Scran Cartel

Scran Cartel come with a debut album featuring 12 bangers to get you mashing out! Exploring all things food related, culinary bars are served up with variety and passion by lyriacists Bennydiction & MNSR Frites. Their debut album launch party was epic and the energy is reflected in this powerhouse of a record. Check the video below for the tune 'Dundee' and support the album by purchasing through the Bandcamp link!

Welcome to 2017! William Cooper attacks the Federal Reserve, Bennydiction smashes out brilliant album & Simon Jr hits you with Crazy Beats

An interesting take on the well known Wizard of Oz story in which William Cooper relates it as a parable about exploitation of workers and the manipulation of politic, media and society. The animation is pretty clunky but a thought provoking piece nontheless.


The formidable presence of Benny Diction is making waves in the UK hip hop scene at the moment and I was privileged enough to appear on his excellent new album "Button Up" produced entirely by South African beat smith Blue Buttons. Benny made the album as a bit of a tribute to a milestone 30th birthday and felt he needed to develop and reflect on a level of maturity that the ageing process has had on him. Hence a song about toilet paper! A track to which a recent audience member to quip "I loved that shit song" after a slamming performance.To be fair that track "Whatitdoo" is a great bit of light relief amongst a hard hitting, but reflective, entertaining and mature album.  Jokes aside the album packs a serious punch with stella guest appearances including LeeN, Mnsr Frites, Eliza Shaddad, Legoman, Mr P, Amos, Tang the Pilgrim, Elliot Fresh, Luca Brazi & Ash the Author. All the guests bring distinctive styles to their respective tracks, and the storytelling techniques displayed in "Growing Pains" is particularly poignant. The raw political element diplayed in the excellent "Back to Pangaea" by Benny alongside eMCee Killa, Archetype and Tony Skank a piece delightfully bought together by the vocals of Sister Mary.  Another highlight for me is the super appreciative "Ah Yeah!" which isn't really a rap tune, more of sing song skit but beautifully put together ode to the lovely beautiful simple moments that are to be found in a life of positive hard work and dedication. Massive respect for this album, with extra shouts to Blue Buttons for delightful production throughout and DJ Sugai for his always entertaining on point and precise cuts...if you don't know...Get to know!



Simon Jr returns to the Vocalswords pages with a very nice new beat tape. The first joint knocks heavy and is a great base for any emcee to lay down a few bars....only a few mind as the legend B.I.G. then kicks in to dominate the rest of the track, so if mans/womans have the cahunas to share a track with Big Poppa dig right in. Starfunk 4 again nods delightfully with some super squelchy undertones with a sprinkling of outer space noises, some excellent Meth and Red drop ins; I imagin making for a great track to perform live if your an emcee who wants to rock out with the crowd while saving your voice for the next track! Broken is what is says on the tin, a very offbeat, high pitch concoction, not really my cup of tea but surely one for the more leftfield inclined. Blackwidow 4 is also on some next level futuristic ish with ray guns or phasers blasting through the background, a headnodder for real.  Die like a Rock star is on some hardcore industrial/tech glitch mission which I can imagine someone like El-P going in on hard. Kayhole is weirdly minimalistic and interestingly otherworldly at the same time. One for the metaphysically inclined. Yellowking 2 is pretty much a high pitch remix at the start with some interesting bass patterns. The bonus track of Toni 2 is a slightly more orthodox but highly listenable and banging track which I'm pretty sure would get the club turnt out in a very funky direction. Get involved!

Wordplay Album of the Year Nominees

Yes yes it is that time of the year when the cream of the crop gets formally judged. Having been on another planet for the majority of 2016 it means there is special pleasure for me being able to jump in and out of a hefty batch of dope projects. Going to line them up all here with no bias part from to say a massive big up to my Ipswich homie Booda French and large ups to Truffle Barons for keeping everything lively as part of the extended Granville famalam. Sorry not to see Bennydiction's excellent "Button Up" LP on the list but what can you do!? Check out the official listing, artist info  and get your vote in ASAP at Wordplay.... in the meantime check some of the shortlisted music right here.

