The Pittsburgh hip hop scene always has a certified representative that can hold their own. Zooka Joe fits that category with this street banger “Walk Tall” produced by Domingo and co produced by Streezy. The beat itself is a definite head nodder while Zooka blends his lyrics into it to give us a visual of how things are in Pittsburgh.
‘Walk Tall’ is just letting us know what hip hop is in store for on August 4th when Zooka Joe drops ‘A.K.A Zooka Joe’ to the world.
Towards the end of last month Millenium Jazz Music released the latest from the Jazz Jousters collective from their “Location’s” series. As they continue to globe-trot crate digger style with the Jazz Jousters collective and flip Jazz from various parts of the world.
Locations: France is the sixth part in the Locations series with just a few more episodes to go before the series concludes at the big number ten. The album was just released on a limited collectable tape cassette as well as via digital download here
As promised MJM have reupped the second batch of cassette tapes for Locations: Brazil. “Ask and so you shall receive!!”.
They’ve re-recorded another batch and after several pre-orders and early birds who stay close to the pulse, they only have around 24 or so left, so don’t wait around for too long as it’s very unlikely that they’ll be doing a third batch.
The Locations series will amount to a 10 part set where hopefully each volume will be released on limited collectable cassettes.
For those that have been lost and unsure where they’re at, see the order below…
The whole team are big fans of UK singer Flo, yesterday she hit us up with this international collaboration she features on with Dutch emcee Starrlight. They are a great combination and this is a dope joint!
Check it out here
“BoomBap” is produced by Da Landlord
Mixed & Mastered by Da Landlord #Eastgardenmusic
Many wonder… “Whatever happened to Ilyas of Tanya Morgan?”, “Why’d he leave the group?”, “What went wrong?”
Around the time of the Tanya Morgan breakup, Ilyas started recording an album venting about the struggles and emotions he was dealing with at the time. That album is Transformation.
Broken into two separate albums, Transformation answers many questions. Produced by Birmingham, UK’s Quintessence James, the album harkens back to Tanya Morgan’s original sound from their Moonlighting and Brooklynati days, but just a tad darker and more insightful than the carefree Tanya Morgan music fans all know and love.
Transformation listens as an audio diary of sorts as Ilyas speaks of his breakup with the group, breakup with his girlfriend of 6 years, and struggles dealing with substance abuse, fatherhood, and the world in general. Transformation 1 & 2 document his struggle from depression to joy, inadequacy to fulfillment, and ego to soul.
Transformation Part 1: Ego is available now digitally on iTunes, Bandcamp, and all other digital retailers. Head to Fat Beats and UGHH for compact discs.
Here’s the latest production from France’s DJ Low Cut and Paris based emcee Akin Yai who has written some deep lyrics about the ironic parallels between the infatuation with chains in Hip-Hop and humans that were chained in the transatlantic slave ships. The song is about the perspective of two chains (one physical and one mental).
This track is off the Banzaï Lab compilation #7 available here….
After the co-sign tweet from Joey Bada$$, London, UK rapper CONFZ seems to have excelled with the quality of his music and ‘The East End Agreement’ is now among us. This 14 track LP embodies gritty rap and hip hop. From hard Rap to deep soulful meaningful songs, with a mixture of intense lyrics and great melodies this project is definitely one to check out.
The music video ‘I’ll Ride’ was released prior to the Mixtape dropping as it’s second single. The first being ‘Raindrops’ featuring singer Jamilah Barry was premiered on ‘Reprezent Radio 107.3FM’. Also with the rap artist formerly known from Don’t Flop Lunar C on one of the records, the wait for this release is over and you can stream and download it for FREE here
So here we have the long awaited debut album from Manchester Rapper/Producer Ellis Meade. This 20 track LP is a demonstration in versatility and creative ability from the Room2 Records Co-Founder, with Ellis doing more than the lion’s share of vocals and production, not to mention the heap of music videos he has directed and edited for the project. With tracks of varying tempos and styles, Ellis effortlessly laces this sonic journey with a smooth intricacy that only the man himself can deliver.
