Amongst the more recent rise of UK Rap, one of the figures responsible is none other than Fekky, returning back to the fold to take his flowers
With his own distinct tone and grown content, Fekky had established himself as a staple amongst the current crop of our rap stars, a major label deal resulted in the pivotal Dizzee Rascal featured classic, though some felt it steered away from his true sound, the scene itself was going through changes, still persevering with multiple projects (4Life and Red Wine) over the past couple years satisfying his core fans, he now returns more comfortable than ever.
Flowers, a textured effort, if Drill is the sound of the soldiers, then Fekky’s music is for the Generals, following up to the audio statements that were Wig Man and Man Like F
All releases so far, are an evolution, a mature level/boss mentality of rap, the lack of label support is irrelevant as the authenticity will help cement him amongst adequate audiences. A blend of street sounds and aspirational anecdotes, accompanied with his catchy adlibs, help reinstate man like F back to the forefront like he never left.
These recent releases have certainly raised demand for a full length project which is no doubt on it’s way, overall, it’s a positive as this return helps further strengthen the scene.
One of the most interesting links ups of recent, when the legendary hitmaker Jermaine Dupri unites with the underground legend that is Curren$y
Curren$y has long established himself as a leader of the new school, true to himself, he’s managed to maintain an illustrious career of his own, having not only founded his jet life imprint but fathered an entire generation of independent artists in doing so. Jermaine Dupri on the other hand has been a Hip-Hop pioneer in the mainstream, creating superstars and providing everlasting hits, a true legend by definition, often overlooked when mentioning the top crop of ambassadors. as Atlanta currently reigns supreme, there is no denying his input as the original catalyst, so whilst the two could be considered at opposite sides of the spectrum, they share a common ground at the top of music’s hierarchy, making this intriguing collaboration more natural than we realised.
Today, the SoSoDef honcho might benefit more from aligning himself with the JetLife powerhouse, introduced by Spitta’s 2021 release Jermaine Dupri, an ode to the Atlanta legend inspired through his Bentley, it was only a matter of time for Curren$y’s loyal fanbase to catch JD’s attention.
Fast forward and the automobile aficionados bring us seven tracks of big baller energy. With two contrasting styles, JD doesn’t lack, off the rip, SoSoJets lets me know he’s aware of Curren$y’s sound and his production pedigree proves prominent, able to bring a southern bounce with the lead single Essence Fest, and Curren$y steers through effortlessly. The energy rubs off as JD leads Never Enough with a verse of his own, and Spitta sounds at home over the luxurious instrumental. A personal favourite, Off The Lot, the sample-driven production is more in Curren$y’s element, but just like a Dre beat, you can hear the level of craftsmanship that someone of Jermaine Dupri’s stature brings, with that 2 Chainz sample complimented with a solid Tity Boi verse. Half way in and Screens Fallin makes it evident that JD is having fun with this, and Spitta Andretti is ready for the occasion, theres a mutual respect and the organic progression between the two shows with Never Fall Off (featuring a standout T.I. verse). Fortune 500 closes this first instalment, and it’s been interesting to hear Spitta over such production, especially with fans used to his classics (with producers like The Alchemist and Harry Fraud). A rarity in itself, For Motivational Use Only, Vol.1 has a collectors edition feel, and definitely leaves room for more in the trophy cabinet.
After the successful return with Training Day 3 and Thanks For Waiting, the Barking rapper returns with his official label debut Real Back In Style
Having found himself towards the top of the UK rap totem (along with the likes of Nines), this release would have been a tough competitor for such peers, though unfortunately reincarcerated, it’s hindered the rollout and Potter Payper is left to let the music do the talking.
Whilst there’s no accompanying movie or meet and greets to boost sales, it actually speaks volumes for the organic results this project has obtained.
