UK Hip Hop

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I'm completely out of touch with UK hip hop (and *not* proud of it), but if we're talking about old stuff, definitely MC Buzz B. Also, Overlord X had a storming, PE influenced track called '14 Days in May' about a guy on death row who was almost certainly innocent. Inspired by one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, of the same name.

― Nick, Sunday, 15 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Was wondering about Full Force. On a seminal vs. laughing stock scale, I'd assume they're remembered as the latter. Fashion-wise, they came early enough to be influenced by Furious Five (ie. dressed like "bad guy" extras in an 80s Michael Jackson video, ie. like a black version of glam rock, red leather jackets and tassels, rather'n the usual Nikes and baggy pants), whilst sound-wise, they were obviously too late to BE the Furious Five. But mostly I dunno - I can only recall their collaborations with Samantha Fox, and those were pretty good, esp. "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)," though association with her can't be good for your legacy, either. I'd start Samantha Fox: Classic or Dud but, y'know, too many threads...

― AP, Saturday, 21 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

Re: "Poo Duddy should've called himself Trevor"

Indeed. And reminds me of long-ago debate surrounding Prince's name change, wherein the voted best alternate was... Davo. (Pronounced Dave-o, obviously.)

― AP, Saturday, 21 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-three years ago) link

two weeks pass...

I think US Hip-Hop(and the country in general) has an insular perspective on other country's versions of the culture.If London Posse couldn't crack the market in their prime I don't hold much hope for the current crop of UK emcees.

Look how long it took for West Coast tunes to get airplay in New Yiddy!

This doesn't mean we are starved of amazing tracks.Mud Fam,Task Force,Lewis Parker,Braintax,Profound,Blak Twang,Roots Manuva,MC D all hold down unique,uncompromisingly rugged styles for our pleasure.

The great thing about the UK scene is it's refusal to accept the money that labels are willing to throw around in an attempt to keep artistic control.

Artists like Skinny Man keep the output minimal but their presence on the scene is unrivalled.

For the US to accept us a middle ground would have to be reached.The closest thing we have at this point is Mark B and Blade.Even with a slightly broader appeal I have my doubts."Long Awaited" is one of the best UK tracks around but will they take to it?

To answer the question,I think our UK scene is far closer to the original roots of Hip-Hop than the polished,mass market American model.

Maybe we should be wondering whether we can take US Hip-Hop seriously anymore?

If Americans need subtitles for Jamie Oliver and Guy Ritchie films,how the fuck are you going to explain what a Cash Converter is!!!

― Ed2G, Monday, 7 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

WORD, WE IS MORE REAL - I WILL PROVE IT !

ghostface killa - isn't

whereas skinnyman is a bloke who is well slenda

― Jody Raisa, Thursday, 10 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

'Maybe we should be wondering whether we can take US Hip-Hop seriously anymore?'

this statement is so patriotic it should be written on a big stuffy british monument somewhere. how about we both adandon each other's respective rap outputs and see who comes crawling back first? i mean, christ.

― ethan, Thursday, 10 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

But I thought you *liked* a lot of UK stuff!

It's possible to like music while finding it totally irrelevant to your own life. That may not make you dislike it, but it may make it hard for you to take it seriously. I get the impression that's what Ed2G meant.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 11 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i just found it funny that he thought uk hiphop had grown to a point as to make american hiphop worthless. i mean, i like the british stuff but as this thread shows, it's spotty as best and no match for the twenty-some years of american hiphop. we still own all the good shit.

― ethan, Friday, 11 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Yeah, agreed with you on the grand scale. But ILM is about pop music and therefore *not about logic*.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 11 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

UK hip hop is underpromoted and difficult to find. But I honestly own more UK stuff than American. I just prefer it.

Mud Family Gunshot Lewis Parker Blade Skitz Ty Roots Manuva Mindbomb Dobie

bish bash bosh!

Look out for London Posse reissue soon.

― Michael Whaley, Wednesday, 16 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

so you own less than nine US hiphop albums?

― ethan, Wednesday, 16 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I'm not sure any UK material can beat the US in a straight up Hip-Hop pissing competition, besides I feel much more has been accomplished in the margins where is crosses over into other genres: Tricky, of course, Genacide II, Nightmares on Wax circa 91 and the countless club tracks which appropriate elements of Hip Hop and may or may not be UK, but they found their audience over here (eg Human Resource - Dominator, or DJ Mink - Hey Hey Can U Relate)

Hijack had their moments, Rodney P, Scienz of Life (aren't they UK), but The Brotherhood - too worthy, if it weren't for the underdog I'd couldn't care less.

― K-reg, Wednesday, 16 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Y'all should read Robin's 'countryman' review on Elidor

― geordie racer, Friday, 18 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

K-reg: I see what you mean about the Brotherhood. Was amazing at the time, but the constant flow of "hey! we're British!" cultural references seems a little contrived (both hip-hop and Britain are beyond that now). Perhaps they were even trying to fit into the Britpop / Cool Britannia notion? Whatever.

