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!

Vinnie Paz, Brown Bag All Stars and How Stories Can Save the World!

Since first hearing those 'old school' Jedi Mind Tricks recordings I've had a lot of respect for Vinny Paz and crew. Lately I've not really been enjoying some of the super hype gun music that I've been hearing but was checking Conspiracy Radio and heard Vinny breaking down this track. Sample issues mean it's not going to be available in this form on the album proper which is a real shame, so sit and reflect on this for the moment. Some deep reflections...by the way if you want more go google the documentary on the progress of JMT, some good watching!


Quick Jump to latest realease from the Brown Bag All Stars, a tidy collective of emcees spitting bars very nicely over a boom bap beat...check it out for free download right HERE

Finally on a more eclectic note, check this video about how fiction can bring the world together, a great talk by an interesting author, Elif Shafak, whose ideas I think should resonate with the essence and philosophies central to the world of hip hop...