Free Download: Riton and Primary 1 - Who's There? (Feat. Wiley)

Good day grime fans.

A few days ago, it came to my attention that Wiley featured on a synth-pop track. Will's now done another collabo that my pitiful music knowledge doesn't cater for, so I'm blindly copying someone who's already labelled the track 'House/Nu Disco'.

Enjoy.

Stream:


Download: Riton and Primary 1 - Who's There (Feat. Wiley)


Primary 1 in a leonine hat/mask combo. Mudniss. (Picture from illegaltendermagazine.blogspot.com)

Who's There? evokes the fears that, looking back, you would have thought your conscious mind might have had the decency to suppress - ghosts hovering about on the landing, monsters creaking up the stairs. And all the shit that, in good time, you can perhaps laugh about with your buddies logic and rationalism.

Wiley is at his inadvertent-comic best here: half-sticking to the subject-matter, he's had enough by the end of four bars and, gates opened, he's 'been a genius since elementary' and all of that good stuff.


...knocking at the door with a different stylie

I was gonna say a little something about Wiley's content, and mainly that - despite the reception for 'Race Against Time' - lyrically it was far from Wiley's best. But hey. Here, Wiley's delivery has the presence and conveys the world-vision that nicely contrasts with all the paranormal wackiness.

I like Wiley on these tracks. I can get a bit more general music knowledge at the expense of the grime addiction for one thing. And it's so much better than all this 'commercial' bollocks.

Dizzee Rascal on Wiley & Roll Deep

What's good grime fans.

I've just seen that Dizzee was on Radio 1 today. His album is out shortly and Jo Whiley went to the Dirtee Stank HQ to chat and that.

I don't know how but, as is usually the case when Rascal's the topic, Wiley was lingering. I heard him on a track called Tupac Robot Club Rock by the Filthy Dukes. Nope, I've never heard of them either, but Wikipedia cites they're a 'synthopop' band. Granted, Wikipedia isn't the most trustworthy source but, then again, I'm in a rush.

Tupac Robot Club Rock


I could well be quite late on this, but still I thought the track was pretty decent. There wasn't time to properly gauge opinion though since Dizzee talked straight after (about 1h 10 mins) about Kate Moss, Kanye West, and a deluded girl asking whether he's single at the moment. Christopher Reeve apparently once said that 'once you choose hope, anything's possible' and - fair enough - he did go on to become Superman, but a pint of cold realism for the lady over there please.

A chap from Gloucester asked if Dizzee would ever make a grime album again:

'Grime to me in the first place was me just putting all the types of music I like together, and I'm still doing that.'

There's a few grime-heads out there holding onto Reevesian hope. But to all intents and purposes, that looks like a no.

Why did Dizzee leave Roll Deep?

'The fact that I'd already made an album and that everyone was dilly-dallying around...the fact that wherever Wiley got his album (was) because of me'.

Wiley did alright on Tupac Rock Club. And he's a grown man now, making his own way. People would call him bitter and childish.

I wouldn't mind a war-dub though.

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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Wiley and Skepta's Barnet Beef

Afternoon grime fans.

The internet moves too quickly for me to keep up nowadays, so I'm a bit late with this story. I could have let it pass; there's plenty more fish in the sea. However, fish stocks are apparently dwindling and grime's traditional summer drought is imminent, so I thought I would dive into my renewed quest for some of that search engine optimisation.

Forgive me.

'I'm a king when I roll through anywhere, you're just a king when you roll through Barnet.'

The unassuming North London borough is enjoying a welcome return to the spotlight again, a couple years after residents started 'vandalising' road-signs by dubbing their bits 'Barnét'.

Wiley's lyric on his album track Zip It Up has caused a bit of aggro. Skepta in particular took exception, and his barnet must have raised a few millimetres after hearing Wiley's dig because, soon enough, he made his way to Barnet's Dollis Valley estate where, apparently, the kids indulge in zooming quad bikes 'dangerouly around the estate's green spaces'.

Skepta - In the Country



Wiley left his house in the country to reply.

Wiley - Barnet Dub



538 years after the Battle of Barnet in the English Civil War, admittedly quite a big precedent as far as what we'll call 'Barnet war' goes, Skepta has taken this to the blocks in 21st century urban guerilla warfare.

Skepta half-sniggering outside a house that was presented as Wiley's, as well as dubbing Wiley his 'bredrin' before it even all kicked off proper, meant this was never going to be a Wiley v Doogz, two artists that don't really seem to like each other very much.

But who won this one?

Two top MCs battling. Essentially, over a lyric that at least acknowledged one of London's most neglected places.

Yeah. Probably Barnet.

