Browsing Tag

Stormzy

West London’s freshest trailblazer Zush held no prisoners with the killer cadence in ‘Playing for Keeps’

Posted on 7 December 2023

West London rap icon in the making Zush showcased a luminary on the cusp of great acclaim by unleashing his high-octane hit, Playing for Keeps, which flavours UK drill with a Caribbean kick while exhibiting his ability to hold his own against the charisma of Stormzy and Dave.

By bringing cultural flavour into the dark and ensnaring atmospheric Drill tones, the depth of the track is enhanced to the nth degree; from the first beat you are immersed in an adrenalizing aural visualisation of his infectiously visceral sonic signature.

After the success of his seminal single, We Got the Sauce, which saw his talent recognised by Pulse 88, Itch FM, GRM Daily, UGM, The Beat London, Westside FM, Bound 2 Blow and many more, Playing for Keeps is an impossible-to-ignore statement of intent from an artist who exhibits his determination in every facet of his captivating expression.

By honing his talents from a young age as a high school beat-maker, DJ in a rap group and percussionist in a steel band, Zush was primed to make an unforgettable entry into the domain of UK rap. The influence of hip-hop legends like Nas, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, and Pharrell, coupled with the Caribbean beats from his upbringing, is evident in Playing for Keeps, which fuses his reverence for sharp flows with his affinity towards his Caribbean roots, which pull through when he asserts his Caribbean accent in the chorus as a juxtaposition of the drill bars which exhibit his command of flow and cadence.

Playing for Keeps dropped on the 30th of November; stream it on Spotify and never miss another seminal release from Zush by following him on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Larizzle freshens up the UK’s Tribal House Scene with the multi-layered masterstroke release ‘Ama Chill’

Posted on 25 November 2020

Ten years of DJ’ing at the forefront of the UK’s Tribal House and UK Funky scene, with a sound he describes as UK Afro House – taking in South African Amapiano along the way – Larizzle is already no stranger to the limelight. Performing in some of the biggest venues in the UK and Europe, providing guest mixes to the likes of BBC Radio 1Xtra, Kiss Fresh, and Capital Xtra, and supporting big names such as Nas, Stormzy, Skepta, and Mark Ronson, might be enough for most people – not to mention twice winning the UK Official Mixtape Awards in 2012 and 2013, of course.

However, Larizzle is definitely not one to rest on his already sizeable laurels. ‘Ama Chill’ is his second personal music release, the follow up to October’s debut ‘Ama Play’, and it bears mention here the second release on his own ‘Larah Records’ label, founded in memory of Larizzle’s late daughter. Chilled yet funky from the first beat, ‘Ama Chill’ kicks in with irresistible afro drum beats and sonorous chants of ‘hey’, before melodic pipes build a repeating ariose mantra intensifying to a thumping drum-and-bassline climax. The whole track develops, piece by piece, into a multi-layered masterstroke, each section augmenting the previous parts whilst all carrying their own individual identities, that central repeated melody sticking in your head long after the final beat has echoed away.

You can check out ‘Ama Chill’ on Larizzle’s website, and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Zeggé and Reemo cook up convictive chemistry in their latest Drill Rap track “Connect”

Posted on 23 October 2020

Very few artists manage to capture our attention, excitement and adoration as unrelentingly as the Drill Hop Hop duo Zeggé & Reemo.

Their latest release “Connect”, which is due for release on Friday 23rd October affirms that the faith they instilled in us with their previous release “Bang” was appropriately positioned.

With Zeggé hailing from the North (of London) and Reemo from the East, they’re set to take over the length and breadth of London and go far beyond with their atmospherically ensnaring approach to dark Hip Hop.

After hearing the trepidation-infusing beats laid out by the 808-god Ghosty, Reemo penned a lyrical attack which perfectly complements the nihilistically-textured instrumentals which will be a hit with any fans of Dave, AJ Tracey, Headie One, Skepta, J Hus, Novelist, Ghetts, Wretch 32, Stormzy, Chip, Drake and Travis Scott.

Everything about Connect feels contemporary. It’s so fresh, it’s raw. The dynamically metered bars ensnare you from the first verse, from there on out, you’re utterly transfixed by the convictive chemistry which breaths between Zeggé and Reemo.

Before lockdown, Zeggé and Reemo were able to premiere Connect live at GBNGA. We have no doubt that they’d be tearing their way up from the underground and gracing major stages if live music was still happening. Considering that they achieved over 20k plays with their debut single Bang, Connect will undoubtedly make the scene erupt.

Connect is out now! You can listen for yourselves on all major platforms via this link.  

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hip-Hop Duo Raph x TT Release Newest Single ‘Roll With’

Posted on 10 January 2018

When you’re in an audacious state of mind, you could barely miss the feeling this nice song dole out on a regular each second; it’s ever-stunning as the crescent moon.

This is a smash hip-hop rap song whose delivery is very smooth; just like when the “silk” kisses the “satin” in the pristine air, you’ll surely be dazzled by this feature alone when you listen to this song.

Comprising of two creative individuals hailing from Birmingham, UK, Raphael and Timon, Raph x TT write, produce and master their music themselves, allowing them full creative autonomy and ensuring that the end product is exactly what they set it out to be. Raph and TT can typically rap about the simplest version of any given idea and they actually look beyond themselves. TT arrives for his turn on the carousel, and he skillfully painted us a beautiful dreamscape with his style of flow and deep sexy voice, this was the defining moment for me in this song.

Their newest single exemplifies the versatility of the duo, with a catchy R&B piano hook overlayed with British hip-hop lyrics. Taking inspiration from the likes of Stormzy, Not3s and Lotto Boys and even from main stream artist Ed Sheeran, Roll With is British urban hip-hop with a twist.

Raph and TT are more likely gonna be categorized to be in the league of Wiley, JME and Skepta because they somewhat have same musical sound and style with them.

The laydown of an enjoyable piano sound that doubles as a chill track and a groovy record makes the song even more memorable. The production is also a note-worthy to be mentioned as one of the nice features of this track. Raph and TT meshed so well to exude same flash velocity of technical brilliance in this song.

This is a great song and y’all should go check it out.

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Music Reviewed By;

Lilian-Debrah.