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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).

Your Scene or Mine? Why Rappers Should Care More About Spoken-Word Poetry.

March 1, 2012
Events, Features
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By The Ruby Kid

Any attempt to deal with the relationship between spoken-word poetry and rap must at some point collapse into semantics. What distinguishes a rap verse, delivered acappella, from a spoken-word poem? Is it “rap” when it’s on the beat, and spoken-word when not? Is “rap” distinguished by the requirement to match the cadence of the lyrics to the rhythm of the beat, and the requirement to rhyme? Where then do rappers who experiment in disjuncture between lyrics and beat, and play with assonance, consonance, and half-rhyme, fit in?

I don’t have the answers to these questions – and if I did, I don’t think I could communicate them in a single blog post. I’m just raising them to show that the distinctions between spoken-word and rap as lyrical/poetic/verse-based (there’s the semantics; take your pick) artforms are, to say the least, blurred. I think rappers should engage with the spoken-word scene, and I think poets should engage with hip-hop.

What I can try and do in this blog post is provide an extremely cursory introduction to some exciting stuff that’s going on, and speak about some areas where I think the hip-hop scene could learn from its spoken-word scene cousin.

Despite the great work that initiatives like Brighton’s “Poets vs MCs” clash have done to bring the poetry and hip-hop scenes into active, face-to-face engagement with each other, and despite Mark Grist’s admirable work in the battle scene right now, there’s still a lot of prejudice. I think a lot of hip-hop heads’ image of spoken-word still looks a lot like this, and in the poetry scene there’s still a lot of tired, hackneyed misconceptions about hip-hop being all about “guns, bitches and bling.”

Although poetry is hardly a mass cultural pursuit, spoken-word scenes are burgeoning in the UK and there’s almost certainly something exciting going on right in your back yard. London is the hub for a lot of what’s going on right now. Again, that’s not a value judgement, just a recognition of where things are at. There’s plenty of dope stuff going on outside the capital – Bournemouth’s Freeway Poets, Nottingham’s Mouthy Poets and Sheffield’s Word Life are just three off the top of my head. Hammer & Tongue and Apples & Snakes also run events across the country. But London’s where I’m at right now so I’ll write on what I know.

Regular nights like Chill Pill, Bang Said The Gun, Wordamouth, Kid, I Wrote Back, Tongue Fu, Come Rhyme With Me and many more showcase an incredibly diverse range of poetic talent. Importantly, most have an open mic attached. As someone with a foot in both camps, so to speak, this is an area in which I think the hip-hop scene could learn from the poetry scene. Although London does play host to some great regular hip-hop open mics (Fat Gold Chain, Lyricists Lounge and Don’t Flop’s new “Don’t Hog” event, for instance), the atmosphere there is highly competitive. That’s not a bad thing; that’s always been an aspect of hip-hop and the same culture exists in poetry too in the form of slams. But the spoken-word scene is also home to open mic events where aspiring writers can test out new material, hone their stage skills and get some constructive feedback in a supportive environment. If an equivalent exists in the rap scene, I haven’t encountered it yet.

Spoken-word artist Raymond Antrobus.

Something else I think the spoken-word scene does incredibly well that hip-hop could learn from is stylistic diversity. At a spoken-word night in London you might encounter Rachel Rose Reid (a poet, singer and storyteller whose performance subtly weaves different folkloric traditions together) performing alongside Anthony Anaxagorou, an intense writer and performer who writes about, among other things, the history of modern racism. You can catch Raymond Antrobus, whose back-catalogue includes heartfelt poems about his grandmother as well as Dali-esque image-scapes about surreal dreamworlds, holding it down alongside Bridget Minamore, speaking on Palestinian rights, Häagen-Dazs ice-cream and hiding from boys at house parties (sometimes in the same poem). You’ll find artists like the Musa Okwonga/Giles Hayter collaboration “The King’s Will” and Joshua Idehen (of Benin City) conducting experiments in poetry and sound. You’ll find Simon Mole and Polarbear writing one-man spoken-word shows and selling out theatres.