Five Reasons Why You Should Buy Microphone Champion

Skepta's 'Microphone Champion' is out today, along with Bashy's 'Catch Me If You Can' and Wiley's 'Race Against Time'.



I've finally listened to Skepta's offering, and here are five reasons why you should buy the CD:

1) Giggs is on it.

2) Are You Ready features probably the best Midlands accent by a north-Londoner I've ever heard. The competition was admittedly slim but, by possibly reviving a three-quarters dead beef in the process, multi-tasking complements the Champion's powers of imitation.

3) Skepta widens the possibilities available to grime MCs by penning a tune about transvestites. Disguise is a recipe for disaster on paper but the joyous beat is the best on the CD. A very serious-sounding Skepta is 'warning people' on a comic track, merely adding to the 'what the fuck' factor. Trust me, it's brilliant.

4) While there's been talk of 'gratuitous guest appearances', Jammer's feature on Disguise is probably one of the best grime verses I've ever heard.

'some of them girls ain't girls,
if you look properly you'll see they're guuuuyys'

5) Rolex Sweep and Sunglasses At Night are merely bonus tracks here. So if even you don't really like the CD you can still appreciate Skepta's approach. Eh grime fans?

Well maybe. Anyway that's that - if you're still not appeased then check Grime Daily for a more in-depth review later.

Bye.

R.I.P Esco

"Alright London, alright alright, you get me. It's Rinse 100.3 in the day-time, Christmas Day. Like I care, you get me. Like I even care what day it is."

Wiley on the day itself in 2004. Needless to say he wasn't in a great mood, with personal pot-shots already dispatched at Lethal B, Bashy and Jammer. But, just fifteen minutes later, it was seemingly easy enough for him to say this:

"Oi Es, it's Wiley - I need to hear you more Es - on the level. Don't sit back, don't sit back. I wanna hear you Esco."

We did hear more from Esco, but not as much as grime would have liked. I can't remember an MC having released so little yet commanding so much respect, and it's clear that he had abundant talent that was never fully recognised.

The story has gained wider coverage in the media, since Esco was the half-brother of Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Jermain Defoe. Still, this notable relation can't detract from Esco being an individual and having made his own mark, especially in the grime scene in which he was so highly-respected.

Esco (Jade Defoe) died last night from severe head injuries after being attacked in Leytonstone. May he rest in peace.

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?

"I'm Doing The Damn Thing Not Ramping Trust I'm A Champion"

The growing bulk of instrumental CDs has put on a couple more pounds in the last week and the latest title, 'Nocstrumentals', makes it clear which producer is the latest to tip the scales.

Despite the omissions of In A Corner Remix, Back In A Big Way and Best Music, Nocturnal's CD is a very solid release. The opening My People sets the tone and the OGs' vocal, which will feature on Nocturnal's debut album 'The Sleepless Knight', suggests a union with further promise.

OGs - My People (Radio Rip)


Davinche's 'Dirty Canvas: The Legacy' still stands imperious above the rest, yet the Nocstrumentals hold their own against the fair height of D.O.K's 'Document' and Low Deep's 'The Instrumentals'. Despite a nod to Ripperman's Rubble on Bun Man, and an even bigger nod to Maniac's Star In Da Making Remix on Who You Talking To?, Nocstrumentals is a bold collection which is tied by the producer's signature sound; a unity that is so strongly adhered to that it lacks the versatility of Dot's 'Rotten Riddims' or the variety of Terror Danjah's 'Zip Files'.

The Nocstrumentals' ties to the present is its main advantage over the rest. Dot's, D.O.K's and Terror's releases came out of nowhere and, while digital releases of Bassline Massacre, Big Bang and Frontline Remix gave a retrospective satisfaction, Nocturnal's CD sees the light of day as he continues to ride his rising wave of progress and standing within the scene; a journey that was jump-started when Ghetts was Ghetto, spitting in front of admirable double-glazing.

Ghetto Over Nocturnal's Back In A Big Way - Risky Roadz Clip


Furthermore, the recent Wiley/Goodz and Rinse/Jeeday Jawz spats, as well as Goodz's 'Ultrasound' release, have provided additional promotion and current clout: Rinse's reply to Jeeday was over Stop, and Panties, Bras, Coke and Cameras on Don't Phone Me; a beat which has been repeatedly spun by Logan Sama over the last three months, and the vocal of the same name, featuring Ghetto and Griminal, is currently receiving wide airplay.

In this context, the instrumental CD is changing. 'Tinchy Stryder Vs Maniac' had an innovative concept, ushering forward the producer and promoting recent beats. Swindle's forthcoming instrumental CD should do the same, highlighting a trend of looking forwards as opposed to trawling the archives. The next Rotten Riddims should also have recent beats, yet the unique slinging-out of six, rapid-fire installments, complete with standard filler, goes against the final, polished products of Zip Files, Document and Nocstrumentals.

