Peace, Prosperity and Paper

"Peace out Premier...

2007-11-18T12:55:00.000+00:00

... take me out with the fader..."

Outta here,
9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

I'll be gone till November...

2007-10-23T22:16:00.000+00:00

Wyclef Jean - Gone Till November
shared by lachula

... at the very least. Take care.

Tags: Hip Hop,

Official feelgood track for the season... (any season, really)

2007-10-01T08:07:00.000+00:00

The Pacifics & Illmind - Black Book

The Pacifics are from Chi-Town. And on this EP "The Case", they team up with one of my currently favourite producers, Illmind.
Great flows, positive vibes. Enjoy.

Tags: Hip Hop,

Daily Show

2007-09-26T14:45:00.000+00:00

One of my favourite shows on TV ever.
Jon Stewart and his team have a way of putting the finger exactly where it hurts. And on top of that, their "fake news show" is a lot less fake than what we get served as "the real news".

Too bad we mainland Europeans can't catch that on a daily basis, as the name suggests. ComedyCentral Germany (which I do get) is a dubbed piece of shit, plus it doesn't air The Daily Show at all. Our only chance to catch it on the telly is the weekly international edition on CNN, which is a sort of "best of the week" show. So I have to resort to stamp-sized screens on the net. But anyhow...

Here are two of the most recent pieces. One where they gauge the problems Canada is facing with Mexican immigrants (and the problems they bring seem to go so much without saying, the interviewees can't really say anything about those problems...).

And then Jon meets Bolivia's President Evo Morales. Morales is a former coca farmer and at the same time the first indigenous Bolivian to make it that far up the ladder. And what Morales has achieved in Bolivia makes the US look real shite. ;)

Cost of Freedom: Canada

Evo Morales:

Bust My Ass

2007-09-23T23:08:00.000+00:00

The documentary below was on BBC3 the other month and I've been telling everybody I know about this. It's a one-hour episode in a series called Mischief where the presenter Sam Delaney tests how far one can go and bend rules and conventions. And this one's called Bust My Ass, a highly political documentary with a nevertheless humourous approach to how the New Labour government in the UK has introduced a ton of laws that can easily make everybody a criminal.

You're wearing the wrong T-shirt? You're standing on the wrong corner while exercising your right to say your opinion? You dare to contradict the Lord High Chancellor during his speech, just cos you've had it up to here with his blatant lies? Then get ready to get your ass dragged out of the hall, down to the police station and your mugshot taken...

"Freedom of speech... just watch what you say."

You need to see this. It's both shocking and very entertaining. And it reveals the true faces of those people who take every opportunity to double-talk about democracy and freedom. And when you're not looking, they're taking away these rights from you, in the name of [insert current threat here]. Your country will be next.

I don't say that so easily, so best believe if I tell you this is one of the best things I've seen on TV for a long time.

Read up on the show here.

Peace.

Tags: Hip Hop,

"What I gotta do to get in tha game, man??!!"

2007-08-28T11:36:00.000+00:00

This is most likely the dopest skit in the universe.

It's off Prince Paul's "Politics of the Business" (what an album!). Not sure which of the voice is which, but it's Bimos and Ryan McKnite on this skit. Whatever his name, the guy doing all the pleading has an ill voice. This shit made me chuckle out loud yesterday when I was in town, surrounded by people.

My favourite line is definitely the last one about Cee-Lo and grits...

Enjoy, 9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

Time for a violin break...

2007-08-18T11:30:00.000+00:00

Vid nicked from MC Mercury's myspace.

Tags: Hip Hop, Violin.

More Diggin'

2007-08-11T11:09:00.000+00:00

Gutter Snypes - Trials Of Life

Released on Liberty Grooves, this EP is a classic slab of UK nicety. Admittedly Cel One might not sound entirely British (from Leicester I think) but this track is one of the best Hip Hop tracks in existence.

The story went (at the time of release) that the EP had been pressed in the US, therefore justifying it's cost against other cheaper UK releases. How true that is I'm not sure. Apparently they released it on different colours as well, I've only ever seen in person the blue and black versions (I have the blue - hat doff to Everton.) No differences in the track listings (on blue and black and I don't think they're any different on the red or white pressings) so it would be purely for completist reasons to seek all the colours rather than extra tracks.

