BLACK MILK

LEADER OF THE NEW DETROIT UNDERGROUNDHHC DIGITAL #003

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EDITOR Phillip Mlynar(001) 347 731 1288 | phillip@hhcdigital.net

DESIGNER April Hill | april@hhcdigital.net

WRITING Adam Anonymous, Cee Banger, Arsenio Billingham Corin Douieb, Robbie Ettelson, Jo Fuertes-Knight, Mike Lewis Chloe McCloskey, John W McKelvey, James McNally, Tom Nook Doc Nostrand, Chris Schonberger, Quincey Tones, Lucy Van Pelt, Richard Watson

PHOTOGRAPHY Kristina Hill, Mike Lewis, Alexander Richter

FRONT COVER Kristina Hill

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EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER AND HEAD OF MICROWAVE OVEN PROGRAMMING Andy CowanPUBLISHED by Just One More in association with Infamous Ink Ltd.All material (c) Just One More 2009. All rights reserved. HHC Digital may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the publisher. Hip-Hop Connection is a registered trademark of Infamous Ink Ltd. All rights reserved.

DISClAIMER While every effort is made to ensure the information in HHC Digital is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which HHC Digital holds no responsibility. Contributors’ opinions do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Just One More or Infamous Ink Ltd or HHC Digital’s staff. The publishers disclaim any liability for those impressions. And Dynamics Plus can go eat poo...

CONTENTS JUNE 2009 HHC DIGITAL#003

HHC DIGITAL #003 2

03 THE LISTENING

04 MIX MASTER!

05 BITE BACK!

06 TANYA MORGAN

08 NEWS FLASH: ESLAM JAWAAD

10 CHECK OUT MY MELODY

11 THE PANEL

12 PUGS ATOMZ

13 FEAR OF THE RAP

14 FLOW FASHION

16 ELECTRIC RELAXATION

17 TWITTERISHLY

19 DETROIT IS NOW!

32 FINALE

34 D.ALLIE

36 KYZA

40 M.O.P.

46 ALBUM OF THE MONTH: EMINEM

48 ALBUM REVIEWS

50 HOME STYLE

52 OPEN UP

53 DEEJAY CHARTS

55 ON THE GO: PETE ROCK

56 THE UNKUT COLUMN40 M.O.P.

4. FRESH DAILY ‘BREAK A LEG’ (HIGH WATER)

5. K-DEF ‘REDCOATS ARE COMING’ (GHETTO MAN)

6. FREESTYLE MASTER ‘BIG BAD CITY’ (POWERCUT)

7. KYZA ‘SIN CITY’ (DENTED)

8. FINALE FEAT. CASUAL ‘ONE MAN SHOW’ (8 BIT REMIX)

(FAT BEATS)

9. FAT RAY FEAT. AB & BLACK MILK ‘TAKE CONTROL’

(FAT BEATS)

10. DJ SPINNA FEAT. TORAE ‘LYRICS IS BACK’

(HIGH WATER)

11. ESLAM JAWAAD FEAT. DE LA SOUL ‘REWIND DJ’ (RPEG)

12. BRAD STRUT ‘BELIEVE’ (SHOGUN)

13. D. ALLIE ‘EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE’

(UNITED STATES OF MIND)

14. THE DELUSIONISTS ‘TO THE NEXT’

(BEATS LAYING ABOUT)

15. LOUDMOUTH MELVIN ‘TOP TEN LIST’

(LAST SKEPTIK REMIX) (WHITE)

16. MOP ‘BLOW THE HORNS’ (E1)

17. BLACK MILK ‘MO POWER’ (FAT BEATS)

THE LISTENING

Back again with another top notch selection of free music

for your listening pleasure, you know how it works: Cop the

intricately-blended Last Skeptik-crafted mixtape version here,

or grab full and complete individual tracks from the end of

each interview and review throughout the mag. Now go ‘head

and get to downloading...

HHC DIGITAL MIX 003

Click the play button to download!

1. LAST SKEPTIK INTRO

2. PUGS ATOMZ FEAT. SADAT X ‘WAIT & SEE’ (SOFLO ENT)

3. TANYA MORGAN FEAT. BLU ‘MORGAN BLU’

(INTERDEPENDENT)

THIS MONTH’S FREE MP3 STASH...

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MIX MASTER!THE LAST SKEPTIK ON THIS MONTH’S MIX...

Big up your remix of Loudmouth Melvin’s ‘Top Ten List’...

“It’s incredible. It’s not bigger than Jesus, but it stands up to

Odin. Loudmouth is one of the best rappers in the country.”

What sandwich best describes this month’s mix?

“Veggie-meatball marinara and cheese, with fries too.”

Taking a break out from grooming his cats, The Last Skeptik

speaks semi-real words about HHC Digital 003’s free mix…

What three words best describe the mix?

“Not DMC standard.”

Which track surprised you with its unexpected dopeness?

“Fresh Daily’s ‘Break A Leg’ made me reminisce: It’s exactly the

type of tune I’d run to Mr Bongo’s and buy on a Saturday morning

in between a Snapple, assorted crate-digging and general

weekend japery. Nowadays I just spend my Saturdays in pet

supermarkets throwing tantrums in the Kibble aisle.”

4HHC DIGITAL #003

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BITE BACK!READERS RESPOND

(Missed last month’s issue? Click the cover above to download!)

Hey,

[In response to Steele’s comments on Somali pirates last

issue] Suggestion to General Steele – Do some research into

just what those ships are doing and how much food aid they’re

trying to deliver the Somalian nation... Cynicism’s great if it’s

founded on accurate information.

Tony Wright

Hi!

I giggled much when I read your STEPHAN! [Home Style 002]

And, with being proud of listening to the show, and the promise

of being sent something nice, I say to you: JUST COMING!

Ehe,

Hickey x

Can’t you kids just quote 30 Rock like the rest of us?

Hello,

I’ve just come from watching the legendary De La Soul at a

small venue in Exeter, Devon. At first glance it seemed that I’d

be one of a lucky 130-odd people to get up close and personal

with the Plugs and after a long drawn out two and a half hours

of good warm up acts, out they came. Sure enough, they

whipped the crowd up into a frenzy in the first 25 minutes, but

this frenzy only lasted another ten minutes as they decided to

call it a night. We all thought they’d come back on for an encore

but they didn’t and the crowd grew restless – and rightly so.

Tonight was the biggest rip-off that I have come across at a

hip-hop gig for many years as we all paid the best part of £20

(which isn’t far off of Brixton Academy!) to see De La perform

a medley of tracks that failed to impress – especially from

Dave who was walking around on stage like he couldn’t find

his favourite toy (probably ’cos he’d thrown it from his pram

over the sound quality). I hate to say it but the organisers and

De La should be shame-faced right now for ripping their loyal

fan base off – I want my fucking money back!

Kind regards,

Joe Foster, The Heartbroken Kid, Exeter.

Anyone else noticed a dip in the quality of live rap shows?

Wanna rant about rap? Holler at us on info@hhcdigital.net

‘ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX 2’ IS GO!GHOSTFACE, SPEECH DEBELLE, TANYA MORGAN, PAUL WHITE

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TANYA MORGANBROOKLYNATI’S FINEST...“We aim to bring the art of the album back,” declares Von Pea,

the Brooklynite third of everyman rap crew Tanya Morgan.

“They say the album format is dying but that’s nonsense to

me. We made a complete album with ‘Brooklynati’ and that’s

what the ‘city’ is about.” Actually, by fusing hometowns to

create their sophomore set’s titular boho metropolis, Von and

Cincinnati kids Ilyas and Donwill have created more than just

a bumping long player, their Brooklynati website flagging up

the city’s attractions (Tiggalo’s House Of Worship, anyone?)

in immaculate multimedia style. “The website is definitely

elaborate,” agrees Donwill, “but that’s because Brooklynati is

as real as we make it. It’s not just an album title – it’s a state

of mind.”

HHC DIGITAL #003

On ‘Plan B’ you imagine scenarios in which you abandoned

your rap careers. Have you ever considered quitting?

Von Pea: “I used to want to quit all the time! Being a musician

and living your life can be difficult as hell. Trying to pay the bills,

find and maintain love, raise kids, be a good friend, brother

and son, and deal with all the shit that comes with living out

your dream isn’t easy. I love the highs so much though, that

the lows don’t get to me anymore.”

Ilyas: “All the time. It’s like being in an abusive relationship. Hip-

hop is like a first love that rarely ever gives love back until you

say you’re gonna leave. Then right when you get comfortable

she’s back to being a bitch [laughs].”

On ‘We’re Fly’ Donwill gives props to Todd Shaw. What are

your favourite moments from the Too $hort back catalogue?

V: “‘Promoters pay me 10 Gs just to breathe on the mic!’”

Donwill: “$hort Dog is the dude. How could you not respect

that guy for what he did and is still doing? My favourite songs

are: ‘Pimp The Hoe’, ‘Don’t Stop Rappin’’, ‘Ain’t Nothing But

A Word’, ‘Hard On The Boulevard’... I could name songs of his

for days.”

Why did early ’90s Brooklynati rappers Hardcore Gentlemen

never make it past their debut single?

V: “Honestly, they were too much like Onyx and biting just

wasn’t allowed.”

D: “Well, you know they had a pretty bad drug problem too.

Sex addiction, gambling... They were plagued by a bunch of

personal issues around that time. They blew up too fast and

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MAKING HIP-HOPIS LIKE BEING IN ANABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP

“”it messed ’em up. They still hang out in front of Jurx Records

trying to get people to buy their shit. Sometimes I’ll still see

’em in Yancey Park in bubble coats in the dead of summer.

They are definitely some strange guys but there’s no doubt

they deserve their respect.”

(‘Brooklynati’ is out now.)

‘Morgan Blu’ feat. Blu

NEWS FLASH!

8

ESLAM JAWAAD TALKS CONSPIRACY FACTS NOT THEORIES...

HHC DIGITAL #003

STICKY-FINGERED POLITICIANS…

“Politics always has an ulterior motive and it’s usually economic

so corruption is standard. Should it happen? Absolutely not.

Does it happen? All the time. I’m more interested in how they

use taxpayers’ money to bomb innocent civilians in the Middle

East, that’s more shocking than using the money to clean a

moat. Cleaning your moat, that’s a peaceful activity! It happens

all the time but there are more sinister things that politicians

get involved in. The hysteria in the news tends to make us stray

away from more important things that are happening.”

ON PROFESSOR GREEN GETTING BOTTLED...

