Why the “Bars vs. Jokes” Debate is Irrelevant

April 1, 2012
Features
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By Alex Bartiromo

Ever since the modern form of a cappella, written battle rap has become popular, there has been one vital question that battlers and fans alike have posed time and time again: What is more important, making the crowd laugh or making them “ooh” and “aah” in respect? More simply put: jokes over bars? Back when battle rap was all freestyle, this debate seemed to matter less; any insult that got a reaction from the crowd was a positive. But as the scene has evolved and become more thought-out and complex, this question has become a serious matter in the battle rap community. Many judges have bemoaned the fact that battles seem to have become stand-up comedy events, but some key figures in the community have proclaimed that the main purpose of these events is to have fun, with Skirmish of Rhyme Asylum bluntly asserting, “jokes over bars” at a 2011 Don’t Flop event. In my opinion, this debate is irrelevant and detracts from the more important question of the quality of the content.

Now, to many I must seem to be over-analyzing this. I understand that for most rappers, battle rap events are to promote themselves a bit and have a good time. But, as someone who has watched many a battle in my time, this is what I like to do. I do also believe that looking at battles critically can improve the overall quality of them.

The reason I think that the “bars or jokes” argument is worthless is because I think that it i is being looked at from the wrong plane of thought. Rather than judging the seriousness of the content, I would rather examine the effectiveness and specificity. This effectively pivots the debate from “bars vs. jokes” to “generic vs. personal”. Now, when I say “personal”, I don’t necessarily mean it in the “true story” sense (although this definitely counts as a kind of personal bar), where one battler attempts to expose hidden or damning facts about the other battler’s life to make them look bad. When I talk about a personal bar, I mean a bar that only applies to the person it is being said to. For example, calling O’Shea fat is not personal, because there are other fat people in the battle rap scene. However, mentioning his job at Morrisons or his Everton fandom is personal because it could not be used against anyone else in the battle community (and few people in the world). YouTube user UgoStrange breaks this down wonderfully in his video on the same topic.

“Personal” bars are not always better; the best battlers are the ones who know what the situation calls for. For example, the aforementioned O’Shea is a master at using irrelevant and generic jokes to his advantage. When he wins a battle, much of the time, it is because he has essentially convinced the crowd that he is a more likeable person. In his recent Don’t Flop title match versus Sensa, he came with solid personals (an underrated aspect of his battling), but arguably the most effective parts of his verses were the jokes. This is because Sensa is an expert when it comes to personals (although I thought he was slightly off base in the angles he took here), but has always struggled to present himself as someone who could laugh at himself or be particularly funny at all (although his recent 2v2 battle proves me wrong, but at this point in time, the statement was true). Therefore, O’Shea was doing something that he could not, making him look superior in the battle. Sensa tried to rebut this concept in his third round when he said, “It’s not hard to make ‘em laugh bruv”. No, perhaps not (especially not that crowd). But done correctly, it can still be highly effective.

However, most battlers are not able to use those kinds of generic bars so effectively (which is a testament to O’Shea’s personality and charisma), and the ones that rely on them too much end up sounding trite and boring. This has become a problem with Charron over the past year, who has lifted jokes more than a few times from easy-to-find internet sites and stand-up comedy sketches, as Cruger eloquently pointed out in their battle at World Domination 2. He is just one example (and to be fair, he manages to pull it off decently), though, of a trend in battle rap that makes certain events seem like little more than Yo Momma with Wilmer Valderrama.

Which is not to say that battle rap events should be completely serious and devoid of fun either. I find it difficult to watch URL battles simply because everyone in the venue takes themselves so seriously and just try to prove that their opponents are “pussies” or “fags” without being able to laugh at themselves. This is a shame, because the battlers there are so clearly talented (the quality control is probably better than any other battle rap league in the world), and the events are so well put together. I do like a heated battle, but a verbal fight just to see who can rattle off more supposedly genuine gun bars is not appealing to me (and the whole idea of “fake personals” is another article altogether).

