Tag Archives: New

Jul 21 2025
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Jus Rival – Optics & Design (The Evolving Mixtape)

East London’s Rival is one of the scene’s unsung heroes, long before Grime’s recent resurgence, even when artists ventured into Afrobeats and the Rap realm as the spotlight was no longer on London’s own genre, he continued to create and elevate the sound, with no real industry cosign it might have felt like it fell on deaf ears, but he’s responsible for one of my favourite modern Grime tracks with Shaolin Techniques (from his 2023 release, Revenge of The Rivz). Over ten years in the game, from his critically acclaimed Biscuit series to his culture-driven ELMNTRY show, he’s continued to add to the foundations and much like his weekly soundcloud drops, he returns with a new take, the evolving mixtape, Optics & Design.

In the current era of music, there aren’t as many rules and creatives can find themselves using their circumstances to their advantage, so rather than create one body of work and then attempt to find new ways to keep promoting it, he’s released Optics & Design, currently featuring five tracks, but could continue to add to it (hence the evolving mixtape). Kicking off with 2049, a futuristic sound contrasted with his homage and introspection, similar to the Blizzard produced Cold Harbour, it’s notable that often in Grime, the production carries the track, yet he’s approached it with his vocal as the lead, allowing for his lyricism and flow to dictate, highlighting his artistry, further evident with Bring N Kill.

Grime gets boxed into 140bmp, yet it seems he’s found the formula to maintain it’s essences on any tempo and style, ever present with the fourth track, Twilight, sampling the famous Twilight Zone theme, an unorthodox choice but very much in the spirit of Grime. For example, If JME had dropped this, the word genius would be thrown about and emcees across the country would attempt to tackle the production, and so in this case I have to commend Rival for this, whilst it might not be my favourite, I appreciate the direction and what it represents, bringing us to my actual favourite thus far, Premium English. Many may recognise the sample from the Benny The Butcher & J.Cole hit, but this is an authentically British take on the sample (credits to Blizzard), providing the perfect canvas for Rival to lyrically paint on and his experience shows as he effortlessly flows with his distinct style, that sounds like a traditional structured song yet feels like an old school radio set.

Optics & Design is another solid effort, an evolution of Grime, and a smart way to deliver music overall, that could potentially be adopted by many, as it bridges the gap between singles and a full length project. As the scene enters a new era, I hope he achieves the desired results, so stay tuned for more from the Grime wordsmith as he continues his journey, encompassing both the science of optics and the practical application of design principles.

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Jun 11 2025
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Bri Bandz – Closer

Independent artist Bri Bandz has been making waves online with her blend of honest and feel good music, the Phoenix, Arizona beauty with a big personality has crafted a fanbase with her spirited efforts, turning Nick Cannon’s Love Don’t Cost A Thing dance into an iconic move, with a recent run of records, further cementing herself as one to watch.

Gaining traction late last year with Bandzway,

flowing cool over a neptunes-esque production, providing a modern take on a classic sound, with it’s simplicity, she’s able to display presence and charisma over the uptempo beat, a far contrast from the soulful Rises The Moon,

showcasing a sultry tone and underrated songwriting ability, highlighting her versatility as an artist. Bri kicked 2025 off with the hit Bengis,

sampling Babyface & Pharrell’s under-appreciated Stressed Out, creating another fun effort with her playful flow that rightfully gained traction, before releasing My Bad,

slower tempo but similar vibe, My Bad proved it wasn’t just the wavy beats but rather her own flair that makes her stand out. The best part is you’re getting to see an artist develop in real time, so the rawness only amplifies her charm and ability, evident with her next release, New Day.

You can already see the improvements in each track, ambitious and determined, it’s actually a spiritual effort, intertwining thoughts of fears, chance and faith. In an era where there’s so many acts making frivolous music, it’s refreshing to see someone starting out deliver substance. Able to attempt a variety of styles, she blessed her supporters with a cute freestyle,

followed up by her latest release, Closer.

Sampling the legendary Whitney Houston’s It’s Not Right But It’s Okay, she glides over the upbeat banger with a mix of styles, harmonising the chorus, with her soft tone complimenting the skippy production, naturally transitioning into a pacey flow with some finesse. Closer is a more composed effort and brings her closer to putting together an official project. Still developing her artistry, the former hooper finds herself in a great space and on course for success, heading in the right direction, doing it the Bandz way.