A solid fifteen tracks of pure audio crack, in what might just be his best body of work to date. Each verse spat with the same hunger and venom from his introduction, maybe it’s the mix and mastering, but his intensity with each bar is even greater, like he’s rapping with a new found purpose, and that level of content is complimented by a higher quality of production. Tracks like All My Life, If I Had.. highlight his storytelling abilities, never afraid to be vulnerable with the pen, Potter is able to take you through the ups and the downs of street life, something that allows him to resonate with those infatuated as much as those who live it.
I always say some people make music and some make the soundtrack to our lives, and Real Back In Style is one of those, at a time where I may have needed it most, I was stuck in an unfair business situation and I have to credit it to why after four years, I cut my losses and left. My personal favourite How Can I Explain? has Potter tackle the sample-driven production with ease, an inspirational anthem of victory, sitting well in the middle of the album, it helps highlight the perfect sequencing. The second half of the album only gets better, as if he hadn’t dropped enough bars already, standouts like Toy Story 2, a movie in itself, help portray the craft beyond music, blending well into Scenes,
another example of his high level penmanship, music with a meaning, placing this album above the cool trendy shit that’s been churned out over the years. The introspective Corner Boy served as a single,
classic Potter, displaying more songwriting and structure, but on the album it sets up the hard Track Flocaine, produced by the legendary Harry Fraud, and interestingly Potter Payper doesn’t follow the wave, but adds his own style and element to the production, still maintaining that depth in his vocals and no compromise in his artistry. Now towards the latter part of the album and somehow he’s able to take it to a whole new level with Money or Victims? (Kayla’s Story), it’s this exact ability to let that grit in his voice sit harmoniously over the instrumentation as he paints a dark story, with the listener hanging onto every word as it unfolds. Winding down with Actuality, and White Ash, serving as the outro, closing out with the more retrospective lens of his success.
It has to be noted that there are no features, just pain and inspiration bled through, a rarity in today’s music, especially where major labels are involved, so a special mention for 0207 Def Jam for trusting the home team Groundworks and supporting such a project, undoubtedly proving that Real’s Back in Style.
The UK rap scene has always attempted to draw parallels to it’s USA counterparts, but few have been able to deliver such a feeling and transition that message as authentically as Nines, though the love and success has come with it’s downfalls, the Church Road legend overcomes adversity once again with the release of Crop Circle 2
From the jump, the Intro offers insight on the recent jail stint, a purposeful intensity with a deeper introspective displayed through his storytelling, the constant one foot in, one foot out conundrum as his career flourishes into the mainstream. Nines has successfully crafted his own lane, a style that transcends sound as this project allows him to safely experiment, a sequel to the popular Crop Circle, the project follows the theme, with something for the ladies in the form of Calendar. Considering it’s accompanying short film, a lot of the songs serve as a soundtrack, but it maintains something for everyone, as it’s single Tony Soprano 2 has dominated amongst fans. A feature-heavy project, tracks like Different League help accustom Nina back into position amongst peers (since his last project was three years ago). Whilst featuring an array of house hold names and can’t forget the team, personally it’s the interlude-esque tracks like the Intro, Letter To Hydro and the Outro that i’ve found myself playing the most, it helps contain another consistent body of work.
With the label assisted promo run, reconnecting with the fans, the prominent mascot Crop Cat alongside the rightful launch of his own strain, it’s another step in the right direction for Nines, as anticipation for the next official album rises, rumours of production from legendary producer The Alchemist help heighten the excitement, as one of our own continues to elevate and set pace on his own time.
Larry June has been on the steady ascent with a consistent catalogue, a multitude of projects serving as seeds to which we’re now seeing him reap the oranges of that labour in the past couple years. An underground fan favourite blurring the lines between the mainstream, he cements that independent run uniting with the legendary producer The Alchemist.
