Big Dada

Big Dada, recognised as one of the most pioneering hip-hop labels, is relaunching as a label run by Black, POC and Minority Ethnic Ninja Tune staff members for Black, POC and Minority Ethnic artists.

The UK Hip-Hop pioneer is back as imaginative and diverse as ever. There is a tendency in music, and indeed life, to want to categorise everything. Things placed in boxes are easier to digest and understand, safer to consume and less likely to scare.

The philosophers have been asking themselves the wrong question. It isn't does God play dice? we should be worrying about, but does Wiley play snakes and ladders? The answer is, of course, yes. But like everything Wiley does, he doesn't just play a bit of snakes and ladders, any more than he just raps a bit, or just has the odd minor disagreement, or posts the occasional amusing Tweet. When Wiley plays snakes and ladders he plays it on the cosmic scale, he plays it with his whole career, his whole life.

Big Dada are proud and pleased to announce that they will release the album "Jungle Revolution" by Congo Natty on June 17th 2013. Congo Natty aka Rebel MC has a career dating back to his early hit with Double Trouble, "Street Tuff", but is probably most respected as one of the pioneers of Jungle - perhaps the first uniquely UK-born bass music.

Speech Debelle returns to the fray with the third single from her critically-acclaimed second album, "Freedom Of Speech". One of the standout tracks from the album, "Live For The Message" was produced by Kwes and features a softly-spoken but defiant vocal from Speech in which she outlines why it's more important to be heard saying the right thing than to be heard - a message not just for the contemporary rap community but for a world obsessed with form over content.

He's back! Over a year since his last release, Kieren Dickins aka DELS returns with a five track EP to cement his place as one of the most exciting, forward-looking MCs in the UK. Already picked up on and played by Zane Lowe, the EP shows DELS taking his music to a whole new level and preparing the way for what is to follow.

Speech Debelle returns with the lead single from her forthcoming sophomore album, Freedom Of Speech. And it’s a love song. Probably the most accessible and simply enjoyable moment of an amazing new album, I'm With It sees Speech showing a different side to her character from either her more introspective earlier work, or some of the politically charged moments on the new record.

Two years since winning the 2009 Mercury Music Prize for her debut album, Speech Therapy, and having ridden a rollercoaster through life since then, Speech Debelle is ready to drop her second collection of music. Entitled Freedom of Speech, the album sees Speech turning from introspection to stand up, face and engage with the world around her, spitting confident themes of revolution and love.

Sir Tomz is a star in the making. this urban music entrepreneur, recording artist, producer and studio engineer is definitely a name to look out for. His hard work ethic and immense focus giving a great sense of uniqueness. Sir Tomz recently re-entered the game after a self-imposed break. This break gave him time to reflect, rebuild and reshape his infrastructure. Tomz is back and he is more serious than ever.

Straight outta Toxteth, 20 year old Elliott Egerton aka Bang On! is the next wave of UK rap. Coming hard, fast and funny in a thick Scouse accent, he first caught the attention a couple of years ago with his "Scally Thugs" freestyle on Rusko's "Cockney Thugs" beat. Since then he has developed an enviable reputation in the North West as a blazing live performer who turns the cliches of both hip hop and grime on their heads.

For the first time in his hyperactive career, Wiley returns to a label and the results are dynamite. Numbers In Action sees one of the UK’s greatest producers and MCs doing what he does best – hooking up a minimalist masterpiece of a beat and then spitting his bars over it with the insouciance and sheer top-of-the-dome randomness and magnificence which only this most maverick of artists can muster.

Big Dada are very pleased to confirm that they'll be releasing another album by the brilliant, mercurial Wiley. The title, 100% Publishing, was chosen to reflect the fact that for the first time ever, the album is produced and vocalled entirely by Wiley himself. The result is his masterpiece; the freewheeling, uncompromising body of work he's always strived to create.

Kieren Dickins aka DELS is a new type of rapper (which is another way of saying that he’s more than just a rapper). Applying the kind of attention to detail, micro-management and macro-vision which Jay-Z used to build a business empire, DELS makes art. Popular art mind you, but art all the same, an album of emotional peaks, musical innovation and surreal, brilliant lyrics, held together by such a unique, such a strong vision that it sounds almost silly to suggest it’s just a debut.

Speech Debelle has won the 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for Album of the Year for her record "Speech Therapy". With stiff competition from the likes of Florence and The Machine, Friendly Fires and Bat For Lashes, Speech's confidence never wavered and she came through with the kind of aplomb which made it seem like she'd been walking red carpets for years.

