Mar 15 2009
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Music

Johnta Austin – If I Was (Your Boyfriend)

I’m a big fan of Johnta Austin, so I was glad to hear this:

In today’s over saturated industry it is always good to hear something fresh or something classic, Johnta delivers both with this one. A singer and songwriter, Johnta Austin is more famed for his songwriting capabilities (having penned the hit Sweet Lady for Tyrese as well as more recently writing two Grammy award winning tracks in the form of Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together and Be Without You for Mary J. Blige).

‘If I Was (Your Boyfriend)’ has the feel of a classic R&B single (think more Jagged Edge, makes sense as he works closely with Jermaine Dupri). The song has Johnta letting the girl know that she is with the wrong guy (like Trey Songz – Can’t Help But Wait..which funnily enough was written by Johnta Austin), but not just the wrong guy, more so that she doesn’t know what love is unless she got with him (Johnta).

It’s not confirmed if this will become an official single for not, or even if he will keep it for himself, either way it is a nice track and shows the consistency that he delivers which is why Johnta Austin is so sought after in the R&B world.

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Mar 15 2009
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Music

Dream Mclean – Experiment Gone Wrong

Who said the UK hasn’t got enough talent?

Among the sea of emcees, another rises to the tide, this time in the form of Dream Mclean, a young emcee with plenty potential.

His first single, ‘Experiment Gone Wrong’ is an answer to critics (Haters) whilst serving as an introduction to those who don’t know about him. Experiment Gone Wrong provides Dream with the perfect canvas for him to paint his picture. Produced by Skeamz and Tru Omega, the track possesses a hard-hitting beat and a cleverly cut sample tied up between a rhythmic synth and the emcee makes the most of it!

The first thing that stands out is Dream Mclean’s voice, it has a presence about it, something that alot of emcees lack and therefore get looked over, then there are those that have the voice but not the content, Dream Mclean however has both. Loaded with metaphors and punchlines (I couldn’t even decide which line to highlight), he controls the beat, confidence in his ability is evident and composure on the mic like a veteran, the level of potential is extremely high and can only go from strength to strength.
Dream Mclean should not be looked at as ‘just another rapper’, he might just be raising the level for future artists, he’s already made the competition harder for those already in the game.

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Mar 15 2009
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Music

Fat Joe – One ft. Akon

Joseph Cartegena better known as Fat Joe returns with the first single of his new album ‘Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2)‘.

The new single ‘One‘ features Akon (a man who definitely knows a thing or two about hit records), ‘One’ to me is like the previous release ‘I Won’t Tell’ but on steroids, it’s another one for the ladies but the content has gone from showering a beauty with luxuries to Joe appreciating his only lady for holding him down throughout their struggles.

Produced by ‘The Inkredibles‘, who give the song that ‘street’ edge with Akon increasing it’s commercial status whilst sounding raw like only he can (as previously heard on Young Jeezy – Soul Survivor and 50 Cent – I Still Kill).

In all honesty when i first heard the track I kind of slept on it, it sounded like the typical street song and then threw Akon on the hook for it to be a hit, but after a few more listens it became clear that the song does possess substance. ‘One’ is a good look for Fat Joe and shows promise for his already long and successful career.

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Mar 13 2009
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Music

Tinie but in a big way!!

Sometimes an artist does not get the recognition they deserve, this time it is Tinie Tempah.

I remember a while back, watching a remix video for a ‘Bruza’ tune, it had some of his ‘Aftershock’ artists including a young Tinie Tempah, instantly i felt like this kid could be big in the coming years. Years later, Tinie Tempah is now considered as one of the best artists the country has to offer.

He first landed onto the scene with the hit Wifey, gaining constant play wherever it was available, be it radio, TV or your friend’s ipod! He then came back with the anthem Hood Economics, following the now growing buzz, Tinie kept the fans happy with an appearance on Agent X and Ultra’s Perfect Girl. He then went on to shatter the mainstream window with the release of Tears.