“It’s alcohol. When people are drunk they get stupid. Under

normal circumstances, if you were sober, the chances of you

doing something highly offensive are low. You wouldn’t grab

someone’s girlfriend’s ass for no reason, but when drunk that’s

a different story. I rarely drink; ‘cos I get stupid when drunk.

I’ve been involved in altercations which might render a lyric

somewhere but it’s not worth it. I wish him luck recovering.”

BNP UPROAR…

“I don’t understand how they’re allowed to exist. I’m

with protecting rights and freedom but with them it’s too

extreme. Their current wave of popularity is really riding

on this anti-muslim sentiment. Sometimes they play it

smart with what they openly say but they’ll always get

found out having these crazy racist rants somewhere.”

Jo Fuertes-Knight

‘Rewind’ feat. De La Soul

FEATURING BLACK MILK, J DILLA, SLUM VILLAGE, PHAT KAT, ILLA J, ELZHI, EMINEM, PROOF, D12, ROYCE DA 5’ 9”, FINALE, FAT RAY AND MORE OF THE MOTOR CITY’S FINEST!

HHC DIGITAL #003 9

8

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COP 35 FREE MP3S FROM EMUSIC!GET YOUR FREE TRACKS HERE!

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DJ SPINNA’S MUSICAL PICKS…

10

CHECK OUT MY

MELODYTHE JBS ‘FOOD FOR THOUGHT’

“I had a lot of James Brown 45s as a kid: ‘Sex Machine’,

‘Escapism’, ‘Get On The Good Foot’... I’d been an aspiring hip-

hop producer since ’83 and went to my first recording session

in ’85. When sampling became a part of hip-hop music, I

embraced it whole-heartedly. People like Marley Marl and

Ced Gee brought it to fruition, and I’d say Marley is single-

handedly responsible for putting James Brown samples on

the map: In ’88, 60% of hip-hop records had ‘Funky Drummer’

as the beat!”

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS’

“I’m a big Tribe fan. The samples they were using were pretty

much unheard of – they put Eugene McDaniels and RAMP on

the map. By the time ‘Midnight Marauders’ came out they had

totally reached a point where they knew their concept as a

group and how to make an album. This is the definitive Tribe

album, from the songs to concepts to the interludes, even the

computer chick speaking – ‘Keep bouncin’’!” Doc Nostrand

(‘Sonic Smash’ is out June 30th.)

‘Lyrics Is Back’ feat. Torae

“You’re talking to a man that has 50,000 records in his

collection!” laughs DJ Spinna when asked to name-check his

classic albums. With his own ‘Sonic Smash’ set promising a

return to the “straight boom-bap”, here’s his cornerstones...

STEVIE WONDER ‘SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE’ &

‘INNERVISIONS’

“I was three years old when I first heard ‘Superstition’. I

remember Stevie on Sesame Street playing it and my mom

telling me he was blind but not fully understanding what being

blind meant and trying to see behind his shades. I’ve been a

Stevie Wonder fanatic since day one.”

HHC DIGITAL #003

rhymes, ignorant punchlines for days and didn’t take himself

too seriously. He was pretty much the most exciting thing

in hip-hop for a while – he didn’t sound like anyone else, he

sounded hungry, and raised the bar technically.”

Name Is’ on Radio 1. I remember that people had told me it

was good and I remember hearing it and laughing, thinking it

was pretty dope, that the beat was sick and that he was clever.

Then I was like, ‘Damn, that’s the guy from the Shabaam

Shadeeq ‘5 Star Generals’ track! I was a bit slow to catch on,

but I liked what I heard.”

11

THE PANELWHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF EMINEM?

GHOST

“I first became aware of Eminem while driving a

van through Manchester! They were playing ‘My

DR SYNTAX

“I first heard Eminem with ‘My Name Is’. I thought

he was hilarious. He had crazy multi-syllabic

KASHMERE

“I’m not totally sure – I was blazing loads around

them times. From what I remember it was a

regular day. I went round to see a friend who I’d just hook up

with sometimes and play tapes and one day he was like, ‘Listen

to this kid!’ I heard the verse and just thought, ‘Damn!’ A little

while later I started hearing other shit, thinking this dude is

fucking dope. It was just next level; nobody before him had

quite spit it like that. Eminem changed the game, shook the

whole thing up, and it was dope because it seemed unanimous

with everyone that he was dope, you know what I mean? That

doesn’t always happen in hip-hop so when it does it feels great.

Shame about the Bruno incident though...” Corin Douieb

HHC DIGITAL #003

AWARD TOUR...

12

PUGS ATOMZAtomz – the name hails from his graffiti days, after ditching “20

other attempts” including near misses as Pervert and MC Clue

– caught the rap bug during the peak days of EPMD, Boogie

Down Productions and De La Soul, and found his rhyming feet

during the Hiero-sparked freestyle era.

“My first rhyme was at school, when we were asked to write

a poem about God,” he recalls. “When I recited what I had

written everyone started saying, ‘You’re rapping!’ I thought,

‘Yeah, you know, I can do this.’”

Now with a plethora of projects prepped to drop before the

year’s out, from free download mixtapes (‘Road 2 The Top’)

to a side-group distraction as The Gents (“It’s on some real

grown man shit – we perform in suits and ties!”), the kid with

the versatile style is going all out to etch his name on the

worldwide rap map. As that man the great Datty X says, “Pugs

has got the skill and drive to make progress in this industry.”

Doc Nostrand

(‘Rooftop’ is out June 16th on Slo-Flo.)

‘Wait And See’ feat. Sadat X

“Moscow was crazy!” says Chicago, Illinois emcee Pugs Atomz,

having just jetted back from a European jaunt with DJ Vadim.

“It was strange to see armed soldiers in uniform everywhere,

from outside the train stations to even at the corner stores,

and the architecture was real utilitarian. But the sky was

amazing, and the people were so into the music, besides the

language barrier.

“It felt like when I first got into hip-hop back in Chicago,” he

continues, “where it wasn’t so accessible, and where you

couldn’t just walk down the street and immediately see people

who obviously listened to hip-hop – you had to seek it out.”

About to drop his ‘Roof Top’ album, headed up by the mellow

collabo with “kindred spirit” Sadat X, ‘Wait And See’, Pugs

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FEAR OF THE RAPOFF YOUR RAP RADAR...If you enjoy your hip-hop street level and gritty but you

haven’t heard of The Custodian Of Records yet (pictured, sort

of), then I think it’s only a matter of time. He’s an underground

deejay/producer whose debut album, ‘Burton Music’, just

dropped digitally on Domination Records (WTF, Domination,

not even a CD?). He’s a sample based-producer, in the vein of

Large Professor and Showbiz, so you won’t hear all the synth

lines and Apple software library sounds you get on the radio

today. It’s rugged ’90s throwback stuff, and he’s got a pack of

like-minded, up-and-coming emcees with him.

After that album, the next stage is ‘The Custodian And Friends’

set, and he’s also producing a full album for Solzalez, one of

the Brick City artists featured on ‘The Burton’. He’s let me hear

some tracks in advance, including collaborations with Tame 1,

Shawn Luv and Pace Won (yeah, it doesn’t get anymore Jer-

sey than this!), and I can tell you: Custodian is the first up-and-

coming producer I’ve been excited about in a long time. (Well,

him and Marco Polo, but Custodian’s material is more raw –

seriously.) So look for this guy’s name in the credits of some of

your favorite albums down the line, no doubt.

Now, I don’t think I’m alone in being disappointed by X-Clan’s

comeback album, ‘Return From Mecca’. Apart from the ‘sin-

gle’ (in quotes, because there was no actual 12-inch, cassette

or CD released), it was basically a huge mess, leaving our in-

trepid Brother J lost in a sea of ill-advised guest rappers and

producers. So it was no surprise that the follow-up popped

with little to no fanfare or ‘blog buzz’ – in fact, I didn’t realise

until pretty recently that ‘Mainstream Outlawz’ actually came

out back in January!

A once-over of the producers wasn’t too promising: Craig Rip,

The Are, Apokalips… Who on Earth are these guys?! Fat Jack

and DJ Quik may have been total mismatches, but at least we

knew who the heck they were. Why were they opting not to

use Ultraman? He clearly understood how to produce for J bet-

ter than anyone since Paradise. But, I’m pleasantly surprised to

report this album actually works: the new guys knew how to

lay a foundation for J’s commanding voice, the guest emcees

fit, and it’s all around the album ‘Return...’ should have been.

It’s not perfect, but it deserves to be heard – so go check it be-

fore Brother J retires for another decade. John W McKelvey

HHC DIGITAL #003 13

FLOW FASHIONRAHSAAN“My first single is called ‘The Sneaker Store Terrorist’, so it’s

taking that addiction and making a profit off it,” says Florida

kicks disciple RahSaan while hitting up Wealthy Hostage in

Brooklyn. With a background in design (his designs for Mecca

were rocked in The Wire), and his own footwear store about to

open (The Stock Exchange), here’s the fly guy’s sole science...

HHC DIGITAL #003 14

PHOT

OGRA

PHY

BY K

RIST

INA

HILL

When did your addiction to sneakers start?

“When I was 15. Until that point I was only allowed to wear

Payless sneakers, like XJ900s! When I got my first pair of Air

Force 1s – the mids, white and navy blue – it was tenth grade

and from that day on that was all I wanted to wear. For the

next ten years I wore nothing but Air Force 1s. Then I started

getting into Adidas shell-toes and Air Max.”

Do you keep your old sneakers? How large is your collection?

“I was born in Guyana, and I still have a tight hold on my

homeland, so every couple of years I bag up my leftover

sneakers and ship ’em over for underprivileged kids there.”

How long have you been coming to Wealthy Hostage?

“Two and a half years – they know me well in here! It’s one of

the dopest sneaker spots that I’ve been to in New York City.”

What are you wearing yourself at the moment?

“Red Japanese edition Air Force 1s, with the air bubble.”

(Check out www.wealthyhostage.com for more.)

‘Savior’

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FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS

(HBO)

Get ready to folk, as they say, with the

DVD release of series two of the antics of

New Zealand’s fourth most popular folk

parody duo.

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II

(ADULT SWIM)

Dropping in July, this one does what it says

on the tin, mashing up elements of the two

worlds. Warped Adult Swim-style comedy

then ensues.

METALOCALYPSE S1

(ADULT SWIM)

The animated story of the world’s most

extreme metal band, Dethklok, this one’s an

all out rock fest. Also includes murderous

kittens and the vocal talents of

Mark Hamill.