In late 2008, Beck wrapped up recording his latest solo full-length, titled Dialogue. Unlike previous efforts, which have featured appearances from Saul Williams, Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta), Subtitle, and many more, the only voice on Dialogue is Beck's own. Across fifteen tracks, including two instrumentals, Thavius cleverly critiques many of America's ills with a dry, satirical wit that never falls into preachiness.

Thavius Beck, like many of Los Angeles' independent MCs, cut his teeth at the Project Blowed open mic workshop in LA's Leimert Park. But even in the 1990s, when Beck was a member of Global Phlowtations (along with Mikah-9, Sach, and a handful of others), and went by the handle Adlib, his sights were fixed on the future of music.

In keeping with her growing reputation, this September sees Speech Debelle embark on her first national headline tour. The 26 year-old rapper and her super-tight three piece band (double bass, acoustic guitar and drums, occasionally joined by her hypeman, Incredubwoy) will tour the country in support of an album which has not only been nominated as a Barclaycard Mercury Music Album of the Year, but which is being widely tipped to win the prize on September 8th.

Juice Aleem is an old timer who has been a mainstay of UK Hip Hop from time, involved with the New Flesh and Gamma projects. He was on the first ever Big Dada release in 1997 and helped open many doors for innovative UK urban music, and he is still making fresh, exciting, political tunes. He’s got his first solo LP out - Jerusalaam Come, so Nikhil Sharma caught up with him.

In this age of Hip-Hop being about, Sex, drugs, violence and the amount of money you have or you can spend teamed with an electronic beat / melody and auto tune, what you get is what I call novelty rap. I don’t consider it to be Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop means, Intelligent movement, it’s an art form and to hear people glamorising violence to the extreme over and over again doesn’t entice me to listen, it doesn’t make me think, doesn’t challenge my thoughts. All that changes with Jerusalaam Come.

Big Dada Recordings are proud and pleased to announce that legendary avant-rap group Anti-Pop Consortium have signed a two album deal with the label. Their first album in seven years, "Fluorescent Black", will be released on 09/09/09.

Anti-Pop Consortium have come along way since meeting at a poetry slam in the late nineties; selling singles on cassette, working to challenge the evil empire hip hop was becoming under the guiding principle “Disturb the Equilibrium”, and Soundcrash is very proud to announce a rare performance from Hip Hop’s elusive Dark Knights this Autumn.

“This is something called the Jus… the Jus Jus”: memorable lyrics from a time of delighting in finding Hip Hop in unexpected places. Well, Mr. Scruff and UK Hip Hop’s biggest and most maverick figure Roots Manuva have got together again for the stonking single ‘Nice Up The Function’.

Say what you will about the commercial sheen of ‘The Signature’ but you can’t deny Sway is a rare talent, and a damn likable one at that. Having recently signed with Akon, his reputation for international big dogging is enough to make Steve MacFadden jealous. But here he teams up with Ninja Tune stalwart Amon Tobin and Doubleclick’s new production guise Two Fingers, proving he’s still got time for the little guy.

Roots Manuva. Witness The Fitness. Well, an introduction is highly unnecessary, but in case you were just born - he’s the man. The idea behind some of the most landmark pieces of music our humble little island has seen... Rodney Smith aka Roots Manuva was born and bred in Stockwell, South London.

We have all been waiting for ages for this. There was stories that Roots Manuva had been dropped, but this was obviously bunkum with Roots being one of the label’s most successful artists. So now the wait is over as Roots Manuva releases the first single from his forthcoming LP.

Once in a while a rap record comes along that effortlessly walks the line between gangsta grit and humour and intelligence. Kail comes across as confident and hungry, and he delivers immersive music that you can listen to repeatedly.

Big Dada, home of some of the most maverick, forward-thinking and innovative artists in hip hop and beyond has just hit double figures. To celebrate, the label are proud to present "Well Deep", not so much a 'best of' as an overview of the label's history and philosophy, available on double CD and DVD which are sold separately.

Cadence Weapon aka Rollie Pemberton is a Canadian artist who follows up his debut "Breaking Kayfabe" with "Afterparty Babies" released on Big Dada in the UK. Check out what he had to say about Grime, Street Fighter, Games Consoles, the definition of Skippy and his latest release when he spoke to Davide for this in depth interview.

Cadence Weapon aka Rollie Pemberton is a Canadian artist who follows up his debut "Breaking Kayfabe" with "Afterparty Babies" released on Big Dada in the UK. Check out what he had to say about Grime, Street Fighter, Games Consoles, the definition of Skippy and his latest release when he spoke to Davide for this in depth interview.

Following on from his critically-acclamed debut "Breaking Kayfabe", Cadence Weapon aka Rollie Pemberton returns with the epic "Afterparty Babies". Dedicated to 'all the accidents out there', the record is a testament to Rollie Pemberton's first influence, his father, Teddy Pemberton.