Scare the Normals, Endemic Emerald & Skanks and Marcus Juvann....Dope Fresh Rap Yo

"I can't take it, I'm loosing my childhood favourites, Bill Cosby a rapist & Hulk Hogan a racist"....too true and a sentiment I increasingly find myself relating too. This beautifully produced banger from Endemic Emerald, the seasoned UK heavyweight producer smashing it in NYC sets the scene perfectly for Skanks to deliver topical insights into the messed up world where the Black Lives Matter is increasingly heard but not necessarily addressed.



Bury St Edmund's is pinned definitively on the map by the Scare the Normals crew who present their second full length release "Creepy Brainfood" a very welcome blast of fresh air from the fens incorporating anti-establishment spit fire rhymes with hyped up instrumentals with the classic festival stomping elements of scratching and mind bending sound effects. Serious messages are nicely laced into the fabric of the hectic, feel good vibe while reminding us of perils of modern life; "Diet coke and fluoride giving me a tumor" Apologies but late Sunday eve and there are too many bangers to go in depth review wise on but if you want to mainline the goodness jump straight to "Brass Leaf" for a super smasher of a track.




Marcellus Juvann presents a nicely laid back projects kicking off with "Make my way" which has some lovely sax work intertwining with everyman struggle bars interspersed with some imaginative vignettes such as winning a stare out competition with Medusa. "Do the Right Thing" gives a good account of the dillemas faced in modern life and the percieved need to get the Fat Gold Chain and other shiney trinkets.

Cyrus Malachi The Isis Papers Mixtape Coming Soon

VS is on some promo business as one of the UKs most intense and hardest spitters Cyrus Malachi has just released his 'Isis Papers' mixtape in the very near future. Having the privilidge of a sneak preview it's always great to hear work from one third of the heavyweight Triple Darkness crew. Those who have heard the trio's work will know that Malachi is going to come hard with it. You will not be dissapointed, First track 'The Hammered Bracelet' featuring Melanin 9 has got me rewinding rapidly already.

Never an easy listen if you are unwilling to sit down and follow the flow of the complex, often highly polemical rhymes, this is some serious hip hop that carries some very important messages.. it would seem at the moment that this type of music is completely absent from the mainstream music industry. Cyrus Malachi and Triple Darkness are in a good position alongside the incredible production from Endemic and others to make some serious moves, it just remains to be seen as to whether their content may be too much for certain interested powerfull parties.

Regardless of the above slight misgivings, this is a great slice of classic hard as shit hip hop. Good to hear a 'Robin Hood' freestyle over one of the sickest beats on Endemic's recent 'Needle Drop' EP and plenty more goodness featuring a wraft of other mic demolishers such as....

Although this mixtape will be a sure fire winner for a lot of heads, the constant barrage of dark metaphores, conspiracy theory and images of brutality may prove a bit too much for some. As a precursor to an album proper this certainly does its job, but it would also be good to hear some slightly more optomistic rhymes at some point. The mastery of lyracism to paint great pictures of anarchy, crime, evil and subjugation is one thing, but for me the masterpiece comes when the light is also demonstrated, if only to more effectively define the dark. Some more personal reflections on various subjects I think would also help Cyrus to gain the larger appeal and audience that he and affiliates undoubtably deserve.

Watch this space for when the Mix Tape drops, in the meantime sit back and enjoy this classic slice...

Dubbledge & Conspiracy

Props to HHC digital for heads up on the latest freebies...gotta love Dubbledge; a heavy spitter, live performer and thoroughly nice guy who didnt bat an eyelid when my then girlfriend ran up to him and started chatting to him like they were best mates (she thought I knew him previously and got a bit star struck!)anyway here’s a couple of fresh Dubbledge downloads: ‘Choices Choices’ (produced by Ghosttown) and ‘The Trilogy’ (produced by DJ IQ and hosted by Asaviour). Enjoy! and again!

In other general prop giving I've got to give a bit of a bigger mention to Montana and Menace and their incredible friday night live Conspiracy Radio show. These guys play stupidly dope hip hop and manage to get amazing artist interviews with some of the best in the game week in week out. Ive been a bit slack over the last year so I've been downloading some old shows and some of the guys they get on well worth listening to...(even when they arn't that great Montana's acerbic analysis is often entertaining enough)

What I really love about the show is the depth of research and questioning, giving artists not only a chance to promote thier music and explain their artisitc visions, but also to expand on their beliefs, political positions and opinions on current events. From listening to Lowkey and Immortal Technique discuss global politics, Bronze Nazareth and Apathy talking beats and life and Homeboy Sandman on veganism and spirituality the show is a window into a host of interesting lives coupled with some of the dopest hip hop you could expect to hear. Support of artists such as Cappo and Endemic is also great evidence of their efforts to back quality product. Go ituning the podcasts or check them out here.

Endemic bang on point

Props to Sarah Love for spotlighting this wicked producer. Leatherfase and the Triple Darkness boys tear the man apart in this tune. Particularly relevant reading the papers today, the Met announcing they are going to be heavily tooled up and ready for a fight over the G20 protests. Freedom of speech and right to protest must be upheld.