There’s a kind of official, sanctioned diversity in the hip-hop scene which often feels incredibly sterile. You can rap how you like, as long as you fit into one of a series of pre-determined boxes – “conscious” rapper, “street” rapper, “comedy” rapper, “horrocore” rapper…

The poetry scene has its formulae and dogma too but it’s incredibly rare to hear anyone claim that they write “real” poetry, whereas everyone else doesn’t. Flip that up and think about how many times you’ve heard a rapper claim that they make “real” hip-hop, and everyone else is “fake”. If you’re a rapper who finds that kind of artistic dogmatism and conservatism tiresome and cosseting, you should think about venturing the way of your nearest poetry open mic.

Something else I think the poetry scene has up on the hip-hop scene is its political culture around gender and sexuality. Put bluntly, there are more women and LGBT people involved in the poetry scene – both as artists and in other capacities – than there are in the hip-hop scene. I think that’s a good thing. If you think the hegemony of straight men over the rap scene is something to be maintained, then we need to have a different discussion. But if you think it’d be good if that hegemony was challenged, then a closer engagement between the hip-hop scene and the spoken-word scene is at least a potential way to begin doing that.

The kind of crossover and engagement that I’m talking about already happens in an incidental way. I’ve played a hip-hop set at Chill Pill, and Mystro’s playing there in March. Poets like Simon Mole, Polarbear and John “Berko” Berkavitch can rock a track as well as a page. Scroobius Pip is signed to Sage Francis’s record label, Kate Tempest is selling out tours with her band, Taskforce vet Chester P is gigging with a spoken-word set now and Akala is equally at home smashing an SB.TV F64 as he is schooling people about Shakespeare (his “Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company” show has a nice bit in it where he reads out various snippets of verse and asks the audience to guess whether they come from Shakespeare or a rap lyric. The answers are always surprising).

This article has been written for hip-hop heads. I didn’t quite intend this when I started writing it but it’s ended up being a mild polemic for why rappers should engage with the spoken-word scene (I added the title retrospectively). Certainly, I could write an equivalent article that shoots in the other direction; there are still an awful lot of hang-ups and prejudices, some of them latently racist and a lot of them classist, in the poetry world about hip-hop, grime and other lyrical artforms. They need challenging too.

Personally I’m pretty libertarian in my attitudes to art; ultimately I think people should make the art they want to make and we shouldn’t put restrictions on it by insisting on dividing everything up by “genre”, “scene” or even form. But while such divisions exist, I think we can help create a better, more liberating artistic culture by trying to erode them by dynamic engagements between artforms and artistic communities that, to return to the point that opened this article, already have a great deal in common.

The engagement won’t be seamless. Of course there’ll be tensions, clashes and contradictions; that’s fine. In fact, a lot of the time, that’s where the best art gets made.

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The Ruby Kid is a hip-hop artist and poet based in London, but originally from Nottingham (via Sheffield, and with roots in New York’s Jewish community). On Monday 19 March he will host, and perform at, “Out-Spoken” at Proud Galleries, Camden. “Out-Spoken” is a showcase of some of London’s best spoken-word and hip-hop talent, featuring Anthony Anaxogorou (with Godfly), Raymond Antrobus, Nia Barge, Brotherman, Nate, and The King’s Will.

Psychosis Holochaust – End Game (Album Review)

February 15, 2012
Reviews
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Sheffield rapper Psychosis Holohaust has recently dropped End Game, his long-anticipated debut solo album.

The album’s sound is characterised by video game samples chopped up with heavy snare and bass hits. Though its soundscape is saturated in sci-fi imagery, the Zelda-esque fantasy game aspect is toned down in comparison to his more full-on Adventure Rap EP which was almost exclusively set in a mythic quasi-Medieval video game realm.

Songs like ‘Gia War’ however, are still highly reminiscent of the stylistic thrust of ‘Adventure Rap’, with Psychosis lyrically plunging himself in an immersive Halo-esque space shooter narrative. The album’s final track ‘Turrican’ featuring OhPityMe and Tenchoo, similarly conjures that adventure-gaming vibe with its heavy synth-metal sample and sword-slashing poetics.

Psychosis’ flow on tracks is brutal and focussed; in fact he practically devours each instrumental. In tracks such as ’Futureworld’ he pummels listeners ears with devastating double-time flows and relentless polysyllabics set to lush and ornate sample-driven beats courtesy of Faceraper.

Overall, the album proves PH’s effortless ability to flit back and forth between themes and styles – mixing hardcore boom-bap sensibilities with Ghetts-style rawness and aggression. Seamlessly bridging the realms of grime and hip-hop and aestheticising them within a retro-futuristic gaming cyberspace, End Game is totally unique.

Purchase ‘End Game’ for £5.
psychosisholochaust.bandcamp.com

Innuendo – Soz Abar Me (Album Review)

February 8, 2012
Reviews
2 Comments

Newly-crowned Jumpoff champion Innuendo is one of the seminal figures in an ever-growing Liverpool rap scene. An emcee, a community worker and an activist, he’s also something of a reformed character – having overcome a life of crime to build a career and be a positive role model to youngsters.

That said, the 24-year-old still freely admits to being a long way from perfect – occasionally (or rather frequently) succumbing to booze, drugs and promiscuous sex.

Soz Abar Me, Innuendo’s second album, is largely rooted in his personal life – a life which is awash in self-contradictions and frequent “apologies regarding [his] being“. It’s less your requisite bombast-rap fare and plays more like an autobiography with frequent moments of sincerity in which he grasps and tackles personal concerns that rarely go beyond the prosaic and ordinary. Self-aware, but not overly “conscious”, Innuendo taps into various emotions and proves himself a decent storyteller in this his follow-up to Deep Breaths, his 2008 debut album.

The stocky Scouser generally forgoes machismo in favour of sentimental raps about ex-lovers, his frequent bouts of self-deprication and some harrowing tales of his misspent youth, explicitly referencing events like his 12-month court case “all for selling green” and surviving a near-fatal car crash. Indeed, his rhymes are set in the everyday, as opposed to the vague and existential, which is utterly refreshing, carrying these through with a structured, almost conversational style of rapping and a crisp delivery.

The raps themselves are set to various high-quality beats procured from various producers like Liverpool’s Ro Jista and Lancashire’s Saint Bastard, which provide an eclectic backdrop to his tales of street life, boozing, nightclubs and promiscuity. In addition to the more narrative-based are also concept tracks like ‘Nicolatine’, a brilliant double-time number produced by featuring Tri-Cypher’s Evila from Warrington which uses a very similar parallel as Rizzle Kicks’ Miss Cigarette between nicotine addiction and lust for a particular girl. These are cleverly interspersed with recordings of well-rehearsed acoustic performances like ‘One Night Stand’ and ‘Old Flame’, stories of sexual exploits and quasi-romance featuring guitarist and singer Dave Wilson.

The album does ccasionally falter in the beat department, but overall it’s pleasantly diverse, with more haunting, melancholy loops crafted by the likes of Brainchild contrasting particularly well to downtempo and synthy joints courtesy of grime producers ChartStalker and Blizzard. Newcastle and Don’t Flop battle sensation Suus brings layered instrumentals to the fore in ‘Bandwagon’ and ‘Growing Colder’, two of the most rounded tracks on the album, while  Innuendo also solidifies his own reputation as a producer with ‘Hang in There’, though the long meditative sustains dilute his compelling diary-like vocals at times.

Some of the albums tracks are not as well-crafted as others, and his admissions of vulnerability and self-deprication are sometimes a tad overwrought, but the album itself generally plays well as a deep and intense personal account of a paradoxical character wracked with guilt, but at the same time unable to resist the vices contributing to his ruin. He’s basically a lesson in self-contradiction, and that’s not a bad thing: in fact it’s what makes him infinitely more personable to listeners than your average vanilla-plain hip-hop posturer.

