracing more than RWD and the style magazines. Skepta may not have made as many tunes as his brother, in fact we’ve only had a few vinyl releases from him, but that should change this year with his album, not a mixtape as he will tell you, is released.

Titled 'Greatest Hits', it is due to be released through BBK, but don’t be surprised if Mike Skinner is involved somewhere down the line. Any time he is asked to comment on grime, his name graces his lips and he’s already dropped his lyrical flow on the 'Prangin Out' remix. Expect 'Duppy' and 'Single' to make the cut, but for something a little different and deeper, keep an ear out for 'Postcode Wars'. Who said Grime had to be aggressive?

Roll Deep

By the time you read this you should be able to pick up 'Rules & Regulations'. The first long player since 'In At The Deep End', their attempted pop crossover which failed to materialise. The deal may have turned sour, but the boys are back with a more focused and full on grime album. 'Badman' is a tune, which sees the most substance heard in their lyrics, as they discuss the wrong choices young people are facing. You may have seen the Trident funded video in recent months.

'Do This Ting' and 'Floating Thru The Sky' continue on the 'substance over hype' lyrics while 'Celebrate' is a party tune, but the beat stays grimey as Scratchy, Skepta and Jet Li trade words. With Wiley working on '2nd Phaze' and the 'Tunnel Vision' series, don’t expect too many bars from the Eski Boy but expect Breeze, Scratchy and Jet Li to shine. Also, added to the mix are Skepta and JME who people sometimes forget are now in the line-up.

Just Jack

If you don’t see or hear the name Mike Skinner in the same breath as this man then you’re very lucky. Since The Streets broke through, anyone rapping in an English accent gets compared to the brummie geezer. Call it lazy journalism, but as the man said himself, it’s great to hear more of the English language coming out on record. With his 2-step dance ode to the fickle celebrity he has already been tipped by the BBC as one of the ten best talents to come through. Although he has already released one album and played at the V Festival.

Combining a number of styles, he has ultimate crossover appeal while uniting fans of Hiphop, Dance and Garage. Give the funky and dreamy 'Writers Block' a try while 'I Talk Too Much' sounds like Platinum Pied Pipers, Sa-Ra and Jamiroquai were merged together with rapping over the top. Could be too different for some heads.

Example/The Mitchell Brothers/Professor Green

My favourite UK label, The Beats, look set for a big year, with three albums due from Example, Professor Green and the return of everyone’s favourite cockneys, The Mitchell Brothers. Starting with those cheeky cousins, expect the usual street wit and banter, but one track that could be the first single is 'Solemate'. With its acoustic guitar lick, it has crossover appeal all over it but don’t think it’s a soppy rap love song. Remember the brilliant 'Alone With The TV?' Like their label boss, they were easily dismissed as not being Hiphop by heads, but the new album should see them change their mind.

Going from rap battler to fully-fledged artist is not something that has been easy in the past for rappers, but Professor Green looks to turn his Jump Off and Power Summit success into album sales with his full long player dropping late summer. As he revealed to RapNews, he is working with Sem/Beat Peddlers, Core, Apa Tight, Sticky, Epydemix, Afreex, Plastician, Joe Buddha and his boss on the beats. Hit up the net for his video to 'Before I Die', because you won’t be seeing it on Base as its not for the faint hearted!

Mike Skinner may have lightened up on the drink and drugs front of late but his newest signing Example is more than determined to do enough for the two of them if his festival antics are anything to go by – as told on 'Yes Please' where even Skinner doesn’t escape the abuse. 'You Can’t Rap' continues the antics with his introduction promo release. As the most recent signing, it could be the last album released of the three, but the quality looks to be the same from one of the most exciting labels in this country.

Dizzee Rascal

The raskit boy returns with his third album 'Maths and English' in spring. He accredited the title to the maths being the beats and the English his rhymes. The title has been known for the last year or so but there is little in way of tracks floating around. Semtex has been playing 'Wasteman' and a couple of other tracks on his 1xtra show but these will likely not appear on the album. One track that should is 'Ghetto' and can be heard on his Myspace page.

It remains to be seen whether we’ll get another track in the vein of 'Dreams' with its novelty chorus but more 'Fix Up, Look Sharp' would not hurt. It does seem like a long time since we heard Dizzee’s notorious flow, but with touring around the world and setting up his Dirtee Skank label, he’s been busy. 2007 looks like being a busier year with 'Maths and English', the Dirtee Skank mixtape and material from Klass A and Newham Generals all set to go.

Kano

The much anticipated and yet unnamed second album from Kane Robinson is due to drop in April, around the same time as Dizzee’s. Talk about spoilt for choice! Not much is available to listen to as the material is being closely guarded, but already RWD and even men’s style magazine 'Arena' is tipping the album for big things. The Vybz Cartel assisted 'Buss It Up' and the lyrical heat of 'Til The Milkman Comes' are big tracks that give a taster for an album that will also see dancehall legend Don Corleone and more surprisingly, Damon Albarn helping out.

Wiley

Wiley seems to be putting out as much material as 2pac, but I think we can all agree we would rather hear the eskiboy over some stripped down beat than another regurgitated vocal from a guy that died over 10 years ago. With one edition left of his already four deep 'Tunnel Vision' series, not to mention '2nd Phaze' from spring, Wiley goes into 2007 ready to release an album called 'Playtime Is Over' on the worldly respected Big Dada. If anyone can make his album a better success than 'Treddin On Thin Ice' on XL, it’s certainly those guys. With one more mixtape left to come, little is clear on what material to expect and although Big Dada will let him get on with making an album his way, I hope someone at the label recommends a Spank Rock collab.
Mr Hudson

Now signed to Mercury after releasing singles through the mecca in Carnaby that is Deal Real, Mr Hudson will be an artist to turn a few heads this year. Dressed in a waistcoat and trilby, he’s the last person you would expect to be releasing Hiphop music, let alone being undisputed producer champion at the Jump Off in 2005. But he could be the most unexpected hit with the Hiphop crowd and with Sway and DJ Semtex already giving their seal of approval to his hybrid sound and live shows with his band. Take his early guitar references, yearning for the Hiphop beats of J Dilla and The Roots with his song writing, and you’ve got a hybrid sound that is Radio 1 and beyond for the self-confessed outsider.

Other releases

Kyza may have left but the Terra Firma camp release 'Terra Firma 2 The Deaf' and Klashnekoff keeps it moving with the HHC Connection highly rated 'Lionheart Tussle With The Beast'. The latter is out 12th February. Yungun will release his third long player but 'The Middle Man' will be his first official solo effort after the highly credible 'Essence' and Mr Thing assisted 'Grown Man Business'. Sway’s cohorts Bigz and Pyrelli will have more mixtapes for the streets, while UK legend Blak Twang is also working on a follow up to 'The Rotton Club'. Plenty of new artists and plenty of anticipated albums make 2007 potentially a better year for releases than the last. Lets hope this all lives up to expectation.

The Internet, for all its bad points when it comes to downloading music, has allowed the relationship between artist and fan to get ever so close. Now just putting an album out and touring aren't enough. If people can't find you on Myspace, you're missing out on a potential new fan base. Getting to hear an artist's music months before it hits radio is great for the artist to receive feedback and it means many more new talents can be discovered. One of my favourite aspects though, of this closer bond between an artist and fan, is blogging. Before it was only critics who blogged, but now your favourite artist is filling you in on everything from making their album to touring and eating in restaurants to hitch hiking across America. These are some worthy of your browsing time.

@ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Feb 4th

Gym Class Heroes have been labeled in some quarters as 'emo Hip-Hop'. Judging by the amount of teenagers clad in skinny jeans at the Wedgewood Rooms, the lazy comparison doesn't seem too far off.

But while a lot of GCH songs are very story led and focus a lot on love, the fact that Travis McCoy's narrative flow is backed by live instruments takes the songs further than some love sick pop song.

Continue reading...

Jay Dee - Making beats in heaven...

A producer rapper combo signed to Rawkus and with a love for jazz and soul driven beats – sound familiar? While the first foray into releasing music once again from Rawkus sees them in familiar territory, producer Double O and MC Naledge would rather you not compare them to Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli – even if memories of Train Of Thought do come to mind.

Continue reading...

The video for the Wheels Fall Off track...

JME continually puts other artists in the UK scene to shame with his work ethic and just before 2006 was out, he released his 3rd and 4th mix CD of the year. Due to the instrumental nature of the bonus 'Tropical' CD, the 'Derkhead' disc has been overlooked but it has some of JME's best lyrics.

Continue reading...

From what I've heard so far I'm looking forward to his Version album. Here Comes The Fuzz was more like a mixtape but Version should give him the credit warranted as a producer. The Toxic version with God Put A Smile B-side is out now.

Another one of Detroit’s music men has passed away, with producer Disco D committing suicide yesterday. Although not in the same category as J Dilla or Proof he had produced for 50 Cent, Spank Rock and Trick Daddy while also forming his own label Detroit Ghettotech. The up and coming producer, who was only 27, had recently been diagnosed as bi-polar and was also suffering from depression.

So the godfather bows out. For those that haven’t heard the news Wiley today spoke to RWD magazine to announce his retirement from the grime scene. While not a full retirement as such, he will continue to produce, it looks as though Playtime Is Over will be the last time we hear the Eskiboy in a while. Here is the link for the interview excerpt, which will be featured in full in the new RWD issue. Just as the final Tunnel Vision dropped today as well.

Immediately I thought this was some marketing ploy a la Jay-Z, but it looks as though outside interferences that have nothing to do with music have played his hand. Not a month goes by when a message board forum is speculating Wiley getting rushed, now finally it’s gotten to him and he feels he can no longer continue. If that’s the case then it’s a big blow for a music scene that will never grow if road politics dictate. The guy has pretty much carried the scene on his back without achieving anywhere near the success of Dizzee or even Kano, and however the scene develops, if at all – he’ll be remembered for his part. It’s true there is some young talents coming through as he goes on to mention in RWD, but a grime scene with no Wiley bars? Hard to believe. I hope and am sure Playtime Is Over will be a great send off, but after all the strive and hustle, has he bowed out at a time when on Big Dada he could have got that Dizzee success?

I finally got my copy of Rules & Regulations today, early thoughts are that it has matched what Prancehall and Rap News have said, it’s a gem of a mixtape/album. Full review to follow.

Usher is needed for 2007, no offence Justin. Some good work on Amerie, Mya and our very own Corinne Bailey Rae.

Those people fed up of snap, hyphy and in need of an old school hip-hop fix need to check the blog of DJ Stretch Armstrong as he is posting up his old shows from his WBLS Rap Attack radio spots and other classic gems. Peep a hungry Mobb Deep from 1994...

Always expect the unexpected, well that's what I've been told before and it's one of those old famous sayings. Whoever said it probably didn't have The Beats label in mind, but it seems so apt with their latest music video for Example. Go to his myspace blog for the making of it after.

Back for 2007 with new music

I have recently written a piece for Rap News on the years forthcoming new music to watch out for. Artists include Sway, Roll Deep, Mr Hudson and many more. Go check it out and if you're not familiar with the site have a butchers as there is plenty of good stuff on there. I'm also going to be writing some things for the site so keep an eye out.

Remember when you were at school and you had the crowd of geeks you would laugh at? Well now while you’re stuck in you 9-5 job they’re off doing PHD’s and finding cures for diseases. It’s ok because you’ve got your Hip-Hop. But wait, because now they’re trying to take that away from you. Nerdcore Rising is the movie documentary that follows MC Frontalot –that’s right Frontalot as he embarks on his national tour. According to the fans interviewed these nerdcore rappers, as the genre is called, rap about issues that relate to them – like online RPG games or Internet porn addiction.