Now, it's almost obligatory for upcoming MCs to release a mixtape to prove themselves and their credentials. But, in a few years, will the same emphasis by placed on the producer? Probably not quite, but now a firm precedent has been established for instrumental releases. Just as well really, because I really enjoy these CDs.

Snow Follows Me

It's all quite romantic at first. Floating and swirling in the air, descending with poise and elegance. The snow wraps up all below, and your understanding of the environment - roads, car-parks, maybe a patch of grass - merges into an indistinct mass of whiteness.

Lovely isn't it.

Guys have to make the standard snowballs, trample a bit, drive about town, and the atmospheric scene turns into a slosh. Grime's novelty, feeling and atmosphere of a former time, one in which 'Treddin' On Thin Ice' belonged, has thawed. Puddles form and the sparse beats, so indicative of the time and place in which they were created, have sunk to the bottom.

Dot Rotten is, to me, one of the very few who has a sense of emotion and atmosphere in his music and, continuing with the frosty thread, here's a brief clip of the tune he played on his Genesis Radio show. The hook is basic, but I like the tune.

Ice Kid (Feat. Dot Rotten) - Respect


Wiley's eski-beat classics, and even the former battle with Doogz on the Igloo riddim, are now housed in Club 5 as the scene slides ever more to the dancefloor.


================THE WAR REPORT===============


Wiley - Conspiracy


The dub isn't characteristic for Wiley, since the reply wasn't immediate. The Australia tour may be partly the reason for that, but this is still the the obligatory reply for credibility.

There's nothing wrong with a draw. Two of the best slugged it out, kicked up some excitment and showed the scene's levels in the process.

'You want your name in the king of grime conversation they ain't saying it'.

But in terms of competition between Wiley and Goodz, is this the last word?

"From Day One I Said I Was Serious"

January 22. Two years ago today, the ruthless heard-hearts of the RWD Forum splashed their keyboards with salty tears in wake of the news that Wiley was going to hang up the mic. Poor old Cameo was close to tears.

Time has proved cruel; RWD is now stuttering like an asthmatic 80 year-old crawling to his top-floor flat, and Cameo's admirable emotion in the moment has been undermined by Wiley's retractable towel.

JME said on the last Logan Sama Show that he wants to make the music he likes and, on Westwood last year, claimed that he never wants to go over-ground. Most interestingly, and related to all of this, is that he thought someone needs to stay underground for the benefit of grime. Skepta, Scorcher, and even JME himself were touted as possible replacements for the irreplaceable position that Wiley had scarpered from two years ago.


Not as far as I'm aware

Why? Why does grime need a leader, a general to marshall the kids running around making music? In the days of the artist people still follow, as the electro trend sadly proved, yet there is greater autonomy for individuals now in pursuing their own musical journies. The decline of the crew has highlighted the MCs personal path.

MCs have a better idea of what they're doing now, but still JME saying he's happy to stay around can only be good. He's seen the genre develop, has one of the best business-brains in the scene, and he's a competent musician that can pass on good advice.

This is assuming that JME takes up this position in the future. However, like him or loathe him, just JME's philosophy in itself, especially in the current context of craving for cross-over hits, is something that I give him huge credit for.

=============================================

Logan Sama (Feat. JME, Trim, God's Gift, Riko, Footsie, Syer B & Flow Dan - Rinse FM, January 2005

Just a set I found from the dark and murky archives of my shit computer.

Stream on zSHARE

Download from Megaupload

Skip to three minutes, and bask in the glorious Rapid production and JME's 'I'll beat you up' badinage. He's not a bad MC you know.

"You Best Say A Prayer To Your White Gold Chain And Cross"

There was never any plan for fullygrown grime. Just fling stuff on. However, Logan keeps on dutifully turning up for his radio show and, with my lack of updates, I'm starting to see the outlines of an ever-growing, incognito Sama-homage that was never initially intended.

Oh well.

Dot Rotten - Sugar And Coke (Radio Rip)


I rate Dot highly, but I've heard better from him. Still, this tune would walk onto most mixtapes, and the unprovoked sendage for the 'fools' that went to the other side of the earth, spat next to Styles P and didn't rep England shows a warmonger trying to keep himself under control. Remixing various bars is easy enough for a good MC, which Dot is. But you haven't mastered barring yet mate.

Wiley - They Can't Handle It (Radio Rip)


He's mastered barring. A little masterclass here if you haven't heard it.

The ditties, JME and Tempz features, and a Tinchy Stryder cameo of about fifty seconds finally made way for the set; a Cold Blooded reunion. I rate Cold Blooded simply because they have one of the best names in grime. Allied with a crew full of individuals yet no-nonsense spitters, and you can't go wrong.

One quick thing though. If you've been quiet for a year, you're no-one; a Simply The Best 2 can tarnish your reputation beyond repair. Duppy, Autopsy, Fuckin' Widda Team, Deeper, Stupid, Tingles, DTI, Meridian Walk and Missing are swiftly undermined by Sunglasses At Night and outlandish fashion. Maybe it's frustration, and the need to make more profitbale music isn't always credible, but it isn't right is it? Past work should always hold at least some weight.

Scorcher is a top MC. Probably just better than Terminator.

A provisional tracklist here, any help is appreciated.

SCORCHER // HELL'S KITCHEN
DARQ E FREAKER // NEXT HYPE
MANIAC // THUG
SILENCER // KILLER INSTINCT
MANIAC // HEADSHOT
NOCTURNAL // DON'T PHONE ME
MACABRE UNIT // TAKE TIME
DAVINCHE // BRASSTOOTH
RAPID // LICENSE
SCHOLAR // 20 MINUTE MASSIVE
FOOTSIE // DO YOU HEAR ME
RAPID & DIRTY DANGER // RUFF SQWAD MANDEM REMIX
DAVINCHE // END OF TIME
SKEAMZ // GREENGATE GUYS
BLESS BEATS // VITTEL
?????????????????
CHASE & STATUS // SAXON

"Mic Wars I'll Never Retreat One"

The koalas have gorged on their eucalyptus for the day, and a kangaroo nonchalantly hops by in the evening heat. I assume Wiley is enjoying his time in Oz, spreading the grime sound to the other side of the world (for a small fee), but Durrty Goodz is still calling. A few things first.

Ghetto & Brutal - Go On Den (Radio Rip)


Ghetts is so comfortable right now that he can afford to fling out freestyles. With the album completed, it could have been easy to draw for the pipe and slippers, but spitting on a Maniac beat is appreciated by me at least. As is the inclusion of Brutal. He's a good MC and one that I've always rated.

Ruff Sqwad - Superman (Radio Rip)


Ruff Sqwad raise a musically defiant fist, ready to launch into the wider consciousness against the people who want to put them 'in a box'. I tried to take Rapid's plea seriously, but the autotune chorus detracts from it in truth. Nevertheless, the tune is peversely catchy.

Desperado - 'Natural' Vocal (Radio Rip)


Dot Rotten's original, uncompromising vocal on this beat was the Dirty South Salute, and here Desperado's effort, complete with talk of 'swag game' and Ed Hardy, emphasises the difference.

Perhaps the uniting force of Hardy explains one of the most bizarre line-ups I've heard of in recent grime history. Despa joins Skepta and Roachee on the release of '99 Stars', which will hopefully land soon. I have no idea what to expect.

=========THE WAR REPORT (ROUND II)=========

No bicycle kicks like Guile, because the war has gone into attrition; Rinse and Jeeday have gone AWOL, but Wiley and Goodz are in too deep to bow out now, waiting in their trenches for the decisive knockout that will probably never come.

Wiley replied to Cokey The Snowman with the End Of The World Freestyle. Goodz's fire back was Panty, Bras, Coke and Cameras.

There's not much to say really. In the desperate attempt to land blows by saying something original, well, it's all got a bit personal. The dirty washing in public of course provides me with much entertainment, but it does show that this war has become a bit ludicrous now. Will's repartee, "I've done a lot in my life to feel prouder, but I didn't like it shottin' your mum powder", and "your mum hates you brother, all because of you the mother lost a lover" is surely void, since Wiley's apparently a "cross-dresser".

The desperate attempt to find a resolution to the clash is symbolically represnted through DJ JJ, who Goodz was pally with on the Rinse FM Christmas Show, and he even got a few reloads. Now, however, Scratcha's homely hosting has evaporated in the grit of the war, and the need to pack a punch has resulted in poor old JJ's mention in the Goodz dub against his Eskibeat member. "JJ, he knows". And what's that then?

I'm still enjoying the war, and its moments of anticipation before the next installment. But it's just a spectacle. Nothing decisive has been said; they're two MCs at the top of their game negating each other. I can't even remember how this all started. We can all pick sides, but what's the point? Enjoy it for what it is.

If no knockout comes out soon, I hope they call it quits. Wiley and Goodz deserve better than a farce.

"I'm Lawless, But You Owe Logan's Mum A Mortgage"

The curtain was raised, and the expectant crowd of warmongering philistines was made to wait. Logan started the show last night with a few bits of light-entertainment before the main event.

