It’s easy to forget the ‘UK’ in UK Hip Hop. Take it from a migrant city fella like myself – living in the supposed epicentre of everything can be exhausting and unhealthy. “Watch yourself son,” advised a prized pub local back down Essex-ways. “London may still make a snobbish arsehole of you yet.” So confident was the old bloke he bet me a bitter.

Cue midland’s maestro’s Heavy Links and their third, highly anticipated Heavyweight EP. In many ways, this EP exemplifies what Heavy Links are all about. Loudly and proudly heralding the flag of Boom Bap, El Tel’s signature sound and on-point production lays the foundation for Habitat and himself to go ham on the lyrical front. DJ Donnie Propa completes the chemical equation with creative cuts and scratching interludes from start to finishHeavyweight kicks off with ‘Closing Down The Show’. Before you even get the chance to savour the tasty beat Habitat comes through with: “Yo, it’s Tasha Bronson and I’m rapping my bollocks off, in the stage like a grudge match and explode like a Molotov.” Attention grabbed. If, like me, you also noticed the flawless marriage between beat and flow within the first 30 seconds then you’ll agree we have something dope on our hands. Even on the first listen, one can’t help but mime along with Donnie Prop’s infectious, selected cuts.

For all us potentially pious Londoners, ‘Just To Let You Know’ opens with the reassuring sound of veteran rapper Verb T. One of the EP’s three collaborations, the High Focus talisman seemingly spits for fun, effortlessly teeing up El Tel’s acute, flow-chopping bars before tagging Habitat in, to the lyrical ring, for the decisive finishing moves. The EP continues to journey through notable tunes as ‘Follow This’ and ‘The Watchmen’; showcasing the groups abilities both “individually” and as a “team” – a clichéd yet necessary mentionable when applying for a crap job. We’ve all been there.

‘Nuclear’ is the EP’s first released single and it features Nottingham’s very own Cappo. His prominent, ghostly rhymes nestle between Habitat’s & El Tel’s over a sharp beat with sharper cuts. ‘TBTHL’, as the acronym suggests, features Oxford-Bristol connection The Book Thieves. Collectively they convey honest, down-to-earth lyrics which celebrate a real love for what they do outside of the grime and struggle, grind and hustle. Upon playing Heavyweight’s penultimate track ‘I Know Your Style’ my Italian flatmate instantly acknowledged the sexual quality of the beat, one that even Pete Rock would be proud of. As the sincere and soulful finale of ‘Exit Class’ (my personal favourite) fades into silence you cannot help but feel a renewed affinity and love for Hip-Hop. In their own words, this is real, raw and rugged UK Hip-Hop. Real talk.

A close German friend of mine always used to preach ‘never change a winning system’, in, of course, a typically stern and serious German tone. Without any intended insult, this is the path Heavy Links have opted to walk down and you can’t argue with the results. The record is consistently brilliant and brilliantly consistent. It’s fair to say that we now know exactly what we are going to get from the midland’s 3-piece. Well if that’s the case, then it’s only right to mention that Heavy Links are quickly becoming masters of their own craft.

The Heavyweight EP is a solid extension of 2012’s ‘The Essence’ leaving the door slightly ajar to tempt your curiosity of what’s to come. Four years in music and four strong releases to show for it, Heavy Links are beginning to establish themselves in the UKHH scene. Make no mistake – this is real Hip-Hop for real fans. Fans with an ear and appreciation for this art form; who know the story, lived the movie and bought many a T-shirt.

Sure, London is where it’s at and it inevitably harvests the lions share for itself. Personally, I am hugely grateful to hear this EP as it serves as a stark reminder of the talent we are blessed with across the UK. Seems obvious doesn’t it? Can London really turn you into an inward-seeking prick? I guess owe that old bastard a pint after all.

Review By Umrish Pandya – @UmrishP

Check out some Heavy Link’s other work below:

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Oh well hi there Broken Poetz, didn’t know you were about. But I must tell you this,I am sure glad I found you.