Edit:
This little snippet from discogs says otherwise...

Liberty Grooves released the Gutter Snypes records over 6 different release each in different colours and in ltd amounts:

The Green Version - was Ltd to 500 Units and was released first, and only contains 'Radio edits'.
The White Version - was Ltd to less Than 40 Units and this was the Promo release.
The Black release was the normal pressed version.
The Red Version - Was Ltd to 500 Units.
The Blue Version - Was Ltd to 500 Units.
The Clear Version - Was Ltd to 500 Units and only contained Instrumental Version's.

Useless fact: Prime Cuts provides the cuts on the EP.

For some reason Divshare goes spazzy when playing it back. It does playback at normal speed if you download though.

Jehst - Stand Up

A promo-only release. As you'll probably guess from the title it's a freestyle over the Ludacris 'Stand Up' beat.

To be honest it sounds like Will phoned it in but it's one for the Jehst groupies to grab.

Gunshot - Lockdown

From the 10" of Mind Of A Razor.

Not quite in the same tempo range as the usual Gunshot from this period but it ties in well with the sentiments of Trials of Life so it's being tagged onto this post.

Beat wise, White Child Rix does superb as usual and major props to the lads for rhyming over it as it's not the easiest to get your tongue round.

Tags: Hip Hop, Gutter Snypes, Jehst, Gunshot.

Swiss Beats pt. II: PVP

2007-08-06T10:08:00.000+00:00

PVP

From the capital of Berne come these four MCs who go by the name of PVP (Pute Vierge Productions, Virgin Slut Productions). Since they are part of a greater collective called Chlyklass (Special Ed class), they don't need their own DJ or producer but work with different ones from their crew or other places. Having made a name for themselves with their tongue-in-cheek sometimes chauvinist, always intelligent and outspoken opinions from politics to their own roles in hip-hop, and for being one of the most productive and far-travelled crews in the country, they've quickly got to sit on top of the scene. Especially the projects where their head Greis has worked with South African rappers as well as with Tanzanian or American groups make him and his whole crew the ambassadors of Swiss hip-hop, as it were. It's pretty safe to say that Chlyklass has owned the scene for the last few years.
And since Greis grew up in the French part and also speaks pretty decent English, he manages to reach out to an international audience. His second solo album should drop any moment.

PVP - Fründ und Find ft. Goldstein (Friend and Foe)
A joint on which Greis makes a mock guest-appearance as Goldstein to drop a verse in English. It's all about how the system could care less if you're protesting against it, as long as you live within it, and that PVP, too, just might be part of the system. Who knows?

PVP - Gängsterhymne (Gangster anthem)
Wonderfully self-ironic verses about how the gangsta attitude doesn't quite work out over here. "That piano is dope."

PVP - 1Line ft. Aman (of Tafs)
Taking Aman on board, this is one to just let loose and flow the fuck out of this ridiculous beat. Cheah.

PVP - Ei Stei an di Stadt ft. Kalmoo (of TNN)
The last track on the album. A slow jam reminiscing with a dope scratched hook about the old school times i.e. childhood, and who better to tell of those days than Kalmoo from the city of Basel (my home) who even I remember being amongst those first few to get up on stage and kick it back in the early 90s. He's been a bit slackish recently, but when he does get his wits together, he's dope.

Download all four tracks (divshare has its moments...)

The album...

More stuff by Greis and his affiliates...

www.chlyklass.ch

Peace, 9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

Swiss Beats pt. 1: Sens Unik

2007-08-06T08:44:00.000+00:00

Wasteland was getting fed up with my French posts, so I'll just start repping some crews from Switzerland which you should get familiar with.