New Jammer Tune (Radio Rip)


Jammer's shrill tones delievered and the next one, which I assume is called Dark given it was mentioned abouty fifty times, had this comic-transylvanian beat that was sheer comedy.

Diesel & Flow Dan - Dark (Radio Rip)


Maverick, Double S & Dot Rotten - Grime Scene Warning (Radio Rip)


Faith SFX's beatboxing seemed like a bit of a novelty, but in producing the two come together well, and in a way that makes his beats unique from the rest. Dot also vocalled another SFX beat, and by the sounds of it there's more to come. Get used to hearing it, because I reckon there's some life in this vocal.


============== THE WAR REPORT ==================


So yeah, there might have been a couple fanfares, but I didn't hear them since I acted like a twelve year old and got shamelessly excited before it all kicked off. Logan graciously put the War Report into context by spinning the Jeeday Jawz dub for Rinse first. The chirpy, Loudmouth production matches the content, which is punchy and to the point, and Rinse had to come with a decent reply.

I thought it was OK. The beat selection was a good one, and Nocturnal's Stop is one of the best instrumentals in recent times. On another production I would have made less of Rinse's reply, but the beat adds intensity, and Rinse's tone is different to the sometimes flippant Jawz on the first dub. The spitting and flow are excellent, and he doesn't stumble over his words which I've sometimes heard before. Nevertheless, I thought Rinse spat for too long without hitting hard, and content is the most important thing for me. Jawz wins round one. Just.

Rinse's reference to the Wiley and Goodz tiff was a painful reminder of what his clash truly was; the undercard, two unprovens trying to get a name in the game; the prologue that foregrounds the real deal.

Wiley threw a couple of dubs out there, and Doogz replied by dropping about thirty words a second and, with Cokey The Snowman racking in at an impressive seven and a half minutes, he must have been swarmed with paper after he wrote the Wiley bars.

The Doogz dub was so long that, really, it entered the realms of the epic; a grime-like Paradise Lost with Milton squirming in his grave, all too aware that the content was just as graphic. It was long, but I think he kept on track throughout. It doesn't drag to me as a listener, and there's some serious pars in there. I heard it and I was like:



I try not to be biased, but we all prefer certain MCs, and these clashes result in people picking sides. Wiley's probably penning his reply already. I'm a Wiley fan; I always have been, and I prefer him to Goodz, yet I can't deny that Wiley got charred. He's in the best form he's been in for a long time and, given his hunger for the war, I'm a expecting a big reply but, to be honest, Will got bombed harder than Dresden. You know it's true.

Some people may complain from time to time, including myself, but recent events have reminded me why grime is the king of music. Long may it continue.

"You Can't Chat To Me About The High-Road, Back Then I Was Moving Psycho"

I don't know. New Year's always comes as a bit of an anti-climax. Building up for a new start, expectations of a new dawn. It never turns out like that though; a nasty hang-over and other fuckery that suggests the same as always.

Fuck it though. January 1st is just a day that follows 31st December; time's relentless move forward. I'm currently listening to Kano's This Is The Girl though so the disillusionment is slightly allieved. Remember when the tune adorned the front page of the 679 Recordings website? When Vectra used to play it so often that you thought 'London Town' would be the real deal?

Logan's show last Monday sums up '08 really. He may have had glazed eyes during his retrospective look on grime last year, I don't know. But remembering particular moments of last year perfectly, and then its start seeming like ages ago, is a bit odd. I feel a bit ashamed with my preoccupations of Rolex-sweeping, which eclipsed the brilliant Dark from early '08. I only forgot about the tune after deleting the radio rip because I played it about fifty times. Double S's Pot Of Gold nearly joined the annals of anonymity as well. That was a banger. And what happened to Skengman Mode? It was played on nearly every set early this year, only to then vanish like President T.

Anyway, a couple of token predictions for 2009. Might as well.

Double S may have had an alright year, but he's only been a big, recognisable name for just over twelve months. He has a good flow and similies, but most importantly he makes good songs. As a crew, Marvell seem to be moving as a more unified unit now, but he can still individually build on what he's done this year. There's been a few steps, but they're solid ones.

Wiley is a highly unoriginal choice, but the Manchester air is obviously doing him good, since everything he's touched recently has turned to gold. His flow is flawless, and his spitting is the best it's been for a while. The straining for the elusive, classic release must be a burden, but with recent signs, off the back of one of the best vocals of his career in Where's My Brother, there's abundant promise. 'Race Against Time' now has even bigger expectations.

Ice Kid is also an unoriginal shout. He's the wildcard of 2009; not yet complete, with more proof of his song-writing skills and work-rate needed, yet he has the raw skills and intensity that raise him above the large majority. It's about time he made his mark on the scene.

