Jul 26 2009
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Music

Mario – Break Up ft. Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett

After gaining major recognition worldwide with his single ‘Let Me Love You’ (Written by a then unknown Ne-Yo), Mario never really managed to maintain his status, issues with the release of his last album did not help. None the less, his talent is unquestionable as he returns putting those problems (including his mother’s drug addiction) behind with his new offering ‘Break Up’.

Produced by Bangladesh (Lil’ Wayne – A Millie and Beyonce – Diva), this R&B cut possesses that old school R&B feel that has been missing whilst sounding brand new, featuring Sean Garret aka The Pen (having written for Usher – Yeah, Chris Brown – Run It and Beyonce – Upgrade U to name a few) and rising underground rapper Gucci Mane (who helps balance the R&B levels with his raw, street style), Break Up will most definitely help push the trio to newer heights, especially Sean Garret who due to a lack of promotion saw the poor sales of his debut effort Turbo 919 (Which is a good album so make sure you check that out).

Mario’s return displays a more mature artist attempting to create good music rather than his next hit, with dedication like this it will not be long before he gets another smash, with Break Up rising in the charts, who knows..he may find it sooner than he thinks.

Fáris Rating:
8/10

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Jul 26 2009
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Music

Zee Kay – In Denial

As you know, I’m always listening out for good music, I come across an artist by the name of Zee Kay, he looked familiar, then I remember that I met him at the video shoot for Sef – Need A Hero ft. Swiss. The talented yet humble singer, had officially made his debut with the single ‘My Moment’:

In all fairness this was not a bad track, with the right promotion I think it could have gone further, but as an introduction to the artist, it was a good effort. That was released last Year in August. Fast forward to 2009 and Zee Kay returns with the follow-up, titled ‘In Denial’:

Different from My Moment, In Denial sees Zee Kay lace a more edgy, up-tempo club track with his soft R&B sound, similar to the early classics from Artful Dodger In Denial sounds good. The concept helps it stand out, with Zee Kay showing his songwriting abilities, he wrote the track Baby for Ginuwine:

Zee Kay is another addition to the rising singers the UK has to offer alongside artists such as Loick Essien and Bluey Robinson.

Click image to visit the Official Zee Kay website

Click image to visit the Official Zee Kay website

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Jul 20 2009
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Music

Skills C – Rippin’ Thru Tha Page

With a new wave of artists flowing through into the scene, it was not going to be long until we see someone with barrier-breaking potential, so I’m pleased to present: Skills C

this talented emcee is only 17 years old, so you can only wonder how far his potential can take him. It has become rare to find an artist (especially at this age) that actually lives what he raps, with many emcees fabricating their life to a beat or do not possess the lyrical ability to illustrate what they live.

Using the beat from ‘Amerie – Why Don’t We Fall In Love’, Skills C rides the wave of the melody, staying parrallel to the beat, there are small errors but they will dissapear with with experience, plus those errors are over-shadowed by the glipses of greatness as the Hayes representative confidently delivers his witty rhymes.

As a whole the track itself Rippin’ Thru Tha Page is a good cut, the level of expectation should always be low with mixtape trackseither way you can’t help but to be amazed by the talent of Skills C

Jul 16 2009
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Music

G-FrSH – URGH

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“.

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.

Fáris Rating:
8/10 (almost a 9, the beat is THAT good)

“URGH”

Click logo to visit official site

Click logo to visit official site

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Jul 16 2009
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Music

OneFáris Throwback Track!!

Today’s Throwback Track is from 2003, yes 6 years ago!! ..and the track is Marques Houston ft. Clubbin ft. Joe Budden & R. Kelly (Produced By R. Kelly)

Marques Houston’s first single as a solo artist, not many people knew that it also featured R. Kelly (Credited as Pied Piper ..only God knows why?!) along side Joe Budden. Clubbin’ was written and Produced By R. Kelly as well, it was part of a new wave of hits from R. Kelly as Kellz locked himself in the studio during his allegations and trials.

“You know we be…Up in the club
Where we do things like…Throw our hands up
All kinds of drinks are…Off in the cups
All of my thugs, Honies show me love
DJ playing the cuts”

Marques Houston could not have had a better first single, this was on heavy rotation at radio stations, on tv and in the clubs around the world, Joe Buddens feature is classic Buddens, clever, catchy and comical. Combined with R. Kelly’s sheer production greatness (including his hollering ad-lib in the back) this song sounds just as good now as it is did 6 years ago.

Fáris Rating:
9/10

“Great song, not sure about this suit though”:

MH didn't think investing in a stylist was neccesary

MH didn't think investing in a stylist was neccesary

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Jul 15 2009
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Music

T.I. – Remember Me ft. Mary J. Blige

As the ‘King of the South’ starts his ‘Year and a day’ jail sentence, he leaves us with this anthem featuring none other than Mary J. Blige.