Sens Unik

The Swiss hip-hop scene was more advanced in the French-speaking part around Geneva and Lausanne, what with the influence from our Parisian and Marseillais fellas (d'oh, here I go again with my French hip-hop...).
The first full-length Swiss hip-hop album I held in my hands with sheer disbelief was Sens Unik's "Le VIème Sens" (The Sixth Sense), which was still a bit rough around the edges but basically sparked the whole thing and gave kids all across the place the courage to try it as well... This is by far the one which has aged best. It has Mr. Mike on the hook, who used to have the dopest hip-hop radio show on Radio Couleur 3. I still have tapes of these shows. Apart from that he used to rap over house beats, which was about as advanced anyone got those days.

Sens Unik - To the Moon ft. Mr. Mike

A year later, on their second album, MC Carlos hooks up with Osez, who would be the second MC for a few years, to tell an upbeat story about their childhoods as an "hijo de latino". (Carlos' parents are Spanish and Osez' Uruguayan.)

Sens Unik - Hijo de Latino ft. Osez

Years later, with their fourth album, Sens Unik decided to do most of their new record in New York, and even though the beats were still and always have been courtesy of their own Just One, I think I can sense a darker, grimier feel to them.
This joint features Rockin Squat of France's Assassin and two New Yorkers, Pretty Boy Floyd and Snake Eyes. Not sure who they are, but they certainly added that dirty cough-and-wheeze atmosphere to the track, as it was custom back in 96.

Sens Unik - Don't Break Me Down ft. Rockin Squat, Pretty Boy Floyd, Snake Eyes

Download all three tracks (or if divshare craps out again)

More here...

Peace, 9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

Mad Monkey Them A FEAR!

2007-08-03T16:08:00.000+00:00

Nmonic - Transitions

This is my favourite track off one of the forgotten Y'n'R releases. Produced by Jehst. Jehst made a vocal appearance on 'The Bodyclock' from the same EP.

Admittedly Nmonic isn't the best MC ever but the EP is quite solid throughout. Jehst completists should have a copy given that he handles most of the production.

Rough Element - Reflex Reaction

Some more Britcore... This is one of only 2 12"s that Rough Element released (as far as I can tell anyway) and is produced by White Child Rix (that name emblazoned on the sleeve was the sole reason I bought it.)

Thankfully it's not crap, the quality of the beat isn't quite up to the standards set by (or as high tempo as) early Gunshot but still, it's White Child Rix and it's a decent track.

Outcast - Terrible

In the late 90's Silver Bullet tried to make a come back, there was a name change 'Silvah Bullet' (yeah shockingly original wasn't it?) and a couple of singles. His first comeback was this track and it's probably the best thing he released during his failed mini-comeback. 'Chemissinyadiss' made a little bit of noise when it was released but then I was only reading HHC at the time so it probably seemed more popular than it actually was...

Plenty more to come when I can be arsed...

Tags: Hip Hop, UK Hip Hop, Jehst, Nmonic, Rough Element, White Child Rix, Silver Bullet.

Bits & Bobbins...

2007-07-29T14:35:00.000+00:00

A mixed bag this time...

5one6 - Rap Attack (Feat Big Kin & Boog Knight)

The best thing about this 12" is the production, which is pretty generic NY '94 sounding but that's not always a negative. Kinda reminds me of DITC but it's produced by someone called Erick Romero, who I'm guessing is either an extremely secret member of DITC or just some no name producer who's one shot was this 12"... Don't expect quality MC'ing because it's pretty uninspiring throughout and this is the only track out of the 3 on the 12" where I don't get the urge to murder 5one6 for being shite.

Well I've sold that to you haven't I? Should you wish to get murderous feelings vinylism has the 12" to buy for princely price of 20 Euros, you'd be better sticking them up your arse but then again you might want the instrumentals.

Barry Blue - Cancel 'Em Out

Gunshot fans should know both the name and this 12" if not... Why not? At the time of release Bazza was an occasional guest on Gunshot tracks and obviously had dreams of a solo career, unfortunately it didn't pay off for him. This is a pretty solid 12" from him, featuring another track "Soundcheck", both produced by White Child Rix and engineered by the one and only No Sleep Nigel.

Blacka Don - Clipper

Released on Funki Dreads this a homage to a lighter... You've got to love it. Flipping the "Insane In The Brain" beat to great effect. There's 3 different mixes of the track on the 12", hard to tell what the difference is to them to be honest.