Broken Poetz made the earth move this March with the release of their debut EP- ‘The Pen, The Pad & the Good Things We Had’. I hadn’t heard of these guys until Wordplay pointed me in their direction, but I’ll tell you something for free, these guys have a good thing going. Broken Poetz consist of D.Know and Mystero who hail from humble Hampshire. Now, quite frankly I cant say I know much about Hampshire, let alone that they have a hip hop scene. But, if this is a taste of Hampshire’s finest home grown artists, then I have been hugely mistaken.

The artist’s bandcamp page describes their music as a project that explores the concepts of ‘loss’ and ‘positivity’ whilst maintaining an upbeat vibe. You only need to listen to this EP once and you will instantly catch on to why Broken Poetz describe their music as “journal over beats”. Some of the topics both artists explore from their past are pretty hard hitting, with rhymes that delve into the more personal moments in life with no hesitation. To be truthful, at times I felt that the subjects touched on about broken families and heartbreak was pretty intense, but at the same time I still hold the up most respect for the new to the scene artists who are straight talking from the get go. The artists even say themselves that the EP explores “painfully honest representations of deepest thoughts” as they believe that “honesty in hip-hop is extremely important and sadly lacking in today’s scene”. I say hats off to the lads as they have achieved this with their debut.

‘Choose Life’ is the first track that kick starts this EP. With a banger of an intro the track slips into a prime head bobbing beat. If the title doesn’t already give it away, the lyrics explores the theme of ‘options’ we have in life in a rather similar yet much less cynical way to the beginning of Trainspotting (but with no Ewen Mcgreggor rolling over a car business). ‘Seldom Seen’ is probably one of the most heartfelt tracks out of the seven. As a tribute to a loved one, the two artists open up to the listeners about who they are and their past. In terms of lyrics I say fair fucking play. It takes a lot of balls to be straight up about who you are and your past and I think that it is the brutal honesty that makes it such a touching track to listen to. And you only need to look on Youtube to see the thousands of views the video to this is racking up to know that many heads out there feel the same.

Favourite track? It is difficult to say because the EP is mostly an all round pleaser. ‘Hard Road’ is most definitely up there, not only because of the choice of sample with Jimmy Cliff, but because of its bitter/sweet play on words to beats. Not only that, but it really demonstrates in terms of beats, just how diverse a listen it really is. Worst track? Well I’m going to have to go for the last one on the EP ‘I Don’t Know You Like You Know Me’ This may be partly due to the female vocals grated on me quite a bit, but I cant really criticise because I couldn’t belt out vocals like that even if I tried.

As I said at the top, as a listen in full, many of the topics touched upon can be pretty heavy going. But it’s not all gloom for Broken Poetz. Its wordplay like “I’ve been having mad dreams lately, feeling more confused than a drag queens baby” alongside the very eclectic but damn good selection of beats that keep this EP upbeat; making you want to return back to it and listen again. I’d definitely recommend to give this a listen as I think you will be hearing a lot about these guys in the future.

Review By Abi Lewis

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You can picture the scene. After spending the previous year consistently dropping heavy album after heavy album, High Focus decide to hit a more mellow high with Leaf and Rag’s “Dog’N’Bone EP” when all of a sudden, someone drunkenly stumbles in and fucks things up. Dirty Dike, SMB general and Contact Play’s resident “all-time failure of the world”, is back with his third feature-length outing, “Return Of The Twat”. Produced entirely by Naïve and Pete Cannon, it’s as rowdy and raucous as you would expect with Dike at his unreservedly honest best.

Kicking things off, “He’s Getting Judged Like An Idiot” serves as the perfect introduction to the mind-set of the aforementioned Mr Dikestar before tracks like “There He Goes (That Look In His Eye)” and “One Drink (That’s Completely Out The Question)” delve the listener further into a world of lying, drinking, cheating, drinking, thievery, a little more drinking and the unrepentantly all-out living of life. Coming like the finest episode of Jackanory on road, “Catch Me If You…Nah” depicts the art of police-baiting and endurance running. The narrative’s on point as Dike rides the funky instrumentation as drama unfolds around the central, surely lovable rogue character he so admiringly portrays.