There have been so many reality shows surrounding Hip-Hop these days that not a week goes by when you can see DMX skipping studio time to buy donuts, or Flavour Flav looking for a female to hold his clock (That's CLOCK dirty minded readers). Now VH1 in the states have rolled out the search for the next Eminem with The White Rapper Show - in conjunction with MR Serch of 3rd Bass fame. He and the VH1 team go about finding the next great white hope across the country and if it comes to the UK could prove a similar ratings puller. If only they would bring the search to the UK so we could see more attempts at emceeing like this...

If her mum caught Uffie reciting her lyrics and seeing what frenzy she has been sending young lads at club performances Mother Uffie could only be disgusted. Telling you she is ready to do the nasty and urging you to pop the glock may not be what your regular 18-year old Miami born and now Paris based girl is talking about, but this hipster favourite is causing a right stir at the moment. Backed by Mr Oizo (of Flat Eric fame) and signed to label of the moment Ed Banger (Daft Punks manager) she can be heard from Fabric to any Shoreditch bar right now, but that shouldn’t put you off as the electro beats of Ready To Uff are as Hip-Hop as below the waistline jeans. The lyrics are fun and although I can’t actually imagine she has ever popped said glock, can we really say half the American artists that rap about it have? With danceable beats and irresistibly catchy hooks only the biggest purists can front on Uffie.

Uffie on Myspace

Jaz-O & Jay-Z - Hawaiian Sophie

This has been on the Guardian website for a week now but if you haven't seen it is a funny account from Akira The Don on his Interscope tenure. Worth a read.

Just Jack - Stars In Their Eyes

This reminds me of some of the people you see on a night out in Southampton. Forget the lazy comparisons to Mike Skinner this track is a tune and he's got others too in his catalogue.




Hadouken - That Boy That Girl

May not be liked too much by the grime crowd and may be seen as too much of a gimmick but I think this song is alright - the video takes it a step further. Colourful.

One man who has embraced the whole myspace and mixtape outlet ahead of his new album is Talib Kweli. Since he dropped the below par by his standards Beautiful Struggle in 2004 he has been hard at work with his craft dropping the Right About Now and Kweli Confidential mixtapes. If you ever wondered like I have what his new years resolution is then you can check out his video on his myspace and he's even put himself in that Second Life online world - surely taking the promotion of a new album to the extreme. Back to more standard ways of promotion you can for a limited time only download a nine track ep he has worked on with Madlib. Entitled Liberation the CD gives you a bit of a preview to what the album Eardrum may pan out like, the rhymes are as thoughtful as ever while Madlib keeps churning out another batch of twisted soul beats. We thought 2004 would be the year he broke through on a commercial level but like Common later found out - having Kanye West on the boards doesn't guarantee sales. (Although Be was and still is a classic). Eardrum is tentatively due 12th February and will be an interesting listen.

Download link on his myspace page

In a firm stance against the bootleggers and downloaders who by his estimation cost him a large amount of sales, Lupe Fiasco won't record his second album The Cool until three weeks before its summer release date. The beats and rhymes will be worked on and closely guarded until such time where marathon studio sessions will be taking place, and surely a hurried mastering/shipping process. Putting aside the question of making a better album in such a short space of time, has he or anyone thought about how they are going to promote that material? Radio and TV want material at least 6 weeks in advance of release and any promotional appearances are surely not realistic if he is recording at a time when an artist would be expected to do the marketing push. There will be no record reviews and any magazines will not likely run any features. Only the loyalist of fans will buy the album on the basis of no material being heard and if it was harsh first time round for his sales figures through downloading, it looks like Lupe will have no one to blame expect himself if he wonders why sales are poor second time around.

While there are plenty of round-ups covering more depth else where, I’ll just throw a few comments your way on the year 2006 as 07 gets under way and my NYE hangover finally clears.

UK wise there were great albums from Braintax, Yungun & Mr thing and Kyza. Dubstep broke through to more listeners as grime took a bit of a back seat. The Sunday broadsheets were soon dispatched to report on the many aspects of the scene with Skream leading the way with his debut through Tempa –‘Midnight Request Line’ still came strong as the year went on.

There may have been no major releases from Dizzee, Kano, Lethal B, Wiley or Roll Deep but emerging talent was the theme of the year with JME taking poll position with his Boy Better Know Series. His brother Skepta dropped Duppy and a few other hot tracks to shape up nicely for ‘Greatest Hits’ in 07. Wiley released 2nd Phaze with a cover paying more homage to the Fresh Prince high top fade days that included some bangers. With a 2pac like catalogue he then released four versions of Tunnel Vision after early leaks. In truth you could have put the best tracks from the series onto one CD but you couldn’t knock his effort and it paid off with Big Dada signing him to a solo deal. His XL deal may not have gone according to plan but now home to a label with such talented artists as Roots Manuva, Ty and Spank Rock he should reap the credit and sales deserved.

Dizzee rascal and Kano will both have albums dropping in springtime with the latter apparently working with Damon Albarn on a track.

Plastician, Logan Sama, Jammer, Lethal B, Tinchy Stryder are just some of the names who will be releasing an album or mixtape of some sort over the coming months. Regardless of whether it’s Uptown or HMV where you can buy them there should be plenty of choice in 2007 for the grime connoisseur.

I’m predicting a more successful year in output but am still reserved as whether enough support from all areas will get into it. It would be nice to see more live outlets, but we need people to take a chance and cut the stereotypical attitude held towards the scene from those outside.

If Lethal B can play gigs with The Rakes in Camden and groups like Hadouken can throw in grime influences into predominantly indie sounding music aesthetics, then lets hope more promoters and labels will want to invest in putting some more nights on. JME paved the way with a do it yourself attitude and a level head to work, Sway the year before. If more follow then it may just need a major distributor or two to catch the bug and let the artists handle material, while they get the music to a wider level. We know people are listening/wanting somewhere.
It wouldn’t be a bad thing to hear more traditional garage being played either.

