Kenn Starr, Blacktivity, Wordsworth, Supastition, Black Milk and more

Kenn Starr has reportedly gone back to the drawing board despite critical acclaim of his first release. Nothing wrong with keeping to the fundamentals and a posse cut has always been a classic move. Taken from his latest LP "Square One" Washington's finest bought a few friends along. 

Detroit is well known for it's high calibre of artists and Blacktivity is no exception; the crew have dropped thier first LP and it's a very nice slice of hip hop documenting a blue collar lifestyle full of reality, hopes, fears, dope beats and scratches. MC Ill Tone provides the on point lyrics (including a very nice nod to Wu Tang on Data Day) and the production is held done wonderfully by Shade Cobain. The creativity of this album is seriously impressive, it has been a while since I've heard something fresh with so many ideas and themes. "Photo Album" is a great concept, as it "Death of an Artist" which tells a familiar but sad tale of broken creative dreams, while "Wedding Crashers" goes on a joyfully mischeaveous jaunt of nonsense. The overall tone of the album is very nuanced but ultimately positive. I'm especially interested in the message delivered in the Outro about the effects of translation; however have no idea where it came from. I will investigate; in the meantime check out the whole album.


And finally....I meant to blog this incredible track a while ago as soon as I stumbled over it...Now this is what I call a collection of Emcees! 

Has Lo & Castle

Lunatic Rap Music, Trippy Beats and a Fantasy Throwback

New Releases

As part of the work for album debut "My Grandma's Basement", Jarren Benton has hooked up with label mates SwizZz and internet rap phenomenon Hopsin for a typical off the wall video featuring young Hop as a trailer park specimen slagging of hip hop as the intro. Since seeing Hop and his crew live in London a few months ago, and judging by the immediately huge you tube views this is already getting, looks like Jarren, Hopsin, crew and own brand of cartoon lunacy and indie style soul searching are about for the long haul....no bad thing in the VS opinion

  

HipHop institution Fat Beats Records just uploaded the video for "My First White Girl"  from The White Mandingos' (Murs, Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains and Sacha Jenkins SHR) debut album, The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me. A quirky, tongue in cheek video featuring some slightly seedy middle aged groupie-ism provides the back drop to a great track reminiscing on an old relationship. Murs gives a thought provoking account with a chorus "Racist bullshit came from both sides, my first white girl, her first black guy." Personally I had to rewind the reference "She looked like Tapenga from Boy Meets World" and couldnt resist a quick google image search for the marvelous Maxim shot above! 

Beats

If after all that social commentary you need to chill out or refresh your head check out this from Beatoven, a deep bass sound combines with glitchy electronica to create a nice instrumental track accompanied by some mind melting trippy graphics. Courtesy of Another Music 

 

For something a little more rugged in terms of hip hop styalistics check this first single from Duke Westlake's upcoming instrumental project on Mellow Music Group.