Produced by Polow Da Don (Usher – Love in This Club), this inspirational mid-tempo track provides T.I. with the perfect canvas to paint his lyrical picture as the Grand Hustle rapper vents some feelings regarding his own situation whilst inspiring others to stand strong regardless of how strong the negative winds in our lives are. Featuring Mary J. Blige, who commands the chorus like nobody else, the only other person that could have done it is Mariah Carey, however, with Mary you have a far more urban edge as well as that mainstream appeal.

It is a shame that one of the best artists is having to be locked up for a year, but I’m in no doubt that it will only lead to what might just be the best album of his career for T.I. when he returns. In the mean time he has another hit to add to his already large catalogue. Remember Me is a classic sounding song, with a real meaning from one of the realest artists who will be missed).

Fáris Rating:
8/10http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPuJRR78fFk

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Jul 14 2009
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Music

Jason Lewis – Too Many Weave

It is a great time for the UK in terms of rising talents, the music scene with the likes of Chipmunk and Tinchy Stryder dominating charts, Noel Clark and Adam Deacon to name a few are making waves within the film industry and then you have the comedians like Eddie Kadi, Kevin J and Channel AKA’s own Jazzie.

Among the ranks is comedian Jason Lewis, hilarious sketches and relevant comedy, Jason Lewis first burst onto the scene with his parody of Bashy – Black Boys:

An MTV show (The Jason Lewis experience) later he returns with the Boy Better Know – Too Many Man parody ..’Too Many Weave’:

Great to see more good comedy and comedians from the UK, with comedians such as Jason Lewis and Jazzie to add to the likes of Slim, Kojo and Paul Chowdhry the country has another reason to smile and laugh.

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Jul 14 2009
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Music

Bless Beats – The Rain ft. Charlie Brown & Wiley

This track has been around for a bit, already played on most radio stations, created by Bless Beats, one of the most promising producers from the UK, having produced the smash Wearing My Rolex for Wiley, this track sees the Bow emcee return the favour along side newcomer Charlie Brown.

The track is a mid-tempo cross-over, it could be considered Grime, but then Charlie Brown’s unique soulful flavour takes it to a more Pop/R&B surrounding. Bless Beats choice of sounds justifies his ‘Alien music’ style, the real magic of this song is the fusion of both Wiley and Charlie Brown’s different styles onto one beat.

I’m a big fan of Charlie Brown, as he represents real music, unique and distinct, his voice separates him from others. To see him dominate the video is a plus point, definitely a good look for him and an unselfish manouvre by Bless Beats, a man who has let his music do the talking throughout his successful career thus far. Wiley unfortunately does not make an appearance in the video, however, “Can Rihanna come and save me from the rain”, as Charlie Brown’s love interest leaves, what seems like Rihanna (the tattoos are the biggest clue) comes into his life courtesy of Bless himself, if it is really her or not we will have to wait and see but it is a really good touch to the video.

A good video for a great song, The Rain will no doubt be another successful track for Bless Beats whilst elevating Charlie Brown to greater a heights.

Fáris Rating:
8/10

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Jul 13 2009
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Music

Goodfellaz – Get Away ft. So Solid

I recently got the ‘Goodfellaz – Now or Never’ mixtape and was impressed. It is simply UK Hip-Hop, something rarely mentioned, as if UK only does Grime (in terms of urban).

This was the stand out track for me, from production to lyrics, Get Away really is a powerful track. The beat obviously has a big part to play, the heavy bass and sharp drums lay as a solid foundation on which the synth sits nicely. Goodfellaz emcee with a Fabolous (the rapper)-like consistency with Megaman adding some depth to the anthem with his verse.

Linked with So Solid, so the video obviously has to be something big, lavish and large in scale, directed by Sheridan de Myers, the video fits the song well without being too complicated, Goodfellaz may be underrated but they are certainly not untalented.

Fáris Rating:
7/10

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Jul 13 2009
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Music

Oxide & Neutrino – Rap Dis ft. Swiss, Skat D, MC Harvey & Kaish

With the excitement surrounding the So Solid Crew’s imminent return, I could not help but to go through the collection, this is a classic, this song and video set the bar high in the UK and to be honest I don’t think anyone has actually reached this standard let alone top it (regardless of the constraints media has placed upon urban acts).

I’ll start with the beat, It’s just evil-sounding, it’s dark, edgy, the bass and the synths, they just set the tone and mood for the emcees to rap over. Each emcee brings their own style which is why it never gets boring despite the beat being a consistent (until Harvey’s verse), layered with perfectly placed ad-libs, the emcees flow with individuality which as a whole sounds great. Swiss starts off, “N****’s wanna test S-O that’s a no, I’ma DJ but I heat up mics when I flow”, instantly setting the scene and standard for the song. Skat D as always vibrant on the mic, Neutrino’s verse many can argue was not as potent as Swiss’, however you cannot help but to rap along to it, each emcee (including) Kaish comes correct on this banger.

The video does not need much description or even praise, it speaks for it self (in volumes), the concept, the graphics..they all create one of the best videos from an urban artist/act especially in the UK.

l (like many others) cannot wait for So Solid’s return, a lot of expectation is placed, but it is not the first time they have had to deal with such issues and as done before i’m sure will prevail.

Fáris Rating:
9/10

So-Solid!!

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