DJ HERO

(ACTIVISION)

Packaged with a turntable-shaped controller, and featuring

input from DJ Shadow and Z-Trip plus tracks from Eminem and

Jay-Z, the latest in the musical sim genre plugs straight into

the ones and twos. “A deejay has the ability to use music to

control people’s emotions,” says Jigga of the game, and the

title will feature exclusive content from both the Roc man and

Eminem. Out this autumn.

AGENT

(ROCKSTAR)

The latest from the bods behind the all-

conquering Grand Theft Auto franchise, new title Agent is being

touted around as “the ultimate action game”. A lofty claim,

but set against a Cold War backdrop, and with a stealthy dose

of espionage weaved in to proceedings, it’s one RockStar just

might pull off. Either way, all will be revealed later this year

when it drops on the PS3.

7

ELECTRIC RELAXATION

16HHC DIGITAL #003

THIS MONTH’S HOME ENTERTAINMENT

CAM’RON is Using Twitter

@J2TheMwah Cosign on bursting onto the stage through giant flip charts – FLIPSET in the building!!! LOL!!!7:18 PM today, from twitteriffic

NO HOMO!!!!5:50 PM today, from web

Meant to type no homo just then. Tweeting with this iPhone app’s a big fat pain in the ass. Mo homo.5:50 PM today, from web

Video turned out great, especially the Swingball action. Mo homo.5:49 PM today, from web

Shooting latest budget video in my man’s back garden. Paddling pool should look bigger with the right framing.2:27 PM today, from twitteriffic

@J2TheMwah Had idea for our Bosses tour. Let’s start with a giant PowerPoint presentation showing our resumes. And use that race car noise.10:14 AM today, from TweetDeck

Watching Clarissa Explains It All. Miss having the budget to sample dope TV themes.9:03 AM today, from web

717HHC DIGITAL #003

STILL AVAILABLE!

DOOM, WILLIE ISZ, DANTE ROSS, MOBONIX

RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE, SPEECH DEBELLE

ISSUE 001ISSUE 002

‘ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX 2’ IS GO!GHOSTFACE, SPEECH DEBELLE, TANYA MORGAN, PAUL WHITE

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DOOM!

HHC DIGITAL #001

THE SUPER-VILLAINON BUKOWSKI, BEER

AND BECOMING A GAZZILLIONAIRE

WILLIE ISZ , CHARLES HAMILTON, DANTE ROSS & MORE!www.hhcdigital.net

HHC DIGITAL #003 18

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THESE DAYS IF IT’S DOPE IT’S MOSTLIKELY FROM DETROIT – AND THESEARE THE CATS WHO HOLD THE KEY TO THE D’S UNDERGROUND DOMINANCE...

DETROITIS NOW!

19HHC DIGITAL #003

BY RICHARD WATSON • PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTINA HILL

HHC DIGITAL #003 20

“Don’t nobody care about us/All they do is doubt us/’Til we blow

the spot/Then they all wanna crowd us...”

Phat Kat, ‘Don’t Nobody Care About Us’

Its noise – a rumbling, rugged-sometimes-smooth assault on

the neck muscles and frequently the gut – had been audible

for some time, but 2008 was the year Detroit’s hip-hop

community followed through on the oft-heard instruction of

its dearly departed talisman J-Dilla and turned it up a lil’ louder.

Elzhi (‘The Preface’), Fat Ray (‘The Set-Up’), Black Milk (‘The

Tronic’), Illa J (‘Yancey Boys’) and Guilty Simpson (‘Ode To The

Ghetto’) were fixtures on both end-of-year top ten lists and

each other’s tracks, hammering home the point that, ebbing

with talent and a sense of community, the D might currently

be the most vital and vibrant spot on the rap map. Now, in ’09,

with Eminem bringing the blockbuster back to hip-hop, and a

decade on from his game-changing ‘The Slim Shady LP’, it’s

time for the D to rule rap – from the bottom up.

There’s a certain poetry to Detroit’s newfound standing as

the epicentre of authentic hip-hop. If the culture began by

“DETROIT MUSIC IS HEARTFELT AND ANTI- COMMERCIAL”

HHC DIGITAL #003 21

the artists are not trying to appease the industry, so I think the

music is becoming a lot more heartfelt and anti-commercial.

It’s back to the underground and the feeling is so real. I’m

starting to feel a lot of the local artists that’s coming out now

because they’re being honest with the music. They’re not

trying to portray that commercial sound that everybody in the

music industry loves so much.”

After years of hearing talent-light, bling-heavy rappers set their

shopping lists to insipid, ring-tone ready beats, the appeal of

Phat Kat, Fat Ray and their hard grafting, heart-spilling peers

isn’t hard to fathom, least of all when the rumbling of their

tracks often seems rivalled only by the rumbling in their

bellies.

“Yeah, it’s hunger, man,” relates Hex Murda, who, as

manager of Elzhi, Black Milk and Guilty Simpson, has a better

understanding than most of the fire that fuels his city’s

current rap ambassadors. “It’s like when you come out and

you’re a Detroit cat – whether you’re Black or Guilty or Royce

or whoever − you gotta let ’em know: ‘This is what I do, this

giving a voice to the unheard and disenfranchised, then who

better to grab the mic at this moment than the residents of a

city that has never known the glamour and notoriety of more

fashionable hip-hop hotbeds? A city synonymous with struggle;

where hustling and grinding are daily routines for damn near

everyone, from big time ball players to nine-to-fivers? And yes,

definitely the resident rap talent, too.

“Detroit is a blue collar city,” says Phat Kat, a stalwart of his

hometown’s hip-hop scene since the mid-’90s, “so you get a

blue collar emcee; a working class emcee. We’re not iced-out

and driving Bentleys and everything, but we’re surviving off of

the music and it shows in the music.”

Fat Ray, an emcee with a similarly no-frills persona, seems

buoyed by what he views as a classic, rose-growing-from-

concrete scenario.

“The artists in the city feel like nobody’s gonna help them

in the situation that they’re in,” he observes, “so the music

comes out a lot more honest and a lot more raw. It’s really like

“DJ PREMIER WAS GIVING ME PROPS FOR ’THE TRONIC’”

HHC DIGITAL #003 22

is my lane, y’all can’t come over here. Y’all can do whatever

other shit you wanna do, but this is Detroit shit right here;

this is how we do it and you can’t fuck with it’. It’s a hunger

and desire that these guys have to let people know, ‘You keep

overlooking us, and that’s cool ’cos we right here’.

“I don’t know, man. Sometimes it feels like you banging your

head against the wall, but if you doing this just for recognition

you might as well quit and go work at the post office.”

As Black Milk underlines, “Being from Detroit, I’m condident

with what I do and, at the end of the day, I’m the type of artist

that makes what I wanna make and if I’m satisfied with the

project then it really doesn’t matter what outside people think

about it.

“It’s crossed my mind to deliberately make a commercial-

sounding track before,” he adds, “but whether it’s from being

from Detroit or something else, my brain won’t let me do it!

I’m always just trying to create something new and fresh that

no one’s heard before.”

Whether Detroit is as overlooked as its artists frequently

claim on record hardly matters when that us-against-the-

world attitude is so intrinsic to the Motor City mentality. While

easterly neighbour New York continues to an exude an air of

entitlement like a once-storied sports franchise perennially

bereft of silverware, Detroit plays with a chip on its collective

shoulder, grinding and scrapping for every point and – behind

the 8 Mile-wide scowl – revelling in its underdog status.

While it’s easy to disassociate the mega-selling Eminem

from the D’s 2009 roster of ravenous underground rhyme-

spitters, there’s no denying that Marshall’s incredible ascent

is testament to the against-all-odds attitude in which his

hometown is steeped. Em’s trailer park back-story gave

him the authenticity usually considered lacking in his pale-

faced predecessors (Detroit’s majority-black make-up and

segregated streets making his rise a virtual photo-negative

retelling of the textbook rap-to-riches story), and while, of

course, his skills on the mic spoke for themselves, they too

were steeled in the fiery battles that went down at spots like

the city’s legendary Hip-Hop Shop. You want a local-boy-makes-

good underdog story? How many other rappers have had their

lives immortalised on screen in a rap remake of Rocky?

“He really got it done for the city,” says local legend DJ House

Shoes, who got his start deejaying at fabled Motown hip-

hop club St Andrews back in 1994. “No matter what anybody

says, he sold like 35 million records and he’s a product of his

environment, which is Detroit, so that’s great.”

Still, while Em’s self-determination took him to the top of the

pop charts, his success – perhaps because the involvement

of undisputed Cali kingpin Dr Dre muddied the geographical

waters somewhat – didn’t exactly have the music industry

decamping to Detroit. In fact, one of the factors distinguishing

Detroit artists from their cross country counterparts is the

lack of even local-level infrastructure at their disposal. Your

average player in, say, the Bay Area’s aggressively indigenous

hyphy scene can afford to throw up the thizz face at outsiders

baffled by the stunna shades and side-shows before ghost-

riding their way to the radio station and promoting their

latest CD to legions of fiercely loyal local fans. However, with

“LYRICALLY, ELZHI’S ONE OF THE DOPEST EMCEES I’VE EVER HEARD”

HHC DIGITAL #003 23

local labels and radio support virtually non-existent, the D’s

troopers often seem to be struggling against resistance not

from the world outside their city, but from their immediate

surroundings. But it’s a state of affairs that only seems to offer

more fuel to their fire – and at the very least it’s certainly not

something that Hex Murda is losing any sleep over.

“Radio is gonna be radio and it’s gonna do what it does,” he

shrugs. “It’s gonna play what the advertisers need it to play.

You’re not going to listen to the radio and hear three or four

Guilty, Black Milk and Elzhi records in a row. I’m not even trying

to be delusional and think to myself like it’s possible. I don’t

need to change the radio because, on some real shit, fuck the

radio. The internet is here now. I can get shit out quicker on

the internet than I can on the radio. It’s instant. I can put a

record up tomorrow and a hundred million people will hear

it. It’s global, so why should I care about the radio? I mean,

the radio is good at making people famous if you want to be

heard locally. That’s cool, but at the same time we got XFM

stations now. Black Milk and Guilty and Elzhi get play on Sirius

and that’s nationwide, worldwide.”

“THE SIMPLICITY IS WHAT MAKES DILLA’S

BEATS GREAT”

HHC DIGITAL #003 24

Make no mistake: That nationwide, worldwide audience has

been essential to the D’s come-up, with heads from Europe

and Japan voraciously collecting catalogue from the city’s

artists and showing up en masse for live shows.

“When we do shows that take place overseas it’s amazing,”

enthuses House Shoes. “I was in Paris one night with Illa J, Aloe

Blacc and Exile on the ‘Dilla Changed My Life’ tour. After the

set, I spun for like five hours and the energy from the crowd

was consistent from beginning to end – they were going

fucking crazy; every word from every song, even the obscure

shit. Cats have no idea. The love we get over there is so much

more intense than anything we get back home.”

Crucially, while supporters of the city’s music may hail from all

four corners of the globe, they can broadly be characterised

as one demographic: hip-hop fans desperately seeking that

increasingly elusive fix of, well, good old-fashioned hip-hop.

To some extent, Detroit’s ascent is the result of impeccable

timing: Many well-seasoned hip-hop heads were unwilling to

lift a Crunk Juice-filled petrol can to Lil Jon and friends in the

HHC DIGITAL #003 25

is primed to stop the Big Apple’s rot just as soon as their label

frees them seems somewhat pointless when a slew of Detroit

artists are busy dropping the type of creative but structurally

sound street music that we used to take for granted from the

five boroughs.

“I’ve been telling people for a good few years that Detroit is

like the new Bronx,” relates House Shoes. “People are looking

to us for inspiration.”

Hell, even Noo Yiddy’s own boom-bap standard-setters have

their ears cocked to the mid-west.

“Just recently I was over in Phoenix for Sha-Money’s One-

Stop Shop producer conference,” recalls Black Milk, “and

DJ Premier was on the panel giving me props. Even though

he’s on the album [adding scratches to the track ‘Matrix’ with

Pharoahe Monch and Sean P], for me he’s the biggest legend

out of all the hip-hop producers, so props from him make me

feel like I’m where I need to be musically. It’s the same as when

Madlib was giving me props out in Cali.”

wake of the indie scene’s turn-of-the-millennium implosion,

and though the new generation of blog-rappers isn’t without

talent, there’s a suspicion that many of them will prove as

trendy and transient as their much-maligned skinny jeans.

Detroit’s finest, though, display a relationship with hip-hop’s

glory years that goes way deeper than a throwback font on a

smedium T-shirt, serving up music that appeases ears raised

on the late ’80s/early-’90s hip-hop staples without sounding

overly safe or retrogressive. Sure, the buzz coming out of

Detroit may not be as radical as the sounds that have shaped

the crunk or hyphy movements or even, for that matter,

Britain’s own grime scene, but then that’s half the point. It’s

the balancing act perfected by the D’s great and good that

makes their output all the more impressive − fans who came

up on Black Moon can nod their heads to Black Milk without

feeling like they’ve heard it all before.

Perhaps the greatest indicator of the Motor City’s rude health

is that these days, bemoaning New York’s creative stagnancy

or speculating about which bureaucracy-beleaguered emcee

“I’M ALWAYS TRYING TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT NO ONE’S HEARD BEFORE”

HHC DIGITAL #003 26

that – while certainly conforming to the time honoured beats-

and-rhymes blueprint − sounds genuinely different to that

emanating from the more traditional hip-hop hotbeds.

“Guys like Detroit’s Most Wanted, Awesome Dre, Prince Vince,

Smiley and all these other cats, they had kind of a sound too,”

contends Hex. “They had their own sound, and the sound that

we have now still goes back to that mentality that those guys

had just in the street. But as far as music, yeah, at this moment

in time you can say, ‘That’s a Detroit cat,’ when you hear a

dude rhyming or when you hear a certain type of track; the

way they chopped the drum or something, ‘That’s a Detroit

dude.’ Esham, Detroit’s Most Wanted − all these guys had their

own lane. We’re trying to build our own lane, too.”

“What we’re seeing isn’t just a new thing,” says Waajeed. “In

so many ways Detroit is so different to so many other places

across the world. That directly affects our originality, our ideas

and our stance on the world and feeds into the sound you hear

now. It’s been kinda like a building process over the last ten

years that’s made it the kinda focal point it is now.”

It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that creativity is

such a key component on the Motor City production line. Few

American cities boast a musical heritage as broad-reaching as

Detroit (its nicknames, Motown and Rock City, nod proudly to

genre-spanning past glories and, whatever Eminem’s personal

tastes, it’s no slouch in the techno stakes, either), so it’s only

natural that the D’s hip-hop vanguard draws influence from

across the board. For every gritty, street-spitting Phat Kat or

Royce Da 5’ 9” (and if you like your gulliness a little less Fader-

friendly, there’s always the antics of the Eastside Chedda Boyz

and their one-time vicious rivals the Street Lordz), there’s

an adventurous, avant garde offering from Amp Fiddler or

Waajeed and his Platinum Pied Pipers crew, now transplanted

to Brooklyn. Which only makes it all the more remarkable

that the city has, over the last few years, begun to cultivate

something approaching a signature sound.

The first wave of Detroit artists worked wonders for local pride,

but did so largely by proving that the D could keep stylistic pace

with their colleagues in New York and Los Angeles. By contrast,

the Detroit artists making noise today are cranking out music

“I’m definitely paying attention to what’s going on over in the

city of Detroit,” says Show, production maestro for New York’s

legendary Diggin’ In The Crates crew, an outfit synonymous

with the type of music now deemed largely MIA from hip-

hop’s established birthplace. “As long as you know what you

are doing with the sampler, then I’m down with it, you know

what I mean? Let’s be honest, when it comes to listening to hip-

hop music, a lot of times people don’t even try to get creative,

so as long as those guys are creative, I don’t care where they

come from, man. These guys from Detroit, they’re soundin’

good to me.”

HHC DIGITAL #003 27

That Detroit hip-hop catches the ear and nags the neck with a

sound so distinct from the competition is due, in no small part,

to the dusty fingered movements of one man in particular.

While people’s champ Proof was the mayor of the Detroit hip-

hop scene, and his peroxide pal became its pop superstar, the

main architect of the city’s signature sound is the man who,

after dropping a couple of resolutely local hits, conquered

– yes! – New York and LA before officially welcoming us to

Detroit: the inimitable J Dilla.

A look at some of Dilla’s earliest assignments – specifically

his work as musical choreographer for 1996’s official Native

Tongues reinstatement – evidences the very qualities he would

later display in abundance as a Detroit figurehead: a heart

for classic hip-hop combined with an ear for innovation. His

brassy, broody board-work on De La’s ‘Stakes Is High’ single

provided the perfect backdrop for the Plug boys’ seething

state-of-the-union address, while the mixed reaction to Tribe’s

Ummah-led move into woozier musical territories on ‘Beats,

Rhymes & Life’ is at least partly attributable to the fact that,

while others merely claim to be, James Yancey was genuinely

“I HOPE DETROIT ARTISTS KEEP THAT UNDERDOG FIRE IN THEIR SOULS”

HHC DIGITAL #003 28

on some next shit. Ironically, Dilla would spend the next

decade crafting music entirely in keeping with the intrepid

golden era spirit once embodied by Quest and friends, and

when the world eventally caught up, the biggest beneficiary

was the producer’s hometown.

Throughout his tragically curtailed career, Dilla almost seemed

to be moving backwards – beautifully, weirdly backwards like

The Pharcyde in the video for ‘Drop’ (yep, another Jay Dee

sure-shot). While many a board-basher has smoothed out

their sound for commercial consumption, Dilla often appeared

intent on scuffing his up, amplifying his aesthetic eccentricities

to (im)perfect a sound that was – and is – distinctly Detroit.

Despite spending his final days in more tranquil Cali climes,

Dilla never stopped repping for his hometown, and for every

Busta or Common collabo he handed out heat to his Motor

City brethren. Even the 2005 JayLib project ‘Champion

Sound’, ostensibly a cross cultural collision of Dilla and west

coast maverick Madlib, became an advert for the new Detroit

aesthetic. By keeping pace with his notoriously experimental

playmate while roping Guilty Simpson and Frank n’ Dank in on

rabble-rousing duties, Dilla firmly established the D’s facility

for robust rap bangers with fidgety, off-key inflections; music

faithful to the streets but not enslaved by its strictures.

So idiosyncratic yet instantly recognisable is The Dilla Method

that, when asked to pinpoint his late friend’s technical

innovations, Waajeed – who began his own beat-making

career after borrowing, and later buying, a broken MPC2000

from Dilla – can’t quite put a finger on it. “I can’t really say

what his technical thing was – it was him, you know what I’m

saying? I think the simplicity is what makes Dilla’s beats great.

A Dilla beat is very similar to a conversation with Dilla: Jay

didn’t really say much, but what he did say and how he said it

was simple, so you got the point; it was like a slap to the face.

It was firm, to the point, and it left a taste in your mouth and

left you something to think about.”

Today, of course, Dilla’s sound and spirit live on not merely

in mixtapes, t-shirts and limited edition mixtape-and-t-

shirt collector’s packs, but also in the music of his peers.

An undoubted Dilla disciple, Black Milk has continued in

HHC DIGITAL #003 29

his predecessor’s cracked, filtered path while increasingly

broadening his sound in a way that would surely have the great

man nodding his head from on high (Black recently hinted that

his follow-up to the eclectic ‘Tronic’ will be Beatles-influenced),

while Dilla’s baby bro Illa J is, with the help of his late sibling’s

archived beats, quite literally carrying on the family name on

debut album ‘Yancey Boys’.

Still, Dilla’s influence extends far further than just individual

CVs, his innovations key to his hometown’s current rude health.

While it’s arguable that no other city in hip-hop currently does

‘hard’ as well as the D (check Phat Kat’s unnerving, Dilla-

produced ‘Cold Steel’ for a song as chilly and tough as its title),

the city’s damn near incontestable in its ability to temper

those asphalt-ready beats and frequently frostbitten rhymes

with the type of warm, honest-to-goodness soul that’s been a

local staple since Jay Dee and his fellow Slum Villagers started

to circulate the piecemeal charms of their ‘Fan-Tas-Tic Vol 1’

back in 1997.

