With a line up being called the England 10, Wiley returns to take some of the Grime scene’s finest back up with him.
The England 10 consists of J2K, Wrigley, Ice-Kid, Wretch 32, Ghetts, Bashy, Scorcher, Chipmunk & Griminal, 9 of the 10 are established artists, Wrigley is a new addition, representing Manchester (Wrigley is actually flying the flag for every artist outside of the London) and has one of the standout verses, J2K returns to the scene with his Wake Up EP and brings his witty flow to this up-tempo hit, Ice-Kid was always considered the future of Grime and so he brings that talent and charisma to the table with this verse, Wretch 32 is one of the best (if not the best) lyricist in the country (his previous album Wretchrospective is a OneFáris Classic), he provides a mature verse, Ghetts is in everybodies Top 3 artists and does not dissapoint, Bashy provides the comical verse, Scorcher (who also directed the video) gives a more fun, feel-good flow, Chipmunk provides yet another confident verse whilst Griminal scores the goal with his verse which is all about the vibe, the video represents this, you can see how everyone is getting along and enjoying themselves, most definitely a club banger and a big part of Grime history, UK music history even as these artists come together to make their mark, extremely unselfish of Wiley.
Artists have begun to understand that coming together and collaborating is what helps elevate the scene further, so expect to see more artists working together creating quality music.
After the success of ‘Always Strapped’, Cash Money boss Birdman aka Baby returns to the charts with his new record featuring Jay Sean.
Personally this sounds more like a Jay Sean record, I’ve grown up listening to Cash Money and never envisioned this, then again I did not expect to hear a Lil’ Wayne rock album, so anything is possible in music these days. The track is not bad, Birdman who (like Lil’ Wayne) is covered in tattoos, obviously had no trouble in finding inspiration for this song, Written On Her is about a girl with tattoos hence the title ‘Written On Her’, Jay Sean is added to the equation to smoothen the mix and it strangely all works, here you have this up-tempo track, which will go down well in the clubs as it would among your friends, it sounds different, the concept is new, Written On Her has a lot of appeal and was not made to make a big impact on the world, it is a feel good track taken from his forthcoming album ‘Always Strapped’, this is one of the softer tracks from the album but definitely expect more good music from Cash Money and Jay Sean.
“IS IT THE CHAMPAGNE DANCE..NO, THIS IS THE CHAMPAGNE TALK”
New from Skepta, taken from his album ‘Microphone Champion’, Lush has Skepta ready “to take it sl-sl-slow” with his lady of choice, produced by Skepta and featuring Jay Sean (who is Number 6 in the US charts with Down ft. Lil’ Wayne), Lush is a combination of underground and mainstream sounds gelled together, Jay Sean’s vocals help texture the mainstream sound whilst fitting to a raw underground vibe which Skepta brings, as a whole Lush is a good song, the only negative is the length of the track, another verse would have made it complete. The video is a good look, directed by Vertex (Marvell), the rising director has directed for the Noisettes and Chipmunk already, considered one of the best directors already despite his young age, Vertex’s direction most definitely compliments the track, bringing something different, it has a mainstream feel, really adds to the track in terms of visuals (without being over the top).
Lush is certainly another hit for Skepta, it is promising as we continue to expect good music from the UK’s elite artists.
Boy Better Know’s JME steps back in the limelight with this solo effort.
His album Famous? cemented his place in Grime, however not much was heard since apart from a verse on the Boy Better Know summer anthem ‘Too Many Man’, that verse was not enough to satisfy JME fans and so he returns with Over Me, produced by Deeco, this synth-heavy track provides JME with a lyrical playground for his unique wordplay, it is pretty much what you would expect from JME, but that is a good thing, as JME stands aside for being innovative and diverse, which has allowed other artists to make similar transitions in the name of music. JME fans are going to love Over Me, the video (A debut from Digital Dropout) puts JME in character mode, keeping ‘Over’ under as he uses his superhero attributes to defeat them, metaphorically matching his lyrics, it is entertaining and that is something JME brings to the table, his personality and music combined has helped create a versatile artist, one who is not afraid to be himself.
I hope this is a sign of more to come from JME as his last album ‘Famous?’ was a good effort from the Boy Better Know CEO.
Fáris Rating:
8/10
Click album cover to visit JME's official myspace page
From the first listening of his new album ‘Catch Me If You Can’ it was evident that Bashy was trying to make a point, in an attempt to satisfy everyone and broaden his range of audience he created an eclectic album, those that followed Bashy’s rise obviously knew that the album would not be a dominantely grime album, he has always stood out for being witty and entertaining in a comical way, he sustained his presence in grime with the track (and video) Ransom (featuring Wretch 32 & Scorcher). Bashy then created a mini-anthem in the form of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Your Wish Is My Command featuring H-Boogie (Estelle’s sister) was one of the tracks that stood out in the album as able to cross-over, its merged sounds and styles allowed it to cross over into different genres for more people to enjoy.
