Tag: chemo

For all who may have been suspicious or confused - T. Bear is TB and Tuberculosis. His new mix CD ‘Beast from the East’, mixed by DJ MK, is out now on Ottomanelf Music and this is what I think of it:

Skreintax may not have been the most obvious collaboration. Dr Syntax and Skrein each have quite a unique take on Hip Hop but in no way is ‘Scene Stealers’ a mash-up of the two. Synners and Skrizzle have cooperated to create a joint stage for their skills.

M9 is branching out from his crew Triple Darkness to release his own solo LP entitled 144,000. The material is dark and had a deep level to the lyrics which requires further investigation. Our investagative reporter Aidan Severs managed to catch up with M9 and chatted about his beinings through to the LP release and the meanings behind it.

‘144,000’ is dark, so if you don’t like dark Hip Hop shove off. Or you could stay, read and give it a chance. ‘Anthema’, the album by M9’s group Triple Darkness, came at a time when I wasn’t feeling rap’s more gloomy side. It changed my perspective and this album cements my new perspective in place.

Wordsmith (the one from the UK) has an album ('In Pursuit of Harmony') out soon on the Def Ethics label. Meanwhile he has given us an excellent EP in the ‘They Don’t Seem To Care’ 12”.

M9 aka Melanin is one half of the Heresy and one third of Triple Darkness. Two of the most renounced conscious British hip hop crews. Strange Fruit is redemonstrating, reamplifying, and just plain reminding us that what makes these crews so strong and sure is that as individuals, each of them excel to another level. And they can all do their own thing and still carry it equally as strong.

Former ‘Chain Of Command’ member Skandal isn’t just somebody you need to watch out for; he’s someone you need to sprint after and hold onto tightly all the way. He’s torn apart all the boxes everyone tries to place MCs in, laying them down and let his words stomp mercilessly all over them.

Hip hop has reached a stage where rappers, breakers and all other active members find themselves becoming increasingly labelled. The word rapper usually follows one of two prefixes - ‘gangster’ or ‘conscious’. Although few can truly fall entirely into one category.

Skandal has a fine pedigree if you consider the beat makers he has worked with in the past, i.e. Beat Butcha and The Last Skeptik from the Halal Beats stable. Now for his debut EP he has enlisted Chemo to produce the beats.

Brotherman’s lyrical substance, paired with the warmth and clarity of his voice make him an accessible and exciting new performer, and a breath of fresh air in a stagnating home-grown scene.