Tinchy Stryder Rakes in More Money & Flow-Dan Live at FWD>>

What's poppin' grime fans.

I've got a ridiculous amount of work pending and, deciding on a tactical cat-nap, I'm now crawling out of an accidental three-hour slumber. I feel very lazy; fucked in fact. Quick ones today.



Tinchy has another number one record. I would say well done but, in a scene where chart success has been sporadic at best, he just seems to be taking the piss at the minute. I like the song - it's not a great artistic achievement but hell, someone from our scene is playing the game. It's a quite a happy tune really, which makes the occasion all the better and the novelty of a grime act at number one is far from waning.

Gwarn Tinch.

I stumbled across the B-Side track It's a Problem only last night. Essentially a freestyle, the beat is banging, almost a 'Lost and Found' sound with a few '09 licks of paint and a bit of plastering for the time-withered foundations. Check it.



I've been there, right here on them Bow streets
Late nights tryna write, mum's saying 'go sleep'

Back in E3, Flow Dan seems to be edging towards a debut mixtape. Which is brilliant of course. Flow Dan's a hero so, as a parting second-hand gift, have this hour set with Flow Dan on mic and Kode 9 on deck from FWD>> vs Rinse last year. Shout-outs to Fried My Little Brain and Better Never Than Late on the heads-up - it's immense.

Yeah. I'm feeling a bit better now.

Tinchy Stryder: Star in the Hood EP - Volume 2

Alright grime fans.

Tinchy has just dropped his second Star in the Hood EP. Download it here.























I'm sure track 6 will be of interest.


Tracklist:

1) 1 of Us
2) Rate Man
3) Go Get 'Em
4) Yes Or No (Freestyle)
5) Money (Freestyle 2006)
6) Take Me Back (Maniac Remix)
7) Working for Days (Live)


The tunes didn't order themselves quite right on the journey to iTunes and, after an unexpected skip, the next thing I was hearing was Jump from 'Lost and Found'.

How times have changed.

Around Bow with Lee Brasco - Part 3

This is the third part of a little tour around E3 with Lee Brasco. You can catch the first instalment here and the second here.

But for now the talk of radio filters out, and we go through Lanfranc estate. Over one of the walls, looking towards Roman Road, we can just see the top of the sign.



The sun shines, and the tees in the window look so much better than on the internet thumbnails or Myspace albums where I usually see the designs. Hoodstars, SN1 and Boy Better Know are the main ones on show.

There's no customers, so we just have a look around. It's the sort of place that you step into and wish you were a DJ. It's not the biggest shop, but funky vinyl is stacked all along the back wall, behind the steel-topped counter with decks sitting on top. But it's on the oppposite wall where all of the grime CDs are, complemented by a smaller stack of road rap CDs on the right.

If you could only get five CDs from here right now, which ones would you get?

Brasco takes time to think.

LB: Race against Time, Trim's mixtape, Back 2 Da Lab 3, Down Volume 2 and Tinchy’s Star in the Hood. But if Tinchy’s album ain't there then Wretchrospective.







The guy out the back is sitting in the office.

LB: What's going on boss?

The man comes up to the front and stands behind the counter, giving us the low-down on the shop.

MrRD: Rhythm started about twelve years ago, and I’ve been here for about seven years.

How's Rhythm doing at the moment, given the recession and stuff?

MrRD: We haven't been doing too badly to tell you the truth, because-

Because Rhythm's a specialist shop?

MrRD: Yeah exactly. We're a specialist shop, so people will still spend their money here. Obviously we get in a lot of DJs and collectors as well as fans so, even if they're bruck-up, they'll still spend money on music because it's a hobby. And also, in these times, music is something that's fun and which gives entertainment.

I still think about his seven years. He must have remembered a few notable customers from back in the day. Dizzee?

His face lights up.

MrRD: Ah yeah, I remember Dizzee coming in here back in the day, course. He would make a tune at home on his computer, press it up round the corner and come straight down here, boxes and boxes of vinyl he would bring in to us. Around I Luv U times we would buy boxes and boxes off him, knowing that we would easily sell them all.

Dizzee was on the main stage at Glastonbury last week. His new song Holiday looks like another chart-topper.

MrRD: See some people might say that Dizzee has sold out, but there's a part of his music that's still E3.

What? Like in his delivery?