The beat itself is a techno meets funk saying hi to pop somewhere along the journey, Bashy gives the track it’s urban relevance, it is obvious that Bashy intended to create a feel-good fun song and I can see this doing well, as for the video, I think it’s funny, it is different, it has comical value, it stands out and should not have any trouble receiving play on TV, the track itself should become a regular on radio, fans sometimes do not understand how hard it is to please everyone, some fans would like to see urban artists continue to make ‘underground’ music, but in order to be successful as an artist and gain mainstream credibility, they have to extend their range, Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder for example. With ‘Your Wish Is My Command’, Bashy has tried to create an overall feeling, it is urban, both artists represent urban alternative, Bashy is not singing, he is rapping, it is just a creative piece of expression, I personally visioned a futuristic video for the song, in all honesty I do not think the current video fully justifies the track, but it is hilarious to watch.
Bashy has always been ‘different’ coming up as an artist, where most emcees would stick to underground then make the pop transition, Bashy has always had these elements to him so it is no surprise. Your Wish Is My Command will do well for him, he boasts a lively character and the video portrays that well.
Fáris Rating:
7/10
I guess trying to keep every fan happy can be a bit stressful!
The clipse return with the newrelease from their forthcoming album ‘Till The Casket Drops’.
Clipse – I’m Good ft. Pharrell Williams:
I’m Good is pretty much a laid-back, feel-good track, a summer chillout tune. Typical production courtesy of the Neptunes, which is not a bad thing because it will compliment the rest of the productions by the neptunes on the album which also features production from the likes of Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and DJ Khalil (He produced Kinda Like A Big Deal ft. Kanye West).
I think this will be a success (in the USA at least) for the simple feel good factor that it possesses, it has a element of fun to it, I can see many people catching onto the vibe and I’m sure even Pharrell and the Clipse (at the time of recording) visioned people cruising in their cars playing this. You have to give the Neptunes credit for creating a song that captures the feeling of a true summer. I think it’s impact is subdued to the fact that the video for Kinda Like A Big Deal was put out first, that was more of a strong statement so people took notice.
I’m Good is like the title..Good, definitely one to add to your summer soundtrack.
Fáris Rating:
6.5/10
Now to wake you up,
Clipse – Kinda Like A Big Deal ft. Kanye West:
The DJ Khalil produced anthem really gave the Clipse a good entry back into the game, with the heavy feature from the self proclaimed new ‘King of Pop’..Kanye West. Pusha T & Malice really stand out lyrically, which is what they are ultimately known for, so to be on level with Mr West can only help the Virgina duo reach more success. I’m Good was good, Kinda Like A Big Deal is to be honest kind of like a big deal, the real record i want to hear is ‘Popeye’ featuring Cam’Ron, that is said to be the one, so good that it is being kept securely.
I heard this a while ago and I let my expectations get the better of me, so the song itself did not impress me, at the time I thought it was a weak effort with big features, without sounding so critical (though I am) I just felt that they could have created something better, however, I left the song for a while, let the hype settle a bit and the other day I was listening to Tim Westwood’s show and he played this and it stood out among the commercial saturated BS that currently floods our airwaves.
I think it is easier for Jay-Z to make original music because he has cemented his name within Hip-Hop and Music as a whole. Even he has admitted having to ‘dumb’ his lyrics down, so he understands how hard it is to satisfy and be successful commercially, surely as the once President of DefJam records he understands how hard it is for an artist to get a deal, there are those that make music for the love and they’re the successful ones but then when an outsider sees Pharrell Williams rise to stardom creating beats using digital sounds, songs that as a listener he likes, he will follow that, so it is expected, just like with fashion, you see Kanye Wear a pair of glasses..millions rush out to get the same pair, yet you criticize them and want them to be creative, even though you cash in on dictating their lifestyle, maybe if those that create ‘Real’ music are offered the chances that their talents deserve rather than seeing it handed over to someone who label execs beleive will gain major sex appeal from the opposite gender, and people will follow and support them equalling into good profit.