Beat Creators - Instrumentals from Audible Doctor, Kosyne, Jas Beats, Pro P & Seattle Sans

A few hungry beat makers/producers/instrumentalists have sent through things for the blog recently, and I also get sent a lot of work from producers selling me their wares as part of their business promotion. Fair play all round, so thought I'd do a couple of posts highlighting some of these new school architects of hiphop music plus a couple of cats from the UK I've appreciated over the years. This is Part One so if anyone wants shine in Part Two holla at solocypher@gmail.com. To pay dues, gotta start off a post of this kind with the work of Audible Doctor; this tape from 2011 has some gems but dont forget to check out his more recent work too...I have no idea what his terms and conditions are but if you just want some great beats to freestyle over get familiar...

The Eat Good Family out of Birmingham, UK have been providing consistent quality over the years and stellar beats have emerged from the ingenious melting pot of Louis' Den. Eat Good's rhyming and beat producing heavyweight Kosyne, has been (excuse the pun) been instrumental in all this, however it was only in April this year that he released his own beat project. Some very creative and funky styles are given great exposure here, the dreamscape sonics of 'The God 'Shif a particular highlight.



And keeping to the shores of Albion, Manchester's Pro P has been pumping out classic headnod boom bap beats since at least 2009. Check out his catalogue of beats and collaborative projects here. In the meantime get some homies round for a cypher over the menacing vibes of 'Rep My Crew' from Volume 5 of his Boom Bap Tape series. PS Check the end of this post for a sneaky example of his work with emcees on board from yours truly and some of the illest UK spitters....



Jas Beats

16 Year old Jasmine Pope aka Jas Beats has got a pretty comprehensive Sound Cloud page showcasing her pretty impressive work. Some nice use of samples are made to get you in the mood with theme ready beats...




Seattle Sans 



Some deliciously dusty samples and production here, this one's definitely for the old school mellow heads although with the right emcee these could potentially be some classics...

 Maskerade Beats

Not a lot that immediately appealed to me as a lot on here has more of an RnB vibe so I ain't hating; Zoning out to 'See Through' beat though so worth checking out.

 Not my usual cup of tea but I guess in this day and age people may well be after some demented loony space age trap style music, and this is the sort of businiss DJ CPO seves up with aplomb.

New Music from Saigon, Benny Diction & Mnsr Frites and Chima Anya

Had to celebrate Saigon's eagerly anticipated release "The Greatest Story Never Told Part 3" with a video, check the poweful track putting pay to the glamour of a street life that had him behind bars for a long stretch. Then buy the CD or digitally via Spotify or itunes check the album, a revalation for positive lyracism in hiphop these days....

Meanwhile in the relatively more sedate UK, Benny Diction has been getting together with Granville Session's Mnsr Frites (thats Mister Chips to you matey) to celebrate the life of a gourmet with a vibrant video in Bllomsbury Market. An audio tribute to MadLib's "Chitlin & Pepsi", "Rubicon & Pasties" is a gem in it's own right! "Shouts to all the ladies who don't skimp on the portions....." Also watch out for a cameo from Chief Quiche ;)


And finally the homeboy Chima Anya smacks it with a new track as part of a sequential release series you can check by hunting the man down here. In the meantime enjoy! And yes, you can enjoy Lil Wayne and Big Daddy Kane!

Boom Bap RPM Illness from Benny Diction &Able8 ft Tony Skank &Melody Myla

Boom Bap Professionals present Benny Diction & Able 8 feat Cappo

Hot off the press, London based label Boom Bap Professionals bring some box fresh heat from UK wordsmith Benny Diction with this the second single taken from his and Aussie producer Able 8's heavyweight album 'Life Moves'....bringing in Punning Clan's Ro Jista and ill Notts Veteran Cappo for the guest verses this is a fresh homegrown treat, prepare to get your noggin nodding!

