Browsing Tag

grime

UK Rapper JPOW comes in with all guns blazing in ‘Socially Anti’, featuring Kirsty Clarke

Posted on 17 December 2021

For his latest release, Socially Anti, rapper and songwriter JPOW teamed up with Kirsty Clarke, who brought a breath-taking dynamic to this hard and fast hit. Her folkishly light vocal timbre and innocently soulful yet sharp style was the perfect contrast against JPOW’s dominant bars that affirm he takes no prisoners when he steps to the mic.

Without a doubt, the South Coast-hailing UK independent artist is one of the hottest new names in the UK rap scene. He takes the usual lyrical rap tropes and runs them through his scathing wit. As for the instrumentals, you would be hard-pressed to find a bolder mix of tone and texture. With the melodic reminiscences to Cosmo Shelldrake and the quivering classical notes around the snappy bass-drenched beats, Socially Anti is as cinematic as it is galvanising.

Check out the official lyric video for Socially Anti via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

East London’s Muzuri announced his arrival in the music scene with his debut single, 0127

Posted on 4 December 2021

East London rap artist, Muzuri has garnered plenty of hype with his debut release, 0127, which premiered on BBC Radio Essex on October 5th before officially releasing on October 15th.

The French rapper and songwriter takes influence from the likes of Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Static Major, but he left plenty of room for his own catchy sonic style in his debut which announces his arrival to the music scene and creates a vivid vignette of his life as an artist and hedonist.

With the arresting bounce of the snappy beats and the reverb around them, it is impossible not to get hooked into the atmosphere of 0127 which merges French and English hip hop culture. It’s a stellar track that succeeds in establishing Muzuri as one to watch.

0127 is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Roysson delivers a Hip Hop and Grime playlist staple with his latest release.

Posted on 23 September 2021

Roysson has been putting Hertfordshire on the hip hop map for the past ten years with his laceratingly sharp wit, massive beats and commanding persona. His standout single, Hip Hop and Grime, pays ode to the iconic UK grime style, but Roysson finds plenty of room to stamp down his signature genre-melding style that has been hyped by BBC Introducing and GRM Daily, amongst many others.

Hip Hop and Grime is an instantly galvanizing mix with the garagey beats, rapid-fire drill vocals and Roysson’s ability to create a gritty vignette of modern culture without ever having to pander to cultural stereotypes. If Stormzy, Dave, Skepta and Wiley are your playlist staples, you will find that Roysson fits in well right alongside them. With plenty more material locked, loaded and ready to drop, now is the perfect time to add him to your radar.

You can check out Roysson’s standout single, which has already racked up over 25k streams, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jay Joe brought the best of UK hip hop with his latest release, Shaky.

Posted on 16 August 2021

London-born, Essex-based Rap artist Jay Joe dropped an instant grime classic with his latest single, Shaky. His energy, ensnaring. His lyrics, cutting, His beats, atmospheric; in usual drill hip hop fashion.

Fans of Tempa T, Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal will want to make Shaky a playlist staple for its garagey beats, the adrenalizing aggression in the rap bars and Jay Joe’s ability to leave you floored with his lyrical flex. He’s already a firm fixture on the GRM Daily YouTube channel, but we highly doubt that will be the highest of accolades applied to Jay Joe’s gritty, scathing signature sound.

Shaky was released on August 15th; you can check out the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Always Worldwide: Excellent Luton emcee Crazy James impresses yet again on ‘That’s My Life Cuz’

Posted on 7 August 2021

Dropped off the brand new street-mood-lifter ‘Unsigned and Unspoilt Vol 1‘, Crazy James shows us the inner determination needed to get you to where you believe you are destined to be on ‘That’s My Life Cuz‘.

Crazy James is a supremely talented Luton, England-based hip-hop/grime artist. He creates that thoughtfully real music that is taken from his experiences of travelling all over the world, as he puts his heart on the bars of every line that he drops.

After headlining shows at the legendary Luna Lounge, Bear Club, and the O2 Academy, plus releasing his criminally underrated hard-hitting first music video ‘Cautious‘ late in 2019 – this is a top class musician that you need to know if you don’t already – as he is only getting warmed up, despite being one of the underground OG’s in this fickle game.

”This album has been 20 years in the making, through all my ups and downs, and over every challenge that was placed in front of me, out of the darkness came this masterpiece.” – Crazy James

This is the honest story about travelling around the world on tour and seeing many things that teach you life-changing lessons, as your hunger only elevates to a new ravenous level. It feels like he is only improving, never resting on his laurels and is only going to rip through the mic each time – as he shows new and old fans – that he is indeed the truth.

