Wretch 32 has announced Jakwob as his main support for the UK tour, his sold out tour last October was very well received by fans and media and this is sure to be even bigger. Also keep an eye out for a new single soon.

South London artist Dot Rotten will headline Cargo this May following the release of his latest single Are You Not Entertained. More likely to dedicate a song to his Gran than a girl, Dot Rotten may represent the Normal Human Being, but he's far from your average MC. Incredibly introspective, unreservedly candid and highly intelligent despite a formal lack of qualifications, Rotten is fast becoming the alternative MC on everybody's tiplists.

Let us introduce you to B-iLLA, a Hip-Hop collective out of the UK out of Cambridge and Hertfordshire that are destined for big things. The collective's main two members are rappers and brothers Mistah Biggz and Dillahman, with the other members being rappers Don Walshie and Jacky B and producer / deejay Denzel P. Music is so important to this collective and to these two brothers, and their focus is second to none.

Arguably the hottest rapper in the game, the Miami based phenomenon Rick Ross hits the UK for an exclusive live show at London's Proud2 on Monday 2nd April. Rick Ross's initial rise in the rap game came from his colourful glamorisation of Miami's reputation for drug trafficking. The distinctive 300-pound, six foot rapper tattooed with pictures of AK-47s embraced his city's reputation on his debut single Hustlin' in 2006. While Atlanta and Houston artists were establishing their cities as Southern strongholds, Ross aimed at putting Miami back in rap's national spotlight.

British rapper / emcee  S.Kalibre teams up with beatmaker Architech for the finest indie hip-hop EP you might hear this year. Continuance showcases the talent of two very gifted artists, pushing the boundaries of hip-hop while preserving its backbone. The EP showcases S.Kalibre's unique raps fused with Architech's sound signature of merging straight hip-hop elements with forward-thinking production.

Linked this a couple of days ago over on the Youtube channel, but as I thought about it more I had to give it more exposue here. This is pure fire as Braydz spits some seriously fast and hard to deliver lyrics in such a ferocious manner it is hard to deny the all consuming intensity of this performance. No moving pictures are available for this, but the audio is powerful enough.

Just in is the news that Mr Drastick has a mini movie dropping on the 27th of February. It apparently going to be shocking and thrilling. The mini movie is called Deception and features some amazing actors including the headliners: Ta'nya Cunningham, Nii Odartei Evans, David Usherwood, Achilles Charrington and Kai Li Lutterodt. No more information yet, but judging by Mr Drastick's past work this should be something to check.

Kilburn's Jamieson, now based in the South Bronx, NYC, follows up his tribute to his hometown London Freestyle with the new single and video Ways To Get Ahead. Taken from the final instalment of his mixtape trilogy I Came I Saw, the track chronicles the journey he's taken from his days as part of UK hip hop duo Twisted Thoughts with K.I.L.L.A.G.R.A.M. to his move over to the States and the work he's been putting in since arriving there in 2007.

Mr Pen and Diamond Dave, a coupla B-Town lushes got down on Afro-Disiac radio on the evening of Tuesday 7th February. It was UK special featuring a great selection of tunes provided by J Speed with plenty of freestyling from the aforementioned Mr Pen and Diamond Dave. I got notified of ths late and didn't get the time to let everyone know, but luckily it was recorded and is now available online below.

The last few years have proven to be some of the finest in the history of British hip-hop, with the ever increasing number of solid emcees emerging, and with them some premier independent record labels that continue to flourish with every passing day. The sheer volume of commendable releases from last year alone was a sure sign that things only continue to get bigger and better for UK hip-hop enthusiasts, and that someday soon hopefully the mainstream industry will catch up and wise up to what they've been missing out on.