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Jun 10 2025
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Scorcher x Smila – 9:17PM

North London’s Scorcher is on a Balon D’or run of recent, back to the basics with a heap of verses and features, not only returning to the forefront, receiving the well deserved Mobo Award and recently performing Can’t Touch This with British pop legend Robbie Williams, but shining the spotlight on the real local talents, reigniting that authentic feel that’s been missing in the game for a minute. This time connecting with Smila for the impromptu 9:17PM

It’s been no secret of Scorcher’s abilities as an MC, however each time you hear him, levels are being raised, with this verse serving yet another example of that. When he flows like this it’s reminiscent of ’06 Thierry Henry, unstoppable. An effortless balance of skill, presence and most of all bringing the fun back, creating real music for real people. Linking up with Smila, who takes the opportunity to deliver an equally credible verse whilst taking on directorial duties, putting together this complete vibe of a production, from the opening title, sequencing, humorous text overlays and the one take transition he’s been known for, crafting a real and raw execution, complimentary of the overall feel, one that North London can be proud of.

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Jun 10 2025
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Clue – Tenacious

South London’s Clue has close to two decades in the game (since his street classic Get Away featuring legendary So Solid crew’s Mega Man), with a host of projects and features, through the industry’s transition and Grime’s spotlight, he’s been one of the notables of UK’s street Rap foundations. So as the genre continues to dominate, it’s only right for the tenacious talent to return with an aptly titled new album.

Tenacious is a concise project, consisting of 8 tracks (highlighting his integrity as an artist), starting with the Intro,

setting the scene of his trials and determination, “live everyday as it comes, never give in or stop”, a concurrent theme of the album. No Disrespect, with K Koke on the hook, doubles down on the notion, it’s less glorification of gangsterism and more portrayal of the morals as a man. Clue could always rap, however, only two songs in and there’s a clear improvement, from lyricism to the delivery, accentuated by the quality mix. With Young Soul at the helm of production on this project, they switch things up on Rap or Drill (a double entendre if you like), featuring man of the moment Scorcher, both comfortable in their element with a grown take on a modern sound. Continued on Motion, the lighter of tracks, before the retrospective Outside, linking up with Manchester’s Ross The Boss (If you know, you know), with the two detailing their perspectives and lessons learned through a harsh lens of consequences and maintaining. A lot of street-centric music today tends to be fabricated or glamorised, so to get a view from some of the most authentic really offers the duality, the ups and the downs, further emphasised with P&A featuring another UK Rap staple, Joe Black, with the two offering a darker view of staying afloat amidst repercussions and the correctional system. Southside featuring up and comer Tee Tenny,

adds to the motivational elements of the album, a mix of desire and hardships, “I was broke, but I never broke down”, as he looks back how far he’s come, followed by the final and possibly the realest song, Myla,

an ode to his daughter. A heartfelt letter to his greatest achievement, complimented further by the road travelled (and the tracks leading up to this), sharing the lessons learnt and passing his wisdom, more valuable than any material, displaying a greater level of vulnerability and strength, as an artist yet first and foremost as the man he is today.

Tenacious is a quality and evident effort created out of the love for the art, built upon a base of street life and real stories, holding up principles and inspiration for those in need, an aspect I appreciate most from this album. A great re-introduction for the South London veteran to build upon (with a range of previous projects for new fans to catch up to), defining a new direction to develop on.

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Jun 09 2025
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Youngs Teflon – Keep The Change

Youngs Teflon has been one of UK Rap’s most underrated, breaking through amidst the early Grime era, having since made a name for himself, he’s played a part in the emergence of some of our more notable acts of recent, with his versatile street style, storytelling and topical wordplay. If Giggs is considered the King of UK rap, Tef could be seen as the prince and with a prolific discography, this latest album could be seen as the coronation with this Atlantic Records UK debut, Keep The Change.

As acts like Nines and Potter Payper establish their lane of commercial street-centric rap, it’s only right for Youngs Teflon to be amongst those names and with this new Atlantic Records UK venture, he’s in position to do just that.

This album feels monumental, it’s 14 tracks of realness, setting things off with Crouching Tiger, an introductory to the overall theme of this album, poignant wordplay, weaving his experiences of street life and success as an artist, broken down further on Da Gutter,

a lyrically descriptive South London state of mind over the hypnotic loop. The story continues further with Motion, a more polished version of his upbeat sound, adding that major feel with a feature from Manchester’s Aitch. The level of quality is accentuated with the next track, Brownin’,

one of the singles from the album, with it’s Aaliyah sample and his take on a classic metaphor, offering a diverse feel as it can be appreciated by a variety of audiences, especially with him harmonising, using that Aaliyah flow, which caught me by surprise upon the first listen and provides a singalong vibe, highlighting his evolution as an artist. Another standout is the filmesque Tony’s Tub, featuring one of the current talents, Knucks, which before I even saw the title had remnants of Scarface, further established by the opening line, “The blimp told me the World Is Yours”, as the two trade verses of grandeur over the emphatic production. Favourite Poison, the more confidently vulnerable effort, providing some variety, as the theme continues with the contrasting Cologne featuring newcomer Clavish and Ain’t Right (ft. Blaqbonez),

before the introspective and mature songs Need You and Wrong Ones. As we draw closer to the end of the album, Tef gets into his Nas bag with a personal favourite, showcasing his storytelling abilities with the cinematic Unusual Suspects, a motion picture of a track, that would benefit a short movie (upon every listen I’m thinking of location, shots and casting). “Product of my environment, I grew up when they were firing, School next day but I got woke up by the sirens”, he shares a great detailing of a gritty London life on the next track, Product of My Environment, finding light amidst tribulations and systematic disadvantages, followed by the beautiful sounding Members Only, an introspective effort complimented with the unique tone of Frank Ekwa on the chorus, which brings us to the curtain closer, Sicily, a podium finish of a record, neatly concluding the theme, appreciating the fruits of his labour and the journey to it.

Having delivered an array of projects spanning generations, this album is a well crafted offering from one of South London’s finest wordsmiths that will satisfy old fans and serves as a great introduction to new ones, highlighting different sides of the come-up, accepting the highs and lows, lessons learned and wisdom gained, that not only can you can charge to the game, but let it Keep The Change.

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Jun 07 2025
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Joy Crookes – Carmen

As the women continue to lead R&B/Soul to prominence, one of the most underrated of those is none other than Joy Crookes. The South London songstress has consistently delivered with her unique vocals, honest lyricism and vast musicality. It’s a couple years since her last release and with her second album Juniper due 26th September, she feeds fans with this EP, Carmen.

Carmen serves as a bitesize offering of four tracks, with longtime collaborator Blue May, that encapsulate her diverse range of artistry. Leading with the title track,

a modern take on a classic sound, as she poetically explores beauty standards and confidence, the crisp production provides the perfect bed for her captivating vocals, you can see why she has drawn comparisons to the late great Amy Winehouse. I Know You’d Kill, a song about trust which she wrote for her manager,

raises the tempo, on which effortlessly glides. It’s so rare to find current creations that can embody such nostalgic instrumentation whilst possessing these original and current day nuances. Much like the next track, Mathematics featuring legendary Grime MC Kano.

It’s such an unorthodox pairing that seamlessly matches their contrasting styles, with her emotive and vulnerable display complimented by Kano’s tone and delivery, which is refreshing to hear, similar to the last track, the bass-heavy, Pass The Salt featuring Vince Staples,

emphasised with her vocals minutely distorted, blending her sultry sound over a beautifully chaotic production, allowing the Long Beach rapper to flow naturally with one of his standout features. If this is anything to go by, you can expect her 26th September release Juniper to be another quality offering of sexy vocals and high-end production, filled with emotion, experimentation and most of all originality.

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Jun 07 2025
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Lethal Bizzle – Can’t Touch This ft. Wiley & Scorcher

As the new era of Grime continues to grow, favoured by the return of it’s legends, another heavyweight staple returns to lead it back to the top, with More Fire Crew’s founding member Lethal Bizzle emerging with a new original in the form of Can’t Touch This.

Bizzle has carved his own lane since his early Grime dominance, securing chart success with a series of uptempo feel-good anthems and whilst he could have just continued that streak as a solo artist, he recruits the current captain Scorcher and the living legend Wiley for what can only be described as a banger. Can’t Touch This, produced by Felix Dubs, with it’s blend of musicality, piercing synth and heavy-slapping drums, allows Bizzle to reinvigorate the genre, “Original sound, can’t touch this”. As a lot of Grime’s current resurgence depends on nostalgic rhythms, this is exactly the elevation the sound needed. Wiley had faced some tribulations for his honesty and shedding light on the ill-practices of the system and while it may have felt like the game turned it’s back on him, the real continued to hold him in the rightful high regard, and as the genre re-enters the spotlight, his appearance makes it official and he effortlessly returns like he hasn’t missed a beat, with his verse painting the foundations of Grime, highlighting it’s essence and being able to deliver in it’s present iteration, “timeless flows, can’t touch this”, setting the tone for Bizzle to match that energy and remind us of why he was able to breakthrough the way he did. Whilst there are many factors for this new stage of Grime, from DJs, producers and a variety of artists that had not ventured from the sound, however, one of the real reasons for this recent impact is none other than Scorcher and so his feature on this is just mandatory, especially if you know of his origins of clashing and legendary radio sets. Grime consists of elements and together Wiley brings the sound, Bizzle adds the energy and Scorcher provides that street component. A perfect mix of why we fell in love with the genre and even greater example of the growth and direction it’s leading to, plus another great step in it’s evolution. The visuals help portray it further with it’s studio setting and appearances from a variety of the scene’s original members.

More recently, as people online engage with their own verses, I randomly come across none other than Take That’s Robbie Williams flowing, which still baffles me because I never knew he was a barrers like that, he could’ve easily been on this or an official remix even.

This collaboration cements the genre’s reemergence and will undoubtedly revive that live show energy, whilst serving as a sign of more to come.

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Jun 05 2025
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Ye Ali – Gemini

We’re back again, having already released Ye Ali & Chill 4 and the dance EP, WYA? I’m Not Mad Anymore this year, plus two new singles featuring Ro James and Eric Bellinger, the Indiana musical maverick returns with yet another EP, Gemini.

I hadn’t even got round to reviewing the extended version of Who Do You Call, with Ro James adding his unique tone to the mix and Regular Occasion (ft. Eric Bellinger), more sultry efforts from three of the current crop of crooners, and yet here we are, with this surprise drop. Gemini blends the feel of recent releases into a concise 5 track EP, kicking off with BABYONME, linking back with frequent collaborator DCMBR, though serving as an intro, it transitions into the wavy DANCEONME, a sexy mid-tempo joint balancing his smooth vocals with the infectious hi-hats, it’s a super solid solo offering that is well appreciated in this format. EVERYBODYSFAVOURITE and OVERIT sit perfectly in the middle of the project, providing more musicality and ambience, bridging between the two standouts DANCEONME and another result of his recent experimentation with the uptempo rhythms, 2MUCHTIME. I never knew I would like these soulful dance records like this and 2MUCHTIME is the epitome of that, a well crafted mix of modern day R&B layered on a bed of a party-starting, head-bopping club beat. In an era where some R&B artists have released sped-up versions of their slower efforts, he’s been able to create a whole original vibe of it. The only critique could be the length of the project, if you take the two from this, with a few others from each release, you have a close to perfect album, which as a fan only makes you wonder what else is in the tuck.

With these multiple releases, Ye Ali reaffirms his position in the game and the duality of Gemini only adds to the plethora of styles and sounds he’s mastered as he continues to progress the evolution of R&B further.

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Jun 05 2025
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Daff – Free ft. Ay Em

As the UK’s current music scene thrives, beyond the pop-centric acceptance, now with a plethora of talent and sounds, sub-genres of Hip-Hop, Grime, Afrobeats and beyond, the country hosts a variety of established acts. More notably, UK Rap finds itself in a great space, with the likes of Giggs, Nines, Pak-Man and Potter Payper (to name a very small few), now household names, credit has to be given to the foundations on which it’s legacy stands, one of the unsung pillars is Ilford’s own, Daff. Responsible for the absolute street classic, Half. Unfortunately, as he broke through towards establishing himself in that early iteration of rap with his 2012 debut Only Just Begun, he found himself sentenced to sixteen years in prison, which whilst halted his progression, equally cemented his sound and style and that absence only grew the demand further. He’s since released a variety of Jail freestyles and actual tracks with the 2021 EP Rap Never Left, including a feature on fellow Illmade artist Potter Payper’s recent album, reigniting the interest. Building on that presence, despite limitations as we anticipate his return, he released the emphatic Free featuring Ay Em.

One of Daff’s qualities aside from storytelling, was the introspect and compassion in his music, the anthem Half hit the way it did because of it’s realism, there’s plenty of get money songs, but rarely has anyone spoke of giving their mother their earnings and that was just too real to be overlooked. With Free, Daff reignites that storytelling, able to vividly share gritty experiences, descriptive events intwined with heavy emotions and personal battles through a motivational lens, holding hope of his imminent return while displaying that empathy which has held him in such high regard, ending his first verse with, “Bout to have the game in a guillotine, before they free Daff, Free Philistine”. It’s this exact selflessness that highlights him as a man, his morals and principles before anything else. Ay Em has lowkey been a cheat-code on hooks and matches the feel of the track with his effort in both substance, tone and delivery. Daff’s second verse continues the theme and ultimately shows his level of faith and strength as he ends his second verse, “All the feelings that I really had to harbour, before you free Daff, free Gaza”.

There’s even a AI-generated visual, though usually might be off-putting, makes sense in the current situation and the opening shot of him walking outside is deep, as we hold hope for that to be a reality soon enough.

The positive is that he’s served the majority of his bid, whilst finding himself able to continue his artistry inside, as fans alike hope and pray to live in a day with a free Daff and Palestine.

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Jun 04 2025
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Key Glock – Glockaveli

The heir to the Memphis throne found himself at the helm through tragic circumstances that tainted his Yellow Tape 2 success (with Ambition For Cash surpassing 500 million streams), effortlessly stepping up to the mantle, contributing to the PRE projects and with the release of Glockoma 2 in 2023, which was considered his (mainstream) breakthrough, with the anthem Let’s Go featured on the deluxe, in heavy rotation, becoming another track to boast over 100 million streams. Amidst the independent success, he took a deserved hiatus, though only a year, with a couple singles and an international tour to feed the fans, however, after handling priorities and as the ink on the paperwork dried, linking with Republic records, he returns as a major act in a major way with his new album, Glockaveli.

18 tracks (21 as part of the deluxe) of classic Mr Glock. Starting with Hallelujah, I never envisioned such a sample but its an adequate intro, before fastening his crown with the Makaveli-inspired title track Glockaveli, a continuation of a style and sound we’ve become accustomed to from him, however there’s definitely some levels raised, justified with one of the standouts, Blue Devil, with it’s popular sample, Willie Hutch – Tell Me Why Has Our Love Turned Cold, more notably recognised from the Three6Mafia smash Stay Fly, with that Memphis connection in full effect as he naturally glides. Whilst tracks like Made A Way and Watch The Throne feel similar to previous efforts, by track 6, Badu, you realise that he’s really stepping it up, there’s a new sense of maturation and determination in these songs, emphasised by the main body of this album, with songs like She’s Ready, No Sweat, Grinch (with it’s Curtis Mayfield sample) and the motivational Sunny Dayz. It’s more varying production and giving greater glimpses into his personality beyond the glamour. The lower half of Glockaveli feels a bit more experimental in sound but matches the previous in feel, that combination of soulful samples with hard-hitting beats, layered with a crisp commanding vocal, an evolution of his artistry, with Papercutz, Kill My Vibe and I’m Gettin It, contained nicely by Again, before the more grimy Cream Soda, mid-tempo Don Dada, World Is Ourz and the mean 3AM In ToKEYo. The deluxe edition gives you three more tracks with Money Habits, Going Hard and the underrated All Dogs Go To Heaven fitting smoothly.

Musically the project isn’t too far out from what fans would expect, I could argue that it could’ve been more concise to really amplify and appreciate the standout tracks, but if you consider the streaming game and the hiatus..I don’t think anyone will be disappointed for overdelivering and as I continue to listen to it more, it only sounds better. Consistent with no features, there is definitely a rise in quality, whilst obvious in the videos, the mini movie for Grinch, the creative and innovating No Sweat and more recently Glockaveli, paying homage to Lil’ Wayne’s A Milli, but more notably the clarity in the mix & master really adds a glossy finish and makes the difference to what is yet another quality offering from the PRE x Cutthroat general.

Although I know there’s more on the way, Key Glock could easily take another break as Glockaveli is more than enough to feed fans for a while, ’til then, it’s All Eyez On Key.

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