Soz Abar Me oozes with unabashed tales of real life. Though his language is often crude, Innuendo packs in poetic storytelling and though his album hardly forges a radically new sound, it provides a stirring listen from start to finish. Now he’s part of High Rise Entertainment, a countrywide network of established urban artists, I predict a bright future for the Liverpool rhymer, who I hope will one day go from local hero to a household name. Only time will tell, but I think it’s about time the whole UK got to hear a Scouse voice in rap for a change.

Purchase Soz Abar Me from Innuendo’s Bandcamp page.
innuendomusicuk.bandcamp.com

Interview: Blizzard

December 5, 2011
Interviews
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Manchester-based grime/rap artist Blizzard is tipped for big things. Creating a major buzz after an impressive string of freestyle videos, (most notably his two recent SB.TV Warm-Up Session and F64 videos which have so far garnered well over 100,000 combined views), the prodigiously gifted 17-year-old emcee and producer practically has “the next big thing” stamped to his forehead. Already making waves in the scene, it’s impossible for fans of both hip-hop and grime to ignore  the young Mancunian, who combines devastating grime flows with punchlines, lyricism and a maturity beyond his years.

TC: For those who don’t know you, sum yourself up in sentence.
Blizzard: I’m a 17 year old MC and producer from Manchester, UK and I’m just trying my hardest to push my music to the depths of the earth and be up there with the best.

TC: What sort of artists initially inspired you to get into making music?
Blizzard: The music I listened to as a kid was mainly what was playing around the house; rap and grime music didn’t come to me till I was exploring myself, but rappers like The Game, Eminem and LL Cool J along with groups like Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast and A Tribe Called Quest. My production is inspired by stuff like Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Aphex Twin, Massive Attack and Autechre, so a wide range of stuff really.

TC: You’re primarily known for grime, but you also affiliate closely with the UK hip-hop scene. When did you cultivate a passion for rap?
Blizzard: When I started secondary school really. Before that it was whatever was on display, or whatever I heard, but that was the point where I understood it.

TC: You’re working alongside independent grime label Launchpad Records. Tell us a bit about the label’s ethos and what you want to achieve with it.
Blizzard: Launchpad is a great label. They do their work and as a result of that they’re steadily becoming a prolific name in the grime scene. It’s deserved as well; it’s not like they’ve had the formula given to them with colour-coded instructions. They (George Quann-Barnett and Louis Serrano, the founders of Launchpad) worked it out. In the future I’ll most likely be releasing something with them.

TC: Which artists (not necessarily limited to grime or hip-hop) are you feeling most at the moment?
Blizzard: I’ve got a few. I go through phases but at the moment I’m feeling The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Jhene Aiko, Lana Del Rey and Jhene Aiko, as well as many others. For hip-hop, it’s Jehst. ‘Dragon Of An Ordinary Family’ is all I’ve been bumping lately.

TC: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Blizzard: I’d love to collaborate with The Weeknd. The guy has a hauntingly good voice, and hypothetically it would be interesting to see how he’d adapt on a song with a UK artist.

TC: Since the age of 11 you along with Shifty and Slayer have formed part of Manchester grime crew Mayhem. Is this still an active operation, and do you still maintain close ties with both crew members?
Blizzard: Yeah, Mayhem are still active, but we’re more like a firm of MCs that work together but away from the crew do solo stuff, if that makes sense. We’ve been talking about a future CD but we’ll always be screaming the name, regardless if we have a new project out or not.

TC: You’re strongly associated with the Manchester grime scene. How do you feel about the scene in general? Is it getting the praise and recognition it deserves?
Blizzard: It’s an issue of interpretation really. To some people it’s a breath of fresh air, yet to others it’s like a page out of a dystopian novel. It’s down to how you, as an individual, choose to work. In the next few years I think Manchester artists going nationwide will be much more commonplace.

TC: The grime scene is often accused of being too London-centric. Do you think it’s harder for grime artists from other cities to gain recognition?
Blizzard: I think so, mainly due to the fact that the general consensus of grime fans only pay attention to London artists most of the time. Just getting acknowledged is a big enough feat, but there’s nothing to say that it isn’t possible.