Geordie Racer: thanks for the plug :).

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 18 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

Mark B and Blade prove it can happen, the fact is Uk hip hop is closer to Jurassic 5 and Dilated Peoples, who have found it hard to breakthrough to the mainstream in the UK cause they arent gangsta 'playas', although i know so many people with that original J5 album classic.....

Anyhow, the key to the UK market is Radio 1 then gettin a video and mtv play, and a proper release of the single.

Radio 1 are now getting on UK hip hop, Mark B and Blade showed the hunger may be there, they need a tune to smash things up a bit, Which is why something like Twilight of the Gods, with loads of UK mc's on it could blow up, i mean that tune is the shit and i believe if was released today would get A listed on radio 1, the climate has changed, with Roots Manuva about to blow like Blade, with his new tune and album gettin big play....

Skitz should come up with a tune with Skinnyman, Phi Life Cypher, Rodney P and Blade on it..... rip the A List on radio 1 ..... Thatd be so cool....Westwood would not doubt be calling it "the hottest joint on the street"

Westwood has got on the uk a lot recently, maybe hes finally found where his roots lie, so when hes not repping for Flex or Def Jam, hes givin the UK big time... He has the biggest audience on Radio 1 (for a specialist show) and this means making a few UK tunes his reccommendation could lead to big things....lets hope

― Redeye with mad mind tricks like a Jedi, Friday, 29 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Yep, that's the key factor. I've noticed that on the Westwood show as well - two or three years back he *never* played UK stuff on Saturday nights, it was just late night on Friday. Now he plays Skitz, Roots Manuva etc. among all the other stuff, which shows that a lot of old prejudices have broken down.

― Robin Carmody, Friday, 29 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

When one tune comes along that is so good, that he is so enthusiastic about wed see a big uk hit, i mean if a twilights of the gods came along (that tune stayed in DJ Premiers, yeah DJ premier, record bag for 10 months) wed have a hit, itd be his top tune and get straight to A playlist.

― Man U got Red Eye with mad mind tricks like a jedi, Sunday, 1 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I can genuinely envisage Skitz's "Inner City Folk" going Top 10. Something tells me that it would sound *fantastic* amid the rest of the playlist in midsummer ...

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 2 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Well if you want music to do well tell everyone u know, posters everywhere, free cd's, tapes give me out, and walk round with speakers attached to your back and the most bangin tunes comin out. Also we could pool all our money and buy advert time for these artists :)

Well Roots Manuva's doing really well hes got playlisted on the A list on radio 1 and i think Rodney P's gonner get the same, lets hope they keep doing this.....more UK more UK dammit. Innercity FOlk would be brilliant to release for the summer, would be great.

― Mad Mind Tricks Like a Jedi, Monday, 2 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

The Roots Manuva album got featured on Kevin Greening's afternoon Radio 5 Live show today! Unfortunately, it got about a minute (Andrew Collins likes it, apparently: big uninterested expression at this end) after about 45 minutes of pointless piffle about the Catatonia album and how brilliantly U2 can "work" a stadium crowd. This is the kind of attitude we're fighting, and R5L is about the only station I even listen to during the day ...

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 13 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

seven years pass...

Does anyone have any info on Skeleton, who did the fourth verse on Dj Skitz' Fingerprints of the Gods?

It's the only thing I've heard from him, and it's phenomenal.

― chap, Saturday, 29 November 2008 16:47 (fifteen years ago) link

He's on a Junior Disprol track as well with Jehst. Forget what it's called.

― Peter "One Dart" Manley (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Saturday, 29 November 2008 16:55 (fifteen years ago) link

What is good these days? I haven't been paying attention.

― Chopper Aristotle (Matt DC), Saturday, 29 November 2008 17:17 (fifteen years ago) link

SonnyJim ft Kashmere, Soweto Kinch and Logan - A Dying Breed

― Peter "One Dart" Manley (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Saturday, 29 November 2008 17:32 (fifteen years ago) link

7/10 for MCing, mostly due to Muslim wine bar line
3/10 for beyond boring production

― Matt DC, Sunday, 30 November 2008 20:14 (fifteen years ago) link

one year passes...

'87 BBC docu Bad Meaning Good
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5613791235023845032&ei=DtXhS5XKPJbj-Ab3mqWADA&q=bad+meaning+good#

― mdskltr (blueski), Wednesday, 5 May 2010 20:30 (thirteen years ago) link

yeah, just saw that on RichardXL's twt - too busy with listening clubs at the mo' but this should be good. Hope Derek B and Demon Boyz feature.

― De que estas hablando? (Tannenbaum Schmidt), Wednesday, 5 May 2010 20:44 (thirteen years ago) link

I like the "Pass Out" song a lot

― you might be a goon but what's a goon to a viking? (The Reverend), Thursday, 6 May 2010 01:01 (thirteen years ago) link

four years pass...

Anyone like Jam Baxter? The new album is excellent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPRza_M_XQk

― the joke should be over once the kid is eaten. (chap), Friday, 27 March 2015 14:24 (nine years ago) link

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