MrRD: I dunno but, to me, I just think he still brings a little bit of Bow E3 to the mainstream.

LB: Yeah man, Dizzee still reps for E3 - I'm not even gonna say he don't.

MrRD: Like I would say that grime was born in E3, and in that sense Rhythm is the lifeblood for the music here.

LB: When I came in here, I used to think that, one day, I wanna get on that wall.

Brasco almost says it as an aside, but it still shows that this isn't just a place to buy records. It's a shop with a history, and one of the cornerstones of a culture. I didn't quite realise Rhythm's significance only half an hour before.

LB: There was another shop that opened in Mile End called Allstar Records, but that closed as soon as it started.

MrRD: Yeah, I remember that. Rhythm was already more established, and they had nothing that we didn't already.



So are you - well maybe it's the wrong word - but like kinda 'proud' of Tinchy, Dizzee and Wiley, coming from here and now seeing them having such success?
MrRD: Yeah of course, definitely. I remember Tinchy coming in here.

He puts his forearm across his body, just above his waist.

MrRD: He must have come up to about here, you couldn't see him on the other side of the counter. I saw him and I was like 'what!? This guy can MC?'. But he was merking raves, 'tingz in boots' and all that, you know like the Eskimo Dance Top 100 reloads or whatever. Everyone in the crowd would just be going nuts.

Mr Rhythm Division fully explains by bussing gunfingers behind the counter. Brasco points at the Tinchy album on the rack.

LB: Tinchy is an original. Apart from Wiley, Tinch has probably been doing grime the longest out of all of the MCs you see on this wall - he helped pave the way.

But we change to current talk - what's the best grime-sellers in the shop at the moment?

Mr RD: Erm, a few things have been selling well. 'Microphone Champion' and 'Race against Time' have probably done the best.

But with all the June 1st hype, who has sold the most so far?

MrRD: They've both done well, but here probably Wiley.

LB: Well Wiley is from the bits, so that's kinda expected to see him sell the most here. We all support him fully.

MrRD: But the hype and publicity of releasing on the same day has worked, because what's been happening is that people having been coming in and buying both albums at the same time. Another thing is that the Skepta and Wiley albums have done a lot of units in a short space of time. Like for example what we would expect to sell in two or even three weeks, they did in just one week.

Brasco asks what has sold the most in the shop, ever. While the guy thinks, I pluck a guess at Eskimo.

MrRD: Yeah I actually think it was you know. The thing is that with vinyl, Wiley was just absolutely untouchable. A few years ago, if he had something just out the phone wouldn't stop ringing. For Eskimo, people were even driving down from Wales just so that they could get the tune.

Logan Sama's Earth 616 Maniac vinyl is there. I ask to have a look. It's green and it's Maniac and I just really want it, even without decks. How have they been doing?

MrRD: It's difficult because Logan's doing on his own what at the very least what three or four people should be doing. We only got them in last Monday but they are selling solidly. Not massive numbers, but just selling solidly.

I'm just about to ask the guy what his name is, but the phone rings again. He's picks up, and now seems a good time to leave. On the way out, near the funky vinyl, is Lee Brasco's Computer Girls, with Having a Bad Day on the B-Side.



LB: Make sure you go out and get that man, it's a good look.

We carry along down Roman Road. Brasco sees a tidy car sitting in traffic. The motor moves off but Brasco hurries, following the car down the road it just turned. We flag it down near Olga primary school.

LB: Oi, Mercs!

Mercston pops his head out of the window.

M: Ah Lee man, what's good fam? Alright - I'll pull over for a sec.

Catch the rest of the Roman sights and find out what Mercston's up to on Grime Forum tomorrow.


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Ruff Sqwad - I Wanna Let U Know

Wow. I had no idea this single was released nearly two weeks ago.

I remember hearing the tune on Logan's show a while back, and I really quite liked the song despite some part of me saying 'how the hell can you like this'.

I Wanna Let You Know video


Yet a few months down the line I still like it - probably even more. Yeah Roachee's on it and there's a half-hearted nod to James Bond at the start, but I just really like the sound. And despite the swathes of auto-tune, it doesnt really detract from the end result. I suppose auto-tune isn't very subtle - if you're gonna use it, you might as well just go for it or don't bother.

I just think Rapid is doing it right now. Given grime's current position, and the June 1st King of Grime 'I'm gonna shift more albums than you' braggadocio, isn't the King the one who can bring the music in a credible format to a wider audience?