TC: The Manchester rap scene is a burgeoning one. Which artists should we be looking out for?
Blizzard: Sin-Seer from Manchester is ill. He’s bringing back the old-school, laid back lethargic 90s style that I miss. Also Red IQ, which is a rap trio that is made up of D’Lyfa Reilly, C Aye Monk and Bo’Nidle. They’re ill.

TC: You’ve battled a few times on Don’t Flop, most recently defeating H-Bomb. What do you like about battling, and how do you feel about the current state of the UK battle scene?
Blizzard: Don’t Flop is the only thing that is really worth paying attention, but they’re doing their work and it’s paying off. I was at an event on the 19th November (Blood In The Water 5) which was insane. Rappers from the US, Canada, Holland, Sweden and even Malaysia flew out to take part in that event.

TC: Many of us will have no doubt seen your SB.TV Warm-Up Session and F64 videos. How important do you feel your online exposure has been in getting your name out there?
Blizzard: I think online exposure is important because it’s available for everybody. When I started out the only way artists used the internet was Myspace, and now it’s became bigger, and it’s a way for artists to become established.

TC: In addition to emceeing, you’ve produced various beats, including the infamous ’Soundboy Killer’ for Wiley over which he sends for Dot Rotten. As your career as an emcee progresses, do you see yourself continuing to produce for other artists?
Blizzard: Yeah Soundboy Killer was the start of it; I was always making beats for myself and my close circle of friends but it never really took off, and I never saw a big demand for my beats, so I was quite reluctant to bring stuff out. But for sure, I’d love to take production to the next level and produce for big artists.

TC: Are there any new projects of yours in the pipeline?
Blizzard: Just the mixtape that I’m in the process of making at the moment, called ‘The Social Network’. I don’t have a release date but it’ll be a free download project and I will keep you all updated.

TC: And finally, where can people best find you online?
Blizzard: My Twitter (@iamblizzard), my Facebook fan page (www.facebook/blizzarddubs) and my Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/iamblizzard).

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Interview: Lunar C

October 4, 2011
Interviews
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"It's West Yorkshire, BITCH!"

Despite being a relative newcomer to the Don’t Flop rap battle movement, Sinoptic Music affiliate and West Yorkshire representative Lunar C is fast becoming its most popular competitor. With a string of superb performances under his belt, in which he displays a real knack for degrading opponents, Lunar has endeared himself to audiences with his mix of plain speaking, blithe humour and confident rapping ability. Recently garnering attention and praise from such celebrities as grime heavyweight JME and 20-year old entrepreneur and founder of SB.TV, Jamal Edwards, the aggy Bradford rhymesmith is on a surefire route to success. What follows is a brief interview with the guy before he becomes so famous I might have to circumnavigate publicists to even reach him again by email.

TC: For those who might not know you, sum yourself up in a sentence.

LC: I am your favourite person!

TC: It’s a bit of a stock interview question, but what inspired you to a) get into hip-hop, and b) start making music?

LC: I’ve always loved hip hop since I can remember. My dad brought me up on all kinds of music, but he played Wu Tang Clan and Cypress Hill a lot which was when I started to get the bug!! I started recording at a youth club called ‘Mapa’ which was linked to a course I had to do when I was 15 after I was kicked out of school. I was the cool dude who ran it since I was like eight and used to go there, so studio was free to me but I only wanted to record when I went on the course and had to fill my time. When I was 8 me and my brothers did a rap song there called ‘Kick Buttickah!’. Big up Jerry Crawford.

TC: Which artists are you feeling at the moment?

LC: Current hip hop artists I’m liking at the moment are Joel Ortiz, Yelawolf, PacDiv, Wretch 32, FlameGriller, Jack Flash, Matter, RumCom, Wizard, Defenders Of Style…. And loads more I can’t even think of.

TC: You represent Leeds/Bradford label/collective Sinoptic Music. Tell us a bit about the movement and the sort of music it produces.

