Friday, May 18, 2007

‘In The Heat Of The Night’


DJ OPHAX & TRICKSTA Present - ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ (Hosted by NATIVITY & RELOAD)

More evidence of Team AFF Europe doing big things. Here we see Ophax & Tricksta team up for a nice UK/USA mix that really hits the spot. Ophax gets the ball rolling nicely with some killer cuts from Nativity, as well as some killer bars from some underground cats such as Billz, D-Dash, Big Skeem, Switch and The League. Tricksta comes in with Reload the host for his section and it sees Saigon, Beanie, Geolani, A-Pinks, Lil Wayne, Hell Rell, Dino West and 10Shott all kill the bars alongside some killer cuts from the man they call Reload. This mix is a good selection of tracks and is put together so well. Make sure you go and cop this. This mix is available for free download at datpiff so make sure you check for that now!!!

Dj Ophax / Tricksta / Wolftown Recordings / Team Afficial

Review by Brendan Deane

Labels: , , ,

‘War & Peace’


WOLFTOWN Present PAPOOSE - ‘War & Peace’ (Mixed by LATE & TRICKSTA)

Wolftown really are the leading force in the UK for Hip-hop music. Without a doubt they do more work in one month than most UK labels do in a year! Now head-honcho’s LATE & TRICKSTA are back with a mix hosted by non-other than Brooklyn’s number one ryhmer Papoose. Twenty-seven tracks deep this CD showcases a whole bunch of Papoose tracks and collobo’s that a lot of people would not have heard before, as well some killer tracks by NYC acts that are on the same tip. Watch out for St. Laz, Geolani, Hot Rod, Termanology, Red Café, Saigon and DV Alias Khryst who all murk it as do UK heavy hitters Jai Boo, LATE, 10Shott, Conman and Reload. This CD is a massive release and something you need to get up on. Big up Papoose, straight bars everytime!

Papoose / Wolftown Recordings / Tricksta / Late

Review by Brendan Deane

Labels: , , ,

‘The N… The Resurrection Of Hip-Hop’


TAPEMASTERS INC. Present NAS - ‘The N… The Resurrection Of Hip-Hop’

These boys have to be one of my favourite mixtape collectives. Their mixes are always well presented with sick artwork, the tracks are already rare and above all the mixes are all delivered nice with no weak recorded blends or freestyles! Tapemasters is a guarantee of quality, so I knew this Nas mixtape would be ill. I was right too, it’s absolutely heavy. Even to the extent of me saying you might have the ‘Hip-hop Is Dead’ album but trust me you need this in your collection too. For a start you get thirty-five tracks including some unreleased material, interviews and collobo’s. Its proper heavy and the fact that Jay-Z, Big pun, Reakown, Ghostface, Ludacris, Doug E. Fresh, Busta, Kool G Rap, Clipse, Biggie, Pac, Diddy, Cee-Lo, Lauryn Hill, Common and many more feature is a pure bonus too. This is something that Nas fans need… trust me, I been buying records with Nas on since ‘Live At The BBQ’ and this is essential!

Tapemasters Inc

Review by Tricksta

Labels:

‘Living Off Experience’


TAPEMASTERS INC. Present THE LOX - ‘Living Off Experience’

Straight outta Yonkers comes The Lox a.k.a Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch. True masters in the game, these D-Block hardhitters come deep with this mixtape from Tapemasters. It features the likes of Jadakiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch and J Hood all give up all some hefty bars over thirty super deep bangers. Peep the ‘Take Everything’ joint produced by Clinton Sparks, ‘Hands Up’ produced by Bassheadz and the awesome Mick Boogie remix of ‘Hate It Or Love It’. Styles P comes really good on his solo efforts too ‘The Black Out’ and ‘The Old To The New’, and Jadakiss kills it on ‘Problem’. This is one serious mixtape, make sure you try and grab a copy! Bigness.