Tinchy is having huge success, and it looks likely to continue with his second album 'Catch 22'.

Tracklist:

1. Never Leave You feat Amelle
2. Number 1 feat N-Dubz
3. Take Me Back feat. Taio Cruz
4. Stryderman
5. I'm Landin
6. 1 of us
7. Spotlight
8. Story Unfold
9. First Place

'Catch 22' isn't grime music but he features on I Wanna Let U Know and, given he's the nation's favourite pocket-rapper right now, he's in a good position to promote Ruff Sqwad. The single builds on Rapid's new style, and Tinchy playing a role in that, after vocals like Stuck On My Mind.

Stuck On My Mind video


Rapid's CD 'Rapid Fire' and the Ruff Sqwad album need a release as soon as possible. But now I want to hear them so I can test the waters and validate my new theory. Admittedly he needs chart success first.

But Rapid - King of Grime?

Wiley Interview with Ras Kwame

Ras Kwame proved the solitary soldier early on Sunday and, with an hour's less sleep, he bossed the airwaves in fair fashion given the circumstances. He probably woke up a little bit more when Wiley decided to turn up out of the blue.

Wiley Interview With Ras Kwame


Listen on iPlayer for better quality sound from about an hour and eight minutes. There's a very brief a capella, a track called Untrustworthy, and another song produced by Y.Wizz.

Given the Sunday surprise, a bit was said about Wiley's unreliability, and how he's "gotta try and get rid of that stigma." The conversation swiftly turned to music proper, and apparently Wiley has made a hit in the "last two days". Tinchy Stryder has confirmed it by lacing the track with his vocals already. Will was listening to it this morning laughing which, as well as being a hilarious image, could mean grime artists in the top 10 (again) sharpish.

I'm not going to comb over everything that was said but Wearing My Rolex, and the consequent stacks of Nike shoe-boxes full of money and a 'See Clear Now' detour, has given him the freedom to make the album the way he wants.

"You can expect to hear an album that I went to studio and enjoyed making number one... basically, I didn't have no-one in my ear, I done what I wanted to do, which I'm happy about. I spent my own money, and I'm happy bruv."

Ghetts said on Logan Sama's show a few weeks back that, wherever Sing 4 Me charted, he still benefited from the experiece, and he'll still be bigger than he would have been before the process.

Wearing My Rolex and Sing 4 Me have had better receptions than Chip Diddy Chip, but charting at Number 21 means Alwayz Recordings have a stash of cash that can be invested in other MCs on its label. Dirtee Stank has wonga after Dance Wiv Me, and the Newham Generals have musical support as well as added financial clout behind them as a result.

Commercial-focused tracks may result in turning the radio down, but it's outweighed by some much-needed cash coming into the scene and hopefully resultant stability from a firmer infrastructure, especially regarding labels.

Still, I wouldn't mind seeing Wiley and Tinchy charting high together. It would be like the good old days. Well a bit different actually. But the mentor and the pupil, originals, penning hits years down the line is special, isn't it?

Maniac Vs Stryder Review

In the unlikely event that you didn't clock, Tinchy Stryder Vs Maniac does indeed feature the Bow residents, with the MC and producer coming together to unite yet also compete against each other in the CD's central concept.

The idea of the two going against each other is interesting, and one that surely intends to raise levels. I remember Skepta on JME's 1Xtra producer Takeover Show saying that when he hears a good beat it makes him want to fight against it. Maniac was also on that show, and it was the first showcase of his beats Star In The Making Remix and Warzone. Both feature on this mixtape.

Competition is also reflected in the structure of the CD, with six vocals comprising the first section, six instrumentals the second, and two bonus tracks which I'll generously call a bonus section. It may sound simple, but in the context of the grime mixtape such a format is innovative, and further adds to the dimensions of the grime CD, which in itself has vastly changed in a relatively short space of time into a slick and more widely marketable product.

Nevertheless, Stryder Vs Maniac is firmly rooted in the underground, and the hype beats don't allow scope for 'sweetboy' tunes which Tinchy can actually make respectably, and intense spitting is required to keep up with the beats. Tinchy generally doesn't fall behind but No Cape, featuring Fuda Guy, has a bad hook and isn't as good as previous collaborations such as 16 Writers. Fly Away is well-produced, but the vocal slips at points leading to disinterest.

