Kano – Method To The Maadness | Album Review

The next generation of Grime spitters are privileged to have a handful of emcees whose blueprint to success has paid off in dividends. Dizzee Rascal’s mainstay at the peak of the charts and Tinchy Stryder’s status as a record selling artist have been heralded by both the wider audience and the underground communities – due to the financial gains they have received from their success.

Standing tall as many critics’ choice emcee however is Kano; East London born, akin to Tinchy and Dizzee, but has won praise for keeping his sound predominantly enriched in a murkier sound, even when exploring different directions. With a back catalogue labelled “Genius,” “Underrated” and “Pure” across his three albums to date, Method To The Maadness aims to further compound the positive responses of critics – ranging from the Fleet Street bigwigs to Grime Forum’s hardcore following. Read more

Nikko Gray – Love Seen | EP Review

Nikko Gray’s Love Seen EP has something of the nostalgic about it. Her artistry is firmly planted in 2010 nevertheless Nikko’s songs would not be out of place on the playlist of a late night quiet storm radio session circa 10-15 years ago. No wonder her take on Aaliyah’s ‘4 Page Letter’ was one of the highlights of SoulCulture’s 2009 Revisited download.

With the help of co-executive producer Nevin J Thomas, Gray has created a very laidback and seductive listening experience on Love Seen. Vocally Nikko straddles both the contemporary and the pseudo-classic conjuring alternately the spirit of Faith Evans and Beyoncé Knowles. Still, there’s every indication that Gray hasn’t lost her own voice in the mix. Read more

Jamie Lidell – Compass | Album Review

From time to time I’ve found myself wondering why Jamie Lidell is not more of a household name. With some catchy-yet-credible singles under his belt, and an impressive retro voice you would think he’d have at least garnered the type of attention bestowed on his namesake and less-vocally-talented Jazz counterpart Jamie Cullum.

Looking like a science geek who harbours a kinky secret, one wouldn’t expect that kind of voice to come out of Lidell. And it’s a vocal style peculiar to English soul boys; from Jay Kay, Lewis Taylor and erstwhile Artful Dodger collaborator Robbie Craig to a pre-pop/rock Jamie Scott and more recently Mamas Gun lead singer, Andy Platts. Lidell’s voice however is possibly the most authentically soulful out of the lot, which should be riposte enough to those music journos who have rather unfairly labelled his sound as affected.

On his previous two records, 2005’s Multiply and 2008’s Jim by his own admission – and as observed by critics – Lidell purposefully moved away from Electronica, his former base to focus on material that would best showcase his voice. He succeeded too; the production on both Jim and Multiply sounded convincingly vintage without being gimmicky or over-done.

On his latest effort, Compass, Jamie experiments with different soundscapes Read more

In Photos: Jay Electronica Live @Cargo_LDN, August 2010

When Jay Electronica took over the stage at Cargo earlier this week for his latest sold-out London show, photographer Neil Raja was there to capture the action for SoulCulture.

Plus our footage from the night, captured by Samit Tailor: Read more

Bei Maejor – Upside Down | Mixtape Review

The hybrid rapper/singer genre has really been around for some time now but in more recent months, Hip Hop’s golden boy Drake took the format and ran it to success [or to the ground if you’re sick of it now]. The latest jack of all trades to join the race is Bei Maejor, hoping to whip both guys and girls into a frenzy with his all-encompassing talents. His debut mixtape Upside Down, hosted by Clinton Sparks, aims to catapult producer/singer/rapper/songwriter Maejor into the major leagues of the music industry – hoping not to fall into the crack of mastering none of his aforementioned abilities. Read more

Black Dynamite | Film Review

Blaxplotation is a film genre that emerged in America in the early ’70s targeted at black audiences both in the underground and mainstream sectors. Blaxploitation creators didn’t imagine at the time that they were making art films that would transcend black culture and decades later be considered iconographic, pop royalty and in the process influence the world’s greatest directors.

Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) has a lot of influences but it’s the Blaxploitation-inspired Samuel L. Jackson character that gave the mocked sub-pop genre a place in the heart of both critics/Oscars and the masses.

It’s essential to highlight Pulp Fiction because beyond being the Blaxploitation style’s biggest triumph, created decades later by a white man who perpetually made the genre commercially viable and loved by all races and credos, it is also considered by many as the greatest film of all time.

The latest addition to the Blaxploitation timeline, Black Dynamite is a fantastic film – it should be used in the contemporary definition of “cult film”. Read more

Fresh Daily – Mothership/Land | Album Review + Download

New York Hip Hop may currently be missing a big hitter to plaster all over the industry, but on the underground things are more than active. The likes of Mickey Factz, Charles Hamilton and others continue to put their grind in for the Big Apple and have put out some exceptional material. Hailing from Brooklyn, Fresh Daily brings a more unique approach to the often braggish New York rap scene; mixing unique beats with a flow to match. With the release of his Mothership/Land album, can NY’s underground movement remain consistent with this latest addition? Read more

Loudmouth Melvin – EP #1 | Review + Download

Whilst 2010 has so far been a successful for artists breaking into the charts, the UK Hip Hop scene has also provided some standout moments. From acclaimed albums to live events, Hip Hop hasn’t been left in the shade by those artists who choose to produce a more accessible format. So it makes for great news to hear that Loudmouth Melvin, the lauded wordsmith, plans to drop four EPs with the first of the series hitting the web this week: EP #1.

“The Outspoken”:

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E.P 1 consists of more dope lyrical displays from another East London associate. The opener “The Outspoken” is packed with samples of his trademark tongue-in-cheek Read more

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