That is why the best battlers know when to use both serious bars and jokes while still keeping it personal. Look at TheSaurus, who has been a top-tier battler for nearly ten years now. In his most recent battle against Pat Stay, he walked this tightrope beautifully, using keeping all of his material focused on his opponent while still displaying his deft wordplay and impressive structure. In round one he rapped, “stop telling us you’re ‘sucka free’ and tell us what the fuck it means,” and then going on to display a series of stories to show that Pat Stay’s signature catchphrase may, in fact, be inaccurate. Later on in the battle, he was able to be just as effective using jokes. In round two, he said, “But wait y’all, Pat’s a boss/ Just look how fast he puts out those faggot blogs crying after every match he lost,” and then went for the jugular with, “So talk about my kid or my dad/ Or any chick from my past/ If I cared what your angles were, I’d call Bishop and ask,” citing the now infamous beef between Pat Stay and Bishop Brigante over bars that the latter purportedly gave to Marvwon before his battle with Stay. As you can see, TheSaurus was able to use both jokes and serious bars just as effectively, since they were both unique to his opponent. This recognition is a great part of how he has managed to be such an excellent battler for so long (funnily enough, it is a lack of this recognition that has kept Pat Stay from ever being truly top-tier).

Without giving my thoughts about everything in the battle scene, I think that by talking about “jokes vs. bars”, people are missing the point. They are both just as effective if the battler knows how to use them properly, and the battler uses them properly when he/she is able to single out his/her opponent with a rap that applies to nobody, or almost nobody, else. Of course, depending on how good the battler is at they, he/she can also mix in some generic bars to display their lyricism or to endear themselves to the audience, but the battlers that rely on them, with a few exceptions, end up being average at best and indistinguishable from any of the horde of jokers who happen to rhyme.

An American Perspective on UK Hip-Hop

March 26, 2012
Features
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By Alex Bartiromo

I have always considered myself something of an Anglophile. Growing up in New York, I admired the wit and expression that the British seem to possess and display effortlessly. I was raised on Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By re-runs on my TV and The Kinks on my stereo. Hell, I am listening to Blur as I write this. So, despite the fact that I have never even come close to setting foot on the land of Ray Davies and McVitie’s digestive biscuits, it comes as no surprise that, when I first started getting into hip-hop, I would turn to Great Britain immediately. It also probably comes as no surprise that most Americans are not like me in that sense, and there are a few reasons why.

Now, I am going to speak in generalities that are not representative of the entire population, but rather reflective of the experiences I have had in America dealing with hip-hop from the UK. And so, from what I have seen, Americans tend not to give British hip-hop the benefit of their attention for reasons which range from interesting to absolutely ridiculous.

Let’s start with one that falls into the latter. The first and most common thing that Americans hear and dislike when they listen to British hip-hop is the accent. Lame, I know. Many of my friends and peers whom I have tried to expose to rappers such as Task Force or Rhyme Asylum say that they simply cannot take the claims of the rappers seriously because of how they sound. Considering that many Americans are willing to listen to Ol’ Dirty Bastard or Danny Brown, this argument holds no water. However, there are two factors that may play into why it is made anyway. The first is that people are uncomfortable with the unknown or uncommon. Because a British accent is not something that Americans are used to hearing in this context, they are disconcerted when they hear it and immediately conclude that they do not like it at all. Most people can relate to this; if not in hip-hop then in their government’s attitude towards immigrants or exotic food. The second reason is that many people in the US associate a British accent with being posh. This sounds silly, but while they are not totally oblivious to the goings-on of their cross-Atlantic neighbor, many Americans erroneously assume that Great Britain is Downton Abbey and that it lacks the urban havoc that US hip-hop is so representative of. Anyone who paid attention to last year’s London riots or any EDL protest could see that this is simply not true, and yet the notion persists. For these types of people, a little bit more education and a great deal more exposure would go a long way.

Another argument that I have seen wielded against UK hip-hop is that the lyrical content is not relatable to stateside audiences. While it is true that UK hip-hop has much more of a self-depreciating streak than its American counterpart, and while UK “battle” or horrorcore tracks generally have more elements of fantasy (compare “Now you wanna run around/ talkin’ ‘bout guns like I ain’t got none/ What you think I sold ‘em all?” to “I was fed breast cancer and bottles of Arsenic/ Blind swordsman wandering darkness/ Fuck cash, I’ll drop the queen’s severed head in the offering basket”), many of the tropes, themes, and topics mentioned in UK hip-hop are the same as the ones that abound in US hip-hop. For example, Enlish’s 2011 release, Cold Lazarus, has a mix of battle tracks and introspective raps that is essentially a Cornish take on the classic 90s hip-hop album format. I’ve found that the people who say that UK hip-hop is not “relatable” simply do not listen to very interesting music in general. Their distaste for interesting UK hip-hop does not actually to do with how it compares to American hip-hop, but rather how it compares with pop hits in the charts. Indeed, these people would probably enjoy “Bonkers”, but would reject Boy In Da Corner altogether (for the record, I think “Bonkers” is a good pop track).

