Roots Manuva released Witness (1 Hope) in 2001, off the album Run Come Save Me. That puts it slightly before Grime, but it’s interesting because it’s a…
Hip Hop
29/09/2018: “Peso” by A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky is one of the most interesting rap stars around right now. Although he generally recycles the same rapper tropes as his contemporaries, he…
11/09/2018: “Keep Their Heads Ringin'” by Dr Dre
“Keep Their Heads Ringin’” was released as part of the soundtrack for the movie “Friday”, in 1995. I’ve never watched it, but it’s one of…
07/09/2018: “These Walls” By Kendrick Lamar
It’s no overstatement to say that Kendrick Lamar’s album To Pimp A Butterfly, released in 2015, is one of the most significant releases of the 21st century…
11/08/2018: “Midnight In A Perfect World” by DJ Shadow
Hip Hop music is often built around sampling. The producers find a cool drum pattern on one old record, a riff on another which they…
28/07/2018: “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A
This is the song that defined gangster rap for a generation. Even people who don’t listen to rap know this. And people who do listen…
18/08/2018: “Do The Astral Plane” by Flying Lotus
FlyLo makes the sort of experimental electronic music that could be described as “challenging”. But there are a few of his songs that are easy…
17/07/2018: “My Philosophy” by Boogie Down Productions
The early days of hip-hop have a unique sound, one that will probably never be replicated. The rapping styles, the lyricism, the samples, the productions……
08/06/2018: “I Wish” by Skee-Lo
I’m sure everybody knows this. I sure feel for the people who don’t. In any case, the problem can be easily fixed in just over…
02/07/2018: “Bring Da Ruckus” by The Wu-Tang Clan
RZA, GZA, Ol Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Inspector Deck, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah… These names represent the core of the Wu-Tang Clan, one of the most…