After successfully cementing his status as one of the premier emcees in the country, Tinie Tempah has not rested but instead increased the work ethic with the release of ‘Sexy Beast’. In addition to this, Tinie recently went on the Tim Westwood show and proved any critic he may have wrong as well as gain more fans, truly an excellent performance, content, style, delivery, swagger ..you name it, he was pouring it out, lines like, “British and Fly..Alexander McQueen, I’m a marketing dream” help push him as an artist into the elite category, somewhere he deserves to be.

Possessing lyrics, flow, confidence and overall a strong desire and ambition, Tinie Tempah has no reason to not be even more successful and not just in the UK!!

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Mar 13 2009
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Music

Pure Badness!!

2008 saw the release of Wretchrospective from Wretch 32, on that classic was a Diamond of a track by the name of ‘Ina Di Ghetto‘, it featured Grime veteran Ghetto aka Ghetts and Birmingham’s own ‘Badness‘

Although both the Wretchroboy and Ghetts were on point and delivered quality as expected over the Maniac produced monster track, Badness offered the most catchy part with his delivery of the chorus, since then Badness has been working hard pushing his name and quality music to the public’s ears. Now 2009, I personally did not know what to expect from Badness, a recent appearance on Radio 1’s Tim Westwood show helped establish Badness as a serious artist with a serious talent!

Tracks such as ‘I Know This Girl’, ‘Split Personality’ and ‘Take The Title’ (Available to hear at www.myspace.com/badnessmc) show his array of ability vocally as well as his lyrical skill.

Badness is an animated artist on the mic, blending strong culture, street life, making it enjoyable and without a doubt entertaining.

With the ‘PA/LAVA Eruption’ project out on the 16th of March (Go Cop that!!), Badness will cement his place as one to watch as he continues his rise to the top with his fusion based music, a pioneer even, I can see Badness help many similar artists get the attention and recognition that they need.

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Mar 13 2009
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Music

Ozzie B – Maybee Thing

Hopefully you’ve seen Ozzie B’s ‘About Time’ (and read the review obviously), well now Ozzie B aka Zed follows up that anthem with another one.

“These days it’s a Maybee thing, Everybody saying Maybee thing,
These days it’s a Maybee thing, To make P’s is a definite-definite- definite-definite thing!!”

Ozzie B displays his versatility with this one, after the strong sounding and lyrically driven ‘About Time’, he steps into the funky house room, trying to keep the sound as street and underground sounding as possible, yet possessing the required elements for it to be as big on the dance floor, It will no doubt help put the name Ozzie B into more people’s heads with the track’s catchy vibe, you can’t help but to get up and ‘skank’ to this one.

‘Maybee Thing‘ is a feel good, care free tune, you can’t be critical of something that does what it is supposed to, and Ozzie B has certainly met the requirements with this banger.

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Mar 11 2009
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Music

D-Fam – You’re My Baby

When the heart of the UK’s biggest urban collective introduces a group or artist, everyone has to take note. so when So Solid Crew’s Megaman introduced us to D-Fam, a collective of young talented rappers and singers, everyone’s ears were open and the addictive single that was Whatever You Want, really had their buzz growing.

09 and they have returned with ‘You’re My Baby‘, featuring a more mature ‘Taj’ and ‘Castro’ leading the vocals, new member ‘Junks’ and ‘Jemmel’ (who vocally reminds me of a young Babyface) serenading the ladies with the hook. The track itself is easy to listen to, it’s far from gritty and the explicit urban culture that the genre gets stereotyped with yet possesses that street element with the presence of Taj (I still think we have not heard the best of him yet) and a slick looking Castro. Castro is someone to watch not just in front of the camera, he reminds me of when Megaman was fresh on the scene, more than just one of the rappers, a young entrepreneur out to fulfill ambitions, hopefully he and his collective D-Fam can match and even surpass the success and create their own legacy, with the guys all in their early 20’s, time is definitely on their side.

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Mar 07 2009
3 Comments
Music

Bluey Robinson, Remember the name!

As a fan of music first, it doesn’t matter what genre, or where the artist is from, if the music is good then i listen to it. Even though I’m British (and proud), I’m never biased, but sometimes I hear an artist that justifies my belief that there is talent in the UK as good as those looked up to in America, if not better.