‘That’s My Life Cuz‘ from the highly-respected underground Luton, UK-based hardcore hip-hop/grime artist Crazy James, launches hotly like a massive missile into your curious mind, due to his intense barrage of rampaging bars that slams heavily into your unsuspecting face. This is that juggernaut type of music from a conscious man who has had a tough life – and who never took the easy temptation-riddled way out – that either leads you into those cold chains or six feet under.

This is easily one of the best songs of 2021, so turn it up real loud and embrace the understated brilliance.

Stream this fire new track on Spotify and see more on his IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Milky – a deeply personal and honest debut with ‘I Miss You Mum’

Posted on 26 June 2021

Rising Brighton-based rap artist Milky has taken a bold step with releasing such a poignant, personal, and utterly confessional track as his debut single, but what a track it is; from the beautiful opening vocal courtesy of hometown friend Amy Owens, to the opening stanzas of Milky’s storytelling lyrical poetry (‘…those doctors can go fuck themselves/Yeah, I cut myself/It fuckin’ helps…’) ‘I Miss You Mum’ is just raw, open, and honest, and beautifully put together.

Released on We Are Not Saints records, a not-for-profit label and promotions company which works with musicians in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction; Milky is, himself, a recovering addict, a theme addressed within the lyrics alongside the narrative of the loss of his mother when he was aged just seven years old.

It’s a stunningly powerful track, truthful and honest without being maudlin or melancholic, hopeful rather than downbeat. On the basis of this, there’s a lot more to come from Milky.

Listen to ‘I Miss You Mum’ on Spotify – follow Milky on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Simulated Youth smashes the premise of the totalitarian state with his dark electro track, ‘Ghost in the Machine’.

Posted on 14 May 2021

Phoenix, Arizona-based dark electronica artist and producer Simulated Youth has switched up his sound from his previous releases, N.B.T. and Kill the Messenger by introducing a galvanising urban twist. With rap bars flowing as veraciously as his euphorically-swamped signature beats in Ghost in the Machine, fans of trance to harsh industrial electronica alike will want to pay attention.

As with all of Simulated Youth’s tracks, Ghost in the Machine is so much more than a smorgasbord of adrenalizing sound; the mix falls on the very valid anxieties of our surveillance state. We may be in the midst of an Orwellian nightmare, but at least we have apt anthems which thrash and slap in the face of dystopic oppression and totalitarian control.

Of all the artists I’ve heard breaking through this year, no other artist holds as much promise, authenticity and escapism from the bleakness of our current socio-political structures as Simulated Youth.

Ghost in the Machine is now available to stream along with the rest of Simulated Youth’s 2021 EP via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Woozybeatz brought his unique style of DubWave back to the airwaves with ‘No Turning’ Back’, featuring GOLDEN G.

Posted on 27 April 2021

Since his 2017 debut, independent artist and producer Woozybeatz has continued to rack up the streams with his hazy, trippy beats. ‘No Turning Back’ is the latest dominant track to drop from the Northamptonshire, UK-based artist as Woozybeatz continues his mission to bring a unique style of DubWave to the airwaves.

No Turning back features the commanding drill hop rap bars from GOLDEN G, who brought just as much energy as Woozy brought with the beats that rattle under the bars and beneath the swathes of reverb, allowing Woozy to stay true to his moniker.

The grimy fierce track is the ultimate playlist staple for anyone who is through with apathy, staying humble and going all-in; between the grit and grind, you’ll find plenty of empowering introspection.

No Turning Back is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Go interstellar with UK rap artist Majick’s latest release ‘SpaceShip’

Posted on 18 April 2021

If you’ve never been caught up in Rap artist Majick’s lyrical flow, his latest track ‘SpaceShip’ is the perfect track to introduce his forceful, energetic and impassioned approach to Hip Hop.

If anyone can put Hull on the hip hop map, it’s Majick with his captivating cadence and gritty lyrics that exhibit his wit and playful persona. After snagging a BBC Live Session spot with their bold and contemporary sound and their palpable hunger to keep collecting accolades, it’s easy to get excited about what else he will achieve in 2021.

You can check out the official music video to SpaceShip that dropped on February 26th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

¿ has dropped his darkly enigmatic drill track, ‘BlaK Flora’.

Posted on 1 April 2021

If you’re always on the lookout for new grimy drill tracks to add to your playlists, look no further than ¿’s latest track, ‘BlaK Flora’. It’s a confrontational aural juggernaut, combined with the up and coming artist’s enigmatic moniker; you’ll easily be drawn into the complex layers of the single that establishes ¿ as one to watch. Any artist with so much drive and unwillingness to add more of the same to the airwaves is worth paying attention to.

BlaK Flora dropped on February 27th, 2021. You can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast