YOUR ONLINE UK RAP ATTACK…
By Mike Lewis

People are continually asking me, “Where were you when Michael Jackson died?” I’ve got an airtight alibi so I’m in the clear. With the topical part out of the way let’s get down to business…

You can’t open a newspaper or magazine these days without seeing Speech Debelle (pictured) and she even popped up on the Beeb while I was watching Glastonbury. Her album, ‘Speech Therapy’, is one of the biggest albums of the year and her latest single, ‘Better Days’, is another gem. The flip, ‘Where Do We Go’, is a sweet jazzy track with Debelle delivering her usual slice of reality.

Hot on the heels of his ‘All 4 Hip-Hop’ single Micall Parknsun unleashes his latest epic, ‘First Second Time Around’. Label mates and buddies including Jehst, Dubbledge, Kashmere and Kyza are all present but Parky can hold the mic solo with ease. Production comes from M-Phases, Apa-Tight, LG, Jehst, Jaisu and the man himself. This is one of the biggest albums of 2009 so don’t sleep on the working class dad’s masterpiece.

We love vinyl and we love green things so imagine our delight when No Pretenses’s ‘Self-Harmonic’ green vinyl seven-inch arrived. Not only is a great thing to own it’s also pretty good to listen to. Bane and Mury Poppinz are joined by Cage for some satanic poetry. This is the first single to be taken from the forthcoming ‘Music & Mouthwords’ album on the Don’t Talk To Strangers label. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Spin Doctor celebrates four years of his ‘Doctor’s Orders’ night with a 16 track mix featuring artists that have appeared in the last 12 months, including Guilty Simpson, Jehst, Skinnyman, Diamond D, Waajeed and many more.

Kid Circus and Coolhurst are new names to us but they’re sure to feature heavily over the next few months with their big beats, dance floor fillers, old school vibe and awesome instrumentals. ‘They Came To Play’ sounds like it’s taken a hook from ‘Love Rollercoaster’ while club deejay Emskee drops some light and easy vocals; ‘Dance’ is a drum driven track featuring Substantial and ‘Sam’s Revenge’ is a gritty, fuzzy bass-fuelled head-nodder that builds and builds.

Salford’s Crowhead releases his debut album, ‘Born With Teeth’, on Atic and it’s a mix of electronic beats, dub, breaks and hip-hop. Check out ‘Best Kept Secret’ and ‘Brand New’ for straight up rap or ‘EMC’ and ‘Until You’re Dead’ for some top beat action; ‘Super 8-Bit Disco’ is a fine example of how to make an instrumental that doesn’t get dull after the first few bars. Guests include Kwasi, Rusty P’s, label mate Niko and long time HHC favourite Mikey DON from Krispy.

Inja’s ‘Hat Low’ gets released on his In Records label and features Skinnyman and Mr Thing with hip-hop, dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass remixes and bonus tracks ‘Police Don’t Like Me’ and ‘Deep Within’’. Look for an album soon.

Finally, a couple of exclusives now with news of albums from Klashnekoff and Stig Of The Dump. Both have recorded their new full lengths and are in the process of mixing and mastering. Watch this space for more…

(All records mentioned are available from www.RapAndSoulMailOrder.com.)