And so I bring to you…

Bluey Robinson

‘Bluey Robinson‘, I start with his name simply because it is all about him, this boy has some serious talent, a voice that makes you believe that without a doubt singing is a God given gift.

Originally, all I knew of him was what he looked like as he appeared in the video for G-FrSh – Do It, but this guy is more than ladies’ eye candy.

A friend of mine reminded me about him and so i decided to look into it, so i opened up YouTube and searched for him (http://www.youtube.com/user/BlueyRobinsonTV), he has posted a spoof video for his track ‘Give Me A Sign‘, firstly the video shows off his personality, he comes across as a fun-loving kid that enjoys performing, the song itself reminded me of the 80’s funk era, the real catchy tracks that you just couldn’t help but to move and sing along to.

Lyrically he shows great promise as a song writer but even more promise as the full package as his voice just has something about it, I’m not comparing but the first artist that came to mind when i heard him was Michael Jackson, maybe he sung the song in a similar way i don’t know, but that is where the next videos come in. A video of him at an underground station, where he starts to sing (whilst a lifeless set of people are waiting for their tube), this is live singing, the real stuff and he sounded so good..I’m here wondering why he has not been picked up by a major label?!

I clicked on video after video, watching his renditions of classics by the likes of Stevie Wonder, BoyzIIMen and Dru Hill, to him singing at an NY Metro station, then i came across Think of Me (Live), for a song that is meant to be a one take effort, i was amazed, the content, the delivery, he kept it British with his pronunciation, Bluey Robinson could match many singers in the USA, he is no doubt one to watch for the future.

Loaded with talent and the kind of charisma and personality that you can’t help but to like him even if you don’t know him personally, potential wise, he’s the best prospect in this country that I’ve seen since Craig David emerged onto the scene. with the right label and promotion, Bluey has every ability for him to succeed internationally as a singing sensation.

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Mar 07 2009
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T-Pain & Kanye West – Flight School

Rumored to be a demo song for GOOD Music (Kanye’s Label) recording artist GLC, However I, like many people think it should be made into a full single, it is something special.

‘Flight School’, consisting of one of the simplest beats you’ve ever heard either of them on, a light piano melody with some added sparkles, really brings some life into it, but the real standout feature about the track is the artists themselves, both Kanye West and T-Pain, deliver vocals that we’re accustomed to, the thing is, that it just solidifies them among the greats of today, T-Pain really brings out the soul on this track, i felt like the song related to me, Mr West brings out some of the greatest lines ever with more confidence and composure on the mic than we’re used to hearing, especially his last part,

“Shit, These last years been a Hayes (haze) like Isaac, so i close my eyes tighter than asian eyes get, realise i got the same wings angels fly with, with Louis Vuitton feathers..now that’s some fly shit”,

it really emphasizes how great of an artist Kanye West is and overall with the self proclaimed ringleader himself T-Pain, it show good a song Flight School really is.

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Mar 07 2009
2 Comments
Music

Scorcher – I Know

After North London’s Wretch 32 silenced critics with the release of his album ‘Wretchrospective’ (It’s a Classic..Trust me!!), the time is now for fellow emcee ‘Scorcher‘ to unleash his talent upon the mainstream.

It is a tough challenge to create a radio-friendly song whilst maintaining street credibility at the same time, however, with his first single ‘I Know’ Scorcher has dealt with the challenge almost effortlessly.

‘I Know’ is one of the most versatile tracks to come out of the UK for a long time, expect to hear it on the radio, your friends ipod, the club and on your TV! A pacey track armed with a mean synth, layered over one of the most hypnotic drum patterns, this might as well be considered as a map to the mainstream, once there, the charismatic Scorcher’s talent itself will help him unlock and enter to gain the recognition he truly deserves.

Not much has to be said as the video says it all, good song, great video, impressive but expected from such a prospect, the past has shown glimmers of what to expect and now with the release of his album ‘Concrete Jungle’ on the way, i guess the sky is not even the limit for the Sky walker himself.

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