Kaliphz - Tru Skool M-Bassadaz

Pete Tong made a big deal about 'discovering' the Kaliphz, we all wondered why he didn't just leave them where he found them. This was their debut release, they later went on to record a track with 'Prince' Naseem Hamed. Sadly they are actually from the UK, not that you'll be able to tell through all their gimmicky vocals. I'm guessing they took YBT's "Tap The Bottle" a little too literally. This is about as good as they got but for some reason they seemed to have something of a loyal following so maybe you'll like this.

Main One - Bring The Drama (Feat. Chino XL) (Nick Wiz Mix)

The keen eared amongst you will recognise the Chino verse almost immediately, this 12" was from 1998 and (at least in release dates) predates "The Anthem". Sadly the track as a whole isn't as good as The Anthem...

After giving you some bobbins in this post I'm going to finish strong...

New Flesh 4 Old - This Is The Space Age

This was the debut release by New Flesh, on their own 'New Flesh Music Operations' label. On one of my regular trips to Depth Charge in York there were stickers for this on almost every pedestrian crossing and lamp post all the way up to the shop, there was no way I wasn't going to buy it purely so I could find out why the hell they'd gone to so much effort. I'm glad I did because it's DOPE! Part 2's verse is probably in my top ten "shit but dope coz it's shit" verses of all time.

More to come and I'll stay away from the shite as much as possible...

Tags: Hip Hop, UK Hip Hop, 5one6, Barry Blue, Gunshot, Blacka Don, Kaliphz, Main One, Chino XL, New Flesh For Old

What You Waiting For?

2007-07-17T22:35:00.000+00:00

...what you waiting for?

UK STAND UP!

It's time to go diggin' in my crates to pull out some tunes you may or may not have heard from this little Island...

First up we've got TY & Shortee Blitz - Shortee's Theme.

Both names should sound familiar to anyone with a passing interest in Hip-Hop from the UK shores but it seems to have been forgotten TY had a recording career before signing to Big Dada. He teamed up with Shortee Blitz (briefly on wax) and this is from their "I Am A Don" 12"... Which can go for crazy prices if Suspect Packages is anything to go by, so if you've got it - look after it!

Next up Kobalt 60 - Concrete Show (Original Mix)

This was released on the legendary Music Of Life label and was their only release (as far as I'm aware.) I think it's stupidly dope and was glad to pick it up for 99p in the bargain bin at one of my local record shops at the time of it's release ('91). This I know is pretty damn rare, try even finding it elsewhere (and it's A side, 'Kaos From Order') on mp3 nevermind on vinyl. Vinylism had it in stock last time I checked, if you want to grab a copy for a pretty price. "Having no style is a style of it's own..."

Son of Noise fans should recognise the vocalist from an album posse cut...

Roots Manuva - Fever (Original Mix)

This was remixed for his debut LP, 'Brand New Second Hand', on Big Dada but personally I think the 'remix' sucks donkey balls in comparison to this original. Make your own minds up...

The flip of this 12" are 2 tracks by MC Skeme, which aren't as impressive as Mr Manuva but let us know if you'd like to hear them.

The Sindecut - Live The Life

The Sindecut were/are massively underrated, with this track helping a little to highlight why I think this. They had the Britcore tempo but a less aggressive overall sound, which should have made them more accessible to people than Gunshot, for example... Oddly it worked the other way round with Hardcore Britcore winning in terms of people's hearts and memories of this period of Hip-Hop being produced on this side of Atlantic.

No UK crate digging would be complete without a Hijack track would it? Well it wouldn't for me anyway as I'm always led back to them regardless of what I'm listening to...

Hijack - Style Warriors Revenge

"Why do you say your style's hardcore? When your records bore..."

Yeah Kamanchi Sly might have had a very obvious US twang to his vocals but damn... They represented the UK so hard. Not only did you have Kamanchi Sly but you had two of the best DJ's in Hip Hop history, DJ Supreme and Undercover. They were doing shit that it took Q-Bert and Mixmaster Mike almost a decade to bring into common acceptance amongst Hip Hop heads (the Piklz could often be found scratching over Hijack beats, including at their last ever performance and it still doesn't sound as good as Supreme and Undercover!)

You are all living in Hijack's shadow and don't even know it...

More gems to come in the future...

Tags: Hip Hop, UK Hip Hop, Hijack, TY, Shortee Blitz, Kolbalt 60, Roots Manuva,
The Sindecut, Britcore.

D-Shade - More to say

2007-07-07T20:50:00.000+00:00

Holy fuckin cow... yesss!

Formerly of "Shades of Culture", D-Shade is a Canadian hip-hop veteran from Montreal. His group had put out two albums in the 90s, and now that they've disbanded, he's about to drop his first full-length solo album this summer.

If this joint is any indication, it's gonna blow everything else out of the water. I fucking love that beat, and the flow's on fire accelerant... Dude sounds the way Pharoahe Monch wants to sound when he grows up. I'm serious.

I first heard of the guy when he did the guest spot on the Euphrates' album, and now I can't wait to get my hands on more. I need to go to Montreal asap.

D-Shade clip "More to Say" ICM records
upped by robdu91

Hisspace: http://www.myspace.com/deeshade
Make sure you peep the tracks on there. Damn...

Tags: Hip Hop,

This parrot...

2007-06-29T18:48:00.000+00:00

... is not dead. It's just restin.

Even blog superheroes have lives. Check back in a few weeks for more, bigger and better posts.

Peace, 9@home

IAM - Revoir un printemps

2007-06-09T08:48:00.001+00:00

And while we're at it... Off their 2004 album "Revoir un printemps", the single of the same title. Definitely my favourite off that album. I could listen to that hook for weeks. Wonderfully smooth vibe on this one.

Tags: Hip Hop,

IAM - Une Autre Brique Dans Le Mur

2007-06-09T08:43:00.000+00:00

Off IAM's latest album "Saison 5", one of my favourite tracks. It's the return of the legendary Marseille crew...

Tags: Hip Hop,

Hocus Pocus

2007-05-26T08:07:00.000+00:00

I happened to stumble upon this first video below, and not knowing what I was gonna see, I checked it out. I'd never heard of 20syl (say: vuhn-seel) or of his group Hocus Pocus. To be honest, I hadn't even heard of any crews from their city of Nantes, on the French westcoast. But this guy's got me hooked (no pun) and I guess I'm now officially on Hocus Pocus nuts.

20syl is not just the crew's producer, but he also deejays in the DJ collective C2C (DMC World Champions 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006), oh, and he emcees as well, just to prove everyone else a fucking idiot... ;)
First check out how he makes a beat. (I haven't figured out if they later used it somewhere.)
And then there's some more from the Hocus Pocus empire... how I could sleep on these cats I don't know.

20syl making a beat (Goddayum!)

20Syl from Hocus Pocus Crew
Uploaded by TripTuc

Hocus Pocus ft. The Procussions - Hip Hop

Hocus Pocus & Procussions - Hip Hop
Uploaded by Drine

Hocus Pocus - Keep it movin II

Hocus Pocus keep it movin II
Uploaded by hocuspocus

And now C2C (DMC World Champions)...

C2C - DMC World champions
Uploaded by mr20syl

Hocus Pocus has been compared to the Roots because they too are a real band, besides the MC/producer/DJ and their DJ. But style-wise, Hocus Pocus are on some more subtle notes (and a bit less pretentious than the Roots...) The latest album right now is a 2006 re-edition of their 2005 album called "73 touches" (73 keys) referring to the keys of a hammond organ. Anyway, their album is the most beautiful piece of music I've heard in a while, not just of those coming out of France, mind you. And here it comes... Their brandnew album is scheduled to drop like right now... At the end of May it should be out...
Also out around the middle of 2007 should be a C2C album which is bound to send bedroom DJs off crying and hiding in mummy's lap.

Nuff said. Brace yourselves...

Some more?

Hocus Pocus media section
http://www.onandon-records.com/hocuspocus-sounds.php

C2C media section
http://www.onandon-records.com/c2c-sounds.php

Peace, 9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

My daughter found nemo, I found the new Primo...