Any Dirty Dike release wouldn’t be complete without an undiluted dose of all-out, puerile nastiness. Taking the form of the title track, Dike goes into overdrive with his uniquely vivid and most definitely twisted thought-patterns; culminating in metaphorical wonders the likes of bacon and cheese wrap-resembling genitalia. Genius. That being said, it’s not all jokes and childish humour. “New Street”, an autobiographical account of witnessing the effects of domestic violence and substance abuse, offers the album a deeper conscious and its brief hit serves a perfect ‘pause for thought’ amongst the rest of the LP’s festivities.

Never one to shy away from controversy, the Dabbla assisted “Rapping over Silence” points a finger at the ‘skills’ of the battle rap scene. Whilst purely personal opinion, the venom in which he delivers lines like, “Dirty who? (Dike) with a mind like it’s senile/ at least I clash a rapper in a cypher and it’s freestyle/ meanwhile, I listen to these kids/ I’m thinking it’s ridiculous how you can piss a written out and think it’s sick”, naturally hit a nerve; with a few of the Don’t Flop heads voicing their thoughts his way via the twittersphere.

Bringing the project to a rousing crescendo, its guest spots galore with the mammoth “Future Posse Cut One Thousand”. Carrying production so rowdy and infectiously head-nodding that even the Churchill dog would struggle to cope; Dike’s joined by Stig Of The Dump, Dr Syntax, BVA, DatKid, Verb T, Jam Baxter, Ed Scissortongue, Mr Key, Fliptrix and Leaf Dog for a dose of all out, verbal warfare.

Admittedly, I’ve never been the biggest Dike fan. His “Sloshpot EP” began to sway my opinion, causing me to approach his album with optimism and an open-mind. It’s genuinely surprised me how much I’ve enjoyed listening to it. Repeatedly. Over and over again. There’s not one track that’s even remotely skip-worthy and Dike’s somehow managed to strike a balance between his innate immaturity, distinctive sense of humour and supreme storytelling ability. Similar to Fliptrix on his last LP, sticking with just two producers works to his advantage; with Naïve and Pete Cannon delivering a consistently sublime soundscape for Dike to trample all over. This is definitely becoming one of my favourite releases of the year so far and I guarantee that heads will be bumping this all summer long. Ladies and Gentlemen; the twat is back. And what a twat he is…

“Return Of The Twat” dropped today so order your copy HERE

Dike’s also coming to a town near you with his Contact Play familia. Check the dates below and get involved.

Review by Mike Pattemore @beats_n_pieces

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Whilst it’s not impossible that this weekend’s weather has been both the start and finish of British Summertime; if it decides to hang around a little longer then what better to compliment it than the latest offering from Brighton’s fine wine and liquid-refreshment connoisseurs? Mixed by Direct, Rum Committee are back with the second instalment of their mixtape series, entitled “Committee Is Still Boss”. Weighing in at a pretty hefty 28 tracks, it boasts a collection of fresh material from the entire collective with added guest spots from the likes of Sonnyjim, Adam The Rapper, Koaste, Tom Caruana and many more.

For those who are familiar with the Rum Com sound, it’s safe to say that the guys like a little aperitif or cheeky short every once in a while so it’s not surprising that alcohol-infused antics form a good chunk of the mixtape. Ceezlin sets the scene, introducing the average day with the opener “Committee On Tour” before the rowdiness and aggression surfaces with the likes of Gi3mo’s “Big Mo”, “Tea Leaves” and “Buddhist Warfare”. Whilst the solo tracks all impress, the ‘posse cuts’ are where the strength of the release lies. Tracks like “Eyesores”, “Piledriver”, “Gutterstars” and “Gritty Committee II” see the pressure levels rise as the crew go to-and-fro, bouncing bars off one another with frantic energy.

However, somewhat like the metaphorical morning-after-the-night-before, if you tread carefully around the broken remnants of shot glasses and crack open a window to vent the herbal vapours; other tracks surface to deliver the ideal hangover cure. Rag ‘N’ Bone Man’s soulful stylings offer the perfect contrast to many of the RC heads’ verses throughout the mixtape; most noticeably on “Nightwatch Mashup” and the ode to the fairer sex, “Wrong Love”. The Sherlock Bones produced “Days” sees Bukioe on a throwback vibe over Bones’ laid-back, distorted piano loops whilst Ceezlin teams up to great effect with Eat Good boss Sonnyjim on the vocal sample led “Love My City”. Lyrically, the standout of the project has to be “Turning The Tables”, where the illustrative wizard Bukioe drops an immense verse that ponders on the ever debatable subject of religion.