We’re all pretty different as individual artists, but what unites us is our passion to make ill hip-hop! Check my crew FlyTippers, Minas, Phoenix, ExP, JND, Hash Finger, Flame Griller, Illuzual and Addverse! We’ve got a free bi-monthly EP available, too. Check out sinopticmusic.bandcamp.com

TC: What’s the hip-hop scene like up in Leeds and Bradford?

LC: It’s better in Leeds than it is in Bradford, but as a whole it’s still pretty small and not doing an awful lot to be honest. West Yorkshire as a whole though is a dope scene with lots of dope artists who are recently coming together and making things happen! Shouts to the local hip-hop and open-mic night, Beats ‘n’ Pieces.

TC: As I said in the preamble bit, your rapid ascent through the Don’t Flop ranks has been quite phenomenal. What are your future plans for battling? Do you have any opponents in mind? Top-tier ones perhaps? 

LC: To be honest, no. I haven’t really planned anything with battling at all, but I know Eurgh and Cruger are talking about a lot of ideas at the moment which are hopefully going to make Don’t Flop a lot bigger and better than it’s already getting. Personally I’m just taking it as it comes and trying to stay on my toes. Battling is good fun and good for promotion, and I recommend it to any unknown MC trying trying to raise they’re profile (unless they’re the sort of wet pussy that rhymes ‘lyrical’ with ‘miracle’). Shouts to Don’t Flop!

TC: Do you ever fear that by becoming famous as a battle emcee and by being labelled as a “battle rapper”, your musical talents might get overlooked?

LC: I have done a little bit because the hype from my battles has happened so fast and people presume battlers are shit on beats; however I’ve been rapping since I was 15 and started battling only a few months ago. I know music is my forte — my next Solo project will prove that!

TC: You recently collaborated with Don’t Flop teammate and fellow West Yorkshire emcee, Matter, on an absolute banger of track called “Ip Op”. How did that project come about?

LC: Me and Matter had been talking about doing a track for a while and he got the beat from Wizard. We both then got in the studio and slapped each other in the face till the verses were popping!

TC: Many of us will now have seen your SB.TV video in which you spit a frenzy of battle bars to a hopeless dope dealer. How did the appearance come about, and who came up with the original battle rap concept?

LC: Jamal Edwards hit me up on Twitter and said, “Let’s make a video!”. This was crazy because I’d been wanting to get on SB.TV for a while, but I hadn’t the pluck to ask coz I’m a vagina with whiskers. Jamal is the coolest guy you’ll meet. Big up him and SB.TV!

TC: Aside from the battle scene, what are up to musically these days? Any future releases we should look out for?

LC:Yes. Me and my crew Fly Tippers will be bringing out an EP very soon. I’m also getting beats together for a solo project which I don’t have any plans for other than it will be your new religion!

TC: And finally, where can people best follow you, stalk you or just look you up?

LC: Follow me on Twitter @lunarfuckingc, but don’t tweet me asking when my new battle is out coz I don’t upload them!! Haha, BUH!

Sinoptic Music
Lunar C Bandcamp

Don’t Flop : To The Test Part 8 / Times Change Semi Finals (1-7pm, 24th September @ Saki Bar, Manchester)

September 12, 2011
Events
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Don’t Flop continues to represent the Northern region to the fullest with the eighth installment of the To The Test series, coupled with the semi-final of the Times Change competition in Manchester. Additionally, they’ve laid on an unprecedented retail space at the event for independent traders to promote their brand and wares and to attract new customers. As ever, props to all the Don’t Flop staff responsible for putting on these events which continue to garner new fans as well impress those loyal to the cause of UK battle rap. As my own small contribution to the event, here are my predictions for the day’s battles:

*TIMES CHANGE NORTHERN SEMI- FINAL*

Chris Leese vs Suus

With his Battlescars accolade and a wealth of battle rap experience behind him, it would seem, on paper at least, that Chris Leese really ought to take the W on this occasion. That said, Geordie wunderkind Suus is a force to be reckoned with and comes with consistently clever bars that display a maturity well beyond his tender years. For this prediction, I’m going against the grain by rooting for the underdog – after all isn’t this competition all about proving your mettle? Suus.