Tapemasters Inc

Review by Tricksta

Labels:

‘National Anthems Part Two’


The UK’s number one mixtape DJ and our main man Tricksta is back once again. Hot on the heels of Tricksta’s last ‘UK only’ mixtape ‘The Urban Shop Mix’, comes Part Two to the success ‘National Anthems Mixtape’ that he dropped last summer. Once again it features the cream of the crop including some unreleased material by the likes of Akala, Conman, LATE, Reveal, Baby Blue, Big Wayne, Swift It Major, Mr. Ti2bs and Size8 from Vicious Circle, as well as contributions from the likes of Sway, Klashnekoff, MD7, Mike GLC, Kyza, Lowkey, Alex Blood and Def1. Tricksta’s selection once again kills it, making this the perfect compilation mix CD to buy if you like home-grown hip-hop. Big up the Wolftown camp for supporting all styles of hip-hop and always reppin the UK.

Wolftown Recordings / MySpace / UK Runnings

Review by Brendan Deane

Labels: , ,

OC JIGGA - ‘True Stories – The Mixtape’


OC JIGGA - ‘True Stories – The Mixtape’ - (Downtown Soul Records)

To be honest I’m not a massive fan of London gangster rap, and as soon as I saw the mention of PDC on the press release I kinda freaked! BUT, I kept my mind open and put on the CD as I would another and reviewed it for what it is. Now don’t get wrong, I don’t think it’s a CD that is gonna change the world of Hip Hop music, but it definitely has its place in the current climate and trend of urban music. Without a shadow of a doubt you can tell the music is written with sincerity and amongst the eighteen tracks included there where a few that really stood out. ‘Keep Movin’ has certain energy vocally while a mad wild piano riff gets the tune hype. ‘Life & Death’ shows us a different side to OC where he spits social commentary well, as he drops some ill metaphors along side Blax. On the whole this CD is well worth checking, especially if ya like ya London rap with a bit of a snap to it!

OC Jigga

Review by Andy Jackson

Labels: ,

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Dan Smith


Dan Smith has been tattooing for 4 years his work shows he is truly one of most talented people around. His tattoos are unmistakable bold, yet refined, elegant, creative and original. Dan has many proud customers who love what he has made for them.


Dan has done some design for clothing label To Die For

Labels: , ,

Craola


Greg Simkin aka Craola is a US based artist who really likes to say very little and let his work speak for him. Craloa is probably best know for his paintings of rabbits, being a Christian and watching to many cartoons.



He has recently produced designs for To Die For clothing.

Labels: , ,

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Pure Evil


Pure Evil solo show of paintings, prints and neon sculptures: thursday 17th may - Sunday 20th may @ Dray Walk gallery, Old Truman Brewery, London E1

Monday, May 14, 2007

OC Jigga


Where are you from and what was it like growing up there?
Myatt's Field, SW9, Brixton, London - life could be tough growing up I ain't gonna lie but at the same time it ain't all bad in the concrete jungle - nowadays people make out its all guns n stuff but there's a lot more to it than that - sure I had friends and famz shot up, locked up and pass away but at the same time a lotta people I came up with are making something of their lives - you gotta stay on your toes still tho - it's like they say, if the feds don't get you the brothers will.

How did you get your name and is there a story behind it?
Its more a bloodline thing - before you ask I ain't bitin off Hova or nothing like that - s'like my big brother Jigs is locked up right now so since then I been known as Jigs or Jigga round the way, then I'm reppin OC so its like OC Jigga, that's me.

Was there a situation or a person who inspired you to rap?
Wouldn't say there was one single situation, more a few things that came together - my brother Kush has always been on this rap thing, then my boy DVS blew up with the whole PDC movement, plus I known Logic from days so I guess it was a thing where so many people around me were involved that it just kinda came naturally.

Tell us about your latest release.
Well its called the "True Stories Mixtape" and its basically like the end product of the last year's grind I been putting in on the recording circuit, so features a whole load of South London rappers I worked with in that time - L.Man, who’s blowin up right now, my PDC fam Logic, Quinney, Cerose and Nathan Heights, plus Hypes among others. Even though its a mixtape I wanna stress its all original beats so its not like I just nicked the hottest Game or 50 beat to spit over! Production is proper hip hop and comes from DowntownSoul fam so Haka, Julio Shanakee, X-Ray and Dixie's got a coupla tunes on there as well. Its out now on DowntownSoul Records at a load of London and Reading stores so readers make sure you go cop it!