Features include rappers Sparkz, iLLChill from L.A and Boston born France based rapper Mattic, and producers Pete Cannon, Kydro and Proclaim Knowledge, as well as vocal features from Laura White, Mali Hayes, and Cher.
Ellis Meade said “I wanted people to hear what sounds and artistic styles I’m into without compromising my sound or my collaborators and keep everything as organic as possible.”
We think he’s achieved that, check it out for yourselves here
This elusive mix came exclusively on a 7″ giveaway with Record Mirror Magazine on the 24th September 1988.
This version, entitled the ‘Original Rap Version’ is misleading, since 2 versions were released of Megablast on 12″ under the same moniker yet were different mixes to this one. So far, it has not turned up on a 12″ and seems exclusive to Sure Beats 1, the 7″ discussed here.
This song was posted on YouTube to help research for a book project entitled ‘Yo Derek Rock the Beat – The Top 100 UK Rap Records 1987 – 1993’. All profit will go to The Alzheimer’s Society in honour of Capital Radio jock Mike Allen who now has sadly succumbed to this disease.
Here we salute this version, from here on in, known as Megablast ‘Apache’ version. With DJ D-Zire on the scratches, and studio trickery from Rico Conning, Pascal Gabriel and Tim Simenon.
‘Megablast’ is featured in the forthcoming book, currently being written and researched.
Yo Derek! Rock the Beat is an affectionate look at what the UK’s golden era of rap music now means to a generation of ‘40 somethings’ (showing my age!). Featuring a mix of record reviews and interviews with some of the leading exponents who made these records – emcees, DJ’s and producers – as well as the fans, graphic designers and those pioneers who played these records on the radio.
Yo Derek! Rock the Beat is at heart, a definitive, chart-like countdown of the top 100 12 inch UK rap records,… recorded and released between 1987-1993 which has been curated by the people that love this music. Over the past 2 years, this Facebook page has invited the fans, the faces and the frontrunners from this formative era of the UK rap scene to post and critique their favourite records released during this period, which has then been distilled into the 100 essential records that will make up the book.
Carried home in plastic bags from both urban and suburban record shops some 25 years ago, these records are now coveted by fans and are subsequently traded for vastly inflated prices on forums like eBay and Discogs. In recognition of this passion this book is not simply just a critique of those records but an acknowledgement that each and everyone of them holds a musical memory from yesteryear, and is the soundtrack to lives lived through a passion for rap music and hip hop.
It is intended that after production costs, any profits will be donated to The Alzheimer’s Charity, following the recent sad news that much loved former Capital Radio DJ, Mike Allen, has recently been diagnosed with the disease. Mike was responsible, along with other radio disc jockeys such as Tim Westwood, Dave Pearce and Stu Allen, for giving the hip hop explosion from America an audio platform via UK commercial radio back in the mid – eighties, providing a window for a generation of excited teenagers to discover rap and electro music and the disciplines behind the hip hop culture. Fitting then, this book celebrating memories, may indeed give some support to a wonderful charity, fighting a war against a disease, that by its nature, seeks to rob the individual of these precious things.
The author, Mark McDonald, experienced this golden age of UK rap music first hand some 27 years ago as a teenager involved with graffiti art and also an ardent music fan – recording radio shows, collecting records and obsessing over music magazines; which he still does to the present day. Mark is currently researching and writing this book and lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and two children.
Taiyamo Denku and his extreme Love for 90’s style beats and Hip Hop itself has lead him to pickup the Instrumentals from Nick Wiz’s Latest Unreleased Instrumental Series and Create a Mixtape called “If I Did An Album With Nick Wiz” This is the first drop from the upcoming FREE Mixtape Denku will drop later this month This track is Entitled “SmackDown”
Latest single from the PaleFace Junkies called Switchblades & Soda Pop which features Madchild from Swollen Members.
Written and Performed by Kid Vibe and Madchild
Music Produced by Kid Vibe of PaleFace Junkies
Song Mixed & Engineered by Luke Arens at Shock City Studios
hiphoplifeandtimes 