What are your predictions? Surely yours are more original and interesting than mine. The truth is it's half five in the morning and I'm pissed.



A Happy New Year to you all, and hopefully a good year for grime. Twelve months is a long time. Or is it?

"From Lamppost To Lamppost We Run The Roads"

Kano sprinted back to the scene this year while copies of London Town were hurled at him from behind. His newly-acquired sunglasses dearly dangled from one ear, trying to save themselves from a trampling by the chasing, marauding masses who expected better after a promising debut. Efforts at a mellower sound for these ungrateful gits fell flatter than a Lenny Henry gig, and the divorce from 679 Recordings followed.

Credit where it's due, and at least Kano is still going, unlike his former label who've made a few changes. He's even restored some credibility with the release of 140 Grime Street, which was a good CD that couldn't even be dragged down by the inclusion of Soldier. It's no coincidence that the big names uniting on the album resulted in its best three tracks. In this context, Soldier didn't matter.

Kano has given a lot to the scene this year. His return has proved a catalyst for grime's biggest names to stop slyly looking at each other's myspaces and actually work together. Wiley, Skepta and Chipmunk enjoyed a trip to Radio 1's Big Weekend in Maidstone and, by jumping out of the woodwork and delivering the P's & Q's bars, the Garden of England bloomed into life. Kano officially marked his return.


The Provincial Pleasures of Maidstone High Street

However, it was surpassed by the concert at the 02 Arena, and 'The Greatest Grime Show On Earth' exorcised the demons of the place once being the Millenium Dome and just a big waste of money. The general unity is reflected currently; Wiley and Ghetts proudly place one another in their Myspace top friends, a sure sign of affinity, and one that quashes the two's temper-tantrums about vocalling Rude Kid's The Best earlier this year, not to mention bigger battles in the more distant past.

Kano's return has also made Skepta and Ghetts peculiarly pally, and the two both featured on Logan Sama's 140 Grime Street show, one of my favourite sets this year. Skeppy's allegations of Ghetts sending for him 'every two minutes' were replaced by interchanges of 'buss one' and 'god forgive me', a lovely moment as well as proof that Skepta must have listened to the CD before he threw it in the bin. He's recently shown signs of normality, relapsing into a few old words for Ghetto on Westwood, but there's still the impression that progress has been made.

'Politics', and the scene's best talent not combining often enough, has been to grime's detriment in recent times. Maybe things are changing.

Nicole's Groove

Christmas Day.

The Allies and the Germans stopped killing each other and had a game of football, Jesus was born and gave all of us sinners a chance, and none other than Shystie was born. Dubplate Drama wouldn't have been the same.

Big up all the guys that ordered stuff off the net and are still waiting for the goods to arrive. I know there's a few of you about. I'm just gonna wrap up a couple of things now but first of all, I just wanna say thanks to all the people that have read the blog over the past year. Thanks to all who have taken the time out to read what a next guy thinks and leave a comment, and thanks to all who have left feedback, positive or negative. It's appreciated.

Special thanks to the grimeforum gang; Lemon, Hij and Elijah at
butterz, and a big shout out to Davide Machado at Gold Seal Recordings.

I think I posted POW as last year's Christmas jingle, but it's a different vibe this year. I just like the tune, and it's also nice to reminisce on Breeze being a top mic-man in comparison to his paltry status nowadays. I suppose it's partly his fault.

Wiley Kat & Breeze - Nicole's Groove


Spyro, Maximum and Mak 10 should be on Rinse FM later. I'm starting to plan my excuses from the dinner table now.

Happy Christmas.

"Usually Drink, Usually Dance, Usually Bubble"

I remember JME welcoming the new year, while hosting the Boy Better Know Rinse FM show on Christmas Day 2007. The mood was happy, with the anticipation of a new start. Big things would happen. In a way, the expectations were realised.

Wiley made Wearing My Rolex on his January birthday and, if he hadn't, the scene would have been very different this year. 'Electro-grime' was born. Despite the Guardian columns, its not a genre; it's just a few tunes that followed the original by Wiley and Bless Beats. I suppose the main reason for defining music into a genre is for marketability. However, only the first charted so it all looks like a big, commercial failure.


Top 4 Desperate Attempts For Mainsteam Paper

1) Lethal B - Keys To The Bentley
2) Ribz & Skepta - Dance Like Me
3) Mz Bratt - What Would You Do?
4) God's Gift - Ringtone


I suppose the electro, cross-over tracks cemented the idea of the 'artist'; making the one, the tune that brings new opportunties and recognition. For me, one of the most disappointing moments of this year was Fuck Radio 6. On it's own, the set was perfectly fine, but it's a blot on the previous five sets and the name of the 'Fuck Radio' series. Only three MCs turned up; Double S had never featured on one before. The rest couldn't spit on the radio any more; they were artists.