One of the most confusing things that I have heard about UK hip-hop over here is that Americans invented hip-hop, and are the only ones who can make it properly. People who espouse this point of view must be incredibly lazy and unwilling to give any sort of “different” music a chance, because the argument has so many holes in it that it practically does not exist. If this argument were true, then modern rock music would not exist in the US and Skrillex would be working an office job in Los Angeles! What would happen if black people decided that, since they created blues music, white people could not practice it? Well, there goes Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, you name it. This argument is so insipid that it is difficult to even think about without grimacing, so let us move on.

So far, the points of view presented have been, for the most part, weightless, and have consisted more of random prejudice than legitimate reasoning. Perhaps there is one, however, that is worth fleshing out a bit, and that is that UK hip-hop is simply not as original as its American counterpart and therefore is less interesting. If one were to look at the mainstream, this claim would appear true. Artists like Tinie Tempah or Professor Green bring little new to the table, and are greatly indebted to their forebearers, such as Eminem or Dizzee Rascal, whereas, in the US, even the most mainstream of artists, like Kanye West or Drake are constantly innovating and changing the expectations of their listeners (whether or not their music is good is a different debate). Even classic UK rappers like Jehst or Skinnyman are bound to remind listeners of Nas, Big Pun, and to an extent, early Ice Cube.

However, this argument falls short in regards to the modern UK underground hip-hop scene. An American who claims that his countrymen are the ones setting the standard for hip-hop would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the US who combines streetwise observations, political theory, and poetry into his songs, as The Ruby Kid does, or someone who could rap about being lazy in as overtly positive tones as JollyJay and H-to-O do. And let’s not forget that the entire genre of grime is an offshoot of hip-hop in the UK itself, one that Americans have not even dabbled in. Like most music, the main creative force comes from the underground, from artists who are hungry and willing to experiment and not from those who are already at the top (with some exceptions, of course). Americans who are willing to see that in their own music but not in Britain’s are a bit myopic in their musical taste and should explore a bit farther.

This piece may seem a bit moot to readers of this blog, because you guys already like UK hip-hop. However, it is important to understand why some Americans seem to miss the point of the music so much, and I hope that I explored some of the main reasons. My ability to reference artists is limited by the fact that I am a semi-knowledgeable, but ultimately casual fan of UK hip-hop, and not an expert by any means. It is also worth repeating that I am generalizing about the experiences I have had, and I am sure there are many Americans who listen to UK hip-hop and appreciate it as much, if not more, than I do.

Cheers!

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Instancevx – Favourite Mistake (video)

March 16, 2012
Features
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Leeds MC Instance has just dropped a slick new video for his bluesy single ‘Favourite Mistake’, a track taken from his superb The Superegular album which was released last year.

Producer/beatmaker Sonar Cousin puts a spin on the classic Python Lee Jackson/Rod Stewart collaboration track ‘In a Broken Dream’, slowing the tempo and producing a silky smooth instrumental over which Instance laces his trademark vocal drawl and swooning harmonised choruses. To compliment the song, Instance opts for a sharp-suited soul singer aesthetic in a video which flits back and forth between smoky black and white visuals, sensual love scenes and the bright lights of Soho during a boisterous night out.

Overall, the visuals are stunning and beautifully compliment the near-cinematic scope of the song’s luscious, heavily-suffused and poetic soundscape. Check it out.

Jefferson Price – What You Sayin’ Though (MV)

March 12, 2012
Features
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Scarborough emcee and Brown Bag Allstars affiliate Jefferson Price has released a new EP titled ‘Just Assume, I’m Everywhere’ on newly-formed Don’t Flop Records.

Lauded by many as being one of the most accomplished musicians in the battle rap community, Jefferson Price displays technical rhyming ability and an assured swagger over some ludicrously tasty beats courtesy of NY-based producers and fellow Brown Bag Allstars, J57 and Audible Doctor.

Guest features include Soul Khan, Koncept, and Truth.

A full review of the EP will appear on the blog very soon, but for now check out this video for the amazing single ‘What You Sayin’ Though’.