While Dilla’s life left an indelible imprint on Detroit hip-hop,

so did his February 2006 death, along with Proof’s passing

just two months later. Two very different personalities (one

as gregarious and sociable as the other was introspective and

studio-bound), both were bonafide Motor City royalty when

different tragic circumstances made them the highest profile

additions to a list of deceased Detroit rap talent that already

included AWOL’s DJ Homicide, Wipeout, Blade Icewood and

Proof’s former D-12 bandmate Bugz. We know how Detroit

responds to getting knocked down though, and while we can

only speculate on how strong the city might be with Big Proof

and Dilla Dawg still alive, the resilience of their peers in the

wake of their passing is there for all to see. (“Before it was all

cliks,” confirms Phat Kat, “but the passing of Dilla and Proof

brought us all together.”)

It’s this same one-for-all ethos that Waajeed believes should be

the true recipient of the spotlight, the Triple P man cautioning

against Dilla’s lionisation by fans and journalists, and, despite

his adoration for the man who sold him his first worse-for-

wear bit of kit, refusing to co-sign a Detroit rap timeline with

James Yancey at its centre.

“There’s no AD, there’s no BD,” he insists. “It’s a Detroit

movement. Even despite J’s greatness, I really kinda hate this

idea of before-Dilla and post-Dilla. There was a movement prior

to J and there’s a movement after. We should be focussed on

the city as a whole. Because of Dilla’s passing, all of a sudden

everybody’s focussed on his great achievements and it’s almost

like an afterthought where the media and popular culture just

kinda looks to ‘Donuts’ and all of Dilla’s current records that

kinda have a story behind them. It’s bullshit because it’s a lot

more going on.

HHC DIGITAL #003 30

company of other artists who share in the success of Detroit

and what we all have as a whole, which is a movement.”

The most exciting part of all this? The fact that this Motor City

movement shows no signs of slowing down. Elzhi’s ‘The Set-

Up’ and Fat Ray and Black Milk’s ‘The Preface’ were, as their

titles suggest, intended as mere curtain-raisers for ‘proper’

albums, while this year has already seen a relapsing Eminem

returning to pop glory, upcomer Finale building his rep with

‘A Pipedream And A Promise’ and Dilla giving us another

posthumous reminder of his dopeness on ‘Jay $tay Paid’. Still

to come, there’s Elzhi’s ‘The Feed’, a possible Slum Village

reunion, and the tantalising triumvirate of Black Milk, Guilty

Simpson and NY Boot Camper Sean Price as Random Axe.

“It’s gonna be what people expect but not really what people

expect,” teases Black Milk of the team-up. “It’s gonna be on a

different vibe – but still smacking.”

Waajeed also remains optimistic about the future of Detroit

hip-hop, despite – or perhaps because of – his pessimism for

the city’s socioeconomic situation.

So do the players at the heart of Detroit hip-hop see themselves

as part of a movement; practitioners of a region-specific hip-

hop sub genre – or simply a group of emcees and producers

who share a postcode, personal friendships, and a penchant

for proper hip-hop?

“There’s a circle of people I could count on both hands that do

a certain genre of music,” opines Hex, “whether you want to

call it Detroit hip-hop or whatever. There are definitely fans,

especially overseas, that latch onto the music kinda like people

did with Detroit techno and only listen to Detroit shit, but as a

whole, even though we’re all a crew and we all work together, I

don’t think it’s as big as the crunk thing. It’s just Detroit people

have a kinship in their music thought process.”

“Lyrically, Elzhi’s one of the dopest emcees I’ve ever heard,“

says Fat Ray, talking about that kinship. “When he asked me

to be on his ‘Fire’ remix it was an honour. It was a good feeling

hearing so many great Detroit artists shooting for one common

goal, which is letting the world know that we are capable of

making hit music. It’s definitely a good feeling to be in the

“There isn’t a hero or a saviour or a particular person that

defines the sound of the city. Black Milk is not that, Dilla’s not

that. People should stop treating it like a phenomenon, ’cos

I know what happens with phenomenons. A couple of years

from now, the thing that T-Pain uses on his voice is going to be

a joke ’cos everyone’s using it, and I want to make sure that

Dilla is not put in that phenomenon basket where people are

saying ‘‘Donuts’, ‘Donuts’, ‘Donuts’…’ and then ten years from

now it’ll be like the fucking ‘Thong Song’ by Sisqo. I’m hoping

to bring attention to people like Dwele and T3; everybody, as

opposed to the smaller picture of just Dilla and Black Milk.”

“BEING FROM DETROIT I CAN’T MAKE DELIBERATELY COMMERCIAL TRACKS”

“When New York had its toughest economic times and

some of the most racist, corrupt motherfuckers running the

government, out came hip-hop, and I think that it takes that

pressure and that energy and anger and an SP1200 sitting

there to make that happen. That’s what’s going to happen

with Detroit. With the automotive situation and all that, I think

that the greatest is yet to come because Detroit is so fucked

up and shit is real, you know?

“So I hope the artists keep that underdog fire in their souls,”

he continues, “and keep seeing Detroit as a place that’s slept

on as opposed to a great mecca. Some people are holding us

to that now and it’s still not even true.”

Waa probably needn’t worry about his Motown peers losing

their fire, but at this rate it’s going to get harder and harder

for his hometown to duck rap music mecca status. Detroit

the most underestimated plus underrated city in this hip-hop

game? Surely not for much longer.

Black Milk ‘Mo Power’

Fat Ray & Black Milk feat. AB ‘Take Control’

HHC DIGITAL #003 31

HHC DIGITAL #003 32

FINALEA PROMISING START...BY PHILLIP MLYNAR

The latest emcee to fly off Detroit’s never-slowing underground

conveyor-belt, Finale’s recent ‘A Pipedream And A Promise’

was wrought through with traditional D-Town grit as well as

featuring nods to the city’s heritage with a Dilla production

and vocal input from first-wave Detroit ambassador Awesome

Dre. Here’s his snapshot of the Motor City...

Is the Detroit portrayed on records the same as the real

Detroit experienced by anyone who lives there?

“If it’s a rapper who is really from Detroit then it’s very

accurate. Detroit, the way we approach music, this is what it is,

you love it or you hate it. Detroit is going to be Detroit: it’s not

sugar-coated, it’s not super-planned out, and we’re not about

to say it’s messed up when it isn’t - it is messed up. Whatever

you heard about what goes on in Detroit, whether it’s where

I grew up on the east side, Conant Gardens where Dilla and

Slum Village started, or the west side with Big Tone, Detroit is

going to be Detroit. The music is pretty accurate.”

You’ve talked about how it took Proof and Dilla passing away

to bring Detroit to the world’s attention. How do you look on

Eminem’s contribution to putting Detroit on the map?

“I would say Em did what no other rapper in Detroit could

possibly do. He put Detroit on the multi-platinum-I-sold-20-

million-records level. He’s without doubt one of the greatest

rappers to ever do it and he took rap to the highest level

possible. But what Dilla and Proof did was give the inner city

hope and solidified it. Eminem gave it the push we needed, but

Dilla and Proof gave it the hope. I mean Eminem took Detroit

and put us on the Grammys! So because of that we were then

able to see Proof rockin’ on stage with Em at the American

Music Awards.”

So is there a strong sense of unity in the Detroit scene? Or is

that something that outsiders have just assumed?

“There is now, but there wasn’t before, ’cos there was a lot of

circles. Before, with an artist like Dilla or Proof, or Wipeout or

Blade Icewood or Disco D, everybody in Detroit had their own

individual circle. The way it worked was, there was a Dilla circle,

and there was a Proof and D12 circle, and a Big Herc circle.

When Dilla and Proof passed away we kinda came together

and said we need to overlap these circles – we had to figure

out a way to help each other out. Detroit was separated, but

we’re learning how to come together now.”

What were key hip-hop venues when you were coming up?

“There was a spot in Pontiac, Michigan where I met One Be Low

– he co-produced the Binary Star record, which in my eyes is a

definite classic – and it was called Crazy Moe’s, in downtown

Pontiac. This was on a Monday, then on Tuesdays there was a

spot called Lush Lounge, which is the place where I met Guilty

Simpson and Black Milk and Hex Murda. And then there used

to always be open mics at the Shelter and downstairs at a

place called St Andrews.”

What about now?

“There aren’t many venues in downtown Detroit – it’s been

run-over by stadiums and construction. It’s being taken over

and companies are swooping in. There used to be dope venues

like Mahogany where I saw Proof battle like 50 rappers in a

row! That spot is gone now. The only spot building up right

now is called Five Elements Gallery.”

Is there any crossover between the hip-hop and the techno

scenes in Detroit?

“I’m actually working on an electronic hip-hop project with

Dabrye. When you look at Detroit playing a big part in techno

music, it’s automatic. When me and Invincible was coming up,

if we had a contract to look over, we’d go over to Underground

Resistance and have the homey Mike Banks look over it. And

I was just over there a couple of weeks ago listening to beats,

’cos Nick Speed, a G-Unit producer, he’s got access to their

whole back catalogue. They brought him in to mix up electronic

music with hip-hop.”

(Finale’s ‘A Pipedream And A Promise’ is out now.)

‘One Man Show’ feat. Casual

HHC DIGITAL #003 33

34HHC DIGITAL #003

D.ALLIEDETROIT’S NEW WORDSMITH...BY PHILLIP MLYNAR

It’s just after 3pm on a lazy Friday afternoon and Detroit

lyricist D. Allie is whiling the day away in a coffee shop, jotting

down a new rap verse in his rhyme pad. Asked about the

last line he’s just crafted, he offers to kick the whole verse, a

capella, live from the barista bar: “So many thoughts on the

mind,” he begins, before ending some 60 seconds later with,

“The only question of success is: What’s your definition?/Yeah,

I’m missing the fortune but that’s only monetary/I gain wealth

from the love that I share with my family...”

Is that a truthful answer about your definition of success?

“Yeah, I believe so. Everyone always wants to talk about

success, but I guess I go against the social law: I went to

college and have a lot of friends who went on to become

stock-brokers and got into securities shit and they’re like, ‘Are

you feeling successful?’ I’m like, ‘Of course I feel successful, I

wake up every day and I get to create things!’ Everybody has

their own definitions of success.”

How does being from Detroit affect your music?

“I love the city, man. That’s another thing, all my friends I

went to college with left the city. People always ask me why

do I stay here? They’ll say there’s nothing going on and ask

why don’t I move to New York or LA ’cos that’s where music

is happening. I’m like, ‘No, there’s great music going on here,

it’s just that nobody hears about it!’ People aren’t ready for

the type of music we’re creating, but that’s starting to change

with artists like Black Milk and Finale.”

So what one thing would help artists in the Detroit

underground scene?

“Money is always an issue! But I think the biggest problem we

have in Detroit is that we do not have the push of a record

label here, or even the push of a PR firm being based here.

How do you know I’m here? I could make the best music in

the world, but at that point it doesn’t really matter if nobody

knows who I am. But there’s a lot of cats across the world

who are starting to support us, like Gilles Peterson – he plays

Detroit music more than Detroit plays Detroit music!”

In broader terms, if you were the mayor of Detroit what

would your first act in charge be?

“First of all, let me preface this by saying that this is not a

job that I would ever want! But I grew up always believing in

grass roots action, so I’d want to start from the bottom up,

as opposed to the top down. It starts with the people, so just

create plans and actions to make the people think that they

can make a change, as opposed to just hearing orders from

the top down that they never really get to see the effects of.”

What would your slogan be?

“Maybe something goofy and back-packer-ish, like ‘Similar

differences’! I always liked the concept of a mosaic, where

different pieces come together to create one grand art piece,

as opposed to the melting pot theory of America where

everybody has to ultimately become the same. So let’s go

with: ‘From the bottom up to the top’.”

What’s the first word that comes to mind when I say J Dilla?

“Genius.”

Awesome Dre…

“Pioneer.”

Invincible…

“Conscious.”

Favourite Eminem album...

“It’s definitely a toss-up between the ‘Slim Shady’ and ‘Marshall

Mathers’ albums, and those albums are very pieced together,

like you know all the tracks run together properly, but I think

the first offering – well, ‘Infinite’’s the first first offering – but I

think the ‘Slim Shady’ album, definitely.”

‘Everywhich Way But Loose (Talking Ears)’

HHC DIGITAL #003 35

FIVE FOR FIVE: THE KYZA OPINION...

BY CHLOE MCCLOSKEY

London emcee Kyza is back with a hot new album. Or mixtape.

Actually, he’s not too sure himself, explaining, “I don’t wanna

call ‘Shots Of Smirnoff’ a mixtape, but I’m coming to the reali-

sation that it is.” Either way, the 28-year-old is in rude form on

it, and here he talks to HHC Digital about vices, violence, and

why being the Kelly Rowland of Terra Firma ain’t so bad...

36HHC DIGITAL #003

37HHC DIGITAL #003

1. BOTTOMS UP...

“I was very much into drinking at one time. That’s why they

used to call me Smirnoff, ’cos I literally used to drink pint glass-

es of Smirnoff, no chaser, real talk. I was 18, young – I just liked

getting drunk. We used to go to people’s house parties, me

and my boys, in north, south, east and west London – we were

little travelers. We’d arrive and go to where they were serving

the drinks; they’d be like, ‘Know what Kyza’s having... Smirnoff!’

And I’d pour it out, glug, glug, glug, glug – chick dancin’ front

of me, woo! Ravin’, making faces shit like crazy... Those were

the days. Now my tolerance for alcohol has just gone down.

I don’t smoke either. I’m not what you’d call ‘healthy’ but in

terms of vices, I am. My only vice is women.”

2. THE GOOD OL’ DAYS...

“I got into hip-hop because of my older brother and cousin. I

remember going to the cinema watching Breakin’ – Turbo and

Ozone and all that. We used to have our little crew and we

used to beatbox and rap and freestyle on the spot. It was re-

ally ’80s – proper gold rope chains and track suits and Kangol,

then going into the ’90s with the Kid ‘N’ Play thing with the

fades and routines and that. And I was a very good dancer – I

could do caterpillars and windmills until puberty hit – then I

got too big!

“As for music, I was into Eazy E and Rakim and Rodney P and

London Posse. ‘Gangster Chronicle’ was my first UK hip-hop

record. I had KRS-One, Jungle Brothers’ ‘Jimbrowski’ and Eazy

E’s ‘Eazy Duz It’ – that was my first record. I used to play that

when my mum was at work and think, ‘He said fuck, he said

bitch! Ah, this is heavy!’ Ho, motherfucker – it was probably

the first time I heard someone say motherfucker; I was like,

‘Can you even say that?’ It was so foreign to me – but I loved it.

And now, in terms of new school emcees: Slaughterhouse, es-

pecially Crooked I – his wordplay and flow are ridiculous, and

he’s very, very underrated.”

38HHC DIGITAL #003

3. THE TERRA FIRMA SPLIT...

“I didn’t want to be a forgotten person. It wouldn’t have been

fair to myself. There are many reasons why we split, but I’m not

prepared to divulge that information right yet. I wasn’t going

to be happy just being in Terra Firma and just being a rhymer.

There is always a ‘star’ in a group scenario – look at Pussycat

Dolls, Destiny’s Child, N’Sync. There is always one who stands

out and that was Klash – he was the ‘leader’, the ‘figurehead’,

but then you got your Kelly Rowlands and your Mel Cs. Yeah,

I’m the Kelly Rowland of Terra Firma, haha!”

4. THE UK SCENE...

“The UK game is too oriented around how ill you are as an em-

cee; it’s all about skills or punchlines and people have lost the

focus of making good enjoyable music for everybody. People

don’t seem to be bringing the musical element to the game

– bar people like Foreign Beggars and some others like Pirelli.

I’m not going the typical route of punchline hip-hop, or the ‘on

39HHC DIGITAL #003

the road’ thing talking about drugs and violence. It’s a bit of a

fusion of both – that’s my contribution.

“The peak of the UK scene is gone. The peak was when Klash

brought out ‘Sagas...’, when Jehst brought out ‘High Plains

Drifter’, when we were doing Kung Fu in Camden, when Task-

force was doing ‘Music From The Corner’, and yeah, when Ter-

ra Firma was out as well. Then all the crews broke up – Terra

Firma broke up, Poisonous Poets broke up...

“Plus nowadays the connection with the female audience is

the missing link in UK hip-hop. You go to a grime jam and there

are a lot of females about, but at a typical UK hip-hop night,

there will be four girls in the place and they will be them bel-

ly-top-wearing trustafarians with combat trousers! It doesn’t

turn me on seeing a girl waving a Stella in the air at me. I need

incentive to keep working hard! In Newcastle, there were

dudes who knew every word to every tune – that was cool,

but at the same time, a bit of eye candy and female support

wouldn’t hurt.”

5. STOP THE VIOLENCE...

“Violence is not as prominent in UK hip-hop as it is in grime.

Violence seems to be the central theme in grime. Grime em-

cees seem to be obsessed with being violent and aggressive.

Fair enough – that seems to be where the energy comes from.

I know dudes my age who are still going wild on road: ‘No one

can’t tell me naffin’ blud,’ they say. [Sarcastically] This is a re-

sult of people feeling ‘disenfranchised’. Kyza Sayso, the psy-

chologist, has come to the conclusion that they don’t know

how to deal with their emotions properly. If they appear emo-

tional – it’s deemed weak. Man gotta be hard out here, bruv,

hard body. That’s why I like being me as a rapper – I don’t have

to come across as being ‘hard body’.”

(‘SOS: Shots Of Smirnoff’ is out now on Dented.)

‘Sin City’

HHC DIGITAL #003 40

A new MOP album? Why not? Billy Danze and Lil’ Fame’s sound

– that concrete-hard, testosterone-brewing, rugged alchemy

still rooted in Brownsville, Brooklyn – has never made even a

scintilla of a glance towards being fashionable or trendy, so

in the stylistic crapshoot of oh-nine hip-hop their blend is as

hearty a tonic as ever.

Nursing a hangover from the night before – though breaking

out the traditional bottle of Henny long before the clock hits

three in the afternoon – Billy and Mash Out Posse lifer Laze-

E-Laze are in boisterous form, joking about a back-in-the-day

fight they had over in the Sunset Park area of BK (“A great

fight!” laughs Danzenie), while Fame’s largely content to leaf

through a magazine, perking up only to try out a mock London

accent on the way up to the roof for the photoshoot. So with

lead single ‘Blow The Horns’ name-checking MOP’s “five

albums, six deals” pedigree, we got the men from St Marks to

take a trip down their back catalogue memory lane. Salute!

M.O.P.

BLOW THE HORNS! THE MASH OUT POSSE ARE BACK...By Phillip Mlynar • Photography by Alexander Richter

41HHC DIGITAL #003

What’s your favourite track from the ‘To The Death’ album?

Billy: “Mine is ‘To The Death’, the actual song. That album was

Select Records, our first shot.”

What were the studio sessions like?

Billy: “Studio sessions was great, all kinds of Jack Daniels and

E&J, my god! My liver is still recuperating! I’m still looking for

transplants and stuff like that! It was a good time because, like

I said, it was something that we had never done before. It was

fun and it’s not like we missed out on anything that was going

on in the street, ’cos anything that was going on in the street

we brought with us to the studio and put it on wax.”

How about ‘Firing Squad’?

Billy: “That was on Relativity. My favourite joint was ‘Stick To

Ya Gunz’ with Kool G Rap. For me, it was because it was Kool G

Rap: I actually met him when he came off the elevator to come

to the studio. I’d never seen this man a day in my life outside of

the TV and he was coming to the studio to do the record with

me and it was fuckin’ amazing. And DJ Premier produced it. If

I’m not mistaken that was our first feature.”

Laze: “The funny thing about that record with Premo was we

did it at our studio and we made him use a drum machine he

didn’t use and he was mad as shit! He was going to fight me that

day! All the artists like Fame and Premo, they’re real particular

about their equipment. Premo made ‘Brownsville’ and ‘Stick

To Your Gunz’ off an MPC60 – he was so fuckin’ pissed off at

me but those records were amazing.”

Fame: “What he normally use?”

Laze: “A 950. I gave him a 3000; that’s back in the days when

I was using a 3000.”

Moving on to ‘First Family 4 Life’...

Billy: “That record... Damn, it’s a lot of great records on that

album: ‘Down 4 Whateva’, ‘4 Alarm Blaze’, Downtown Swinga

‘98’, ‘Brooklyn/Jersey Get Wild’...”

42HHC DIGITAL #003

What was the atmosphere like recording it?

Billy: “We were working more with Premo then over at D&D

studios. It was a good feeling ’cos now you actually felt like

you were a player in the game, like you were really on the field,

’cos Nas would pop through one day, or Jay-Z would come by;

Premo’s there, Guru would pop in...

“We had a good time recording the album ’cos we actually

got the chance to work with different people – OC was on

that album, Freddie Foxxx, Heather B, Treach – it was a good

album, a well put together album.”

How would you describe D&D at the time?

Billy: “D&D was like your hallway, like your block where you

hang out at. You go up the block and pass the people who

live on this side and you’re cool with them, then you go a little

further up the block and see somebody else, then you turn the

corner and there’s someone else that you can hang with... It

was always good times in that studio.”

And ‘Warriorz’?

Billy: “‘Warriorz’ is my favourite track on ‘Warriorz’. I love it!

At that time we were on Loud records.”

How was that?

Billy: “That was great because going on Loud, they had Wu-

Tang, Mobb Deep, and Pun was over there. Everything had

worked for them at that point. They whole set up was they

could handle street music, so it was great to go over there.

Of course we came out with the DR Period produced ‘Ante

Up’ and people went nuts over it. They put it out and all

around the world people were able to get the album. It was a

good situation, and I thank all the guys there for giving us an

opportunity to further our career.”

Can you remember the first time you preformed ‘Ante Up’ in

a club?

Laze: “The Limelight, in New York.”

43HHC DIGITAL #003

Billy: “And it was so hot; somebody passed out. It was

steaming hot, there was a broken AC or something, it was like

2000 degrees, it was hot as shit...”

Laze: “The story behind that was that Peter Gation, who

also owned the Tunnel, didn’t want MOP to perform at The

Limelight, so in spite to us because we’d been on the radio and

everything, he made them turn off the AC. That was to spite

MOP. But we packed the house.”

What was the reaction to the song like?

Laze: “Well the story behind ‘Ante Up’ was that at the time

‘How About Some Hardcore’ was the record that people

were coming to see, and ‘Ante Up’ didn’t have that same

sort of reaction immediately, except for a certain section just

going crazy, but everyone else was looking like, ‘What’s this?

Something new?’ It was only after a couple of months later

when it started going off, when [Funkmaster] Flex started

whiling with it...

“But I knew ‘Ante Up’ was going to be a hit. With every new

song, I look to see if it affects the most aggressive people and

then I figure it will filter down and eventually affect everyone.

But that particular day at Limelight, it was aggravating, it was

hot, everybody was mad, the group was pissed off, people

were falling out with each other... So to put that song in the

middle of that scene...”

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever seen in the crowd when

performing ‘Ante Up’?

Billy: “I think the wildest shit was the picket signs, the home

made picket signs – just a mop!”

Laze: “Hip-Hop Kemp, right?”

Billy: “I was like, ‘Holy shit, mops!’”

Laze: “We were in Prague, at this big festival with about 50,000

people. It was a European festival where you camp out for the

whole weekend. We were headlining day two, so we’d already

been there for two days solid just drinking, and then we came

out on the stage and there was ‘MOP’ signs and then people

started waving actual mops! A bunch of fuckin’ mops! At that

point I was like, ‘Shit is out of control!’”

Laze: “‘Marxmen Cinema’ was Fame’s idea. He called one day

saying, ‘Yo, I want to start a new thing called Marxmen – you

know, like a double thing like actual marksmen and men from

St Marks, ’cos we from there...’”

Billy: “[Laughing] The man from Marks!”

Laze: “That was the first mixtape that we put out that was

just all new, weird themes. We was having not really beef with

Roc-A-Fella, but they was having beef, so we was like that ain’t

gonna stop us putting records out...”

How was it being on Roc-A-Fella versus G-Unit?

Billy: “Um, it wasn’t no difference to me at all, ’cos whatever

going to happen with MOP was going to happen with MOP:

this was the year we were signed to Roc-A-Fella and then

we left; this was the year we were signed to G-Unit. To me, it

wasn’t no real difference.”

Laze: “It was two different animals. 50 Cent is one type of

dude, so you can have a good relationship with somebody

HHC DIGITAL #003 44

ROC-A-FELLA AND G-UNIT WERE TWO DIFFERENT

ANIMALS…

“

”How about the Marxmen project?

Billy: “The Marxmen was... At that time we were being more

creative, just playing around with the records, ’cos in my

opinion there was no real competition. At that time no one

could touch MOP. So we were just playing around with records

and starting to show our fans a different kind of light.”

Finally, bringing things up to date, what about the new album,

‘The Foundation’?

Billy: “The first single’s the war call!”

Laze: “Blow the horns on them! Are you tired or sleepy? Blow

the horns on them! This album’s totally been put together

in-house – I think Fame is the best producer for MOP, and I

don’t think that his talent is recognised production wise yet.

I think it’s going to be years in the future when people start

to appreciate him and just what he can do when it comes to

producing hip-hop music.”

Billy: “‘The Foundation’ is very hard, driven, traditional MOP

music that MOP fans will get energy from. It’s not for those

people who just want to walk around looking ‘cool’ – you’ve

got to get involved with the music. So big shout to everybody

who helped with making the album – and everyone else can

kiss my ass!”

(‘The Foundation’ it out July 7th on E1.)

‘Blow The Horns’

and with another person it’ll be another type of relationship.

Roc-A-Fella was more a three-headed monster; no one person

owned the company. We was cool with Damon [Dash], Jay-Z

was an artist and Biggs was on the behind-the-scenes business

side. Creatively, Fame and Jay was on the same page, Billy liked

Dame ’cos he was crazy and loud and shit, and Biggs was just

a cool dude to be around.

“Roc-A-Fella enjoyed when you was having a good time, they

liked that; but G-Unit was a label a little different where guys

was like, ‘We gotta prove ourselves to you all...’ People really

was trying to dismiss 50 Cent as a guy who couldn’t make it, so

I think he was like, ‘Fuck all y’all! You tried to shit on me!’”

Was it a frustrating time being on those labels?

Billy: “It’s always frustrating not getting to put a record out,

but we like to be on the stage so it’s just about having a good

time regardless of whether we’re on the stage with 50 Cent or

Jay-Z or Busta Rhymes or just MOP – it’s always fun.

HHC DIGITAL #003 45

EMINEM‘RELAPSE’(INTERSCOPE)

46

ALBUMOFTHEMONTHEMINEM’S LATEST GETS DISSECTED BY MANY MEN...With the blonde man from the Motor City’s latest album either

being a vital shot in the arm for a stale hip-hop scene or the

last stand for blockbuster artists in a daily decaying arena, who

better to take its pulse then a selection of the finest artists

from the UK (and – ho, ho! – The Last Skeptik)? Here’s their

take on the oh-niner’s biggest release to date – average mark

out of five and concluding thoughts to follow...

JACK FLASH

Few emcees fulfill your expectations with a long-awaited

album, but Em probably exceeded them. Dre’s beats

are a slap in the face to wake you up and remind you he

still has some of the nicest compositions in the game;

Em connects with his former twisted self and brings a

darker tone to this essentially horrorcore set and ups his

lyricism – on the tenth listen you’ll still be picking apart his

syllables. Its good to have a mainstream album out that

focuses so much on skill, flow, character and concept.

SKANDAL

First off, if you’re gonna listen to this album and fully

appreciate it you need to listen to it loud, and preferably

with your head next to the speakers. Okay? Ready? Here

goes... Dr Dre’s production throughout the set has to

be the finest we’ve ever heard on an Eminem album.

With the good doctor providing every beat bar one this

has given Eminem the chance to concentrate on his

lyrics and it shows. From the start to the finish we’re

astonished by flows, morbid topics and subject matter,

genuinely laugh-out-loud punch lines and statements –

not to mention great hooks, skits, and that good ol’ Slim

Shady controversy we all know and love, all culminating

in the hardest hip-hop track I’ve heard in ten years,

‘Underground’. In fact, ‘Crack A Bottle’ seems to be the

only track I’ll skip after eight listens, and that’s not a bad

look for the album. I’ll give this four and a half out of five,

and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.

HHC DIGITAL #003

THE LAST SKEPTIK

To be honest, I’ve always respected Eminem as lyricist,

but everything after ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ was just

so corny that it made me wonder where the rapper

who spat so uncompromisingly on ‘Role Model’ had

gone. I really didn’t even want to listen to this album,

but after literally forcing myself to switch it on I found

that there’s actually quite a solid project on the table. To

me, that’s not really so much due to Eminem’s typically

silly voices and irrelevant celebrity digs, but down to the

great Dr Dre’s incredible engineering work and pretty

much perfect production throughout the 20 tracks on

offer. As a rapper, Eminem is undeniably a talent, but it’s

only when he figures out he can get by without having

to always please a pop audience that he’ll truly produce

the top-to-toe classic that his oldest fans – and his lyrical

talent – deserve; ‘Relapse’ still leaves him coming up

short on that tip.

GHOST

Avoiding all the hyperbole, I was pleasantly surprised by

the amount of good tracks on ‘Relapse’. Unquestionably

a great talent, Em has put together his best work for

a long time, and ‘Underground’, ‘Same Song & Dance’

and ‘Deja Vu’ are highlights. By no means a classic, it has

some good moments – there’s just not enough of them.

K-DELIGHT

Eminem uses his vocals like a multi-layered instrument –

it’s just a shame that on ‘Relapse’ he should have gone

with some other producers to vary the sound a bit. ‘Crack

A Bottle’ is a stand out (though really not sure about 50

Cent’s verse!), while ‘Medicine Ball’ is probably my choice

tune. Not his best album, but still packed with mad lyrics

and flows, and as dark and twisted as ever.

47HHC DIGITAL #003

MOB RULE...

So, what have we gleaned from our panel of practicing

hip-hop chaps? That Em’s latest is better than you might

imagine, what with all the hype, but still not the classic

Marshall’s talent deserves. Rounded-up, an average 3.7

out of five becomes a very decent four stars then.

Just when you were starting to think that you were

the only person convinced that hip-hop bods sampling

Cat Power would be a good thing, up pops a bi-coastal

US duo who, somewhere in the middle of creating a

concept album based around noir flick Blast Of Slience and

throwing around hearty lyrical references to the GZA, have

spliced in a lick from indie rock’s shyest live performer

to swanky effect. Guitar heavy throughout – check

‘High Noon’ for an eerie treat – this is likely better than

anything rock-related Weezy will stumble into. Tom Nook

‘Weak Stomach’

Life in London has clearly had an affect on the vocals of

Melbourne’s Brad Strut, with the Lyrical Commission emcee

sounding almost authentically home grown on an EP that

finds him adopting the persona of the last man on earth

over Beat Butcha’s widescreen beats. The synth-propelled

‘No!’ and eerie ‘Believe’ stand out, but this near companion

piece to Jehst’s ‘Nuke Proof Suit’ is best consumed whole.