The set was on Logan Sama's show, and his broadcast has been part of the revitalisation of radio in the last few months. However, his national show doesn't dwarf the efforts of other DJs, who have travelled to the pirates in the late hours. The likes of Spyro have given a good account of the genre on tour, but sets from Vectra, Silencer, Sketche, Score Five, JJ and others, including up-comers such as Meshack Nasty, isn't forgotten. The last few months of radio has been very strong, and just about saves face for a year as a whole in which the radio too often gave quiet crackles.


Best Radio MC Award

1) Jendor
2) P-Money
3) Blacks


However, a side-affect of the artist talk is that mixtapes are a much more professional affair. Announcements today of Zavvi being placed in administration isn't a good look for the MCs who jubilantly announce on Logan's show that their latest is stocked there, but it is more indicative of CDs being more viable products to a wider audience. Bashy's 'Chupa Chups' mixtape was praised last year for its 29 tracks. Such a move now would be seen differently, which reflects the change in mixtapes and the rise of EPs and albums. Also, with the lack of raves and the dominance of the internet, free downloads have increased greatly, and in both quality and quantity.


Top 2 CDs That Didn't Get The Praise They Deserved

1) Little Nasty - Hungry Season (some old songs, but they're good)
2) Warlock - Friend Of Mine, Foe Of The Music


Best Free Download

1) P-Money A Little Back Then With Now
2) Griminal - Not Just Barz
3) Brutal - 10% Effort


You can't begrudge an MC sitting in the studio, carton of Ribena in hand, contemplating their next hit as an artist. Times have moved on, and it's necessary to have a professional frame of mind for prolonged success. All the same, the classic moments that shine in grime's past from a fan's point of view have all but gone. There's been a sad lack of hype this year, and even a part of that has seemed contrived.


Most Hype Moment of 2008

Killa P sending for Trim on Rinse. (It was so greazy I had to run from my computer and sit in a fully-lit room for half an hour).


However, there's still the amateurish moments. With the rise of the arist, most these days revolve around MCs wading into unfamiliar waters. Kano made a fair point a while back, about the first grime MCs peeping their heads above the parapet without any precedent to follow. I should have some sympathy, and from Wiley's RWD Forum cries for help I do. A bit. But comedy is comedy.


Top 2 Cringe-worthy Moments

1) UK Cypher - Chipmunk, Ghetto and Skepta at the BET Awards
2) Skepta playing Timmy's Mallet with Kelly Osbourne


There were genuinely funny moments though.


Top 3

1) Dot Rotten walking out in the middle of his Logan Sama set
2) Skitz Beatz skanking, contrasting to the no-nonsense pose with Styles P
3) The offical video for Rolex Sweep

Just a couple other ones.


The 'Grime Has Blown' Award 2008

1) Wiley shouting "OLI OLI OLI" with Hot Chip at Glastonbury Festival. And you thought Dizzee with the Arctic Monkeys was big.
2) Busta Rhymes moving from the Tribe Called Quest days to the Rolex Sweep
3) Erm, Mistajam doing the Rolex Sweep



The Rolex Sweep all seemed like innocent fun, until Skepta took things a bit too serious and felt obliged to give instructions. No freestyling allowed, but Macarena shuffles and all sorts. Rolex Sweep is serious business.

Finally, a mention for Ears. He comes back to the scene early this year after prolonged speculation on his whereabouts, drops his mixtape Millionears, only then to swish his cape and disappear into the darkness about a week after he came back.

I wonder what he makes of the electro-grime Rolex-ing business. Although someone would have to find him first.

"Some Have Got Albums, But No Singles, CDs Full Of Bare Skits And Jingles"

The Logan Sama show last night was a bag of madness. A couple bits to listen to.

Jendor - Dun Dem (Radio Rip)


Jendor's first mixtape, 'Grandmaster', is out on January 26, and I assume this is on it. The bars on the track have got silly reloads in the past few months, but the beat here doesn't really match the hype, nodding to other tracks such as Sunshine. He'll always be more of a radio/rave MC to me, but his features on 'OG Season' showed the hype can relate to a physical release, so there's no reason not to have expectations if you're a fan.

Roadside G's - Sweet Tooth Freestyle (Radio Rip)


Wiley - Time Flies By (Radio Rip)


Autotune season.

