In November 2011, DJ Muggs came to Europe on tour in support of his new album “Bass For your Face”
He visited London to perform at Brixton Jamm, and we arranged for some affiliated press to coincide with the visit.
For those familiar with DJ Muggs and his involvement with Soul Assassins and Cypress Hill, it was a surprise to some that he appeared to have a musical departure into the world of dubstep, a sound which first emerged from Croydon in South London.
Dubstep has transferred across the Atlantic recently, with more clubs & events particularly in Canada and the United States’ west coast jumpin on the sound.
In the interview with Han O’Connor for MTV UK’s online MTV Wrap Up, Muggs explains that this isnt necessarily a major departure for him personally. Quoting the early influence of German electronic techno legends Kraftwerk, and working with Goldie and Grooverider on previous jungle / drum & bass collaborations, he explains the heavy 808 kicks were standard back seat furniture in LA cars, so the heavier, deeper the sound, the better the impact!
He touches upon his days with Cypress Hill and his work within various genres, obviously keen to look at how they can develop hybrid sounds and move in new directions.
He recorded the track Snap Ur Neck Back with London’s Dizzee Rascal, and it was premiered on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show during Muggs’ short stay.
Copywrite “Golden State (of Mind)” ft Casual, Evidence, Roc Marciano produced by Vanderslice
Ohio’s Copywrite continues to smash it with his new album God Save The King.
The Stateside version drops on 28th February on Man Bites Dog Records, while the UK version, featuring many hip hop heavyweights from the British scene is released on 30th April.
Taken from both versions is this absolute banger, “Golden State of Mind”, featuring Hiero’s Casual, Evidence and Roc Marciano. Production is supplied by Eric Vanderslice.
Meanwhile, the full tracklisting for the UK release has just been announced :
1. Post-Apocalyptic Request Box prod by Jason Rose
2.Year of the Gun ft Killah Priest, Inspectah Deck & Bigz Flygerian
3.Crooked Coppers ft Crooked I & Iron Braydz prod by Surock
4.A Public Service Announcement from DJ Sarah Love
5.Keep Troopin’ ft Sean Price & SAS prod Kount Fif
6.Ghost in the Machine ft Context prod by Jason Rose
7.OverDose ft Royce 5’9″ & Genesis Elijah prod by Curtiss King
8.J.O.Y. ft Torae & Jason Rose prod by Jason Rose
9.Got Myself ft Gillie the Kid & Sinista Daniro prod by Jason Rose
10.More Sorrow ft Illogic & Don Jaga prod by Stu Bangas
11.Blue Ribbon prod by Bronze Nazareth
12.Yo! Mtv Raps! (Money for Nothin’) ft Jason Rose prod by Jason Rose
13.Synesthesia prod by RJD2
14.Golden State (of Mind) ft Casual, Evidence & Roc Marciano prod by Vanderslice
15.a Lil’ Logic from Illogic
16.Opium Prodigies ft Illogic prod by Marco Polo
17.Arachnaphobia ft Killah Priest, Lord Basis & Melanin 9 prod by Jaguar Skills
18.Starter Hats ft Sonny Seeza (Onyx) & Akala prod by Kount Fif
19.G$k ft Dru Blu & Jason Rose prod by Stu Bangas
20.Still Pickin’ Up ft Sean P,Mystro & Dom prod by Kount Fif
21.Got to Make it ft Tage Future (MHz) prod by Stu Bangas
22.A Talk with Jesus prod by Poetiq Beetz
Look out for news on US and European tour dates coming over the next few months.
New UK Single & Video – Jamieson – Ways To Get Ahead
Kilburn’s Jamieson, now based in the South Bronx, NYC, follows up his tribute to his hometown “London Freestyle” with the new single & video “Ways to Get Ahead”.
Taken from the final instalment of his Mixtape Trilogy “I Came I Saw”, the track chronicles the journey he’s taken from his days as part of UK hip hop duo Twisted Thoughts with K.I.L.L.A.G.R.A.M. to his move over to the States and the work he’s been putting in since arriving there in 2007.
From the launch of his Foreign Exchange mixtape hosted by DJ Whoo Kid, he’s enjoyed regular support from DJ Booth, XXL, 2 Dope Boys, This Is 50, Hip Hop Dx and a wide range of other key tastemakers across the country. Working with artists Joell Ortiz, Sean Price, Skyzoo and receiving co:signs from Yelawolf, RZA and B-Real, there’s little doubt this London born & bred MC has been packing in a mountain of work, and “Ways To Get Ahead” documents the grind.
The mixtape launches soon ahead of his brand new single “I Get Busy”, set for international release in the
Spring
Been a year in the making, but now Ohio’s Copywrite gets set to release one of the biggest international albums of the year, God Save The King on 30th April 2012.
The Columbus based MC first came to prominence as part of the group Megahertz. His work with producers RJD2, J-Dilla, Cool & Dre, Illmind and collaborations with artists such as Royce da 5 9, Killah Priest, Sean Price, and Dilated Peoples soon established his position on the international hip hop scene through a series of releases including The High Exhaulted, Ultrasound and The Life and Times of Peter Nelson.
