This 17 Year old from London blew the audience (including the judges) away with her outstanding performance of “I’m Telling You”.
Calm, confident and composed, Jade really let her talent do the talking, with so many people auditioning and stating how amazing they are only to have their own dreams crushed by news that they cannot sing, it is a breath of fresh air to see someone so humble and grounded yet give such a performance, a true talent, she deserves to win.
Here is the original:
And an even more memorable performance:
I wanted to end it at that, however, I’ve come across this, it is worth seeing, she is only 6 years old!!
Young Money’s White Knight, Drake, releases his critically acclaimed mixtape So Far Gone, Fear is the new bonus track available on this re-release.
Produced by DJ Khalil, this will be a critics favourite, by far a ‘special’ track, as it is the most recent we’ve heard of Drizzy since his previous mixtapes and guest features, personally I feel this song will keep his buzz consistent as fans and critics wait for the anticipated debut album ‘Thank Me Later‘.
Drake shines best when he lets his emotions out on the mic, highlighting that although his life is on an up, he still has downs, he makes his music easy to relate to for anybody listening, lines like, “I never cried when ‘Pac died, but I will when Hov’ does”, display his comfortability on record, his confidence is sky high and I do not expect any different, who wouldn’t with a hype and fanbase like his, funniest thing is that he has not even released an album yet.
Not much needs to be said about Fear, it speaks for itself.
Since the last review of his album ‘Catch 22‘, I have listened to it more and a couple of the other tracks have begun to stand out more, one of them being ‘Tryna Be Me‘, Co-Produced by Dirty Danger and Rapid, featuring the multi-talented Ruff Sqwad.
I like the classic Ruff Sqwad feel this track has, it is a major record but it’s underground relevance is in full effect.
An instant favourite of mine is Shake Me produced by Top 3 selected producer himself Rapid, Rapid features on this track as well.
With Catch 22 being Tinchy’s album it is refreshing to hear another voice and Rapid really makes the most of it, a stand out on the track, definitely compliments Stryder. The beat itself is up-tempo, with a good blend of sounds, the synth is contrasted well by the live-sounding instrumentation, the singing ad-libs are amazing, I know they’re just ad-libs but they really give the song so much depth, over all the quality is really good, Rapid has been considered one of the best (if not THE best) producer in the Grime scene for a while now, with Shake Me he proves that his talents are just as able to conquer the mainstream.
Many people do not actually know that Rapid is more than a producer, he is a writer and vocalist too, a man capable to be an artist in his own right.
If you have not read the ‘Thy Maryan – Energize’ Review then make sure you check it out, if you already have then you might be pleased to know that Thy is currently in talks with major record label EMI regarding a possible deal, fingers crossed they will support him and his talent because he is one of the best producers (worldwide), his style is diverse, you can hear a track and not know whether he produced it or not, however one thing for sure is, if it is a good production..you will assume it is Thy Maryan.
The FrSH entertainment producer, who produced the banger G-FrSH – URGH, has many more hits such as Energize waiting to be unleashed for our audio pleasure, so keep your ears out for his production and your eyes out for his name as he will no doubt be behind a future favourite of yours.
During a recent trip to New York, I asked the locals which artists in the UK they knew about, I wanted if they have the same exposure that we have of their artists. The majority knew of Tim Westwood and used words to describe him that I can’t really say but you get the point, Dizzee Rascal it seems is the most famous prospect over there, I was hoping someone would say Wretch 32 or Ghetts, however that was not the case, for ages we have had Hip-Hop dedicated radio shows, our own awards ceremony ‘the Brits’ and ‘Mobo’ give out awards to more overseas artists than homegrown, the likes of Tinchy Stryder(that was before the recent awards) Ndubz and Chipmunk are changing that I agree, however if we can know about the likes of Currency, Wiz Khalifa and Slaughterhouse here in the UK then why do they not know of our talent?
There are a few reasons, their population is far larger which means more rappers, so everybody is too busy following what is ‘hot’ rather than having a real passion and allowing themselves to be naturaly inspired by a wide variety of influences. The Duo of Mega and Mayhem, better known as SAS were another name I heared a fair bit, could be due to their once affiliation with Dipset and Rocafella records, or just the fact that they have put the work in over there.
This article/review is to silence anyone who argues that the UK does not possess the talent or the fact that it is because of our dialect, as Americans have a different accent to us yet for years we have been listening and supporting.
After hearing this track, I felt the same feeling that I would get from listening to Wu-Tang, or even Rakim, Black the Ripper aka Samson takes it back, the production is Hip-Hop, it possesses the feeling of a classic, the potential is amazing, A real music fan anywhere in the world can appreciate this, Black the Ripper is talented and is clearly not phased by the problems many face to progress into mainstream, he celebrates the idea of being underground, using the internet to reach his audiences, he has come a long way through his own hard work and ambition, expect to hear a lot more of this artist because real talent can never be denied!
Fáris Rating:
8.5/10
Click Image to visit his Official Myspace page, listen to more and see new videos from the highly talented emcee
Raekwon of the Legendary Wu-Tang, returns with the follow up to his classic Only Built for Cuban Linx, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2.
The majority of the songs leaked so far have been solid Hip-Hop records, with obvious features from Wu Tang members such as Method Man and Ghostface Killah, one of the tracks which stood out for me is this:
Catalina, produced by the legend himself Dr Dre, is a typical Dre production, the layering and sound quality, it has trademark Dre but a classic Hip-Hop feel to it, Lyfe Jennings always delivers with his unique voice, leaving plenty of room for Raekwon to shine.
