Divine Minds x Soulklap Pay Tribute To 16-bit Games With ‘Give Up The Sticks’ Mixtape

Before Def Jam: Rapstar, DJ Hero and artists providing the soundtrack to games, Hip Hop and gaming were two separate entities, but had always had a strong bond. Whether referenced by rappers or being characters in their own game what Hip Hop hadn’t done was to fully use the soundtracks which accompanied the games.

But going back to the days of Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis are the Cleveland rap click Divine Minds. Made up of MC Black J and producer Mike A, the duo have won props from bloggers and their fellow peers in the rap circuit for their material which channels the spirit of rap’s golden years.

Teaming up with up-and-coming producer Soulklap, Divine Minds pay tribute to 16 bit graphics, extra lives and power ups on this latest mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban. Read more

Big Sean – Finally Famous Vol. 3: B.I.G | Mixtape Review

It’s been evident that good music usually crops up around that late summer/early autumn season. This makes it the ideal period for Kanye West’s protégé Big Sean to be the first out of the block with his third mixtape installment of Finally Famous hosted by DJ Don Cannon.

Detroit’s XXL Freshman grad has put in blazing appearances on his own and various other mixtapes (including Kanye’s Good A.S.S Mixtape) and has the potential to become the next marquee signing of Mr West’s G.O.O.D Music label. It’s now a question of whether he has enough class to keep the momentum high for a label riding high on qualitative releases. Read more

Bruno Mars In London’s YoYo | Gig Review

On Thursday night Bruno Mars was the latest emerging talent to grace the infamous stage at west London’s weekly hip-spot, YoYo (in the Notting Hill Arts Club). Like any YoYo night, the small basement club was packed beyond capacity with fans, industry heads and London’s contrived ‘cool kids’.

Following an energetic performance from Mike Posner, Bruno took the stage with fellow Smeezington Phillip Lawrence and the rest of his band. He opened with “Other Side”, which, on wax features Cee Lo and B.O.B. Bruno coaxed the sound engineers through the microphones’ technical difficulties during the song, which detracted from the opening.

However, the shaky start was only a hiccup, and Bruno and his boys easily won the crowd over with his interpretation of “Nothin’ On You”, his hit with B.O.B.

“I’ve always dreamed of performing Hendrix in London, can I play some Hendrix?” Bruno asked before rocking out on his electric guitar to Jimi Hendrix‘s “Fire”. He followed this up with “Billionaire”. Read more

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

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