Earning a reputation as a battle – hardened MC with punchlines for days, and having just picked up “Best Lyricist” at the Ohio Hip Hop Awards 2011, Copywrite has created an exceptional album. The title is part inspired by the features on this record with some of the best that the UK and US have to offer, and follows previous collaborations with the UK’s Rhyme Asylum, Loudmouth Melvin, Skillit and Sam Khan.
The release includes contributions from some of the most respected MC’s in the UK game, including recently Radio 1 playlisted Context, Mystro, Genesis Elijah, Iron Braydz, Melanin 9, Eurogang’s S.A.S. and Bigz Flygerian, Akala, and USG’s Don Jaga. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them are US heavyweights Royce da 5 9, Killah Priest, Illogic, Crooked I, Sean Price, Casual, Evidence, Roc Marciano and Sonny Seeza (Onyx).
Also look out for a special guest appearance by the 1st Lady of Hip Hop, DJ Sarah Love.
Copywrite is on top of his game throughout with his unique flow and rhyme skills, complimented by production from Kount Fif, Stu Bangas, Jaguar Skills, Marco Polo, RJD2, Bronze Nazareth, Surock and Illogic.
This is an album for fans of the real deal – lyricists and MC’s of the highest calibre spittin’ fire over bangin’ beats. Copywrite reinforces his position as one of the most skilled wordsmiths around today while producing a record which showcases the true essence of hip hop from both sides of the Atlantic.
First out the block is the title track G$K, produced by Stu Bangas and featuring Jason Rose and Lewisham’s Dru Blu, currently making huge moves on the UK scene right now with his new single “Living the Dream”.
The video was shot in the United States and in London, the latter courtesy of Dirty Media and Despa of Stay Fresh Digital. Stu Bangas also produced last year’s “English Troops” with Dru Blu and English Frank. Both Copywrite & Dru Blu go in hard on this joint with some choice cutting provided courtesy of DJ Drastik.
The album God Save The King releases in the UK on 30th April 2012 on Man Bites Dog Records, also home to Megahertz, Vast Aire, Kount Fif, Dub Sonata and more. Look out for much more news on this release over the coming months including plans for a future UK & European tour later in the year.
Sister Elements launches a brand new hip hop night “Grandma’s Party” on Friday 30th March with a mix of live performances, dj sets and a short film world premiere
Performers
Fresh from a support slot with Souls of Mischief at Manchester’s Roadhouse on March 7th, Sister Elements, aka Sarah Sayeed, headlines by performing tracks from her new upcoming album. Described by BBC Asian Network’s Bobby Friction as “a 360 degree conscious artist & fearless lyricist”, she previously released her video .”Contentment”, and has since performed all over the world.
Further live sets on the night come from Manchester’s James Gill, some cool hip hop & funk sounds from female rapper Rain Freedom and a special performance from Ella Mesma, quoted by The Times as “Hip Hop dance’s ongoing potential for deeper expression”.
DJ Sets
Two of the UK’s hip hop heavyweights will be on dj duty. Sarah Love, fresh from supporting Aloe Blacc’s tour in December, and her own tour of Australia in January will be bringing you the real hiphop flavas she’s famous for since her days with Kung Fu, MTV and BBC 1Xtra. A new video interview with The Hip Hop Chronicle has just gone live where she speaks on the early days and her views on the scene today.
Excalibah is well known to the heads as an award winning dj for his Tales From The Legend BBC 1Xtra radio show where he gave early national airplay to artists such as Estelle, Pro Green, Sway and Plan B.
Film screening
There will also be the screening of the short film, “Hip Hop Had A Dream”. While researching his book of the same name released in 2008, the UK’s Damien Morgan interviewed a number of renowned names including Sugarhill Gang, Ty, Bashy, Ghostface Killah, Joe Budden, Professor Griff, Chuck D & Skinnyman for their views on the culture of hiphop, their early influences and the journey it has taken from the early days to now.
These interviews were documented in film and have just been edited together in a short 15 minute documentary set for its worldwide premiere at Grandma’s Party
Big night for lovers of Tru Skool hip hop & the emergence of another regular event showcasing the best in new UK talent.
Two of the UK’s heavyweights in the hiphop scene met up recently in London to produce this new video just gone live tonight
Sumit from The Hip Hop Chronicle has established himself as the premier online blog for hiphop news from the UK and overseas over the years with content featured on BET, MTV and shared widely on the internet by all the top online media outlets in the United States.
DJ Sarah Love established her position as the “1st Lady of Hiphop” from her early days performing sets at London’s famous Kung Fu events, to helping set up MTV Africa, smashing sets for MTV Europe parties, presenting for MTV UK’s The Lick and spearheading the only hiphop show on BBC’s Radio 1Xtra up until 2010, which drew an un-equalled international audience.
Most recently she was the offical tour dj for Aloe Blacc’s series of dates in the UK during December 2011, and has just returned from a month long tour of Australia where she supported Pete Rock and Immortal Technique
They sat down in London to discuss Sarah’s early days, her rated albums and artists over the years, and also her thoughts on the hiphop scene in the UK today. Look out for Australian producer M-Phazes in the background who also has an interview coming soon on The Hip Hop Chronicle.
DJ Sarah Love is a regular on the international hiphop club circuit, but UK heads can next expect to see her perform in London on 30th March along with another ex BBC 1Xtra stalwart DJ Excalibah at Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road….although check back here for possible earlier dates….
Both The Hip Hop Chronicle and DJ Sarah Love will be at the launch of a brand new club night launching in London on the 27th April which will be the only one to celebrate and fully represent the traditional 4 elements of hiphop. Details to follow
London’s Jamieson, formerly known as Killagram, has been making some big moves since his relocation to the States some years back.
Starting off as a young producer in Kilburn, he formed the duo “Twisted Thoughts” with longtime sparring partner K.I.N.E.T.I.K. Having been on the grind in the UK’s underground for a number of years, an offer of work in New York saw him up sticks and make New York’s South Bronx his current home
He wasn’t slow in getting his game on over there. In 2007 he released The Foreign Exchange mixtape hosted by DJ Whoo Kid before putting together plans for his “I Came I Saw” trilogy series of mixtapes
2010 saw the release of Volume 1, launched via DJBooth.net with features from Skyzoo and Emilio Rojas. This was followed up in 2011 by Volume 2 with further features from Sean Price, Samuel and Joell Ortiz.
He’s not been slack on the live front – performing 2 years running at Think Pink Rocks, opening for Melanie Fiona, Sean Kingston & Akon, and in 2011 opening for Mobb Deep at SOB’s for Hot 97’s “Who’s Next” series.
With public endorsements from artists such as RZA, Yelawolf & B-Real, and key media such as XXL, ThisIs50, Hiphopdx, The Hip Hop Chronicle and 2Dopeboyz, he returned to London recently to film the new video for “London (freestyle). This is a taster from the final instalment of the “I Came I Saw” mixtape trilogy which will be released in the coming months.
The mixtape will be released in advance of his new single “I Get Busy” which is set to kick start a big year for Jamieson on both sides of the Atlantic.
Oakland’s hip hop legends Souls of Mischief return to the UK and Europe for the first time in 2 years since their “Montezuma’s Revenge” tour.
It’s almost 20 years since the release of the classic ’93 Til Infinity’, but the group members, as part of the Hieroglyphics Crew, have remained one of the most prolific artists on the scene with numerous solo and group releases on Hiero Imperium Records. They still tour regularly all over the United States and Canada, and are due to perform at SXSW on their return from Europe
2012 starts with three solo albums being released in quick succession.
Tajai has already released his new collaboration with Sleeprockers “Machine Language”
Opio is set to release his new album “Vultures Wisdom Volume 2” on 28 February
Phesto’s new album “Background Check” drops on 13 March. Taken from Background Check is the bangin single “Every Detail” with a drivin beat courtesy of the ever dependable Lalo Schifrin. Check out the video below
The European tour takes in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and Belgium, while UK fans can expect to hear a mix of new material and the old classics on the following dates
March 5th Norwich Arts Centre
March 6th Ipswich The Swan
March 7th Manchester Roadhouse
March 9th Penzance Sound
March 10th Cardiff The Moon
March 11th London Jazz Cafe
March 12th Leeds Sedgwick Avenue
March 13th Edinburgh The Electric Circus
March 14th Glasgow Classic Grand
Expect to hear some more new exclusive releases over the coming months.
During her support tour in the UK with Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter in December, London’s DJ Sarah Love dropped in on some old fam in Nottingham, and was interviewed for online tv Press Play Entertainment as part of their “Introduce Yourself” series.
Also present was UK MC Scorzayzee, and she spoke of her past with Kung Fu, BBC 1Xtra, MTV, Beatminerz Radio, supporting acts such as Wu Tang, KRS-1 & her background in music which includes starting off as a drummer…though she passed on the oppo to give us a quick Buddy Rich !
Currently on tour in Australia until the end of January, she will be at Oxford Art Factory, Sydney on the 12th, supporting Immortal Technique at the Metro Theatre Sydney on the 19th and at the city’s Red Room on the 21st.
A regular on the international hip hop circuit, look out for a few more UK dates in the early Spring being announced soon.
Its become a tradition around Xmas time. Like apocalyptically bad tv schedules, running battles with relatives or 80% discount pre-sales sales signs going up…just before the “to-let signs”…at least the day is brightened up by west London’s Hip Hop MC Mystro’s annual appearance on BBC Radio 1Xtra
His UK Rap Up covers the world of entertainment and events with his usual dry humour and on point production from Colin Emmanuel, aka Black Einstein
One of the most respected UK MCs, 2012 will see his new free EP “What Type of Drug is Mystrogen” dropping ahead of his long awaited debut album “MYSTROGEN”