——————–

*MAIN EVENTS*

Unanymous vs Joker Starr

Joker Starr’s performance back in May at Don’t Flop’s North vs South event in Nottingham really showed a beastly side to his battle rap persona and subsequently he went up in many people’s estimations. This will be a clash of styles, with Unanymous boasting a forceful, in-your-face approach versus Joker Starr’s kookier, off kilter swagger. Personally however, I just feel Unanymous’ killer instinct will prevail in this particular clash. Unanymous.

Soul vs Matter

Verbal Contact’s Matter is one of Don’t Flop’s cleverest emcees, mixing intricate references, comedy and worplay into one of the most compelling packages. Soul thrusts a lot of information at the audience and rivals Stowaway as Don’t Flop’s thinking-man’s emcee. This in my opinion, could be one of the most contested and intense battles of the day, provided of course, that Soul really brings his A-game because I really felt he lacked venom in his recent two-on-two with Unanymous in Brighton. On that basis, and for the fact he has more stylistic variety in his verses, I’m opting for the West Yorkshireman. Matter.

——————–

Elz vs Pedro

With boundless enthusiasm and limitless energy levels, Pedro will provide a marked stylistic polarity with Elz, who favours a more blithe and laid-back funnyman approach. Though I’m certain both emcees will bring their A-game, this one will, I think, ultimately come down to preference. Not taking anything away from Elz because he’s truly hilarious, but in my opinion Pedro’s relentless delivery and lyricism are genuinely deserving of more merit. Pedro.

Jefferson Price vs Token

Although he lacked overall consistency, Token showed real promise in his battle with Tony D and will look to bolster his reputation by providing a stellar challenge to Brown Bag AllStar, Jefferson Price. This one could be very close indeed, but, for the sake of this prediction, I’m playing it safe by opting for the more confident DF newcomer from Scarborough. Digga.

Evileyz vs Micky Worthless

N.S.R’s Evileyz is, in my opinion, one of Don’t Flop’s best comedians — and so indeed is Micky Worthless. Both emcees are sure to elicit a frenzy of laughter from the Manchester crowd, but simply based on his number of recent appearances, I’m going to Micky Worthless is better poised to take the W. Micky.

Bowski vs Ben Karlow

Larger-than-life Bowski favours a surprisingly effective and unelaborate comedic style which has thus far entertained us Don’t Flop fans to the hilt. Fellow Lancastrian Ben Karlow arguably displays better technical variety and structure in his verses, but I’m almost certain that the endless charisma of the big man will fill in any gaps in his style and cede the spotlight. Bowski.

DPF vs J1

Despite the fact he lost, Norwich veteran rhymer DPF had an excellent battle with Don’t Flop’s emerging star, Lunar C, so it’s great to see him battling again. Sheffield emcee J1 delivers an hilarious array of rapid-fire one-liners but for me at least, he lacks the technical edge that DPF displays. Given this is an emcee battle, and not just merely comedy stand-off, I’m going for the old-schooler. DPF.

Appeal vs Fame

Perhaps not the most earth-shattering contest of the day, I’d imagine both emcees will feel they will have a point to prove and hopefully they’ll provide a gritty and dogged contest in which to engross the audience. Fame out of Manchester has been steadily improving, while Appeal is reasserting his status in Don’t Flop after a relatively long hiatus. I’m unsure which way this will go, so based on home-field advantage, I’m tentatively settling on Fame.

——————–

+ LIVE GRAFFITI:

Walter Ego & Synapz “Oh Aye Crew”

(All Graffers welcome, just bring your own paints)

BARBEQUE

LIVE P.A’s:

D’Lyfa Reilly 

Nity Gritz & Silvertongue

——————–

DJ’s:

Konny Kon (Broke ‘n’ £nglish)

Toni Smoke (Shadow People)

——————–

STALLS:

The Little Lemon Cakery

Standby Mcr

The Hip Hop Chip Shop

Candy Scent

Shotta TV

Leigh Harris

Hats and Kicks – American Sportswear

Official event sponsors:

ESM Clothing, You Naughty Monsters, Water gwaan.