2007-05-11T10:17:00.000+00:00

So long time no posting blah blah. What can I say, I've spent a couple of months sorting my day job out. New job is now accepted, contracts signed, illegal substance test booked let's roll...

The year 2007 has the potential to be a good one in this thing we call Hip-Hop. With potential albums from Doom, Ghost, Brother Ali (has that dropped already?), Rakewon, UGK and so on, things look like they might be on the up.

For me though, one man might blow this shit out of the water; Common.

B.E was dopeness despite the hate. At the time it dropped heads were proclaiming Common & Kanye as the best thing since Eric B/Rakim, Guru/Primo, Dre/Snoop and yet within a matter of months the hating started. It wasn't acceptable there was an album that the general concensus liked so fuck it, we better hate on it. "Shit, Common has gone lovely dovey", "Kanye hasn't dropped a dope beat since Guess Who's Back", "shit is over in half an hour" and so on.

Fuck that. The beats were some of the best work Kanye West has done and the rhymes were the best Common has spit since Resurrection, which is widely considered to be a steller bit of work.

So with that in mind, and the fact that he's just dropped a dope track with a beast of a Kanye beat suggests that this is one to watch.

Peep it and stop the hating, believe it or not it's ok to like shit other people like. It doesn't all have to be obscure shit made in a basement with an MPC someone had to sell a kilo of crack for.

Sit back and let Common and Kanye bring the heat.

The People (Ft Dwele)

The Game

I Have a Dream (prod Will.I.Am)

Tags: Hip Hop, Common, Kanye West

Brother Ali - Uncle Sam Goddamn

2007-05-05T11:18:00.000+00:00

I'm a major fan of this dude from Minneapolis in the middle of America's Heartland. If you haven't heard of him you should pimp-slap your record shop assistant and cop his latest album, or one of the previous releases, from somewhere else.

Once we overcome the freak show curiosity and look beyond this muslim albino's face, right into his mind and heart, we get a man who's not only incredibly talented on the mic but may be one of the few who is so brutally honest about his own life, his failed marriage, his love for his son that it almost physically hurts (and I be damned if that track dedicated to his son Faheem doesn't squeeze a tear out of my eye.)

And if you don't believe me, take THEIR word for it.
What other great artists say about Brother Ali.

Do yourself a favour and check this cat out.
This is his video to "Uncle Sam Goddamn". It gives me the shivers.

http://www.myspace.com/brotherali

Tags: Hip Hop,

The World's most unlikely Posting

2007-05-04T12:58:00.000+00:00

I usually couldn't give a toss about either one of these two, simply for being overhyped industry names who owe much of their fame to the people standing behind them...

Even more surprising is it that the two have managed to make a track together that's not even half bad, nay, I must say, that has got stuck in my head for the last couple of days, and so, in an attempt to get rid of them, I'll share them with you lot.

The big cheeses from the left and the top coast, The "I'm on Dre's dick so hard somebody try to lift me off it" Game and Kanye "The other Jesus incarnation" West did a nice job on this one. How this could happen, I have no clue, but here it is. ("Classic material.")

The Game - Dreams (produced by Kanye)

and just the beat on its own:

The Game - Dreams Instrumental (produced by Kanye)

And then other tracks that have used the beat, which is what got me into it in the first place:

Narcicyst (of Euphrates), from Montreal has got this mixtape out called "Between Iraq and a Hard Place", (order it on his myspace for next to nothing) and it's niceness. Some of the tracks on this CD are on original beats, others cover famous beats, such as this here.

Narcicyst - Lost Dreams

And a slightly odder find is Akira the Don (UK) who, among more peculiar things has made this very good version of Dreams.

Akira The Don - Dreams (ft. Narstie & Swiss)

That should do it for now...

Tags: Hip Hop,

I'm gonna blow like SARS did....

2007-04-10T16:33:00.000+00:00

As his my favourite MC in the game right now bar none, a couple of Klashnekoff interviews:

BBC Article

Allhiphop.com Interview

Tags: Hip Hop, Klashnekoff,

Davey D presents: The World

2007-03-23T14:14:00.000+00:00

What most of us, especially the readers of this blog, already knew is now officially official: there are actually some really nice crews out there, on the other side of the fence. Of course, I'm preaching to the choir here, but even Davey D says that now. So no more excuses to sleep.