A natural progression for the California rapper, many were curious of what to expect of this collaboration with The Alchemist, who himself has comfortably created his own cult of composition connoisseurs. With the rapper’s laid back flow and melodic spin, and Al’s recent run of stout production (for the likes of Roc Marciano & Boldy James), this link up had both sets of enthusiasts intrigued. Off the rip, Turkish Cotton sets the texture, with Larry in his element over the soft intro, which leads perfectly into 89 Earthquake, one of the first releases from the project, any confusion of their contrasting styles is put to rest, and Larry appears comfortable over the sample-driven production, his ability to weave words is already meshing with Alchemist’s movie score feeling, further confirmed with Solid Plan, meeting in the middle, featuring Al’s longtime collaborator and friend, Action Bronson. Before you can judge, Palisades starts, and as Alchemist kicks it up a gear, Larry June is right beside him, flowing easy over the hypnotic production with the motivational raps, the two almost merge, allowing for Big Sean to debut over an Alchemist beat with a stand out feature.
By the fifth track, it’s evident that these two are the match we never knew we needed, on the Ty Dolla $ign featured Summer Reign, it’s nothing short of picturesque, allowing the music to speak for itself, down to the outro switch, allowing Larry to talk that talk. Orange Village sounds like classic Alchemist, but once again, Larry comfy as ever, even bringing his smooth crooning hook to the forefront, assisted by the notable Slum Village. The quality of the project is undeniable, Porsches in Spanish helps the continuity of this luxurious audio, and sets the scene for Art Talk, aligning Larry with Griselda’s Boldy James. The chemistry between two is present on tracks like Ocean Sounds, where it feels more like the perfect backdrop for what we have come to love from Larry, as he gives us his classic style of aspirational rhymes and harmonies back and forth like the ocean waves. By now there is no denying The Great Escape to be more than we imagined, two worlds perfectly colliding, from the Evidence featured Left No Evidence, to it’s contrasting What Happened To The World? ft. Wiz Khalifa, the two trade their styles back and forth through the sequencing of the project, bringing us to my personal favourite Éxito (I couldn’t tell you how many times I listened to this on repeat), it’s a further testament to the ability of both parties, bringing the wavy Jay Worthy along for the ride. Usually with collaborations, it’s one in the other’s world, but 60 Days is another example of their unison, as that Larry June inspiration is present over The Alchemist’s cinematic sound, treating fans further with the aptly titled Barragán Lighting, featuring Joey Bada$$ and the New Orleans legend Spitta (who himself has a classic project with Alc). The curtains are drawn on this tape with the soulful Margie’s Candy House, a downtempo canvas with it’s soft sample that concludes Larry’s recurring theme.
At this point you’ve gone back to the start to hear it all over again. The Great Escape exceeds expectations and whether some songs garner more replay than others, fans are already excited at the prospect of a sequel, as what started out as a cool collab is now a sure contender for Album of the Year.
The word ‘consistent’ is often thrown around loosely, but few genuinely define it like the Lambeth legend himself, Pak-Man.
Fresh off his independent nationwide tour, only four months ago he released Back Then featuring JJ Esko
The uptempo number serves his core audience, with classic Pakachino rhyme-schemes, grind mode paper chasing music that he’s become synonymous with, but just a month later he releases my personal favourite Corner Store featuring Deep Green
Pak has been at the forefront of introducing talent from across the country and this is just another testament to that, the more introspective, Corner Store has Pak-Man flowing effortlessly over a sample-driven mid-tempo beat, an inspirational offering from the South London artist with its uplifting hook and confident verses, linking up with the contrasting vocals of Sheffield’s own Deep Green.
“Women feel my fragrance and my aura, my papers gettin’ taller, my pagans gettin’ poorer”
Leading up to the latest release, the rightfully titled, King
Back in his element, Pak continues to craft his sound, with his brand of high-end street rap,
“Remember everyone who doubted you, out the mud..where the flowers grew”
silencing critics with another display of bravado and motivational wordplay that further justifies his loyal following over the years, amassing over a hundred thousand views in only a few days, and with a new project on the way, Pak-Man continues to deliver in legendary fashion.
Since my Introducing: Ye Ali article in 2018, he’s since gone on to establish himself as one of the forerunners of R&B, beyond an artist, he’s worked behind the scenes with not only the likes of Chris Brown, but a whole crop of up and coming R&B stars. With multiple instalments of his now classic projects (including the more recent mixtape Private Suite 4), Ye has developed his craft further, from production, songwriting and vocals, spreading his wave throughout the new rise of R&B through various production camps, his imprint is visible, and his latest release is a testament to that.