Back to the song, Produced by Kanye West, Run This Town is a powerful stage for the three artists (each successful in their own right), the only person that could have made this anymore powerful would be Beyonce in place of Rihanna. Kanye compiles the heavy drums with the edgy guitar nicely, it sounds raw yet clear, I hope Drake makes his version of this as I reckon he would do the beat justice. Taken from Jay-Z’s highly anticipated album ‘BLUEPRINT 3’ (completing the Blueprint trilogy), the first Blueprint is considered a classic so Jay had a lot to do in order to top it. After releasing DOA (Death of Autotune) he managed to create quite the buzz, Run This Town brings the buzz surrounding Jay-Z towards his coming album (perfect marketing), I still believe that both Jay and Mr West’s verses could have been better, yet it’s obvious that Jay-Z had audiences in mind, the catchy flow does what it is meant to, you cannot help but to rap along, Kanye West dissapointed me, the verse is good but that is the problem, maybe it will grow on me after a few more listens but I wanted to hear that out of this world ‘did he actually say that’ rhyme, Rihanna’s voice does fit the song, would have been good to hear a short verse or even bridge from her, as it becomes repetetive and boring after a while.
Run This Town is a good song, I just feel that it could be so much better, I’m looking forward to the video, hopefully the visuals can sway me to like it more, until then it is a raw commercial track, the only negative really is that it becomes repetative and boring (mainly due to Rihanna’s part), besides that it is not bad (I will be annoyed if it gains major rotation on UK Radio and TV instead of some of the better homegrown tracks and videos that should be played)
Look out for the review when the video is released
Fáris Rating:
7/10 [It’s almost an 8]
Kanye West, Rihanna and Jay-Z on the set of the video for Run This Town
This is pretty much the UK equivalent to Clipse – Grindin’ in terms of the beat and concept, The way Clipse fit to a Neptunes beat (With Pharrell knowing how to bring the best out of them), likewise Thy Maryan creates the perfect platform for G-FrSH to preach from.
‘URGH’ can only be described with words like ‘dope’, ‘gully’, ‘grimey’, ‘heavy’ and so on. It is a crazy piece of production from who else but Thy Maryan (Wretch 32 – Superhero), This beat is so good that its difficult to describe it, the feeling and vibe it gives off, it’s a ‘dark’ beat, but possesses moments of light which constrast well, the beat tells a story itself with G-FrSH adding more colour and flair to the composition.
At the moment G-FrSH (who has always been a favourite of mine) is my artist of the moment, the lyrics, style and flow combined produce smart and entertaining rhymes, “When They See Me They Applaud Me, Cos’ I’m About My Paper Like Trees..So Real N****s Root For Me“.
As for the video, I had seen a couple images which i assumed where from a photoshoot, but the video is honestly amazing, I really respect FrSH entertainment for the quality they produce, this video represents the beat so well, the cut out affects, the way G-Frsh is walking down is actually showing him walking to the video shoot, as in he really lives what you see, the visual effects compliment the video, it is artistic without going over the top, it is a really well done video.
G-FrSH is not just your regular rapper, he is a business man, a mastermind behind the successful FrSH enterprise, with his own company and clothing line, a talented artist and above all an inspiration for many.
New out of the UK, Egypt – In The Morning, produced by Fuzzy Logic, although this track has been bubbling around the country for a while now (especially the clubs), it gets an official release now with this accompanying video.
You cannot help but to move to this, without a doubt a club banger, ‘In The Morning’ with its Funky combination of instruments, creating a blend of subdued bongos with an emphatic clap, Eygpt’s voice compliments the track as a whole, the powerful voice claims presence over the song. The video visually enchances the song’s appeal, the fun..party atmosphere is portrayed nicely, with cameos from DJ Ironik, Flawless and comedian Jazzie the video will be set to appear on heavy rotation on your screens throughout the summer.
Produced by Ryan Leslie (Cassie – Me & U), this might just be one of the best productions this year, it is a big statement but when this plays loud, it takes over, the beat is not just unique, it’s emphatic, not too aggresive yet sounds tough at the same time, Ryan Leslie is a master of his craft, the underrated producer provides Fabolous with what might just be another hit, it has certainly helped as his album Loso’s Way is currently #1 on the Billboard charts.
The video (which is also a scene from the album’s accompanying movie Loso’s Way) is a paperazzi’s point of view at Fabolous’ launch party, with Cameos from the likes of Trey Songz, Ace Hood, Rick Ross has a comical appearance, as well as Jadakiss, Ryan Leslie and off course Miss Keri Hilson herself (who is looking good as usual). It is a lavish set as you would expect, but it fits well, the paperazzi eye view makes it fit in whilst standing out from the traditional ‘flossing’ videos that we have become accustomed to definitely latc
Overall, Everything, Everyday, Everywhere (currently being heavily rotated on radio in the states) is a crossover gem that I am sure Ryan, Loso and Keri are proud to have, with Fab putting out numerous ‘street’ videos for the underground audience, the mainstream will definitely latch onto this smash as Fabolous looks to reinstate himself as a Hip-Hop heavyweight.
Fáris Rating:
8/10
Here is some in-studio footage from the making of the song:
You have to respect the talented Mr Leslie, a real musician.
ONE Fáris 