Excuses are given on the Warm Up but Stryder is in decent voice, which flows into the second track Wait Till The Moon Comes Out. The chorus, like most in grime of late, doesn't escape the autotune but it doesn't sound too forced. The hook and its content of the black cape, evoking super-hero connotations under the romantic image of the moon coming out, is soon dashed with references to the black star nine. Maybe I read too much into these things. Regardless Big Seac pops out of nowhere for a rare cameo appearance which almost made me fall off my chair.

Familiarity is gained again in the banger Rollin', the highlight of the vocals that still has integrity after being battered by Logan Sama and every other DJ on the underground. The Bow theme here continues, with Delusion booming over the original track and carrying momentum which perfectly complements the production, and Roachee features on the bonus remix. God's Gift makes it three's a crowd for features on the bonus E3 Shank Shank.



Some things have been said about the quality of the instrumentals, but in truth it says more about the producer, who consistently makes great grime tracks. The beats here are decent at worst, and finally having Star In Da Making Remix and What Da Rass is surely enough for any fan. Warzone and Mandem are also good beats.

Despite the different sections, the mixtape does have a unity of sound, resulting in a good final product that is comfortably one of the better releases this year. More importantly, the producer is rightly thrown back into the spotlight, a trend that is hopefully developed for the benefit of the scene.

'When I'm Saying Serial I Ain't Talking About Coco Pops'

Grime videos are a phenomenon that should be appreciated by all. They've got slicker over time, and this year has seen some good ones in Muhammad Ali,
Star In The Making, In A Coner, and Hustler.

The whole spectrum is there in grime videos, from the budget-ness of From Day, the polished slapstick of Pies, the comedy of Rolex Sweep, the dreads and mayhem on Message Is Love, the neon and erratic movements of Mr, and the hype of I Can C U. I appreciate the large majority of grime videos, but nothing comes close to Murkle Man.

Nothing.

Jammer - Murkle Man


Naturally, the latest contribution to grime's Youtube presence doesn't surpass the work of art of Murkle Man, but Tinchy Stryder's latest, Rollin', is a respectable video that's well shot. There's no real amateur moments here that make it a true grime classic, and the start gets off and running safely with a surely conscious nod to Jay-Z's Change Clothes. I still prefer the version with Dillusion, but this is a big track regardless.

Tinchy Stryder (Feat. Roachee) - Rollin'


The video has its moments, including Maniac's deserved cameo that follows in the vein of Mainstream Money and Kidulthood To Adulthood and, even more deservedly, he's spared the embarassment of being called a 'brainiac' this time around. Tinchy drops about two slices of probably Warburtons on the floor, and even 'Ricky from MTV' comes along for the 'Roachee's free!!' party. The dancing at the end, as well as the traditional cameos of various MCs, gives the video character and suits the nice vibe of the track.

The single will feature on the anticipated mixtape Stryder Vs Maniac, which is due for release on November 10.

Tinchy Stryder - Breathe Video

Tinchy is still putting the work in. After the release of 'Cloud 9: The EP' and a forthcoming project with Maniac, the video has landed for his track 'Breathe'.

Produced by Davinche, it's a decent song, even if it revolves around his favoured topic of being 'a star in the hood' but not having 'blown yet'. The video itself isn't too shabby either, provided you ignore the spontaneous combustion that arises from time to time. Either way Strydes somehow manages to avoid cricking his neck on a certain chain so things can only move on up from here.

Tinchy Stryder's next video, 'Stryderman', should be landing soon.

'I'm the King of Grime, and I will be for a very long time...'

I assume Tinchy isn't getting a christmas card from Ghetto this year, after he proclaimed live on national radio that he isn't merely the 'star in the hood', but 'star in the country, star in Essex'. I don't even know why he's talking about Essex but it does go to show that, rather than festive season, its sending season.

'Sending Season' does offer an insight into the politics of grime, which are becoming increasingly farcical. At the moment, the self-proclaimed 'King of Grime' is sending for the 'Prince of Grime' after a prolonged battle with the widely perceived 'King of Grime'. The original 'King of Grime' has, like King Lear, relinquished the monarchy and is now the 'godfather' - not any Marlon Brando though, but more like the supreme guardian over the squabbling siblings.

I don't even understand any of these monikers. And why is GH actually sending for Stryder? Perhaps time will tell...