Author: Andy Carrington

If you didn't gather from the previous review and interview I did with Bristol Hip-Hoppers QELD, I like them a lot. Their beats are crafted around old soul records and samplers; while their rhymes are based upon Socialist/left-wing ideas, and bleed together wonderfully with a number of personal issues.

Are there are any social settings / contexts where it is acceptable to use the word "PAKI"? Is it a credible argument to say the term of abuse should be reclaimed by British-Asians from the racists? These were points I was debating recently with some friends of mine about the "P" word, shortly before I came across this song from Kash "The B.A.D." Chaudhary.

Since hearing their song '28 Draws Later' last year, I've been keen to know more about Bristolian left-wing Hip-Hoppers Bob Savage and Jenre of QELD. I got the opportunity to speak with them recently about their politics and music ahead of their gig at the 0161 (anti-fascist) festival in Manchester, and they had plenty of interesting things to say...

Set in Northern England, across the racial divide, Love + Hate is a contemporary love story between a white guy and a Pakistani girl. Far from being just another Romeo + Juliet knock-off, though, Dominic Savage's film deals with the reality of cultural intolerance and double standards spawning from peer influence; and how they can hinder interracial relationships between young people living in our society today.

The "N" word is considered to be a touchy subject - particularly among black Americans - even today. Used in the derogatory sense to refer to black people, as well in eye dialect as "nigga" (an informal slang term), there is cause for debate whether its common use in the modern day is right or wrong.

You may yet be unappreciative of the art form of moving a vinyl record back and forth using various sophisticated techniques; or you may already be a great admirer and simply wish to know more about the historical development of scratching. Either way, Doug Pray's documentary, Scratch, fascinatingly emphasizes the importance of the Hip-Hop DJ and the turntable as a musical instrument, charting the rise of the unique subculture since its creation in the 1970s.

Fresh off the microphones and MPC comes the single '28 Draws Later' from Bristolian, left-wing Hip-Hop duo QELD. It's one hell of a hard-hitter, too: Soulful boom-bap mixed with sharp flows and lyrics that dip into Libertarian, Communist and Anarchist ideologies.

When it comes to word-play and multis, Life MC doesn't half hammer them out. From crazy off-the-top-of-the-dome freestyles on YouTube to socially-conscious solo albums, he's an incredible talent from the underground UK Hip-Hop scene who's been doing this thing for a fair few years now.