Good Girls, caters to his core, it’s soft melodic base, rests comfortably within the crisp hi-hat, allowing him to accentuate his vocals, accompanying ad-libs and glittery chimes provide the backdrop for him to push his lyricism to the forefront with classic R&B simplicity. It serves as a solo teaser, with his compilation project on the way, he’s definitely positioning himself towards the top of that new R&B lineage.
Mark Hill, one half of the original Artful Dodger has been creating more vibes, in the form of his This is Artful Music offering, featuring 3 new tracks, featuring Esco Williams and Terri Walker
Including the beautiful Piano remix of Terri Walker’s Missing You
More recently, he released instrumentals of his iconic classics, featuring Craig David’s Fill Me In
It’s great to see the legendary musician back at it, as he continues to add to an already outstanding catalogue of work, and as a fan of these compositions, it’s a joy to see them crafted again, geeking out over the production, the individual components that crafted together have been a part of many moments in many lives.
For those not aware of new to Mark Hill and the Artful Dodger, you can have a listen to an array of songs he’s been a part of in his personally curated playlist of his complete works
Canada’s Prime Boys had been at the forefront of the underground, despite influencing the mainstream, with a worldwide audience, it felt like it was only a matter of time before they made that transition before the unfortunate loss of close friends Koba and Smoke Dawg, and as real artists to their core, the impact was visible, the music understandably appeared to slow down. A couple years after, Jimmy delivered the introspective Keep To Myself
Serving as a taster for fans, he fuelled the anticipation of his Blue Mercedes project with the fan favourite Big Cap, a more motivational take of the classic Prime wave
But as more serious things unfolded in the world, that attention was directed to the meaningful Pray 2
Fans weren’t complaining, and he duly delivered on that momentum with the uplifting but more insightful Just A Little
There was now less talk of the any project release and after a quiet year, Jimmy released ‘Incase we don’t make it til tomorrow’.
Without any real push, the project spoke for itself, the seven track concept is classic Jimmy Prime, but with a more mature tone, it fit well within the climate, off the gate with State Of The Art, encompassing the overall theme of the project, there was still the aspirational elements sprinkled with tracks like Paradise, but revealed more vulnerability with Trip To The Falls or Love and Hate, it continues with Never Meant To Hurt You and Little Angel, a beautiful ode to his daughter. Jimmy has always been ahead of the curve with the musicality, and this is no different, the project feels like a real encompassing of emotion, rounded off with the final track Live Life.
Whilst the project may have gone somewhat under the radar, true fans clutched to it, especially with the rumours of his retirement from the game. It feels like Incase we don’t make it til tomorrow provided him with an outlet, as he had began to be more visible online, venturing into boxing, and giving a greater insight to his personality as part of the Northern Ruckus podcast.
Its a catch 22 as we’re glad he’s doing well, at the cost of us missing out on the music, but the anticipation of Blue Mercedes has only increased, hopefully the world catches up and it’s released when they’re ready for it. Until then, it’s still Prime forever.
As THE city of Toronto continues to revel in the Raptors’ recent championship success, it’s only right for 6ixtradamus himself, Jimmy Prime to link up with Murda Beatz for a celebratory anthem.
A while back Jimmy Prime tatted a championship trophy on his face, and then last year tatted another next to it, I never understood it..until I saw the picture of Kahwi with the Championship trophy in one hand, and the MVP in the other. The track itself is just a up-tempo feel-good cut, produced by fellow Toronto native Murda Beatz, with Jimmy flowing over it with ease. There’s no real need to dissect or review even, it’s motivational, fun and sounds just as hard in the gym as it will in the club.
With the highly anticipated Blue Mercedes rumoured to be on the way, this track serves as a lil’ snack for the fans, whilst sharing in the city’s celebrations.
ONE Fáris 