God's Gift - You Don't Know About Me (Radio Rip)


You may well have heard this beat being used on Wiley's Westwood freestyle. I believe Bless Beats made it and, if so, he is doing a lot of stuff at the minute. I quite like his melodies, and there have been productions in the past I've liked, such as Dis Likkle Yout with the obvious choices Local Lad and 16 Bar Rally, but he seems to be much more consistent now from what I'm hearing. Wiley laced the beat very nicely on Westwood, sitting at home afterwards to unanimous 'King of Grime' forum talk. Goodz had other ideas.

Goodz - Who You Talking To? (Radio Rip)


Goodz - Party N Rave (Radio Rip)


Goodz - Destruction (Radio Rip)


Goodz - More To The Floor (Radio Rip)


Goodz - Upset Me (Radio Rip)


It's always nice to hear Goodz spit, and after all the electro-grime efforts you can't help but smile and feel a bit of relief. All the tracks feature on his pre-album Ultrasound which is out in January. There's no Throwaway Thoughts there, which I think I enjoyed more than all of the tracks played last night, since it's my favourite Nocturnal beat and an all-out grime banger, without the dubstep elements that seem to linger in the production on 'Axiom' and the forthcoming project.

The set had novelty value, with Big Seac bowing to public pressure to deliver bars we've all heard before, and also in Logan's clanging. Nah I'm joking, there was a technical issue but the set was still top-drawer with a nice selection. Download it from grimepedia.

TRACKLIST

NOCTURNAL // ?????
FOOTSIE // DJ DAVE
BLESS BEATS // VITTEL
NOCTURNAL // IN A CORNER REMIX
WILEY // CLUB 5
DOT ROTTEN // TORPEDO
NOCTURNAL // DON'T PHONE ME
NOCTURNAL // ?????
MANIAC // THUG
CHASE & STATUS // EASTERN JAM VIP
CHASE & STATUS // SAXON
WAIFER // GUNMAN SKANK
MANIAC // HEADSHOT
DIZZEE RASCAL // STRINGS HOE

Fill in the gaps please.

Two last bits. Chipmunk was (I imagine) cordially invited to the Radio 1 Christmas Party, and he performed his single Beast as well as the follow-up, Chip Diddy Chip. He's had a very good year and I suppose it's all a lovely, fitting and commercial end.

Credit should be given where it's due. Beast is one of the best songs that came from the scene in '08. It's good to hear grime or near enough performed live, and the guitarist was obviously having a ball with his liberal solo. I don't know what to make of the other track, but it wasn't bad, and it reminded me a little of a Fix Up Look Sharp, maybe because of the drums. It worked for Dizzee any way.

The third Earth 616 sampler is out later this week. I've come up with the idea of guessing what's on it. I'll probably regret it later but I plan to make it too late by then.

DOK // PHONE BOOTH
BLESS BEATS // VITTEL
BLESS BEATS // SOLD MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL
FOOTSIE // 3 PLATES
SILENCER // REGULATION
WILEY // CLUB 5
RAPID // KNIGHTRIDER

Someting from that. Surely.

Logan Sama Show - Track Rips

Just a few rips from Logan's show last night.

Chipmunk - Beast Remix (Feat. Wretch 32 & Bashy)


Jammer - Duppy Know (Feat. Skepta & Diesel)


Liquid E - Take Notice (Feat. Wiley)

'What Is Wrong With People Tim Though'?

A very unoriginal post today. Never mind.

Tim Westwood telephone interview with Wiley


I've been neglecting Westwood TV recently. Time, lack of inspiring artists, that sort of thing. However, here, Westwood talks to Wiley about his supposed death in a Hackney alleyway. The subject is quashed pretty quickly, and Wiley has 'learned' not to loiter down alleyways in recent times. No advantages of hanging around in alleyways currently come to mind, so it can only be a good thing that he doesn't engage in such antics now.

The link to the original, false 'story' has been taken down, but Bluntwun came with some evidence that was pretty irrefutable:

'So I heard about this news story happening and if they... didn't use Thames Valley Police statement for a Hackney based murder (lol), this could've been somewhat more believeable'

In the name of a certain Wiley instrumental - Bang Bang.

Westwood is a bit insincere in this telephone interview, contrasting to the approach of Ras 'hate is entrenched in our society' Kwame, but the mood lifted the morbid talk into something a bit more fruitful. Westwood's question regarding Eskibeat Recordings revealed that there's a project in the pipeline. I'll believe it when I see it.

Another good question was asked amidst the talk of Hummers, which was the albeit slightly cliche what do you want to be best known for. Just so that we all know when you actually do die. He's done so much in his career, but his pride in Where's My Brother is revealing. It still puts a smile on my face when I hear it played by Logan and other DJs, and it's definitely one of the best Wiley tracks I've heard.
.
Part of the track's appeal is the issue of who's Wiley's brother. All will be revealed on the video to Where's My Brother, which should be landing in early 2009.