Chicago-based trio SCC (accompanied with DJ Elliven) have recently released Tres Amigos, and if you’re a fan of Ugly Duckling, A Tribe Called Quest and Too Many T’s then I reckon you’ll be a fan of these dudes too. A good mix of new and old, and the back and forth rapping between the MCs give it a nice extra punch. My favourite line so far is “Serving coffee for a living, I’ll be broke until next Thanksgiving” from ‘We Bout That’.
If nothing else you should watch the video because the opening credits starts with cows, and they’re walking around dressed up as cowboys. (More dressing up in hip-hop please).
This one doesn’t have cows in it, but hey you can’t everything eh? Look out for the third video in September.
Alright I’m aware that not everyone reading this will read this at night time, but for a chilled Wednesday whilst I eat my dinner this is perfect. Then again, I’ll probably still be a fan tomorrow at 9am whilst I munch my breakfast too-but I’m trying to set a scene here guys. A mise-en-scène if you will yeah (I learnt that one in film A-Levels, what up Karen you were the only lecturer that believed in meeee!).
This is a great beat tape for either pure vibing to the mixing, production and tasty scratching or if you fancy rhyming over. In fact if you do want to try spitting a few lines then he encourages any MC to get in contact. For me I’d be quite happy to read my comics and bop my head to this. For fans of US East Coast (Philly/NYC/NJ) and that dark Scottish hip-hop they’ve got up there. The best part is this from the North West of England based label Northern Structure Records. Homegrown talent yo. Honestly I’m just a fan of anything past Coventry so this makes me happy.
You can get both records now for free on Bandcamp.
While the 90’s may have been a pinnacle time for producers in terms of innovation, experienced heads can tell who’s in the game to make a quick buck and who’s crafting songs to help diversify the genre’s existence. If you fall under the latter — that is to say, you enjoy sharp lyrics and beats that’ll force you to spit your best 16, then Long Island’s very own Diabolic will be right for you with his DJ Premier produced single, “Diabolical Sound,” taken from his forthcoming LP, ‘Fightin Words’.
As the legendary Premo builds upon his signature style to create a sinister anthem akin to what brought him to the forefront of the game during the genre’s Golden Era, Diabolic delivers bar after bar of creative genius that runs circles around your typical radio rapper’s cookie cutter rhyme scheme. “Diabolical Sound” is the first lead track taken from Diabolic’s ‘Fightin Words’ LP, which is set to drop on September 16th. The album includes features from Sean Price, Vinnie Paz, Celph Titled, RA the Rugged Man, and more.. stay tuned for more heat from Diabolic!
CuzOH returns with his latest single titled “The One”. At some point in their life, every man wants to find that special lady, and when they do, now they can tell them….
“This is much more than lust, stronger than a crush, this could be us baby. You’re much more than a bitch, more than a side chick, let me tell you lady…..You’re The One”.
Thanks to our homeboy SingerDread from the super world famous ThinkTank for this rad review of Crack Jon.
Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon
Greetings all, I’m SingerDread, a new name here at HHLAT. I’m a rapper, producer, writer and lover of all things Hip Hop (and the other half of ThinkTank mate, gosh you just don’t know how to promote do you? – Aimee). So when I was given the oppotunity to write a review for the amazing guys and gal at HHLAT, I obviously bit their hand off at the chance. My first assignment: a High Focus release, Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon.
After smashing the festival circuit and live shows touring with Verb T and Fliptrix, This is the debut album from Cracker Jon aNd 2Late. The album is Cracker Jon rapping you his story of life in Croydon set to the beautifully crafted soundtrack produced by 2Late. Cracker’s old-school rhyming style suits perfectly with 2Late’s style of production. A match made in…..Croydon? maybe, but definitely sometime back in the early 90s! This album is for the more dedicated Hip Hop listener but I’m sure I can safely assume that if you are a regular reader of HHLAT, you are exactly that. The skits on this album are perfect, and create the imagery and humour that are all over this album. Production value overall I give it 10/10 or 5 mics or discs or…..anyway it’s just very good. Another great thing about this album is the features. Everyone who features fully goes in, so I’ll list them all so as not to leave anyone out, and what a list…..
Sly Moon, Dubbul O, Smellington Piff, Eric Da Red, Dirty Dike, Lee Scott, Fliptrix, Leaf Dogg, Datkid and Strange Neighbour. All the cuts were by DJ Sammy B-side apart from one track featuring DJ Almighty.
My first review is nearly over and what more can I really say?
Great rapping, awesome production, a decent amount of decent features, and all topped off with some nice artwork. Produced by the fantastic 2Late.
So what are you waiting for?
Cracker Jon and 2Late – Can Take The Cracker Out Of Croydon
#blahblahblackjosh is a 16 track release from Manchester, UK rapper Black Josh. The release showcases the emcees unique flow, differing delivery styles and lyricism over production from the likes of Reklews, Konchis, Morriachi, Sam Zircon and more.
Check out the latest release from Portsmouth, UK emcee/producer Spitfire. We’ve made no secret in the past that we’re big fans of Spitfire’s here at HHL&T. Since he’s been making beats himself Spitfire’s output of releases has intensified, sometimes the quality can suffer but not in the case of Spitfire.
Spitfire’s ‘Crypted Facts & Lifted Wax’ EP was all produced by Spitfire and made in a week, from making the beats, writing/recording the tracks then mixing them down. You can get the EP here
Legendary emcee R.A. The Rugged Man announces the “Definition Of A Rap Flow” contest. Prizes include $500 cash and a Mr. Green-produced vinyl single pressed up by Nature Sounds. Judges include R.A. The Rugged Man, Talib Kweli, Locksmith, Murs, Vinnie Paz, Tonedeff, Twiztid, Rittz, and Jean Grae.
hiphoplifeandtimes 