The Hip Hop Hunter - Fresh New Format ft All That Good Ish

So much hip hop, so little time. I've adopted a bit of a fresher posting style that I hope to continue, throwing in a lot more stuff into fewer posts. If you would like to contribute views or get material highlighted please email me solocypher@gmail.com or twitter @solocypher. The first section "New" might be a bit misleading as I often only catch up with tunes months after thier release; I hope this is forgivable. The first cut is from Statick Selectah which is a very encouraging example of how lyracism is still relevent....for me Black Thought absolutely tears the beat to pieces, and helps secure him in my personal "Top 5 Dead or Alive" rosta. It's a changebale and controversial list that everyone has their own opinions on, but for me (until I change my mind again!) its.......Rakim, Nas, Black Thought, 2Pac and Canibus......Get at me with your own!

New Releases



R-Jay ft G.M.I take the hiphop game 'Back to Basics' in this headnooder bought to life by an old school computer game styled video (somewhere between Atari and SNES graphics if my memory serves me well) Some great reflections on the old school aesthetics when emcees really concentrated on being fresh and being the best out of thier respective geographical areas.


Last post we bought you "Appertisers" from Bennydiction. It truly was a preparation for a main course, which Benny has released literally a few hours ago. I'm looking forward to digesting (poor pun sorry :) this, which comprises a selection of work the pair have written and composed between 2011 and 2012.....bringing in a posse of collaborators this is a diverse release with plenty of lyricism to enjoy. For me so far the life affirming "Holiday Snaps" and posse cut "Land & Sea" are getting the most pull ups. This EP itself is paving the way for thier "Life Moves" collaborative album, look out for that and in the meantime enjoy.

Got this short little banger from Stori in the mail. Initially I was a bit sceptical but after a couple of plays really got into this, ladies bringing that rawish.... Any track saluting anything that Method Man's ever done get the thumbs up from me.

Associated Minds are back with that heat provided by Metabeats, who in preparation for his second LP "Caviar Crackle" drops the joint "SLSBS" a sub sonic epic featuring vocals from Quelle Chris. Check it out


For a slightly slower summer vibe check out Chuck Inglish; one half of The Cool Kids who comes through with a slow-ass tour around his daily routine....listening in you can just imagine yourself sitting in one of those rediculous all American drop top whips as Chuck cruises around with his pager constantly blowing up....
Chuck is presenting this track alongside a freely downloadable EP inspired by a night cruising Austin Texas in drop tops; hence the cinematic feel...grab it here. 



For heads looking for a little more food for thought you should be interested in a track from Dan Status who keeps the sonics tasty but also provides some  interesting lyrics alongside  Marcus J. Higgins and Jon Blaq "Imagine if I had a son, intelligent and clever one his daddy where he get it from and anything he ever want his daddy where he get it from Mumma fine as hell drive a car, she get anyone" the hook keeps it all nicely together.




Hip Hop Radio

In this section I'm going to try and showcase HipHop shows, Radio Stations or Portals that are bringing the best rap and hiphop to the table; if you run or know of a great station (available online preferably) drop me a line at solocypher@gmail.com and I'll try to get it mentioned. So this time around......

Make sure you get your musical fix on a regular basis from the dons over at Itch FM The main site is constantly updated with new videos from US and UK, from live cyphers and freestyles to interviews and full videos its a constant stream of gems. The radio shows themselves also serve up some great blends, from classics mixed back to back to the most current in US, UK and Global hiphop and music. Recent shows I've been digging from Oli P, Thad Boogie and A.Gee check here

Bennydiction & Mnsr Frites - "Appetisers" Video

Feeling hungry? Slick video production outfit Idiot Village sets the scene producing a nice vid for this culinary banger served up with care in this collaboration from Punning Clan's Bennydiction and Granville Session's Mnsr Frites, trading bars over a smooth piano jam... follow the links in Vid for a download of the track and get up with all that Twitter info too; Tuck in!

Fat Gold Chain....Back around for the London posse!

https://www.facebook.com/events/294987000602697/

Benny Diction - Over Here

Filmed right in the heart of Vocalswords territory, the man making big moves as part of Punning Clan and Fat Gold Chain, Bennydiction teams up with incredible Aussie beatsmith Able for this party rocker 'Over Here' Benny as always comes mad clever with the lyrics so tune in closely!

February Round Up.....Akala, William Shakespeare, Caxton Press, Kasha Rae, Ed Sheeran, plus Boiler Room Fresh Sesh Underground Hip Hop Cypher...What more could you want!?