On the whole it is clear there is talent in the UK scene, but we are far behind say the indie scene at the moment to be able to have tours and more mainstream radio play. It is a topic worth exploring and there just isn’t the words here at the moment to look into why it hasn’t and what we can do, from the obvious to the not so - but it’s something I will try and put together in the coming weeks from my own opinion.

If you were looking in from the outside it would seem a disaster as far as Hip-Hop is concerned with sales numbers dwindling, although in these Limewire sharing times are constant reports on first week sales really necessary from bloggers?

Although it wasn’t the most stellar year with some disappointments, Pharrel, Lupe Fiasco and Jay-Z my biggest let downs after so much hype – the last two were decent but felt lacking in areas – there were some highlights if you dug deep enough.

If the scene seemed stale then Spank Rock took advantage progressing forward light years with their brand of electro beats, booty bass lines and x-rated lyrics delivered with sick flows. Easily my favourite album of the year.

Late summer and under the radar for a lot of publications were not your average Texans Strange Fruit Project. While the single with Erykah Badu ‘Get Live’ added weight to the name the album evoke memories of back in the day Tribe and new school cats Little Brother.

Staying on the independent tip newly reformed Rawkus released the early acclaimed Kidz in the Hall album, of which a full review will grace these pages soon.

Nas, Ghostface and The Clipse all dropped material to the standards we come to expect from them.

On a more soulful tip John Legend, Donell Jones, Amp Fiddler, Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo had my speakers on lock for a long time. Although personally that Justin Timberlake album wasn’t as good as the first one.

Terri Walker put behind her label trying to make her another Jamelia by releasing an acclaimed independent outing, while Sadie Ama and Estelle head into 07 ready to drop long players.

Don-E, Omar and Lemar repped the men with different styles, but all still sounding very soulful. Nathan will wonder how big he could have been if major labels and MTV stopped pushing weak pop fodder like Upper Street et al. But then again that could be said for a lot of black music artists in any year. One day the mainstream will wake up, one day.

There is much more I could talk about and even more that I have forgotten, that all said I wish fans, artists, bloggers, writers, ravers and all in between a happy and successful 2007.

While everyone is in reflective mood I want to turn your attention to some new music around at the moment which may have escaped your attentions while buying those Take That CD's for your mum.

Everyones favourite cockney geezers The Mitchell Brothers are hard at work with their follow up to A Breath Of Fresh Attire. Solemate is in a similar vein lyrically to Alone With The TV but sounds very different production wise as it takes a bit of an indie tip. More tracks should be unveiled in the next few weeks for this much anticipated release. Their label mate Example has some good tracks floating also.

Ghostface may not be able to say his name right in a rhyme but Mark Ronson has come on strong in the latter half of 2006 with work for Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse amongst others. His new album is called Version and features a very nice head nodder of a remix to Lily's Smile track which may not yet make the final cut. God Put A Smile is in keeping with his very eclectic tastes.

Laura Vane is a young talent to keep an ear and eye out for next year as she is busy recording tracks for a long player. She has already supported Gnarls Barkley on their UK tour this year and looks set to make waves in '07. Her voice is all over MJ Cole's new track Firin Up which sounds in the 2-step mould but with a very soulful edge. I'd love to see the more danceable garage make moves next year in a similar way to how Funky House has this year and this would be one of the tunes that could do it.

Spank Rock - yoyoyoyo
Ne-Yo - In My Own Words
Justin Timberlake – Future Sex/Love Sounds
Bugz In The Attic – In The Doghouse
Yungun & Mr Thing – Grown Man Business
Ty – Closer
JME - Derkhead/Tropical
Donnell Jones – Journey of a Gemini
Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor
Jay-Z – Kingdom Come
Akira The Don - When We Were Young
Slum Village – Fantastic Vol.1
Jay Dee – The Shining
Amp Fiddler – Afro Strut
The Roots - Game Theory
Rhymefest - Blue Collar
Skream - Skream
Wiley - 2nd Phaze
Strange Fruit Project - The Healing
Kidz In The Hall - School Was My Hustle
The Streets - The Hardest Way...

There was some hot debate in the clubhoppin section of Blues and Soul magazine recently where Mark Devlin brought up the subject of the state of club land and the increasing rise of pubs and clubs playing the same 20 tracks. It’s sad to read about it but the problem has been bubbling away for a while now.

Ultimately the real fans and DJ’s are losing out, as they have to contend with promoters and managers giving jobs to people who will happily play their Now That’s What I Call R’n’B CD and undercut the true DJ’s willing to play quality music. These scene follower DJ’s most likely were playing house music until black music became the choice of many of today’s youth. Anyone looking to get into the scene or are taking an outside look at it will think the black music world starts at 50 Cent and ends at the Pussycat Dolls.

The problem is more displayed in the regions outside the big cities where it’s harder for a dedicated R’n’B night to survive, although that doesn’t mean to say there aren’t any – but any flyer I see these days advertising R’n’B I immediately expect the depth to stretch as far as Destiny Child, with the Sugababes and Shakira thrown in. No lie. This attitude easily sways the casual punter who will not look outside of the same twenty artists.

The amount of times I’ve had to add a disclaimer to people when telling them I like R’n’B and Hip-Hop that my knowledge doesn’t stick at the commercial gloss you all know is untrue. The truth is that DJ’s need packed dance floors and clubbers want to hear what they know, which forces the DJ into admitting defeat and having to play those same tracks on the radio.

On a recent visit to an R’n’B club in Southampton straight after a recent Busta Rhymes hit the DJ played Wifey by Next, a guaranteed floor-filler yet the people next to me at the bar were heard saying that it was shit and wanted some Game played. This was a venue that is supposedly a haven for R’n’B, or it was when they launched it - in the last year they have played host to EZ, Trevor Nelson and Tim Westwood (ok scrub that last one). It seems the music knowledge only stretches the last three years since G-Unit music was everywhere but it just sums up that people aren’t willing to open to something they haven’t heard. If this is the sort of reaction to ‘Wifey’ then what hope is there for tunes like Omarion ‘Entourage’ to break through.