Download Just Assume, I’m Everywhere for free @ http://www.dontflop.bandcamp.com

Interview: Sensa

March 8, 2012
Interviews
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Battle veteran Sensa has been one of Don’t Flop’s most consistent performers since its inception as a battle league 3 years ago. The East Anglian emcee has been there from the beginning, battling in some of the first ever Don’t Flop battles filmed using rudimentary camera equipment in a dingy Norwich underpass.

A lot has happened since he made his debut against Cruger in 2008. He’s battled at flagship London events against a slew of dope opponents, and he’s has even taken him as far as Canada to battle at King of the Dot.

His success can be attributed to one thing – his professionalism; he rare falters and delivers consistently hard-hitting lines. But he’s no stranger to controversy either; his mentioning of two famous tragedies drew indignation and outrage from many DF viewers. Regardless of where you stand, there’s no denying Sensa’s pedigree, and his latest title match battle with fellow Don’t Flop veteran Oshea proves why he is regarded top-tier.

Ahead of what promises to be a busy summer for Sensa, I caught up with him to reevaluate his career after his title match and check in to see what surprises he has in store for 2012.

TC: In your song ‘Not A Rapper’ you mention you weren’t heavily into hip-hop growing up. What got you into battling?

Sensa: The thing is I was into hip-hop, just not in the way that a lot of people in the battling scene are. To me, hip-hop was 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Eminem, the usual suspects, and in 2Pac especially I had everything I needed. I listened to his music all the time and became obsessed with everything about his life; the conspiracies, the shootings and the message in his music. I also used to listen to NWA, Ludacris, Talib Kweli, but if you asked me about Common, GZA, Jadakiss, I probably couldn’t answer the most basic of questions. But like I said, in 2Pac I had everything I needed really, with Eminem and the others supplying the other side to rap.

My battling career started in Norwich about 6 years ago, with live on-beat freestyle battles. It was actually the same club in which Arkaic first started to battle, and it was good fun and the only battling I was really aware of at the time. When Arkaic and Eurgh did WRC for Jumpoff I was gutted I never applied, but by the time Don’t Flop started I felt I was ready to be part of it all. I was actually present when Eurgh had the idea for the name Don’t Flop, so it felt only right that I got involved.

TC: What process do you go through when preparing for a battle?

Sensa: To begin with, I brainstorm all of the potential angles I can see for my opponent; short, tall, glasses, Northern etc. Once that list is compiled, I tend to see which basic ideas can stem from the brainstormed bullet points. Gradually the bars start flowing, and I find new angles which I can expand upon. It’s quite an organic process really. Once I feel I have all the bars I need for the battle, the mission really begins, namely, organizing my bars into structured verses that are clear and coherent. I find that the most strenuous part of the process. The memorising I find relatively easy; I managed to remember my 12 minute round for the Prince Kong battle during a shift at work. But to be honest, prepping for a battle takes up so much time that the audience isn’t aware of, I wish sometime they could see how many hours are actually put into it.

TC: Your latest battle with Oshea has so far garnered over 60,000 views. What do you make of the response so far?

Sensa: I think the response has been great, plus the battle seems to have pleased the viewers and lived up to expectations. It seems that an overwhelming number of people feel the wrong person was given the win, which is an opinion I agree with, but I’m not mad at all. Oshea is a great performer, the fans love him, and I myself am one of those fans. I think the reason I lost was the angle I took which was to make Oshea out to be the bad guy and not me, and I don’t think I managed to pull it off.

TC: Your references in past battles to the Hillsborough and Rhys Jones tragedies provoked outrage from some Don’t Flop viewers (namely those from Liverpool). In retrospect, would you have broached such sensitive subjects as these?
Sensa: To be honest with you, I was sure that Oshea was going to mention them first, and make me look the bad guy. I thought early on in my writing process that I needed to mention them as well as a way to counteract them. As my angle was to make Oshea look the bad guy, I found a way to tie them into my verses. A lot of people object to me saying those things, which I understand, but in this battle I wasn’t dissing the tragedies themselves. Look at it this way, I have 3 kids, so of course I’m not happy with the fact that Rhys Jones was killed. It was a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to his family and to those close to him. It was just an angle that I used in a battle, not a personal opinion or something that I even remotely condone.

TC: You went to King of the Dot last year. What was the experience like? Did it open your eyes to the Canadian hip-hop scene?