What do you prefer: playing live, recording in the studio or battling?
That's a hard one still - like most artists I love performing live to a crowd - that's a real buzz, but at the same time, I love recording in the studio - I go into another dimension in the booth man! writin some hot bars to a beat then gettin a song recorded - that's still live for me.

How would you describe your personality?
I call it "laylow" man - its like a chill vibe in whatever I'm doin - otherwise I like gettin out there promotin myself, playing footy, chillin with a chick, loosing up my muscles y'know, holler at the man dem - straight keep it movin.

How did you go about setting up independently?
Well by the end of 2006 I had a whole load of tracks done so was looking at how to get my name out there when my brother Kush got me the link with Wuz at DowntownSoul. He had a company set up, packaged my tracks as the True Stories Mixtape and we just run with it from there.

What's your favourite clothing label?
Well I been known to rock Armani lol but really its whatever fits best y'know - if anything I want my music to define me not my clothes!

Forget the budget, what would be your dream collabo?
Its been said before but I gotta say Pac still y'know, Hova - those guys are legends so that'd be a dream come true - apart from that no lie, I'd love to do some more tracks with my boy Silent, he's on lockdown right now but his bars are powerful...

With so many artists out there, what are you doing different to get heard?
First off I'm tryna do things as properly as possible - I mean obviously I ain't got no major label budget behind me but if I don't take myself seriously then there's no way other people will. It's like with the True Stories mixtape - we linked Tricksta and Park Street PR to do proper promotion for us - s'like if we can get some peas together to do this professionally then people are gonna take us more seriously, and that's definitely been the case, so that's my approach. Beyond that I just be on the grind for real - I try to work harder than like 99% of these rappers - just out there meeting promoters, linkin producers, sellin cds, doin open-mics, gettin my name out there - all that stuff - paying my dues basically!

Now is your chance to get something off your chest! Anything gettin ya down or any opinions you need to voice?
Aight then lol ! First off I'm young and single, roll in roll out ma! Other than that I can't complain - I wake up everyday and hear the birds sing so life's good for real! Oh yeah shouts to OC all day, shouts to Haka, Wuz, Julio and the whole DowntownSoul fam, Eth-neezy ya feel me cuz ? Shouts to Shootin Star (Extremists) up in the lab right now, hold tight Silent on lockdown, shouts to PDC, the whole London and UK hip hop scene - not forgetting Kut Loose and The Urban Shop - big up yourselves and thanks for the support !

interview by KUT LOOSE

Labels:

Thursday, May 10, 2007

It's a Good Life or is it a Glife


Arriving the week of the 20th May we have a new clothing brand arriving by the name of Good Life aka Glife. Above is a collaboration t-shirt they have just completed with Wonder-Full. Wonder-Full is a party dedicated and a tribute to Stevie Wonder. The above t-shirt is to be released at this years Brooklyn NYC event on May 12th and feature Dj Spinna and Bobbito. There is a Japanese version due for release but don’t think these will be hitting the UK but keep an eye out for Glife dropping in the UK and on The Urban Shop end May.

Labels: , ,

Monday, May 07, 2007

Peel Magazine


Some frineds of The Urban Shop who frequently send us US mags sent us a copy of Peel Magazine the other day and I've picked it up every day since. Issue 7 features and articel with Shepard Fairey (Obey) on Selling Out a great article I feel such and affinity with the guy, I have spken with his wife on occassions and he has very similar background interests to me. Also interviews with Ako, Bisc1, Dj Shiro, Gypsy Kid, Sticker Nation and Robots Will Kill to name a few some we know others we dont but it's a great read and packed with stickers, stencils and streetart and it's not stuck up a dark hole it just says it as it is.


If you find out where to get a copy in the EU let us know 4 week from the US is pushing it a bit and none of the shops on their site even mention teh mag

Labels: , ,

Zoo York

Zoo York has become a big brand since the early days when it was cult skate brand but they still sponsor core riders in not only skate but BMX and graffiti which is where it's roots lay.

Zoo York

Has many of you know we are putting together some videos which is part of a larger project. There's no new film here more steal what we can get our hands on and chop it up here's an early one we messed with trying to get our heads around the softwear.


Labels: , ,