I like to think my music knowledge is up there with most and it was only a few years ago I would have had a choice of R’n’B clubs to go to - and it was a tough choice as all of them would play a great selection of records and even some cuts you were yet to hear. These would often make your night and be tomorrow’s hits. Time was you could hear a track go from start of the night warm-up to a peak time hit in the space of a few weeks, now if the tracks on the radio or MTV then just chuck it on and you know people will like. What chance does this give to the future ‘Wifey’ or ‘Peaches & Cream’?

One night in Southampton promotes itself as the best and longest running R’n’B night in the area yet on stepping through recently I heard nothing new or anything pre 2003 in the space of an hour as the club was going from busy to peak. Is this the clubbers reluctance to anything new, DJ’s not wanting to work for their money or pressure from promoters worried about people through the door and how many WKD’s are sold? On reading the comments from other DJ’s in Blues and Soul and from my own experience out clubbing it seems a combination of the three.

This year house music has come to the attentions of people again and there has been a shift in tendencies from a lot of people getting into the funky/soulful side of it, I myself have been popping to a few nights to broaden the mind - and because I’m actually tired of an R’n’B night. I’ll hear better R’n’B in my car than in a club at the minute which is something I thought I’d never say five/six years ago when all I wanted was for the dance prominent DJ to just throw a few cheeky R’n’B numbers in.

I’ve always felt like I have that music snobbery in me at times as I think a lot of passionate music fans have, but when you see the WKD/lager louts saying they love that new G-Unit or another recycled 2pac vocal it makes you laugh that you both love Hip-Hop – but are worlds apart. It’s going to take a lot to change the current trend, but I hope for the real music lovers sake that it does and ask that they keep supporting their local ‘quality’ music night before it turns into a happy hour drinks promo led R’n’B night.

On another note I saw DJ Greenpeace DJ last week at Orange Rooms, a local style bar hot on its retro vibe and host to plenty of quality music nights (Yungun, Numark and People Under The Stairs recently). Sadly after an excellent warm-up set of classic Hip-Hop and new UK stuff Greenpeace played mostly commercial hits like Justin Timberlake, Pussycat Dolls and that bloody Hips Don’t Lie Song. Yes it kept the girls on the floor but please know your clientele, you were booked for a place known for decent music and don’t need those Radio 1 hits to keep them there.

TI- Why You Wanna
Lily Allen – Smile
Ne-Yo – Sexy Love
Justin Timberlake – My Love
Wiley – Eskiboy
Skepta – Duppy
JME – 96 Bars
Sway – Products
Spank Rock – Sweet Talk
Aaron LaCrate – Blow
Fish Go Deep Feat. Tracy K – Cure & The Course
Nelly Furtado – Promiscuous
Christina Aguilera – Ain’t No Other Man
Sleepy Brown – Margarita
Yungun – Forget Me Not
Bugz In The Attic – Move Aside
Lupe Fiasco – Kick Push
Skream – Midnight Request Line
Omarion – Entourage
Donell Jones – Spend The Night
Cheri Dennis – I Love You
Chris Brown – Excuse Me Miss
Jay Dee & Common – MC2
Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces

It had to happen one day, the last beat on the second video is straight fire.

Welcome to the 2006 shiznit awards, a brief and often light look back at the years events. These are only my opinions and not to be taken too seriously, but do drop any thoughts in the comment boxes. I'll round-up the years in Grime, Hip-Hop & R'n'B later in the week with my top singles and albums of the year, plus some predictions for 2007.

Lily Allen

Myspace success, potty mouth popstar, only famous because of her dad etc etc. There isn’t much that hasn’t been said about Lily Allen this year, we even saw the obligatory topless shot in the tabloids, but with her mix of influences she more than connects the trends and bits and pieces of 2006 together. Her album was dubbed the soundtrack of the summer but really deserves longer play and is a joy to watch live. She may not have the greatest singing voice but was a breath of fresh air in a mild year for music.

JME

In a year where the music genre floundered, JME gave grime hope and someone to look up to with how he went about his business. From releasing four mixtapes to setting up his Boy Better Know label, entertaining via his blogs to selling t-shirts while all still getting his education on – 2006 is deservedly JME’s year. Although 2006 saw Sway release his first album a lot of his buzz was built up the previous year, JME may have taken inspiration from Little Derek but he has made the year his own and put other mc’s more focused on beef to shame. Proof to anyone looking at the genre from the outside that grime doesn’t have to just be aggressive.

The Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Dr.Dre - Detox (still waiting)
Busta Rhymes - Big Bang

Kanye West at the European Music Awards
Kanye West at the grammys
Kanye West at any awards night

B-More Gutter Music
Snap
Hyphy
Grindie

Mary J Blige & Bono – One Love

"Mary, this song is like, so life changing like when I helped Geldof with that charity thing in Hyde Park"

Crazy Titch
Fat Joe
Nelly’s weed carrier who shit himself when tasered

Yo Yo @ Notting Hill Arts Club
Dirty Canvas @ ICA
Sidewinder
Get Down @ Bar Rumba
Switch @ Ministry

Boy Better Know
Snowman
I Got It For Cheap
I’m a Big Man But I’m Not Thirty
Get Me Aftershock

RWD
Touch
Blues and Soul
Dummy
Hip-Hop Connection
Vice
I~D
Arena

Hyperfrank
Vice
Prancehall
Styleslut
Akira The Don

DMX

The flip-flops - he's just not the same...thugs don't do flip-flops," he added. "Yo, no matter how much vacation I'm on - we been to St. Thomas, Bahamas, all the little islands - I don't wear no flip-flops. I'm never that comfortable, not even in my own house,"

LL Cool J
Ludacris
Ghostface

EZ Kiss
Greenpeace XFM
Target 1Xtra
Ronnie Herel 1Xtra
Logan Sama 1Xtra

Busta Rhymes
L Dot Man
Bearman

Lupe Fiasco

Food & Liquor was a decent album but we all hoped for much more than we got, better luck next time.

