Browsing Tag

uk rap

Spotlight Feature: London rap artist LKS’ lyricality exposed the tumultuous nature of expression in ‘Say My Peace’

Posted on 11 March 2023

South London-based rap artist, LKS, penned one of the sincerest windows into the artistic process with his latest single, Say My Peace, which officially dropped on February 22nd.

The arrestingly deep introspection pulls you into the intimately expressive core of the melodic indie hip-hop hit that explores how creativity can push you to be the best version of yourself while exposing self-sabotaging tendencies that stem from fear and insecurity.

Every artist has a different set of motivational cogs working behind their tracks; for LKS, it is the sensation of seeing an emotionally constructed concept come to visceral life. Say My Peace is a testament to his ability to resist the allure of a façade and the superficiality of fame as an artistic incentive. Hit play and listen to your perception of success distort around the mellow melodicism.

Here’s what LKS had to say about his latest single:

“I wanted to write about that weird state of mind where you feel you have no limits, but at the same time, you suppress your success and accept the fate that comes with disregarding your talent. It’s also about the inability to grasp an amazing moment tight enough to live it to the fullest.

Ultimately, you end up with nothing and have to go through the process of accepting that too, but in the end, we can’t take our material world or success into the next life; everything we have amassed will be in the hands of others or cast away in the same vein as my disregard for my talents.”

Listen to Say My Peace on Spotify or watch the official music video on YouTube.

To keep up to date with future releases, follow LKS on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK Hip Hop Got Hotter Through Dalts’ Latest Collab, ‘No Time’, featuring Jez, SK1NT and Charla Green

Posted on 21 June 2022
Dalts

Sheffield’s most infamous producer, DJ, events promoter, and label runner, Dalts, has contributed more than most to the UK music scene in the past five years. Now, he’s here with his latest single, No Time, featuring Jez, SK1NT and Charla Green.

The garagey hip-hop track uses old-school grooves, oscillating bass and skippy beats to keep the flow kicking under the clever vocal layering, which merges the originality of every featuring artist. From deadpan rap bars to distorted and transcending vocal samples, No Time is a hypnotic vibe tapestry which reminds you how great and gritty UK hip hop can be.

Check out Dalts on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK Rapper JPOW comes in with all guns blazing in ‘Socially Anti’, featuring Kirsty Clarke

Posted on 17 December 2021

For his latest release, Socially Anti, rapper and songwriter JPOW teamed up with Kirsty Clarke, who brought a breath-taking dynamic to this hard and fast hit. Her folkishly light vocal timbre and innocently soulful yet sharp style was the perfect contrast against JPOW’s dominant bars that affirm he takes no prisoners when he steps to the mic.

Without a doubt, the South Coast-hailing UK independent artist is one of the hottest new names in the UK rap scene. He takes the usual lyrical rap tropes and runs them through his scathing wit. As for the instrumentals, you would be hard-pressed to find a bolder mix of tone and texture. With the melodic reminiscences to Cosmo Shelldrake and the quivering classical notes around the snappy bass-drenched beats, Socially Anti is as cinematic as it is galvanising.

Check out the official lyric video for Socially Anti via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK rapper Chiron Loxton takes the urban grit out of hip hop with Out in the Trees.

Posted on 5 October 2021

It’s tracks like Chiron Loxton’s latest single, Out in the Trees, that exhibit the pointlessness of facade-delivered lyricism. Out in the Trees is the first track released from the luminary Somerset-residing rap artist’s mindful lockdown-inspired album. It is also the perfect introduction to his tendency to take lyrical hip hop to the next level.

Rap and nature rarely go hand in hand, given that it was created in the Bronx, but Loxton didn’t fail to take hip hop out of the urban era and root it in nature. The meditative trap beats with ambient drill undertones make for the perfect vibe out playlist staple.

The official video to Out in the Trees premiered on September 3rd. You can check it out for yourselves on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Roysson delivers a Hip Hop and Grime playlist staple with his latest release.

Posted on 23 September 2021

Roysson has been putting Hertfordshire on the hip hop map for the past ten years with his laceratingly sharp wit, massive beats and commanding persona. His standout single, Hip Hop and Grime, pays ode to the iconic UK grime style, but Roysson finds plenty of room to stamp down his signature genre-melding style that has been hyped by BBC Introducing and GRM Daily, amongst many others.

Hip Hop and Grime is an instantly galvanizing mix with the garagey beats, rapid-fire drill vocals and Roysson’s ability to create a gritty vignette of modern culture without ever having to pander to cultural stereotypes. If Stormzy, Dave, Skepta and Wiley are your playlist staples, you will find that Roysson fits in well right alongside them. With plenty more material locked, loaded and ready to drop, now is the perfect time to add him to your radar.

You can check out Roysson’s standout single, which has already racked up over 25k streams, on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jay Joe brought the best of UK hip hop with his latest release, Shaky.

Posted on 16 August 2021

London-born, Essex-based Rap artist Jay Joe dropped an instant grime classic with his latest single, Shaky. His energy, ensnaring. His lyrics, cutting, His beats, atmospheric; in usual drill hip hop fashion.

Fans of Tempa T, Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal will want to make Shaky a playlist staple for its garagey beats, the adrenalizing aggression in the rap bars and Jay Joe’s ability to leave you floored with his lyrical flex. He’s already a firm fixture on the GRM Daily YouTube channel, but we highly doubt that will be the highest of accolades applied to Jay Joe’s gritty, scathing signature sound.

Shaky was released on August 15th; you can check out the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

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