RAKIM

THE GOD EMCEE ON NAS,

LARGE PRO, DR DRE & JAY-Z
PLUS HIS LYRICAL LEGACY!
www.hhcdigital.net
HHC DIGITAL #005
HHC DIGITAL #005 2
CONTENTS
05. HOME GROWN: THE UK HIP-HOP STORY
07. BROTHER ALI: STILL INDEPENDENT
AND STILL PROUD OF IT
09. FEAR OF THE RAP: TURTLE POWER!
10. ESOTERIC: THE BOSTON RHYME ANIMAL
AND HIS FAITHFUL FRIEND
11. TWITTERISHLY: 50 CENT
12. RAKIM: THE GOD EMCEE LOOKS BACK
ON HIS CAREER AND SPEAKS ABOUT
HIS TIME WITH DR DRE, HIS FIRST WRITING Adam Anonymous, Cee Banger, Arsenio Billingham
MEETINGS WITH NAS AND JAY-Z,
AND DETAILS HOW MUCH IT COST
TO ROCK A SUIT FROM DAPPER DAN!
20. THE LISTENING: THE MONTHLY
NEW MUSIC DIGEST, FEATURING
NEW SETS FROM SOULS OF MISCHIEF, FRONT COVER The Seventh Parallel...
BLAKROC, MR CHOP, RALPH RIP SHIT,
SHAFIQ AND MORE!
24. HOME STYLE: YOUR UK RAP
ROUND-UP
NOVEMBER 2009 HHC DIGITAL#005
www.hhcdigital.net
www.twitter.com/hhcdigital
info@hhcdigital.net
EDITOR Phillip Mlynar
(917) 912 3005 | phillip@hhcdigital.net
DESIGNER April Hill | april@hhcdigital.net
Corin Douieb, Robbie Ettelson, Jo Fuertes-Knight, Mike Lewis
05.
HOME GROWN: THE UK HIP-HOP STORY
Chloe McCloskey, John W McKelvey, James McNally, Tom Nook
Chris Schonberger, Quincey Tones, Lucy Van Pelt, Richard Watson
PHOTOGRAPHY A Garcia, Kristina Hill, Dorothy Hong
Diana Levine, Mike Lewis, Alexander Richter
ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP
advertising@hhcdigital.net
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER AND HEAD OF
MICROWAVE OVEN PROGRAMMING Andy Cowan
PUBLISHED by Just One More in association with Infamous Ink Ltd.
All material (c) Just One More 2009. All rights reserved. HHC Digital
may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or
in part, without the express written permission of the publisher.
Hip-Hop Connection is a registered trademark of Infamous Ink Ltd. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER While every effort is made to ensure the information in HHC
Digital is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for
which HHC Digital holds no responsibility. Contributors’ opinions do not
necessarily bear a relation to those of Just One More or Infamous Ink Ltd
or HHC Digital’s staff. The publishers disclaim any liability for those impressions. Now
check out our melody...
HHC DIGITAL #005 3
HHC DIGITAL #005 4
 HOMEGROWN
THE STORY OF UK
HIP-HOP…
The definitive look at the UK hip-hop scene, the Home Grown
exhibition is in full effect now. Curated by Urbis’ Andy Brydon
and HHC’s Ancient Britain man James McNally, it looks back on
three decades of home grown history, including the pivotal
Covent Garden years (pictured).
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD REYES

Featuring rarely seen photos from the likes of Normski, Beezer,

Paul H, Mike Lewis, Al Baker, Richard Reyes and Jake Green,
plus flyers, film and fashion from some of the country’s best
personal collections, not to mention a shrine to HHC’s print
days, it’s a must-see experience.

Click here to find out more about the Home Grown exhibition.

HHC DIGITAL #005 5

HHC DIGITAL #005 6
BROTHER ALI
THE TRUTH IS HERE…
Brother Ali’s recent trip to London to perform at the Barfly was
a success. Having sold out the venue, the 32-year-old emcee
who hails from a white family but sounds like an early 20th
century black preacher, says humbly, “I was a little unsure of
what to expect and then I found out it was sold out, so that was
great.” So often used to touring off the back of Atmosphere’s
reputation, with his impressive ‘Us’ album he’s now certified
his credentials as a genuine indie hip-hop mainstay.
Having seen the set tagged “the most important indie hip-
hop album of ’09,” he laughs and says, “Well, it’s the most
important to me!” Then he adds, “I don’t take those kind of
things to heart. I think people talk so much – we talk everything
to death; when we want to prove we really mean something,
we really exaggerate.”
‘Us’ is Ali’s fifth project with Atmosphere’s resident producer
Ant, and he cites their close relationship as a catalyst for the
music: “We have one of those relationships where when you
work as intensely as we have and for as long as we have, there’s
no hiding anything. He knows all the shittiest things about me
and vice versa and we love each other anyway.”
As ever, independence remains a top priority on the
Rhymesayers agenda. So it was no surprise when Ali released
a video expressing his views about downloading new music.
The response, he says, was mixed. “Some people were like,
‘I never thought about it that way – I’m going to buy albums
from now on. But then there are people that got really mad,
saying, ‘Don’t you dare call this stealing’...”
Then, after taking a brief pause, he concludes, “From my
perspective, the ’net, on the one hand, gives me access to
people I might not get access to. But on the other, if you really
love this music and don’t pay for it, you’re not helping it exist.”
Chloe McCloskey
‘Us’
HHC DIGITAL #005 7
HHC DIGITAL #005 8
FEAR OF
THE RAP
OFF YOUR RAP RADAR...
Yeah, that’s a record. As a matter of fact, that there’s the
shaped, picture disc version of one of hip-hop’s biggest hit
records, and one of the few hip-hop songs to be certified
platinum in the UK, ‘Turtle Power’ by Partners In Kryme.
Back in 1990, PIK were an unsigned duo from Syracuse,
consisting of emcee GV and deejay/producer Snow, shopping
demos in NYC. They were in talks with SBK Records to possibly
record something for their upcoming soundtrack album,
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’. As Snow says, “We’d put
together a little thing for a fight scene, just something in the
background, called ‘Confrontation.’ Then by the time we got
further along with it, they said to us, ‘Hey, we need a theme
song...’ So they read the premise over the phone to GV; and
over the weekend ‘Confrontation’ became ‘Turtle Power’.”
Of course, there are multiple variations in different countries,
but this single comes in three ‘key’ versions. There’s the initial
US 12-inch, with the cheap-looking collage-style cover featuring
a yellow turtle saying, “Cowabunga!” It includes the album
version (the original one PIK completed over that weekend),
the single edit (a reworking by SBK’s in-house producer Shane
Faber) and ‘Splinter’s Tale I & II’ by John Du Prez. Then there’s
the picture disc (shown) which leaves off the album version.
And there’s the UK version, with a cover showing the turtles
peering out from a manhole cover, and an alternate b-side,
‘Turtle Rhapsody’ by the Orchestra In A Half Shell. (Pressed to
pick a best version, GV plumps for the first US release.)
“I’ll tell you one thing that I never told anybody about ‘Turtle
Power’,” Snow says. “As we were making it we tried to think
of something that was cartoony and would put people in
mind of that. Do you remember the theme from the cartoon
Underdog? There’s a part that goes, ‘Speed of lightning, roar of
thunder/Fighting all who rob or plunder.’ I took that tune for
the horn line in ‘Turtle Power’! No one ever caught it! It was an
idea for people to subtly feel familiar with it before they ever
heard it, and I think some of that worked.” John McKelvey
HHC DIGITAL #005 9
ESOTERIC
A DOG’S LIFE...
These days it’s no secret that no one really knows how to sell
physical copies of rap music. But one thing’s apparent: give
the listeners something tangible, something that they want to
own and keep, and you’re closer to closing a sale than most. So
seems to run the thinking behind Boston mainstay Esoteric’s
latest solo effort, ‘Saving Seamus Ryan’, which comes cannily
packaged, Atmosphere-style, with a short story.
“I’d seen ‘When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit
Gold’ in stores but I didn’t realise it came with a children’s book
– that rules,” says Eso of Slug and Ant’s literary scribblings.
Then, speaking on his own tome, he continues, “Max, the
dog in the story, is put to sleep at the beginning of the album.
He’s a fictional dog, but I used memories of euthanising my
Irish Setter Boo, and my wife’s dog, Domino, for inspiration.
Putting a dog to sleep is the hardest thing in the world for
people like me. Dogs are easy to understand, humans are too
complicated... That’s why mankind is drawn to canines. There’s
a simplicity and a loyalty that can’t be found in people. Saying
goodbye to a dog that seemingly lived to make you happy can
really affect people.”
Elsewhere on the album, on the track ‘Ace’s Take’ with Masta
Ace, Eso drops the confessional, “My whole career is a maybe.”
Reviewing his time on the mic, he says, “7L and I had major
label offers and interest in the late ’90s and early 2000s, but I
don’t look at that as a big fork in the road. Sometimes I think,
‘Hmm, what if I came a little harder on ‘Speaking Real Words’
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANA LEVINE
and chose a dirtier track, would that have picked up more
steam?’ Oh, and we had a chance to do a joint with Eminem
back in ’98 and I was like ‘Hell no!’ for stupid fucking reasons.
I don’t think that would have changed things, but it would be
nice to look back on because I have a lot of respect for the way
he writes.” Arsenio Billingham
‘Ace’s Take’ feat. Masta Ace
HHC DIGITAL #005 10
 STILL AVAILABLE!

ISSUE 001
50 Cent is Using Twitter

Anyone know how to delete purchases from your Amazon

profile?
3:06 PM today, from web DOOM!
THE SUPER-VILLAIN
Ordered the Triple Cs joint, plus The Gay Sex Guide. LOL!!! ON BUKOWSKI, BEER
AND BECOMING A
3:05 PM today, from twitteriffic GAZZILLIONAIRE
www.hhcdigital.net
WILLIE ISZ, CHARLES HAMILTON, DANTE ROSS & MORE!
Browsing Amazon. Cats who bought my book also bought my
HHC DIGITAL #001

man Rio Ferdinand’s autobiography. Hmm, I got an idea…

3:04 PM today, from web

@DannyDyer: Who’s Katie Price, what are Bristols and why

couldn’t you take your mince pies off them?
DOOM, WILLIE ISZ, DANTE ROSS, MOBONIX
2:07 PM today, from twitteriffic

ISSUE 002
Got dome from Rick Ross’s baby mama in the History section.
1:12 PM today, from twitteriffic

www.hhcdigital.net
HHC DIGITAL #002
35 FREE
Also, you should never sign packs of crack. That’s just playin’ EMUSIC
MP3s!
into Po-Po’s hands.
11:39 AM today, from twitteriffic

Signing books in Barnes & Noble. Reminds me of slinging rocks

on Jamaica Ave. Except you get to sit down.
11:38 AM today, from twitteriffic ‘ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX 2’ IS GO!
GHOSTFACE, SPEECH DEBELLE, TANYA MORGAN, PAUL WHITE

RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE, SPEECH DEBELLE

HHC DIGITAL #005 7
11
RAKIM
A DECADE SINCE HIS LAST ALBUM,
THE GOD EMCEE IS FINALLY BACK
WITH ‘THE SEVENTH SEAL’.
HHC DIGITAL CHECKS OUT
HIS NEW MELODY…

HHC DIGITAL #005 12

Earlier this year, HHC polled 100 rappers in a bid to find out
who they’d nominate as hip-hop’s greatest ever emcee. Right
from the start the answer was clear: Rakim Allah. Whether we
asked those living lavish at the top of the commercial scene
or those cats grinding their way around the underground, the
rhymer from Long Island was always going to be his peers’
pick. And while the modern rap world might not share a huge
amount in common with the mechanisms of the golden era
during which The R reigned, he’s back with a new album, the
seven-years-in-the-writing ‘The Seventh Seal’.
Having endured a fruitless time with Dr Dre over at Aftermath,
the album’s held down by low-key, indie scene producers like
Nick Wiz and Jake One. It’s a bold move, and one that leaves
the record lacking the punch and impact that the good Doctor
– or his in-studio minions – would have imbued in it. But there
are still lyrical gems to be picked out, and tracks like ‘Holy Are
You’ and ‘How To Emcee’, the latter produced by DMC champ
DJ Slice, show that Rakim still has a lot to offer hip-hop. And
with plans for another album early next year, call this the
reintroduction of the God emcee...
First up, why did ‘The Seventh Seal’ take so long to produce?
“I think it’s because I’m a perfectionist. Plus I had to get my
business together. I got my own label now; I took on a different
role to get it. But with the music, I can’t let it go until I feel
that it’s perfect – and nine times out of ten it’s never perfect.”
Do you feel any pressure releasing the album?
“Pressure? No. I think it’s just more anxiety, man. It’s like
you’re used to doing something and then the longer it takes to
do it, you start to go through that withdrawal. But I feel good
to finally finish it. Now I’m just waiting to see how the world
will receive it.”
During the time between this album and ‘The Master’ you were
signed to Dre’s Aftermath imprint. Why didn’t that work out?
“We just had conflicting ideas about what the album would be
like. So at the end of the day I thought it was best to just get
out and get back to New York.”
How did the Dre situation come around in the first place?
“Believe it or not it was a situation where I was supposed to
HHC DIGITAL #005 13

NAS WOULD COME THROUGH POWER PLAY
STUDIOS WITH LARGE PRO. YOU COULD
DEFINITELY SEE HIS POTENTIAL…
sign to Interscope and the brother who was hooking that up
hollered at Dre to do a couple of tracks on the album. When I
met up with Dre he was like, ‘Why don’t you just come over to
Aftermath and I’ll do the whole album?’ Back then it sounded
like a good idea. But when me and Dre got together and started
working, that’s when we realised how different we was, so we
had to let it go, man. We’re two different artists and we didn’t
really realise that until we got to the same studio.”
What happened to the songs you recorded during that time?
“I got ’em, he got ’em... They leaked some out for the internet
right after I left California. But most of the tracks we did, Dre
only produced two or three of them – and that’s out of a
good 12 or 15 songs. He was getting track from some of the
producers he knew. And me, anxious to get it poppin‘, I’d just
grab a track and write to it while he was getting ready to do
what he had to do. So after a while, when I told him I needed
to come back to New York, he understood.”
Did you learn much from watching Dre in the studio?
“I learned a lot, man. He’s like me, a perfectionist, and I learned
HHC DIGITAL #005 14
that it’s a certain standard of music that the people want. You
gotta make sure that not only is it music that I personally like, but
that it’s music that’s universal. See, that was my problem back in
WHEN I HEARD JAY-Z BACK THEN I KNEW
the day: If I heard a track and I liked it, I didn’t care who else liked
THIS KID WAS NASTY AND COULD GET
it. But Dre let me know that I had to make it a bit more universal.”
THERE IF HE KEPT DOING IT…
Going further back, you also worked with Large Professor.
What do you remember about first meeting him?
“My man there, Large Pro, I felt a sense of hunger from this
dude and a sense of know-how; like not only where to go
and get the records from but how they was supposed to be
sampled and what kind of drums you were supposed to put
under that type of sample. He was really into his craft in terms
of producing; I didn’t know he rhymed until later on. He kept
me on my toes with how a track should sound. He was a big
influence on me as far as my sampling game.”

Are those the sessions where Nas would pass through?

“No doubt, Nas used to come through Power Play when we’d
record there. He was eager, he used to do a lot of work with
Large Pro, so he brought him through a couple of times.”