The Mitchells Brothers
Example
Mike Skinner
Professor Green

Ghost Ride The Whip

The Migraine Skank

JME Transport
Wiley Publishing
50 Cent Water
E-40 Hyphy Juice

The first episode is up now...

The lovely Amerie is back with a new album for 2007, but before that hits the stores she is getting her Hip-Hop grind on with a mixtape titled Because I Love It, which features the single Take Control. The video which you can see above as she plays a double-agent.

Should Jay-Z have stayed behind his office desk?...

It seems apt that at a time when everyone is looking forward to christmas Jay-Z releases the comeback album that we always knew was coming since that 'retirement'. Like that feeling you get when you grow older, christmas is something you don't get too excited about any more and is all over with little fanfare. This is how I would describe Jay-Z's return disc Kingdom Come.

It's a shame really as everything starts off so well with the opener Oh My God and the single Show Me What You Got.

The title track really makes you think why Just Blaze hasn't received as much credit as his production deserves as he chops up to bits Rick James Superfreak for Jay to boast about being Hip-Hops saviour. It's a shame that the album tales off towards the end as he really had us believing it at the start.

The Dre produced 30 something answers the critics that say rap is a young persons game now over a nice head nodding beat that would work well on radio and as a club warm-up. But the highlights from there are few and far between.

The track Trouble will satisfy the Heat magazine readers out there as it half addresses the rumours he answered Rihanna's S.O.S - the housewife's will enjoy R'n'B flavoured Hollywood and their favourite pubehead Chris Martin on Beach Chair.

This album would be a decent effort if it was released by a Ja Rule or a Fat Joe. But this is Jay-Z we are talking about. We all knew that he was going to come back eventually but I get the feeling this album is more a reflection of someone stuck in 3rd gear and not quite ready yet to push on into 5th. For me Kingdom Come is on a par with The Black Album but doesn't touch The Blueprint.

This album was always going to be criticised by everyone for variety of reasons and its better that it's now been released and out there so the anticipation can stop. I would say it's a good bet that he won't be Def Jam president once his contract runs out at the end of the year and if we get another album, which I'm sure we will -it will be more like it from Jay-Z.

Jay-Z Lost Ones Video



Hip-Hop figures are the new action man, although I doubt action man will be quaking in his boots when he sees the Jay-Z doll...

Back in those glorious summer days of 2000 I left school and the sound of UK garage was making a dent in the charts. We all know what happened as just a year on the whole So Solid saga put off labels from going anywhere near any style of garage. Until the darker sounds started to come through under the grime term I had been slacking on any danceable garage apart from being in some sh*it nightclub that would play a token Artful Dodger track. Now 2006 hasn't exactly been a vintage year for grime and dubstep keeps pushing on which I like, but I've started to listen to a lot of EZ on Kiss of late. I was half being ignorant and expecting a show filled with what you could term girly garage (remember Ladies First?) and being stuck in 2000-01. Full credit has to go to the artists and producers for still believing in the genre and not letting the aftermath of the Top 40 era stop them from putting out quality material. Could 2007 be a year that the more danceable garage comes back into prominence? Especially with the ever increasing popularity from urban music folk for Funky House. Some big tunes on the scene for me at the moment are the One Dark Martian remix of Crazy and MJ Cole's Firin Up. Mr Cole himself recently dropped into Lizard Lounge in my area for a delightful two hour set of four to the floor pressure and other goodness. When he dropped his biggest hits Crazy Love and Sincere it got me thinking (well the next day, not when I was throwing gunfinger) about some of those classic tracks from those glorious summer days..

It's The Shiznit's garage classics

Sweet Female Attitude - Flowers
Artful Dodger feat. Craig David - What You Gona Do
Sia - Little Man (Exeman remix)
Gerideu & Robbie Craig - Who's The Better Man
Dream Team – Buddy X
Lonyo – Summer Of Love
Danny J Lewis – Spend the Night
Roy Davis Junior - Gabriel
Wookie - Back Up, Back Up
DJ Dee Kline – I Don’t Smoke
Amar – Sometimes it snows in April
Amira – My Desire
With A Little Bit Of Luck - DJ Luck & MC Neat
Imagine - Shola Ama
Tell Me It's Real - K-Ci & Jojo
B-15 Project – Girls Like Us

Whether it’s recording artist’s laziness or the label seeing pound signs in their eyes, the greatest hits package is all the rage this time of year. Thankfully there isn’t too many times where this sort of precedent happens with black music, but this particular set will go down well with the soul fraternity and those that like their music with a funky edge. Jay Kay may be more known now for punching photographers but beneath that tabloid persona is a blue eyed soul boy of epic proportions. On the High Times Singles 1992-2006 you get 17 classics and two new tracks that take in all the hits Jamiroquai have had, some you forget they even had. New material from recent years like Little L and Feels Just Like It Should still sound fresh, but it’s the older material like Canned Heat, Cosmic Girl and Alright that still do the job. And Virtual Insanity only makes you wish you could dance as well as Jay in that video.

Jay-Z once rhymed 'I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man' and that mantra seems to be applied by the Boy Better Know group as they strive for more success outside of flogging mixtapes. Following on from JME Transport it seems Wiley appears to have taken a leave out of his book and expanded into the publishing game. Scientific and technical publishing to be exact. I'd never pin Wiley down as a science man but maybe he thought it was a better investment in the long run than Eskimo clothing? Who knows? And does this mean we can expect Skepta Business Consultants anytime soon?