“An atheist now but learning early as an infant/ That everything’s a business, even churches take commission…and then it clicked, I saw it like a vivid vision/ it’s a guilt ridden system driven for a God that’s non-existent”.

When you put out a body of work of this size, you’ll often find a few castaways to pad out the release; this is definitely not the case. Aside from an isolated skit, it’s all killer no filler as the crew, both on a solo and collective tip, showcase their musical prowess. Each individual brings their own unique element to the table to craft a cracking listen from start to finish. There’s enough material here to create the best part of three LPs yet for some reason, whether or not it was a decision made under the influence, they’ve decided to throw it your way absolutely free of charge. Madness! It may have been a couple of years since “Boozetown” first landed but if any one may have foolishly suggested that they’ve lost their edge or gone quiet, I urge you to remember one thing; RUM COMMITTEE IS STILL BOSS.

Download “Committee Is Still Boss” now from their Bandcamp page below

Review by Mike Pattemore @beats_n_pieces

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Ghostface Killah has been flexing every creative muscle in his body; not only has he created a new album named ‘Twelve Reasons to Die’ but has made a comic book (of the same name) to accompany it so whilst you’re reading you can listen to the exact tunes creating the perfect ambiance to fully immerse yourself in the creations of one of our patron saints of Hip Hop.

The comic itself is important to talk about and it is one that tells of organised crime, gangs and gory deaths and the album is an equally gritty piece, remaining dark and aggressive whilst being occasionally heartbreaking, reflecting a crime thriller comic perfectly.

There are some fantastic guest appearances on this album. Of course much of The Clan leave their mark on this piece with the narration by RZA (reinforcing the literary aspect) and bars from Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa, also bars from old time Wu-Tang affiliates Cappadonna and Killa sin feature. William Hart from soul group Delfonics also appears, further spicing up this lovely concoction.

‘Twelve Reasons to Die’ opens with ‘Beware of the Stare’ a superb empowering opening with angelic singing, which then jumps into some hard-hitting bars. There’s rap over guitar over harpsichord over pretty singing creating a fantastic cocktail of sounds that have an almost fairytale feel to them, which considering the point of this album is to tell a tale, is very appropriate.

This is your first glimpse of the potent chemistry between producer Adriane Young and Ghostface himself. Throughout the entire album reactions continue to occur painting a glorious and graphic picture of a Basin city like place rife with sins and lies.

The beats are for the most part fast-paced with a stressful sense of urgency giving you some insight to the tension and trauma that comes with the life of a criminal reprobate.

The album changes half way through beginning with ‘Centre of Attraction’, it takes a slower and more moving pace as a questionable romantic interest becomes involved and we find our protagonist questioning her and himself whilst he is warned ‘she’s a set up chick’. From here on the album focuses on betrayal with the song ‘enemies all around me’ that shows the dangers of maintaining your place within this crime world. ‘The Unexpected Call’ the song to follow does confirm the fears that she is a ‘Set up chick’ and we are told a heart wrenching if not slightly cliché tale of how our main characters love does indeed betray him.

The Rise of Ghostface Killah sees the rapper charting his characters rise and explaining his environment and further displaying his knack for story telling whilst Adriane Young’s beats ensure the correct amount of theatricality to emphasise the bars and message perfectly. It shares a lot in common with the Django unchained soundtrack with western style guitars and bells giving a sense of foreboding.

‘Revenge is sweet’ once again sees a choir, emphasising the epicness of the tale.

The conclusion to this album, it’s namesake ‘Twelve Reasons to Die’ sees RZA explaining that ‘unable to become immortalised in life Ghostface became immortalised in death’. His speech makes this a rather epic ending to what has been a fantastical yarn and further reinforces the importance of narrative in this album. He continues ‘he created a mayhem so vast that the tale of his rampage would be passed down for generations’ giving a myth element. And I do hope that this album will be passed down for generations and immortalised. The cinematic instrumental is epic and almost heroic with booming classical instruments that leave us stunned and awe inspired at the end of wt has been an incredible piece, of musical mastery.