HHC DIGITAL #005 15

Did you see Nas’s potential as a rapper back in those days?
“Definitely, ’cos it was like to me it sounded like the streets of
New York and I always appreciated a rapper that not only knew
how to rhyme but knew how to incorporate that New York
swagger and attitude. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of people
able to do that. When I first heard Nas rhyme I got that sense
from him. I mean I didn’t know he was going to be as prolific as
he would end up being, but I knew he had something.”
What’s your favourite Nas song?
“My favourite Nas joint is, I think, ‘The World Is Yours’. I think
that or ‘Halftime’.”
What were your first impressions of Jay-Z in those days? Did
you ever see him perform as Big Daddy Kane’s hype-man?
“Nah, I never seen Jay live with Kane back then. The only time
I seen Jay was with Jaz. But I remember the first time I heard
Jay rhyme was on a video. We was sitting in the crib chilling,
not paying attention to the TV, then this video came on, the
joint started rockin‘, but we still weren’t really looking at the
TV. Then all of a sudden we heard [Mimic’s rapid-fire flow] ‘Du-
du-du-du-du-du-du...’ Everyone starts looking at the TV, like,
‘Yo, who the hell is that?!’ It was Jay-Z, spitting some fire on a
Jaz video. That’s the first time I seen and heard Jay.”
Did you think he’d blow up like he eventually did?
“Nah, ’cos back then the cadence wasn’t nowhere near that.
So for somebody to come out and step the game up like three
notches – [Again mimicking a rapid-fire flow] ‘Du-du-du-du-du-
du-du...’ – nobody was rhyming like that back then, so you
knew that dude was going to be on a different page if he stuck
with his craft. Back then it took four or five songs to believe
somebody knew what they was doing, but when I heard Jay I
knew this kid was nasty and could get there if he kept on.”
What was the last song you heard by another artist that made
you think, ‘Damn, I wish I’d have said that...’?
“Let’s go back to my man Eric Clapton, ‘Change The World’.
Word up! I always liked his music but when he came out with
that song I kinda felt myself in his words. It’s like the same thing
that me and a lot of other people do, but when somebody puts
it in words like that so perfectly, it sounds beautiful, man.”
HHC DIGITAL #005 16

I USED TO HANG WITH THE
ORIGINAL 50 CENT, THE STICK-UP
KID. WE WAS DEFINITELY COOL…
What’s the biggest misconception about Rakim?
“It think it’s what my cause is. A lot of people think that I started
gangsta rap. To me, it was just the opposite. I thought I helped
bring consciousness to the table. But through my demeanor
and the way I dress and some of the places that people heard
I grew up and hung out at, they label me a gangsta.”
‘Paid In Full’ was always about the redemption side – saying
you used to be a stick-up kid. Where did you hear the gangsta
rap comments?
“A couple of years ago, when 2Pac got shot, they had this
big thing on the radio in New York and I’ll never forget:
KRS-One was up there, they were talking about gangsta rap,
and he says, ‘Gangsta rap didn’t start in California, Rakim
started gangsta rap.’ That shocked me, ’cos I knew my
demeanor and where I hung out, but I never thought I started
gangsta rap. I always knew it was a little edgy, and that the way
I dress was ‘urban’, but I don’t think I started gangsta rap.”
Did you ever speak to KRS about his comment?
“Nah... I understand what Kris is saying, ’cos we did bring the
HHC DIGITAL #005 17
streets to the stage. My crew was all my people we hung out
with in the streets. It’s not like I had a manager who was a
manager – my manager was my homeboy. The way we looked,
our presence was edgy, but whenever I got in the booth or
wrote songs I never felt it was gangsta gangsta. I think that’s
the biggest misconception with Rakim.”
On the back of ‘Paid In Full’ there’s a posse shot. Is it true that
the original 50 Cent, the stick-up kid, is in there?
“No doubt, that’s the original 50 Cent. We was cool, we had
a lot of respect for each other: he made a name for himself in
the street, and I was making a name for myself in the music
business. He respected me ’cos I came from, not the same
neighbourhood, but I came from the same place he came
from. It just so happened that I was rapping. He was definitely
a real dude. Him and the rest of my people I grew up with like
that, they really let me know how serious it was for young
brothers in the street and things of that nature. Killer Ben was
another cat that was one of my peoples. Coming up around
people like that, it gives you a different understanding of life,
and an understanding of the streets and the struggle.”
You mentioned the clothes you’d wear in those days – where
did your outfits come from?
“Well for the jewelry we might go to Jamaica Avenue in Queens,
but the main spot was the diamond district in Manhattan. We
was going there in ’86 – a long time before a lot of people
started going there. Then for the Gucci suits we’d go up to
Dapper Dan on 125th Street who used to customise and hook
us up – like a pair of Timberlands with the Louis Vuitton leather
on it. Everyone knew they weren’t a pair of Louis Vuitton boots
but it was just the style. We were able to have a Gucci hat or
a Fendi jacket but not in the style they was making them. It
was good to be able to floss that style – what we was wearing
wasn’t even out!”
How much did you pay for the clothes in those days?
“For the Tims, it would probably come out to about $300
and change. A whole Gucci suit was from $1,500 to $3,000,
depending on how much suede, how much leather, how much
it weighed. It was definitely costly for a young player of that
nature. Not everyone could go to Dapper Dan and get a suit. It
was fake, but it was a statement.”
HHC DIGITAL #005 18
What was your favourite venue to perform at back then?
“In the ’80s, it was The Rooftop, man! With a lot of places in
New York it felt like you rented the building out to have a party
in it, so you’d get people from all over the boroughs in there,
so it’s really nobody’s home. But a place like The Rooftop was
in the community itself, so the majority of the people in there
was from the Polo Grounds [housing projects], then the other
people sprinkled in from the boroughs. The Rooftop had a
swagger in there that you couldn’t get from other places ’cos
the people felt like it was their home, you know? It was more
than just a club; it felt more like it was a party in somebody’s
back yard. Everybody was on the same page, liked the same
music... I’d say that The Rooftop was just a very special place
for hip-hop.”