If the mainstream media have their way then UK Hip-Hop will forever be stuck in its little pigeon hole. Thankfully artists like Ty push the boundaries and has gained love all around the world, without the much deserved support from stations like Radio 1. Being restricted to specialist outlets is something that doesn’t sit well with the man in a world where artists with bigger budgets behind a gangster promoting message are mainstays of daytime radio. Check any number of interviews he’s done of late and you’ll hear a man who is clearly frustrated with the circumstance, but thankfully it hasn’t stopped his creativity. For the first time Ty has a wealthy support cast of people down for the cause from De La Soul on Idea and the title track (the latter features just Maseo, albeit quietly) to Speech from Arrested Development on This Here Music. At first listening the album doesn’t suck you in like the Mercury Prize nominated 'Upwards' did, but it feels like he never went away after a few spins of the funky Sophisticated & Course and the bounce of Don’t Watch That. With his comments on the state of UK black music he may only be repeating what people have felt for years, but with albums of this quality one day some radio bigwig will listen and take note. People like Ty certainly deserve them to.

If Grime artists spent less time going on iron vacations and took a leaf out of JME's book, the scene would be in a much healthier state. Not content with his successful selling mixtape series, t-shirts, modelling for Cassette Playa and entertaining with his series of blogs and videos - he has now added an extra layer to brand JME. I saw one of his trucks this morning while driving to work and have to say the transport game may not seem to be close to any music ventures, but if Big Boi can breed dogs and Lloyd Banks can direct snuff movies, then JME can have a transport company. Literally big on road.

Delivering the right product to the right place at the right time

I love my Hip-Hop, Grime and R'n'B as much as the next man, but last week I went to see the Klaxons play as part of the Club NME tour with an Indie loving mate. It was a big eye opener for me compared to any Hip-Hop gigs I've been too, the two environments are worlds apart. To reflect this I've compared the two below with the following important catagories that define any night. So here goes...

Price

For the price of getting into your average club I had three bands all put in performances of great length. If I'm going to a Hip-Hop gig you're easily looking at £25 to £30 for an American act and some sub-standard UK acts you've never heard of outside Channel U. LL Cool J at Brixton recently was £30 plus but I guess it's an unfair comparison - someone whose career spans 20 years while the acts at the Club NME tour were less than 20 months. Average price for a UK gig I would put at the £6/7 mark which is alright. But if you include the American acts and average the price then I'd say indie wins this one.

Winner -Indie

Girls

Like I've said before you rarely get many girls at any UK Hip-Hop gigs, there is an abundance of sweaty blokes in hoodies but little in the way of gash. However since a local fashionable bar started putting on gigs there has been an upsurge in female attendance. The Club NME night seemed to have a great door policy and meant the whole night was spent watching what was happening on stage with one eye and what was around us with the other.

Winner - Indie

Atmosphere

Glowsticks should be taken out at every clubbing opportunity. The next Hip-Hop gig I'll be there with my b-boy moves and waving those flurescent sticks around like i'm in the Prodigy. Everyone was up for a good time and really apreciated the music. For people who love Hip-Hop so much when it comes to a gig there seems to be little emotion and people standing still. The fact that you can have people pushing and shoving around in excitement of a song without anyone getting rowdy at the indie night was a sight to be seen. So was being in my first mosh pit experience. My mate and more experienced man of the mosh said that it was a little on the tame side - despite the fact that he chipped his tooth and a girl got knocked onto the floor Friday style during one song. I thought it was going to be tears before bedtime but she jumped up, smiled and threw herself back in. Committment. Something quite sexy about that...erm...

Winner - Indie

People

There was no attitude or what you looking at I'll murk you at ten paces stares. If you bumped into anyone people were quick to apologise rather than start trouble. While at the bar people would just strike up random conversations with you and were all very friendly. When I saw Kano in Bournemouth a group of guys got over zealous and pushed a few of us, after pushing back they said they would all murk me outside. Still qued for my Subway though.

Winner - Indie

Performance

This one is difficult as apart from seeing The Ordinary Boys twice the Klaxons was the only other time I've been at an indie gig. All three groups were full of energy despite being the last night of the tour. On the other hand I've seen some great performances this year alone from Yungun, Sway, Kano, Klashnekoff and David Banner to name a few. This one's a tough call as I've seen plenty of US acts turn up and fart out a performance but as Indie seems to be trouncing Hip-Hop here I'm going to have to give them a helping hand and say Hip-Hop takes this one.

Winner - Hip-Hop

Bouncers

No ass grabbing/belt pulling/borderline raping from bouncers who make you feel like a criminal going on at the indie night. Although as threatening a weapon you could have found on anyone would have been a glowstick. All it took was a simple hello and name check on the guys clipboard (because of a mistake in sending out tickets, not cos we roll VIP) and we were in. Bouncers were clearly picked on at school and now they have size on their side they are determined to annoy everyone that passes through. At Hip-Hop gigs in London the treatment is disgusting, like being judged on entry. So many hoops to jump through.

Winner - Indie

Overall

Sad to say but my big indie night out just proved to me that Hip-Hop gigs on the whole are rubbish and a waste of money. It won't stop me from going but I'll be having a note of caution attached the next time I find out about a gig. The less big name American acts I see the better I feel about going to Hip-Hop gigs and if they could just incorporate a few things from what I experienced at the indie night then the nights would be a lot better on the whole. Still, De La Soul are playing in Southampton tomorrow and you know that will not disappoint. Review and pics to come.

Justin Timberlake - My Love



Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got



The second Dirty Canvas at ICA night was on saturday, Hyperfrank has words and pics.

Fabolous got shot in the thigh.

Channel U was named as one of the outlets in which is used to promote violence in a report by the Observer into the gang warfare that is getting out of control in London. The story comes from a police report obtained which doesn't name Channel U, but police are said to be concerned at how it is glamorising the culture. Last year Channel U was fined £18,000 by Ofcom for 'repeated and sustained' breaches of 'sexually explicit material'. The director of Channel U goes on to defend the station and reveals that they don't show a lot of the videos that get sent which glorify guns, but with the internet and other outlets they are easily available. Police recently obtained footage from the Streets Incarcerated DVD which featured arguments with local officers.

I've had this album for a while now and it's had plenty of words written about it so I'll only drop a few and leave it at that. I remember when Timberlake brought Justified out and he received all the plaudits with his move from boy band heart throb to a fully fledged urban star. Backed by the Neptunes some of those tracks got rinsed on the regular so any follow up had to be something special. There was this whole competition with Usher played up by the media which was got a bit carried away, although after working on the bulk of Justified any Neptunes beats on Confessions were left on the studio cutting floor rather than the album. This time around Future Sex/Love Sounds is absent from the inclusion of any Neptunes input and is instead mainly Timbaland produced work - perhaps the Virginia duo will now feature heavily on the next Usher album?

Although Timbaland is world renowned for his work he really takes it up a notch and from the outset you wouldn't straight away lace the beat to his name. With Timberlake on his best Bowie impression the duo have tried to take the music to another place. Highlights inlcude the already heard many times Sexyback and the future single My Love - which quirky beats and sound effects make this very similar to another Timbo classic Are You That Somebody by Aayliyah. Will.I.Am produces a slab of funk in the shape of Damn Girl witch rolls along in a similar way as Amerie's 1 Thing.

It would have been very easy to just come out with another Justified so full credit goes to Timberlake and Timbaland taking another direction. The big difference is that while the first album was very confessional and a lot of personal cleansing, Future Sex/Love Sounds is a man clearly confident in his role as a heart throb and willing to play up to this, while at the same time creating a feel good party album.

It's said that people spend more time on the internet now than they do watching television. People would now rather log on to You Tube to check out the latest funny videos, mc battles and video promos. In the past people would have to rely on MTV to bring them their favourite artists latest promo but now they can just search for it and watch it as many times as they want. In fact now you don't even need to rely on MTV to get your fix. Especially as they only play like half an hour of music these days. Or Channel U for that matter. Have you tried to watch that stuff for 30 minutes? I just can't anymore, and the people at MTV Base are surprised they are losing viewers?

When I first got digital way back when I was in school uniform I loved just leaving it on and watching videos which you would never get on regular MTV. Unless your r'n'b persuasion was Another Level you would rarely see much r'n'b or hip-hop on the station. This was in at the turn of the millenium when the music wasn't so in the mainstream but now that it is the station seems content on playing the same ten videos every hour. Holidaying in America a few years back it was was the same situation out there on radio. If you made that ten you were guaranteed a hit only on account of people having the song drilled into them. Every hour seems to be the same so people started turning their attentions to Channel U. They may have then started playing some homegrown videos after this but unless you count their minority hour of underground music once a week late at night, the channel is getting worse.

Speaking of getting worse, Channel U has been slipping of late. It was a great alternative to the more mainstream videos Base were playing, even if you did have a few laughably poor 'guys from the ends and a dv camera' videos that seemed to be on all the time. It turned your attention away from MTV Base and were generally appreciative that UK acts and a lot of the less mainstream material was being shown. But now you would have to sit through too much weakness before you got any sort of quality. Who handles the quality control here? When you look at the grime and uk hip-hop scene you just don't with a few exceptions see any videos from the top players. Yungun had a video for the 'Forget Me Not' track and Akal for 'Shakespear' but these hardly saw light. I know one argument is that there aren't enough videos being made from the top players in the first place. Where are the videos from JME, Wiley and Kyza to name a few? Instead we have videos from waste mc's that surely get played because there is hardly a lot to fill the time. No wonder people are reaching You Tube as their video channel of choice.

There's been so much going on since I last posted thanks to the dreaded man flu. Jay-Z was spitting on the Forward riddim while Dizzee is making Funky House. Just waiting on Wiley and The Arctic Monkeys any day now surely?

A new Hip-Hop magazine is going to be hitting the shelves soon, made up of fired staff members from The Source and Vibe.

Hip-Hop Weekly will be an enetertainment and celebrity lifestyle publication originally with input from ex Vibe editor Mimi Valdes and disgraced former Source owners Ray Benzino and Dave Mays. Now it appears Mimi has already jumped ship before the launch issue. Maybe she was sipping on too much Hypnotiq or whatever the fashionable Hip-Hop drink of choice is these days when she agreed to jump into bed with Interscopes enemies.

Whether a weekly Hip-Hop magazine will be able to stay fresh with content or whether they'll be recycling material in no time is a big question. There's no doubt the people behind it have experience but in recent times it's been experience of starting vendettas with people, how long until that starts again?

You may have already seen it on other sites but these guys take fancy dress to a whole new level.

This is how I often get to work, makes the commute interesting.

Akira The Don's latest mixtape sees him go over classic 90's Britpop.

JME is releasing editions 3 & 4 of his Boy Better Know series as a double pack.

LA based beat diggers People Under The Stairs dropped into Southampton last week in support of their latest acclaimed long player, Stepfather. Fellow Californians Giant Panda opend up the show with cuts from their warmly received debut Fly School Reunion. Although unknown to most in the crowd there were a few heads in attendence who knew them from their PUTS connection and were enjoying their 30 minute set. Those that didn't know were soon joining in with the spirit of Superfly and Diggin and were snapping up the album afterwards appreciate more of their uptempo and soulful LA sounds.

With just enough time to grab another brew Double K and Thes One popped up to join the party. Although by looking at Double K he looked like he'd just woken up, it didn't affect him though as the two reeled off new hits Pass The 40 and Tuxedo Rap alongside old favourites Jappy Jap and the last song of the night Hang Loose.

For £9 this was a bargain to hear more than an hours worth of intricate rhymes, laid back humour and a treasure chests worth of soulful samples and b-boy beats.

Sadly no pictures available for posting as one had a little too much to drink and the pictures were absolute waste.