——————–

Time: SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER,1-7PM

Venue: Saki Bar, 2 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester M14 5TP.

Entry: £5

Rayzel – Product of Circumstance Vol.1 (Mixtape Review)

September 11, 2011
Reviews
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Razyel first came to my attention back in 2009 when he set up Steel City Cipher Sessions – a platform for Sheffield hip-hop and grime emcees to participate in cyphers, spit fire in front of the camera and to collide with lyrical fury in rap battles. Although the setup was slightly banal and makeshift, I admired the willingness and enterprise of the young emcee to make an impact in the UK hip-hop community. Indeed the true essence of Rayzel is all about grit and perseverance. By years of tireless songwriting and recording, he has garnered himself a name that holds substantial weight in the underground UK scene – further boosting his pulling power by his affiliation to transatlantic indie label Pig Latin Productions, an outfit run by Guilty Smiles, a producer/emcee out of Arizona, which specializes in horrorcore spinoff genre, “Grave Rap”.

In keeping with the label’s aesthetic, Rayzel’s own sound is unequivocally hardcore: with freighted bursts of lyricism set to an array of sample-heavy instrumentals comprising a wide range of sounds which evoke everything from spine-chilling horror films to meditative acoustic refrains reminiscent of classic rock. His new mixtape Product of Circumstance Vol.1 is a hefty collection of such sounds, featuring Necro-esque horrocore production from French labelmate Nizuk and longtime beatmaker collaborator, Faceraper out of the Welsh valleys who is typically heavy on expansive and epic film scores.

Before even listening to his new mixtape, you know it’s going to be weighty – and with names like Diabolic, Copywrite and Sean Strange on the cards, you know this mixtape isn’t one to be taken lightly. The choice of such punchline emcees who, with their explicit verbal jabs, aggressive deliveries and tricky wordplay enhances Rayzel’s own style which, no doubt honed by battling, is rough and uncompromising but also counterbalanced by honest personal grievances, such as those of the injustices and inadequacies of everyday life.

Lyrically, all the emcees featured add reasons to hear them out and are typically heavy on overstatement, occasionally perhaps over-announcing their presence on tracks at times. The mixtape’s sound is atmospheric, with joints like Pigz Pen inflected with creepy, crawling signifiers and sprawling bassed-out vocal sustains, and Lamentations, a standout track spun by a haunting and wistful Medieval string sample. Aside from the forceful production, one thing that really that brings bucket-loads of grandeur and quality to this release is Rayzel’s natural ability to crescendo, to pause and to emphasize and to know where exactly to add musical cadence to make his songs sound bigger and more epic. By doing so, he proves himself to be a very able recording artist (which let’s be honest, is hardly the metier of most battle emcees).

Nonetheless, I can’t help but feel that the Pig Latin imprint stifles his creativity a little, as he could benefit from greater creative freedom and stylistic variation in some of his songs. Also, with 23 tracks it’s a deep catalogue, presumably spanning various chronologies, so I feel he could do with sweeping away the vestiges of some weaker joints like Life of Frank (a slightly dreary and excessive narrative of the tragic-stricken life of a Polish immigrant in the UK) by simply omitting them as they weigh down the mixtape a little and drown out some of the excellent songs like Sick and Tired, My Blood is Wine and Lamentations. Bearing in mind it’s a free mixtape though, I appreciate the sheer volume of tracks to get your teeth into.

Though he was no slouch as a battler, it’s clear that Rayzel is much more assured and inventive as a recording artist, and if Product of Circumstances Vol.1 serves merely as an exhibition of his talents, it’s safe to say I’m pretty stoked about his upcoming album.

Download Product of Circumstance Vol. 1 for FREE here.

http://www.reverbnation.com/rayzel
http://www.youtube.com/rayzelmusic1
http://www.piglatinproductions.com 

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