Browsing Tag

UK Hip Hop

Maple Struggle – Tip Toe featuring Hannah Doherty and KillBill Sax

Posted on 8 May 2021

Starting with haunting minor keys, Maple Struggle’s definitively British rap track, ‘Tip Toe’, hits hard from the first note. The evocative potency remains the only constant as the single progresses through jazzy ensembles, indie increments, neo-classic crescendos and bursts of RnB pop.

Every curveball twist in the soundscape, featuring pianist Hannah Doherty and American saxophonist KillBill Sax, leaves you more impassioned by Maple Struggle’s resounding talent and unique brand of urban alchemy. One minute, you are breathing in the smoke in a nicotine-soaked jazz club; the next, you are on the grimy streets of London.

Tip Toe isn’t just a stellar moody yet enlivening single; it quite literally leaves you giddy through the imagination and authenticity.

Tip Toe is now available to stream and download on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK rap artist ChinChin Iller shared relatable regret with her debut single, ‘As A Friend’.

Posted on 6 May 2021

With ‘turning trauma into storytelling’ as her modus operandi, ChinChin Iller is making serious waves in the UK rap scene. Her debut single, ‘As A Friend’, shares the all too relatable regret of allowing a relationship to evolve beyond platonic only to find duality and frustration.

When an artist is so bold, daring and open, for personal catharsis and to help the listener overcome self-confidence-stripping trauma, it is impossible not to pay attention. ChinChin Iller’s lyrics cut with the same sharp intellect as George the Poet and Kae Tempest. Paradoxically, she brings soul to a deadpan direct delivery while the beats celebrate the best of downtempo British hip hop.

As A Friend is now available to stream and download on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Woozybeatz brought his unique style of DubWave back to the airwaves with ‘No Turning’ Back’, featuring GOLDEN G.

Posted on 27 April 2021

Since his 2017 debut, independent artist and producer Woozybeatz has continued to rack up the streams with his hazy, trippy beats. ‘No Turning Back’ is the latest dominant track to drop from the Northamptonshire, UK-based artist as Woozybeatz continues his mission to bring a unique style of DubWave to the airwaves.

No Turning back features the commanding drill hop rap bars from GOLDEN G, who brought just as much energy as Woozy brought with the beats that rattle under the bars and beneath the swathes of reverb, allowing Woozy to stay true to his moniker.

The grimy fierce track is the ultimate playlist staple for anyone who is through with apathy, staying humble and going all-in; between the grit and grind, you’ll find plenty of empowering introspection.

No Turning Back is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

That Top Shelf Feel: North London emcee A STAR drops tremendous ten track album called ‘Samples’

Posted on 20 April 2021

Sparking up that tasty cali with a quality rolled release that settles your nerves from these wild times, A STAR expertly smashes those bars real hard, on the new gritty ten-track album that gives you hope about UK Hip-Hop again with ‘Samples‘.

A STAR is a fast-rising North London emcee with so much fire in his raw rhymes, his street stories about how he sees life is so relevant, in a strange world where there is so much divisiveness and confusion instead of just peace and love.

Its a happy night when all of your team make it home. This is an example of a wild story that tells you all you need to know about his current mindset and this is a striking insight into how things really are, away from what the often watered-down television says.

The particular highlights are definitely ‘Candle Light‘, ‘Smoke In The Air‘ (feat. Big Sam) and ‘Squad Goals‘. He swarms the mic with realness that will have you astonished — the busty beats seem to mesh like code on a crisp website — his admirable loyalty to his true family is noticeable, as his wordplay is wizardry-like and on a rare level of self-aware enlightenment.

‘Samples‘ from North London rapper A STAR, flows through your mind due to his top shelf lyrical delivery that has you bouncing your head and tapping your feet in adulation. In a genre where there is so much competition and artists come and go so quickly, he has claimed his spot right at the top of the underground where the best are at.

Stream this fire new album on Spotify and check out the visuals on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Go interstellar with UK rap artist Majick’s latest release ‘SpaceShip’

Posted on 18 April 2021

If you’ve never been caught up in Rap artist Majick’s lyrical flow, his latest track ‘SpaceShip’ is the perfect track to introduce his forceful, energetic and impassioned approach to Hip Hop.

If anyone can put Hull on the hip hop map, it’s Majick with his captivating cadence and gritty lyrics that exhibit his wit and playful persona. After snagging a BBC Live Session spot with their bold and contemporary sound and their palpable hunger to keep collecting accolades, it’s easy to get excited about what else he will achieve in 2021.

You can check out the official music video to SpaceShip that dropped on February 26th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK rap veteran Jake Rosh takes us to ‘Therapy’ with his latest vulnerably volatile single.

Posted on 13 April 2021

With angular indie guitars shimmering around steady drill beats and rap vocals finding the perfect balance between aggression and vulnerability, Jake Rosh’s single ‘Therapy’ is enough to leave you speechless as his emotions become as visceral as your own.