Davey D is quite likely one of the biggest hip-hop journalism and radio legends, and after his last radio station KMEL was bought by the Clear Channel octopus and dropped Dave, he switched to the net (and thank God he did!)

This show from early February celebrates the reunion of artists at the World Social Forum in Nairobi (Kenya), and to do so, Davey plays a bunch of tracks from around the world, all the way from Brazil, Kenya, Lebanon and... *gasp* ... Canada. I happen to own quite a few of the albums these tracks are taken from, so take my word for it: it's worth listening.

To check out the show, read a bit more, and to scroll through the show archive, peep this.

Breakdown FM: Global Beats from around the World pt. 1

Read more by him on one of the oldest hip-hop websites: His own.
http://www.daveyd.com/

Peace, 9@home

Tags: Hip Hop,

Smithreens...

2007-03-20T22:09:00.000+00:00

Brzydki, Zły i Szczery

2007-03-20T19:47:00.000+00:00

While the regular content is slow to arrive I'll hold fort by introducing you to an artist you should really know about already.

Now I know a lot of you are immediately going to be put off by this but O.S.T.R. is Polish, not as in furniture polish but as in from Poland.

So OK you're not going to understand what he's saying unless you speak the language but given the amount of shite that comes out of the mouths of a lot of MC's at the moment then it's not going to be any less of an enlightening experience than listening to them.

Dude has flows and is a joy to listen to most times despite not knowing what the hell he's actually saying.

I was first introduced to him via one of the few international conversations open to outsiders on rec.music.hip-hop (for those who don't frequent the Usenet home of Hip-Hop... Firstly why not? Secondly, talk of international artists (i.e. not ones from the US) tends to be a discussion limited to those in the country of the artists origin, for example Klashnekoff will get UK heads talking but not Yanks...)

Anyway, in this discussion (which I can't be arsed finding but you could do that easily for yourself if you're that interested) a Polish group called P.O.E. (or Projekt Ostry Emade) were introduced to the group to see what our opinions were. Initially my reaction was fairly lukewarm but there was something there which made me keep listening to the tracks put up for us. This led me to finding the album online and from there I've been hooked.

P.O.E. it was later explained to me, were producer Emade and MC O.S.T.R.

Emade caught my ear, especially after more digging for other work by him (of which there is a fair bit but this post isn't about him), but this was negating the fact that O.S.T.R. was a perfect compliment to the music. Think a similar musical connection as Gangstarr when both members are on form.

All reference to O.S.T.R. tends to mention that he is one of the few Polish MC's to have music training (being that he's a qualified violinist) which always makes me wonder how many MC's from anywhere actually have some music training beyond learnt on the job stuff... But anyway.

How being a violinist has actually helped his career I'm yet to really figure out but with 8 albums in the past 6 years he's clearly got a lot of music to unleash on those of us willing to listen.

This is a hard post to really expand on due to you usually being able to wax lyrical about the content of the MC in questions lyrics but I haven't a friggin clue. The English write ups of his career I can find tend to mention he does have 'social commentary' within his flows but you'll have to take their word for it (if it's any reassurance a track on his new album, HollyŁódź, is called 'Daj Mi Prace' (translated to 'Give me a Job', which given the nature of European Hip-Hop does tend to confirm the presence of 'social commentary', well it does to me!)

It's from his new album I shall provide you with something to listen to...

Firstly it's an obligatory Youtube video, this is 'Brother On The Run' featuring the legend Craig G.

Second is the video for the track which really dragged me into the world of Emade and O.S.T.R., 'Wiele Drog'. I honestly doubt I'll ever tire of this track...

O.S.T.R. can be found on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/ostry (where you can currently hear his collab with the also slept on Dirty Diggers (a post about them in the near future!))

Emade can be found at http://www.myspace.com/emade

Tags: O.S.T.R., Hip-Hop, Dirty Diggers, Emade.