Sensa: The King of the Dot trip was great. I have nothing but respect for Organik and the whole KOTD staff for the way they handled getting me there and how they treated me when I was there. The event itself was amazing; I enjoyed every battle and mingling with the legends that I’d only previously seen online.

TC: What are your plans for battling? Are there any future opponents in your crosshairs? International ones perhaps?
Sensa: At the moment I’m taking a break; I’m busy at home and I’m really trying to push on with making music right now. To be honest, there aren’t any battles that I’m really keen to take anyway. However, if a big-name international opponent does come up, I’ll be on it, but not for a good few months.

Photo by Franc Botha, Rhythm Circus.

TC: What do you think of the idea that battle rappers can’t make good songs? Does it still hold true?

Sensa: I think that old adage is bullshit; just look at all the battle rappers around that make music and you will see that. In the last year, I’ve copped Illmac’s Green Tape, OG Hindu Kush’s in 3D, and 24/7′s Room Full of Empty Bottles. In the UK, Cruger, Psychosis Holochaust, Jefferson Price and Blizzard are just some of the few that make great music, so I don’t think that it’s at all fair to say battlers can’t make tracks.

TC: You recorded a mixtape in seven days after your Soul Khan battle titled ‘Do You Know Me’ about a year ago. How did the project come about and who helped you put it together?

Sensa: Ah, that shit was wack! In all seriousness though, I rushed it so much that the quality of the tracks was poor. I just felt that as the Soul Khan and Dizaster battles were being released, I needed something to promote, but I feel it backfired. The beats were provided by various people; Bigg Ceaser, John P, Dirty Stanz, which were all great, but I just wish I’d taken more time on the project as a whole. Chronicle, Arkaic, Wordplay jumped on tracks with me, and they all got their verses to me quickly and efficiently, so nothing but respect to them for their work. Besides, me and my engineer Break Fluid had a real good time making it, so fuck it.

TC: I’ve noticed you’re a huge fan of Baltimore rapper Los. What is it you like about him so much?
Sensa: Los is, in my opinion, the best technical rapper I’ve ever heard. His lyrics, flow and presence are truly unmatched. I advise everybody to go cop his latest album Los – The Crown Ain’t Safe. It’s fucking amazing.

TC:  And finally, what would you say inspires you most in life?

Sensa: Everybody around me who’s close to me, especially my fiance and the kids. Battle rapping is such a small part of my life, and while I do enjoy it, it means very little in the grand scheme of things. Music inspires me and gets me through the day most day; in fact I cannot imagine a day not listening to music. I also love making music, and hopefully the next interview I do I will be talking about the new album I’m working on!

Twitter @sensauk

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Don’t Flop presents BLAM!

March 5, 2012
Events
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The UK’s leading battle rap events company Don’t Flop (recently featured on Channel 4 News) is set to host a new monthly open mic and battle event in Manchester as a follow-up to its successful To The Test series.

The inaugural event of BLAM! will take place on March 20 between 8pm and 2am at the Drylive Arena on Oldham Street and will showcase not just battles but also wider aspects of hip-hop culture from various stalwarts within the Manchester independent artistic community. This will include eye-catching graffiti displays from the likes of Oh Aye Crew and The Rag & Bone Collective, masterful DJing and turntablism from the likes of Konny Kon and Taste The Difference, and an array of retro, vintage and customised hip-hop apparel from various local independent vendors on sale at the Don’t Flop Mini-Market.

An added feature of the event will be the new Don’t Hog open mic sessions which anyone with rap skills is welcome to enter and spit bars, while on the musical stage, leftfield Manchester super-group Mothership Connection will entertain the DF crowd with its unique funk-filled boom-bap sound.

Coordinated by Don’t Flop North head honcho ChroniKill, BLAM! promises to be a fresh, exciting spectacle and a clear sign the Don’t Flop brand is diversifying and ever-expanding its scope.

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Battle Predictions:

Unanymous vs Pedro
Both these emcees wear their hearts on their sleeve and show passion in abundance, so this contest promises to be heated; however I just feel Unanymous has the slight edge in terms of lyricism and will prevail over Pedro’s relentless syllabic onslaught. Unanymous.

Frisko vs Elz
This is going to be a funny one. Frisko has the sharper wit, while Elz’s blithe, dramatic pauses and incomparable swagger are sure to elicit a frenzy of hysterics from the Don’t Flop crowd. Based on Frisko’s strength for personals, I think he’ll take this, but it’ll be close. Frisko.

Bowski vs Eek
Eek delivered one of the most seamless performances I’ve ever seen in a tryout battle and thoroughly deserved to take the W in London with his well-structured verses and impactful delivery. Bowski has been consistently entertaining as a battler since joining the league, but I just feel Eek will outdo the Lancastrian both technically and performance-wise. Eek.

Micky Worthless/Jefferson Price vs Evila/Hydef
This promises to be a hotly contested two-on-two, with each side sure to go hard and prove their worth. While Micky and JP will probably be tipped as favourites, but their Warrington counterparts will be no pushovers. 17-year-old Hydef showed real potential in his tryout battle in Leeds last year, while Evila is an accomplished rhymer with clever wordplay and great structure in his verses. This could go either way, but based on stronger team dynamic I actually think the Lancashire lads will just edge this. Evila/Hydef.

10 Classic UK Hip Hop Tracks (You May Not Have Heard)

March 2, 2012
Features
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By Pete Cashmore

Here are 10 classic UK hip hop tracks you may not have heard. Actually, you probably have, in which case, I apologise for being rubbish and out of touch, but then I’m 38, what do you expect?


1. BLAK TWANG – Real Estate
I chose this first and wrote it last because it’s so hard to nail what makes it so brilliant, but brilliant it is. It is just the most exact evocation of what breadline life in South London is like, sonically and lyrically. For me, British rap’s greatest moment. Yeah, seriously.


2. SINDECUT - Sindecut’s Kickin’ Yeah
I own this on vinyl, which makes me awesome. Basically, it’s Sly And The Family Stone’s You Can Make It If You Try fed into the turntable threshing machine that is DJ Fingers and it’s one of the best British rap tracks ever too.


3. FRESHSKI AND MO ROCK – Pick Up On This
Showing my age with this one. Came out at the end of 1987 on Tuff Groove, whoever they were, and the good news is you can find it on Youtube. Check those drum rolls! That brass! Ooh, I’ve just come over all funny.


4. OVERLORD X – Rough In Hackney
It is, of course, perfectly pleasant in Hackney nowadays, but this makes it sound otherwise. This was when most UK hip-hop tried to sound all fin de siécle and mental by throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the mix, to good effect.


5. DICK LIMERICK ACADEMY – The Wedding Wrist
Given that this is a song about Rikky Wiley being caught wanking in his hotel room during a wedding reception, it’s surprisingly funky.


6. DROP – The Beat Bites
Not going to lie to you: you will never ever hear this song, I’m only including it to show what an exciting obscurant I am. It was a white label (actually, it was blue) scratch mix of stuff from about 1987 and the rumour was that it was The Stereo MCs under another name. And that’s all I know.


7. KRISPY 3 – On Tempo
Absolutely brilliant in its ’94 Re-Lick version, this could have provided Kold Sweat with a bona fide chart hit if only they had the budget to promote it. Irresistible double bass bassline, exuberant lyrics, it’s a rap celebration on record.


8. RUM COMMITTEE – Citizen Pinball
I’m biased because I wrote their press biography, but this is the best track on an already superb album. Bukioe’s opening line – “This town be my pitfall” – is a classic example of less saying more, one of my favourite rap lines ever. And what a title! As a way to describe the ebb and flow of nightlife in a city, it’s unmatchable.


9. JEFFERSON PRICE – What You Sayin’ Though
Right up to date now, Jefferson has absolutely smashed the ball out of the park with this one – it wouldn’t sound out of place on Styles Of Beyond’s first album in terms of intensity and lyrical complexity. He comes from Scarborough, for fuck’s sake.


10. PROFESSOR GREEN – Upper Clapton Dance
You’ve definitely heard this one, but I’m throwing this one in in case the casual reader only associates him with dodgy cover versions and Lily Allen hook-ups. This one is fucking BOSS and the video’s good too. He still had bad teeth when it was made.

 

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Pete Cashmore is a journalist and editor-at-large for Nuts Magazine. In recent months he has been a fixture at most Don’t Flop rap battle events and is about to make his bow in the battling arena this April against Don’t Flop blogger Bentlegs (both of whom have never rapped, let alone battled before). Pete is battling in aid of Depression Alliance, a cause close to his heart having suffered from depression himself (something he discusses openly in an excellent piece for the official Don’t Flop Blog).

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