February has definitely lived up to its creative potential after the bleak wasteland of January this year; I was very excited to see that London's very own Akala has got himself a well deserved spot on acclaimed acedemic and intellectual lecture circuit run by TED.com. As a fan of Akala's raw, honest and intelligent music, it was great to hear him make some very interesting comparrisions and observations in relation to the works of fellow bard, William Shakespeare.



Caxton Press have been creating no small buzz for themselves on the London hip hop and wider music scene. A collective formed by extremely talented lyracists, this new video showcases thier positive and inventive styles....try to catch them live at a venue near you soon too.


I caught the then plain Kasha down at Nottinghill Arts Club at a very momorable gig. Although his tracks were extremely danceable there was a real passion for rocking the mic, lyracism and an empathetic flair so it's great to see his ground work starting to show dividends with this video alongside Brit smasher Ed Sheeran.


Long time Fat Gold Chain and Vocalswords affiliate Lozza deserves some major props for getting a bunch of talented emcees from the London underground scene together under one roof for some cypher action. A big shout to the Boiler Room crew for holding it down on the video shoot front, was a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Bennydiction "Beer Goggles and Rose Tinted Specs" New Video

Check out my brother Bennydiction getting some pretty rough treatment from a series of femme fatales in this heavy new video...the latest track from highly anticipated Long Player 'Hard Graft, Arts & Crafts and Hearty Laughs....I love it and it also get the thumbs up from my girlfriend who rates it as Fantastic! Check it ouuuut!!

Fat Gold Chain present El Crisis & Thunder, Solocypher & Zeps

Fat Gold Chain presents Granville Sessions & Kal Sereousz

This Friday 17th June, Charlie Wrights Jazz Bar near Old Street Tube, London

Onyx, Sonny Jima and Soul Kahn goodness

Sonny Jim - The Psychonaut EP
The Birmingham spitter ramps up his output in anticipation of the Psychonaught LP (apparently only available in Australia) to present a selection of tracks he recorded whilst travelling down under. I'm a big fan of Sonny's highly complex and humour stuffed verses but for me enjoy his style best when he's in reflective mode, and Lotek's remix of his 'Mission Statement' at the end of this EP is my favourite joint. Its a good showcase for the other spitters from various corners of the globe; but go get it quick as I think it's only available till the end of the month....Get it Now


Hip hop accross the pond is still lurking around if you care to dive into the grimy underground. Vocalswords favourite Soul Khan recently shot a video (at last) for my personal favourite 'Soul Like Kahn' tune from his free to download album. I think a few people have used this sort of edit before but love the way it's done here.


Meanwhile at the grimier end of the spectrum its good to hear of Onyx making a bit of a comeback with their 'Classic Terror'....if your gonna do thug music, do that shit properly!

Fat Gold Chain Live...Punning Clan, Mister P plus HLI and Sonny Jim goodness

Yes yes y'all its that time of the month again and a triple whammy of fresh hip hop is headed to Charlie Wrights (nr Old St Tube, London) this friday...make sure you get down to enjoy the vibes of the Punning Clan, HLI and Mister P and open mic hosted by me :)for more info check the Facebook Event ... in the meantime check the amazing HLI video for 'Vectors' hot off the press...I was lucky enough to join the crew on set and its definitely come out a treat; graf heads should especially dig the timelapse recorded piece being thrown up by another writing legend...heat!



Meanwhile Sonnyjim has been busy (when is he not?) working alongside the P.L.O to spit on a heavy guitar led track. The press release said it had Mudmowth on the track also, but I must have developed myopia; answers on a postcard to solocypher@gmail.com if you spot him please. The track has also been remixed Stateside with Has-Lo, Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro rocking the Mic in the style of the classic Smooth Da Hustla and Trigga Da Gambla's 'Broken Language' joint. The link to the remix is below Sonny's Joint, but I thought what the hell lets revisit the original as well...Enjoy!



Now Check the American Language Remix Here!

But dies it hold up to this!?

Fat Gold Chain presents Cappo....Don't Sleep People!

Promo Business!

Get tickets here

Homeboy Sandman

Dont Sleep Peoples!