This is more than an album Twelve Reasons to Die is truly a story complete with plot, beginning middle and end. It also has a climax, dilemma and all the tension you expect from a good story. Complete with all the tone and theatrics of an opera and complex characters of a Shakespearian play it truly brings across the true point of Hip Hop, which is the art of story telling, and Ghostface does this superbly. The chemistry between Young and Ghostface is outstanding throughout, this is a true masterpiece, an experimental work of art that everyone should tune into and lose themselves in this fantastic tale.

Review By Jess Johns

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Nottingham is back in my sights as an intriguing title ‘Savagery Over Everything’ by the emcee Vandal Savage was passed my way. Production of whole EP is courtesy of fellow Notts. Dweller Juga-Naut. I like comic books but I’m no expert and prior to encountering Vandal Savage the rapper I wasn’t aware that the origins of the name is actually a DC comic character with immortal warrior capability. It’s worth knowing that the comic book character was co-created by Alfred Bester sci-fi writer supremo! This for sure piqued my interest and on a side note check out Bester’s classic novel ‘The Demolished Man’ a world where cops are telepathic ‘peepers’ and criminals battle to avoid detection.

Back to the music! The intro sees Supervillain meets Supervillain with a nice Doom sample that sets the tone for this collection of short thoughtful tracks with Vandals laidback style over really rather dope jazzy breaks, flowing flutes, double bass like b-lines.

‘Agenda’ has smart lines “Build my own cemetery and settle myself, give away all my possessions and forget ‘bout my wealth, when I die I need 2 caskets 2 classics…bury me to Black Sabbath”.

The Snake Charmer finds Vandal “Meditating in the rain” and all his tracks are littered with cool word play and insights. In Vandal Savage’s own words he “sheds light on the hard times we’re living in. Mentally and physically savagery is the way to over come all”

In a nutshell Vandal has put together a thoughtful concise piece. From the choice of artwork, to the track titles, to the production to the lyrics full of layered meanings show his intention like the Green Cross Code Man is to make you stop, look and listen and want to know when will we get a full album. By the way this download is FREE so don’t sleep!

Delphina Scott @rawbluecheese

http://vandalvorhes.bandcamp.com/album/savagery-over-everything-ep

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From the outset, Cyrus Malachi’s brand new album sets a serious tone from the production to the lyrical content. We’re treated to Hip Hops place in continuing the use of the drum and art making “the unseen seen and the unheard heard”. Track 1 ‘Godspeed’ rams the intros message home that to be Hip Hop you need to live Hip Hop. It is after all a culture. With track 2 ‘Contraband’ Cyrus segues from local street stories to political observations effortlessly.

“Life imitates art, art reflects the society’s heart, so I rap from the heart, describe what I see right from the start, rhyme for my peeps, started from the streets and the park…”

For the curious listener and emcees that want to step up their game there is plenty of knowledge being kicked from the album title onward. Let google be your friend! Seek out the Black Athena title and what it means. We need a nudge sometimes to refresh what we’ve learned about hidden African History, as it’s not in our faces via educational institutions or mainstream media. Cyrus and his Triple Darkness crew’s encouragement to people to think and research is a signature of their work.

The quality featured artists all bring their A games to the table. Iron Braydz, Solar Black, Skriblah do not disappoint.

Standout tracks for me are Superfluidity that has haunting sounds and observations, ‘Tunnel Rats’ hints that ancient Rome public killings has been re-imagined for our present day society. ‘Papercuts’, ‘Hardboiled’ ft Skriblah Dan Gogh, ‘Industrial Pastures’ has a biographical feel to it. ‘Hydrochloric Sonnets’ ft. Iron Braydz and Melanin 9 adding fire to their acid laden bars to the max on this epic track.

The album could be used as a basis for a roundtable discussion amongst crews and friends. It easily sparks debate and hunger to know more because these are serious if not down right scary times we are living in.

A healthy addition is that Malachi has distinctive, unmistakable voice. When you hear him you know it’s Cyrus Malachi. Chuck D’s mantra get some bass in your voice still stands and it’s advocated by this emcee.

This is a no – filler zone. Make your CD order or digital download below

Review by Delphina Scott @rawbluecheese

Opportunity to receive limited free mixtape and album artwork also available for purchase.

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