Finally, what song used to go down best back in those days?

“‘Eric B Is President’, definitely. I don’t know why, man, but
they even had a little dance they used to do to it. Whenever KRS-ONE TOLD THE WORLD I STARTED
I performed a show anywhere in New York City and I played GANGSTA RAP. THAT KINDA SHOCKED ME…
that one it was like Wop City!”
‘Holy Are You’

HHC DIGITAL #005 19

THE LISTENING
21. ALBUM OF THE MONTH:
THE BLACK KEYS TAKE ON
RZA, MOS DEF, Q-TIP
JIM JONES AND DAMON
DASH FOR THE BLAKROC
PROJECT...

22. GET UP ON NEW SETS

FROM SOULS OF MISCHIEF,
SHAFIQ, MR CHOP
ALPHABETIX, DIAMOND
DISTRICT AND RALPH
RIP SHIT...

24. HOME STYLE:

YOUR ONE-STOP UK RAP
ROUND-UP, FEATURING
SKUFF & INJA, PARA
DUBBLEDGE, DJ YODA
DEADLY, ENVY, BIGFOOT
SWAY AND MORE!

HHC DIGITAL #005 20

ALBUM
OFTHEMONTH
Damon Dash says: “I came across the Black Keys after one of
my A&R’s passed me a couple of their CDs. I loved the music
instantly – started playing it in my car and at home constantly
– so I put a call in and proposed a project together. They were
down with it and I brought Jim Jones to the studio for the first
session, then Mos Def came in, and it just grew from there.”
Dan (Black Keys) says: “We work fast. We laid down four
instrumentals in four hours, just trying to come up with a
good sound and feel. Then it was a case of matching tracks to
certain rappers.”
BLAKROC
‘BLAKROC’
(BLACKROC RECORDS)
We say: Rap and rock collabos might not exactly have an
esteemed history, but this Damon Dash conceived project
sees The Black Keys laying down instrumental grooves for
various rappers to top effect. The rapping cast list includes
Mos Def, Raekwon, RZA, Q-Tip and Billy Danze, all spitting
over the type of funk-laden grooves most producers would
be happy to loop up. The opening ODB and Ludacris effort,
‘Coochie’, is inspired, while Rae’s husky vocals on ‘Stay Off
The F*%$#n’ Flowers’ are a highlight. An unexpected but
resolute success.
‘Ain’t Nothing Like You (Hoochie Coo)’
HHC DIGITAL #005 21
ALBUMREVIEWS
SOULS OF MISCHIEF
‘MONTEZUMA’S REVENGE’
(HIERO IMPERIUM)
Opio says: “It was a different creative process working with
Prince Paul, who ended up executive producing the album.
It gives it a new angle, but it’s still the same classic Souls Of
Mischief lyrical standard.”
We say: Despite being proud Bay Area boys, Opio and company
have always had a strong east coast influence running through
them, and drafting in Prince Paul to oversee things definitely
brings the album together. Tracks like ‘Woni’ and ‘Fourmation’
bang hard, while ‘Hiero HQ’ jingle-jangles just lovely. And yep,
skits are in effect...
‘LaLaLa’
SHAFIQ
‘EN A-FREE-KA’
(PLUG RESEARCH)
Shafiq says: “My goal with the album was to make sure that
the music was progressive, but a little bit more direct – so it’s
not just a loose bunch of songs. The concept that holds it all
together is my take on the issues of identity and being a ‘free
national’.”
We say: Sa-Ra-related projects may sometimes fall foul of being
style over substance, but Shafiq’s solo effort is top drawer
dope. Eclectic in all the right ways, at times it sounds like
nothing more than the 2009 take on what Afrika Bambaataa
was attempting all those years back.
‘Nirvana’
MR CHOP
‘FOR PETE’S SAKE’
(NOW-AGAIN)
Mr Chop says: “A unique take [on Pete Rock covers] has lead
to an album that ‘the heads’ will recognize by the Tom Scott
sax-line Pete poached for ‘T.R.O.Y.’ or a host of other sample-
based calls and response deconstructed into their component
parts and reassembled again.”
We say: After holding down a chunk of production duties on
DOOM’s ‘Born Like This’, Mr Chop’s instrumental take on the
Soul Brother’s back cat is a fresh move. The only issue? That
the originals are so strong it’s hard not to see this as merely a
prompt to dig them back out...
‘T.R.O.Y.’
HHC DIGITAL #005 22
ALBUMREVIEWS
DIAMOND DISTRICT
‘IN THE RUFF’
(MELLO MUSIC)
Oddisee says: “Our inspiration for the album was our love
for a particular golden era sound – and the need for DC to
contribute to that sound.”
We say: Possibly the most bizarre release of the oh-nine, this
is the retail version of an album previously available as a free
download. The blend of Oddisee’s production and XO and
Yu’s vocals is still great, and there are a few additional tracks
tacked on (like the heavy ‘Hologram’), but with shockingly
low-budget packaging it’s hard to see anyone actually
paying for it...
‘Hologram’
ALPHABETIX RALPH RIP SHIT
‘ANONYMOUS EP’ ‘OCDC VOL. 1’
(30 TONNE SLUG) (WWW.OCDC.CO.UK)
Mr Ris says: “Check the EP ’cos it’s crammed full of up-beat Ralph Rip Shit says: “This release will definitely put some
bangers with that Alphabetix twist. My personal favourite warmth into any listener’s winter!”
track is ‘Bounce’ ’cos it’s a serious head-nodder.” We say: A free download project from the man touting himself
We say: A four-person strong crew from Leeds consisting of around town as having the best name in rap, ‘OCDC Vol 1’
emcees Mr Ris, ABD and Angel S plus producer DJ Sir+, this is the product of “Classic Tuesdays spent in the studio
nine track long EP sounds fresh from start to finish. ‘You Can together with the odd Thursday thrown in for good measure.”
Bet It’s The Betix’ almost comes over like a UK take on Jurassic The result is a fine combination of Stophe’s beats and
5’s chemistry, complete with funky beat and cutting on the Ralph’s confident flow. Stand-out tracks include
chorus, while ‘Control My Vibes’ resonates with a warped ‘Motorcycle’, ‘Tony’s Town’, and the quite brilliantly-titled
swagger. A promising introduction. ‘Disco Louts’.
‘Control My Vibes’ ‘Bros ’92’
HHC DIGITAL #005 23
HOME STYLE
YOUR UK RAP ATTACK…
With Christmas just around the corner and a newly opened
Anthropologie on Regent Street it’s hard to know where to
spend your hard earned or ill gotten cash. If you’re not into
over priced objet d’art you could do worse than finding some of
these stuffed in your stocking – starting with Para’s ‘Fallen On
Def Ears’ on Breakin Bread (pictured). The Swindon beatsmith
has delivered one of the year’s funkiest albums with a good
dose of cut and paste thrown in for good measure. Catlin
also turns in some great vocals making it a truly universal set.
There’s something for everyone and it features the singles
‘Rescue Me’, ‘You Never Change’ and ‘It’s The Hornet’.
Another UK production wizard is Mr Chop who covers breaks
used by Pete Rock on his ‘For Pete’s Sake’ project. Classics such
as ‘Good Life’, ‘Main Ingredient’ and even the Soul Brother’s
remix of Public Enemy’s ‘Shut ’Em Down’ get a psyche, jazz,
rock and funk reworking. Additionally, the album features
Malcolm Catto and Mike Burnham of Heliocentrics fame. Oh,
and if that’s not enough there are two 7-inch singles with a
certain CL Smooth on the mic.
Another Christmas cracker is ‘Careful On The Way Up’ by those
naughty elves Diversion Tactics. The lead single, ‘Can’t Swim/
Back To School’, sees the return of collaborator J-Zone who
adds his distinctive punch to the proceedings. The album is as
solid as ever with Jazz T, Zygote, Chubby and Squeaky firing
on all cylinders. Then D Gritty, Blade and Tommy Koi hold it
down for some UK collabo fun while Percee P and Tim Dog
add their Bronx magic. Grrrrr!
Moving on, Dubbledge’s ‘One Inch Punch’ will literally hit you
around the head. Such is the power it delivers we recommend
wearing a gum shield, head guard or a full face crash helmet
while listening to it. If you’re a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, Tribe
Called Quest, Snoop or Souls Of Mischief then this will be right
up your chamber, as it were.
HHC DIGITAL #005 24
South London’s Phoenix Da Icefire releases his debut album,
‘Baptism Under Fire’. This is a perfect opportunity to insert
de-icer, dry ice and other such glib puns but we’ll forgo that
gift. Instead we’ll tell you it’s hosted by M9 and mixed by DJ
Roast (no dinner, chestnut or Sunday jokes either), with guest
appearances from Masikah, 9 Planets AKS and J Da Exodus.
Hard hitting is what we’d expect and Phoenix definitely
delivers every time.
Over in east London you’ll find song-writing emcee Deadly and
her ‘1st Place Greatest Kid’ album (on Gemini Productions).
While a certain Speech Debelle has been all over the media,
Deadly has been honing her craft on the grime scene and was
a member of M.I.C. (Mentally Ill Crew). Check out the lead
single ‘Goin‘ On Greazy’ for a taste of Deadly’s fire and Merlin’s
magic production.
Heritage Orchestra team up with DJ Yoda for ‘Concerto For
Turntables & Orchestra’. This may seem like a strange idea
until you consider Yoda’s video work. His style enables him to
follow a score like a musician, and here he utilises the potential
of the turntable by using pitch control to create a scale.
Also out now is ‘The Skuff And Inja Show’ on In Records
(pictured). “The record was born from the live show and every
track was crafted with exactly that in mind,” says Skuff. “We
try to bring next level energy to the shows, and the idea for
the LP was to translate that energy onto record.” Inja adds,
“It’s a multi-patchwork of hip-hop and other styles.”
Finally, a couple of last minute entries before we sing ‘Auld Lang
Syne’: Envy’s ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ on Stopstart showcases a
confident rhyme animal with a huge personality, while Bigfoot
featuring Sway’s ‘Feel Like A King’ is all regal rhymes from this
Manchester deity.
No Christmas column would be complete without a mention
of pulling crackers, stuffing birds and “are you a leg or breast
man?” and who are we to disappoint? Mike Lewis
(Check out www.RapAndSoulMailOrder.com to purchase all
records mentioned in Home Style.)
HHC DIGITAL #005 25
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