For what it is, this track and the album as a whole will bring back some of the classic details that have been missing from Hip-Hop, that raw sound and over all feel, with the genre facing many changes and transitions over the years, it is always good for some of the originals to return and provide that lost flavour and style.
Click image to visit Raekwon's official myspace page
Having already introduced the collective to you with their previous record ‘Move On’, it is time for people to be reminded as they have released their debut album.
For the Hip-Hop fans, Nas’ statement that “Hip-Hop is Dead” has been proved false with the rise of this collective, Take four hungry and extremely underated artists and put them together, the result is Slaughterhouse, consisting of Long Beach’s Crooked I (once Death Row rapper, undeniably talented but looked over when they mention LA’s best), Royce Da 5’9 (Detroit representative, most notably the only person rapper to cause Eminem any problem lyrically, Joe Budden (Mr Pump It Up was left frustrated after his record label attempted to dominate his career marketing him as a softer more pop sounding rapper) and Joell Ortiz (the NY beast who was initially signed to Dr Dre’s Aftermath imprint).
The story is simple, they came to prominance thanks to their talent but then politics and outside issues forced them to part ways with their labels, whilst working on his solo album, Joe Budden recruited the three other members as features on his track titled ‘Slaughterhouse’
The feeling of this song was so monumental, in a genre that is full of ‘beefs’ and conflicts, to have four talented emcees comes together and to do it so well, there was something epic about it, focussing on the phrase “strength in numbers”, the four came together once again, this time to prove their worth in the industry. It has worked so far, if you’re a Joe Budden fan then you have now been exposed to Ortiz, Crooked and Royce, and likewise if you were a Crooked I fan, you are now introduced to the other three members, who all equally deliver with their own unique style. Their debut self titled album is critically acclaimed, a must have for any Hip Hop fan.
As a writer, one of the greatest satisfactions is seeing somebody who you tipped for a bright future to be embarking on that journey to success, I was always confident of Bluey Robinson’s imminent success, with talent and charisma in abundance, it is just a matter of when rather than if. So, forward a few months since I first presented him to you all and his single I Know is in the Top 20 Music Week Urban Club chart, being heavily rotated on radio playlists, performing abroad and now I come across this:
ITN have been making efforts to stay in touch with our young talents on the rise, interviews with Bashy and Chipmunk already, so they clearly are making all the right moves as they now got this exclusive. I have been unfortunate to miss out on Bluey’s live performances but the reviews will not stop coming in, it is literally a case of hear him and you love him, anyone who does not like him has not heard him, it is simple as that. Even the talented Mr Ryan Leslie took note and produced this remix:
In my line of work I am intouch with a lot of artists, some are underground successes and some have dominated the mainstream too, within that it is expected to meet a few egos here and there, now with someone of Bluey’s talents it is almost strange that he remains so humble, so down to earth and thankful and that is why he gets so much respect from me, I see him as a younger brother and would help him however I could for him to succeed (he truly deserves it). A lot of people have mentioned how “there is all this rubbish on radio and not real talent”, well, his work ethic and his desire is flawless and in time he will reap the benefits of it all, however, we as the fans need to support these real artists, the real talents, requesting them on radio and legally downloading or purchasing their music are some of the ways we can all help.
Another acoustic performance/interview:
Support real talent and good music, Support Bluey Robinson!!
Having already praised the B. Cox produced One Love, Trey manages to remain consistent with this offering taken from his new album READY.
A little less dramatic than One Love and more realistic, Holla If Ya Need Me has Trey crooning like only he can, the concept is sweet, this is R&B, there was a surge of Hip-Hop influenced R&B for a while, the King of R&B himself, R. Kelly, released a autotune dependant mixtape, so something was clearly wrong, Trey stepped up to take R&B in the right direction and this track personifies that.
Trey does not try to sing his heart out on this one, which is a good thing, as it would over-shadow the ultimate feeling, his talent can never be denied, from his first single ‘Just Gotta Make It ft. Twista’, his vocal ability was evident and so it has come to no surprise of the improvement made so far. Produced by Troy Taylor (the man who ultimately discovered Trey Songz), this song possesses an emotion, anyone who has been or is in such a situation will most definitely take to this record.
Ready is in stores now and is being considered R&B Album of the Year, personally, I felt that it could have been better, after listening to his pre-album mixtape entitled ‘Anticipation’, there was more R&B quality, but as a whole for a mass audience tracks like ‘LOL 🙂‘ and ‘Black Roses‘ make it more than just an R&B album.
Look out for more Trey Songz reviews to come, in the mean time “Holla If Ya Need Me”
Here is the official video for the track that is being tipped to be Chipmunk’s first Number 1.
Chipmink – Oopsy Daisy:
Oopsy Daisy is a special song, it has ‘hit’ written all over it, Chipmunk’s large female fanbase might just have their favourite Chipmunk record so far with this one, whilst the guys can relate to this as he speaks from a male perspective, with Mr Munk being in his late teens, he manages to cater to those younger and older at the same time with his sincere approach, I even think that my 8/10 rating was me being critical to avoid being biased, it just posseses a feeling, I can see this track being played 5 years from now and have that same appeal as it does this instant. The video is again directed by Vertex (Marvell crew), who is developing quite the portfolio and name for himself behind the camera, featuring Red Madrell (Kidulthood, Adulthood) as his love interest, the video is a perfect visual for the song, in terms of clear and understanding, the ring of fire emphasises emotion and it looks good too, Chipmunk has come a long way in a small space of time, Oopsy Daisy is about to take him a lot further.
ONE Fáris 