Many artists have attempted to capture lockdown-born frustration and depression while concealing raw emotion under glossy production and behind metaphors. With Therapy, dark and intimate thoughts act as Jake Rosh’s plaything, and he makes no bones about sharing.

He brings just as much authenticity to the UK rap scene as Scroobius Pip used to; if anyone’s got the lyrical wit to carry on his legacy, it’s the Merseyside rap veteran.

Hydra is due for official release on March 19th, 2021; you can check it out for yourselves here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rap artist StevieJayUK delivered a healthy dose of romantic realism with his single, ‘Been There’.

Posted on 8 April 2021

Any fans of George the Poet’s smooth, gritty style will want to jump on the playfully candid latest single, ‘Been There’, by breaking UK Rap artist StevieJayUK.

Been There serves a healthy dose of realism as the lyrics capture the feelings of affection and frustration that manifest in the early days of dating. The rap bars may be delivered in a Blasé style, but the vocal hooks are where you’ll find StevieJayUK’s softer side; the side that humbly underlines the affection in his cat & mouse account of newfound love that leads to stability and growing in unity.

You can check out Been There for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Came To Win: JESSICA-DRUE has a sound that is so ‘Infectious’ for the soul

Posted on 7 April 2021
https://spinrilla.com/songs/2690069-jessica-drue-infectious?fbclid=IwAR2AZdVaQpsc_ZBCOx6Lv42FU7MAYe0m67QopNpWvWdMhMsArco1XpaKdCM

With her ten star flow rushing through into your veins like a powerful waterfall, JESSICA-DRUE puts the gloves on to wrap up the competition via her new fire track called ‘Infectious‘.

JESSICA-DRUE is a smooth-voiced London-based rapper with a leader mentality, who performs from the heart and makes that honest music about the path to true happiness inside the bottom of your soul.

This is the story of doing what you have to do in order to survive in this wild world, that is full of doubt and excuses. She throws down with the best of them here with her catchy rhymes about doing it the right way, as she ignores the lame wannabees who are so clueless that they will get stung sooner or later by the wild game, that she knows all too well.

Her style is raw and never corny, as she blazes in with a confident style that has you bouncing in your seat, as she raps with so much fierce ferociousness and refreshing self-awareness.

‘Infectious‘ from the superb UK emcee JESSICA-DRUE, takes us on a journey through her world as she rips the mic down to its fragile bones, cutting through all doubts on a catchy beat that matches her ambitions just right. This is a quality track that shows her growth as one UK emcee to truly embrace, as she throws her heart and soul into every line she drops.

Stream the track here and see her IG for more news.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Drown My Demons: Welsh underground emcee YUNG LØNE tunes into his growing greatness on ‘66.6 FM’

Posted on 30 March 2021

Taken off his latest four-track EP named ‘The Beginning of the End‘, YUNG LØNE turns the heat up to high during these cold UK winter months with his new dialed-in track ‘66.6 FM‘.

YUNG LØNE is a highly motivated underground UK emcee and University student based in leafy Pembrokeshire, West Wales. At just twenty years old, you can feel his passionate vocal delivery and the determination entrenched in his voice that he wants to stream all over the world.

His dragon-like flow blows down the doubts, as he tells his honest story with bars that catch you unawares at first, the way he raps is incredibly appealing to the true hip-hop fan out there, who is sick of watered down fake bling plastic rhymes that break easily. They want that properly-constructed realness and this is it.

This scary story of facing the devil in front of him made him realize that he wanted more, the scars are there to humble him but are slowly healing as he finds his true purpose in life. Making music that truly matters is what he wants and this is what he shall do, no matter what detours he has to deal with in this winding pothole-filled world of unexpected surprises.

‘66.6 FM‘ from ferocious UK rapper YUNG LØNE, is a fiery track from a man on a mission. He lost his lighter just trying to get by but never lost his flame. He shows us all that it is possible to claw your way out of that quicksand that can hold you down and drag you to places you don’t want to be. Never stop dreaming and your goals are possible, only if you are hungry enough to succeed.

Stream this banger on Spotify and see more on his IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

UK rap artist Mulini imparts inspiration through their latest single ‘Keep Moving’ featuring GSQ2

Posted on 10 March 2021
Mulini

In a time when it feels impossible to maintain any amount of motivation, UK hip hop artist and producer, Mulini’s latest single, ‘Keep Moving’ featuring GSQ2 is worth its weight in aural gold.

The sombre tonality of the track ensures that it efficaciously communicates with those who can benefit from the resilience-imparting introspection while keeping just enough energy in the instrumentals to give Keep Moving a galvanising kick.

The harsh reverberant electronic hum beneath the quiescently delivered rap bars add even more weight and brevity to the release which emotionally hits hard enough that you may just feel bruised by the time you reach the outro.

Keep Moving was officially released on February 19th, check it out on YouTube via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast