After unleashing a smattering of mischievous 12s and EPs, bonafide British b-boy DJ Format finally gets around to making Music for the Mature B Boy, his debut long player. Anyone who has already sampled the wares of this cheekiest of beatmeisters will know what to expect, namely tons of solid, ass-shaking, hip-hop-fuelled funk, peppered with spicy scratches and oodles of soulful sauce. ...
Manufacturer: Genuine
Given Roots Manuva's higher profile this time around, it was always on the cards that a new album might be a more commercial affair. But while Run Come Save Me is more accessible, it manages to retain the rawness that made its predecessor so addictive. When his self-produced, leftfield hip-hop debut Brand New Second Hand appeared in 1998, it was a clarion call for UK MCs to give up ...
Manufacturer: Big Dada
For a long time, it seemed like any sort of hip-hop that came from Great Britain was immediately labelled "trip-hop." But it's impossible to pigeonhole crews like Black Twang and London rapper Roots Manuva into that category--and sometimes it's tough to slot Roots Manuva into any category. Unfortunately, the production on this album is spotty, veering uncomfortably from the hopelessly fractured ...
Manufacturer: Universal / Island
The deluge of UK hip-hop albums continues apace with Biro Funk from Biro Funk, the latest missive on nine-year-old indie label Low Life. Hailing from the unlikely hip-hop Mecca of Yorkshire, Braintax--originally a duo but now pared down to just one man--uses his connections within the UK's nepotistic hip-hop scene to create a persistently good debut. Teaming up homegrown beatmakers (Farma ...
Manufacturer: Lowlife
From his idiosyncratic delivery and leftfield lyrics to his rootsy basslines and dubwise studio tinkerings, Mr Manuva has always paid homage to his Jamaican roots. That he has always fancied himself as something of a dubmeister was made apparent on the dub version of his lauded single "Witness" (which appeared on Zero 7's Another Late Night compilation), but even before then he was remixing ...
Whatever happened to the Stereo MC's? After winning a Brit award in 1993 for their fun and seminal "Connected" album, they seemed to disappear without trace. Seven years later, there's still no sign of a new album, despite repeated assurances over the years to the contrary. Stereo MCs: DJ Kicks may not be the follow-up album we're all waiting for, but it is the next best thing--a non-stop ...
Manufacturer: K7
Deep Down & Dirty is the Stereo MC's fourth album though it could easily be their tenth given the number of tracks that have hit the cutting-room floor over the intervening years. And yet one listen to it and it feels like the UK's premier crossover hip-hop act have never been away. The album's title track and lead single find rapper Rob Birch back in inspired form, freestyling those ...
When Big Brovaz stormed into the charts with the title track from their slick, radio-friendly debut, Nu Flow they were hailed as the UK's answer to their equally polished and funky "dirty south" counterparts. Except, as some confused critics pointed out, surely these guys (and girls) are a little more Atlanta than Lewisham? With one of the key members (J Rock) originating from the other ...
Manufacturer: Sony Budget
Let's hope that with Kik Off, Blak Twang can reverse some of the bad luck that has dogged him. The self-styled Arthur Daley of hip-hop has not only had a debut album permanently shelved due to sample clearance problems, but has never found the crossover success of his contemporaries, most notably Roots Manuva, who appeared on his 1995 single "Queens Head". It's not always been bad news, ...
Manufacturer: Bad Magic