Jehst also pops up in remixer role (along with M-Phazes

and Chemo) on ‘Rejuvenation’, a second CD of remixes

that wins with a similar quality. Andy Cowan

‘Believe’

More technically Vegemite than Marmite in the love-

it-or-hate-it regional stakes, the type of left coast hip-

hop AWOL One et al practice might not always translate

thoroughly outside of their local spots, but the addition

of Xzibit in an executive producer role and cameos from

those premier hip-hop drunkies Tash and E-Swift sure do

perk up proceedings here, with their typically liquor-loving

vocab boosting ‘Waste The Wine’. Throughout Factor’s

beats keep a consistent vibe, and the regular guest slots

for once bring nice variety to the mix. Lucy Van Pelt

‘Stand Up’ feat. Myka9 & Aesop Rock

48

ALBUMREVIEWS

HHC DIGITAL #003

5 O’CLOCK SHADOWBOXERS‘THE SLOW TWILIGHT’(WHITE)

AWOL ONE & FACTOR‘OWL HOURS’(FAKE FOUR)

BRAD STRUT‘FALLOUT SHELTER/REJUVENATION’(SHOGUN)

Hailing from the decidedly unsexy climes of Lowestoft,

Delusionists pick the expected fare of small-town fixations

to fuel their debut EP – namely, smoking weed, pulling

women, and the realities of life outside the limelight. But

like a refreshing gust of East Anglian air, rapper-stroke-

producer Benjamin Black successfully breathes new life into

old conceits: On ‘To The Next…’ the verbal jester presents

the countryside’s answer to Jay-Z’s ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’,

nobbing everyone from fat birds to village bicycles with

comedic gusto. Accessible and punchy! Chris Schonberger

‘To The Next...’

Another dose of dope ‘does what it says it does on the tin’

beat business straight from the vaults of the man still best

loved for ‘Real Live Shit’, here you know the steelo: hard,

classically-wrought and commercially-uncompromising

rhythms from one of the ’90s most underrated producers.

East Coast in style to the end, tracks like ‘Redcoats Are

Coming’ – equal parts head-nodder and sinister vibe creator

– remind you that even in the oh-niner’s geographical rap

melting pot there’s something undisputable about the

power of the basics done well. Arsenio Billingham

‘Redcoats Are Coming’

In a world where cats are trying painfully hard to keep up

with the next flash-in-the-shit-pan trend, it’s a treat to hear

someone who rocks a flow that pays strong homage to the

great Masta Ace, and just like the original Slaughtahouse

man, Brooklyn’s Fresh Daily does enough on this 13 tracker

to suggest he’ll be in it for the long term. On-topic tracks

about boobs (‘Two In The Shirt’) and video games (er,

‘Video Gamin’’), plus a guest spot from the Tanya Morgan

crew and production from Spinna and Ski, seal a darn

attractive package. Doc Nostrand

‘Break A Leg’

49

ALBUMREVIEWS

HHC DIGITAL #003

DELUSIONISTS‘THE PROLUSION’(BEATS LAYING ABOUT)

K-DEF‘BEATS FROM THE ’90S VOL 2’(GHETTO MAN)

FRESH DAILY‘THE GORGEOUS KILLER’(HIGH WATER)

HHC DIGITAL #003 50

tracks on Bashy’s debut album ‘Catch Me If You Can’. Finally, it

sees the light of day!

Juice Aleem’s debut solo sees the one time New Flesh man

(pictured) covering a vast array of topics over production

varying from electro-dub to straight up hip-hop beats. The

first single is ‘First Lesson’.

Micall Parknsun leaps back into action on YNR with his amazing

new single ‘All 4 Hip-Hop’. Produced by M-Phazes it also

features a Jehst remix and versions of ‘Still Here’ produced by

Apa-Tight and Chemo.

South Londoner Jay Full Stop is set to blow up this summer

with his ‘City Meals’ album on Run The City Records. A regular

on the live scene, Jay aka Jarvis Vincent showcases his dexterity

on the mic as well as getting his own imprint off to a flying

start. Check www.runthecityrecords.com for more.

It’s hard to say Funky DL without saying ‘MOBO winner’ first.

The young lad took the UK by storm almost 15 years ago and

With MPs being taken to task over expenses, I have to come

clean with my own fiddles. I regularly take stationery, soap,

shampoo and conditioner when I stay in hotels and use a

friend’s Starbucks free wifi password. The real crime is that I

don’t even use conditioner. Three MPs have already resigned

and formed a spin-off party called the MP3. Sorry. Before

rummaging through the stationery cupboard to see what I can

pilfer from HHC Digital HQ, here’s some music news...

Mixed by DJ No Names ‘SOS: Shots Of Smirnoff’ is Kyza’s

finest work to date. ‘Love & Music’ and ‘Sin City’ have already

troubled the airwaves and it’s nice to hear the album lives up

to their high standard.

‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’, ‘Sorry’ and ‘What About Me’

aren’t the ramblings of a disgraced banker – they are in fact

HOME STYLEYOUR UK RAP ATTACK…

1. Micall Parknsun ‘All 4 Hip-Hop’ (YNR single)

2. Kyza ‘Shots Of Smirnoff’ (Dented album)

3. Juice Aleem ‘Jerusalaam Come’ (Big Dada album)

4. Lingua Franca ‘Money’ (Breakin Bread single)

5. Jay Full Stop ‘City Meals’ (Run The City album)

6. Inja ‘Hat Low’ (promo single)

7. Bashy ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (GG)

8. Funky DL ‘The Interview’ (BBE album)

9. Scrabull ‘Bad Boys’ (Seventy Recordings single)

10. Steve Stranger ‘The Bloggist’ (Fist single)

(All available from www.RapAndSoulMailOrder.com)

HHC DIGITAL #003 51

has enjoyed success here as well as in the US and Japan. After

a hiatus he’s back on BBE with full lengther ‘The Interview’.

The real treat is the bonus ‘London Convention’ featuring

MCD, Skinnyman, Blak Twang, Ty, Rodney P and more.

Ghost can’t stop churning out the good stuff and this time it’s

his collaboration with Devorah and their band Lingua Franca.

‘Money’/‘Work & Play’ is a summer smash, while also on

Breakin Bread is the uber-funky ‘Freak’ by The Killer Meters.

Move over VV Brown, Duffy and The Noisettes – the real

queen of soul/funk is here.

Finally, look out for The Razzle, a London collective with

touches of Latin, soul, funk, dub and rock running through

their great EP ‘Wrong’un’ – to these ears there’s definitely

something of Reverend And The Makers about the delivery

on the title track.

Next month we’ll be giving you tips on insider trading and

letting you know how to ride the bus for free using a Panini

football sticker and some hairspray. Mike Lewis

HOME STYLE’S TOP TENFOR THOSE TOO LAZYTO READ THE COLUMN…

How long have you been rapping?“Nearly ten years! I was known as the drum’n’bass emcee Suddz, but as Panache hip-hop is my main genre that I

live and practice every day.”

What are your main musical influences?“I have a lot, from Wu-Tang and Cypress Hill to Roots Manuva and even other genres like drum’n’bass

and dubstep.”

Describe your style in three words…“Organic, vintage, panache!”

What do you have coming up, music wise?“My mixtape ‘24/7’, featuring DRS (Broke N English), Dawn Raid, Bigz and Shotty, and the free download ‘Headcase!’ which has at least three emcees on each

and every track!”

(Check www.panachetunes.com for more.)

‘Music Makes Ya Move’ feat. Bigz & Caroline Quine

IN THE SPOTLIGHT1. PANACHE

52

OPEN UPHIP-HOP AND BEYOND…

Also heading sideward is beatboxer extraordinaire Killa Kela’s

comeback 12-inch, ‘Built Like An Amplifier’ – complete with a

Sway remix to boot. Subsequent album ‘Amplified’ jumps ADD-

fashion betwixt genres, inviting along Bashy and backpack

stalwart Lateef.

Not enough syllables? Don’t fret: tongue-twisting Cali emcee

Busdriver has a new record! ‘Jhelli Beam’ doesn’t satisfy like

predecessor ‘RoadKillOvercoat’, though props for featuring

madcap Bay Area indie-rockers Deerhoof.

More party? From the musical ballpark of fellow Tampa

rhymers Yo Majesty, cocksure teenaged rapstress Domique

Young Unique couples innocently wide-eyed flows with beats

from YM’s Brit production team Hardfeelingsuk. Expect a

similar scale break out rather soon…

What are Anticon up to right now? Releasing Serengeti &

Polyphonic’s brain-busting ‘Terradactyl’, aided by Doseone

and Buck 65 cameos. Cross-coast at Def Jux? Well, Cage’s new

free EP bodes mighty positively for his full-length return.

Where better to begin this month’s leftfield picks than true

Open Up favourites? Nowhere, yo, so cop ‘The Malaria EP’

from Manchester’s premier grime chatters Virus Syndicate,

which rips from schoolyard taunts within lead track ‘Anything’

onward. Merkin’. San Francisco-based UK dubstep dude

Milanese’s new album ‘Lockout’ is just as hot, fire-spitting

mouthpieces from Europe to South Africa guaranteeing

thermometer-smashing results.

Big-haired erstwhile The Beats chap Example is back with

a bang, taking it high tempo on single ‘Hooligans’ over an

electro-house banger from Dutch dance deejay Don Diablo

(try garbling that pissed). Warning: possible frustratingly

manicured teens clubbing soundtrack content.

Best of the rest? Sure. German duo Ancient Astronauts

(pictured) get space-rap on album ‘We Are To Answer’,

the golden age as seen through a kaleidoscope. Keeping it

continental, French lady Flore’s buzzing electro-bass tune

‘We Rewind’, chopping up Rodney P and Shunda K, should

decimate dancefloors from here to Lyon. And we’re out…

Adam Anonymous

HHC DIGITAL #003

DJ ECLIPSE (THE HALFTIME SHOW/FAT BEATS)

1. LA COKA NOSTRA FEAT. BUN B ‘CHOOSE YOUR SIDE’

“Another LCN banger over a hypnotizing Alchemist track –

proving again that LCN is a brand you can trust.”

2. DJ JS-1 FEAT. LARGE PRO ‘LIKE THIS’

“Heavy drums with a melodic sample all brought together by

cuts and scratches – pure hip-hop, never selling out.”

3. SOUL KHAN FEAT. HOMEBOY SANDMAN ‘KNUCKLE PUCK’

“Produced by Brown Bag representative J57, this is

reminiscent of the early indie days.”

DJ MK (WWW.DJMKSWORLD.COM)

1. JAY-Z ‘DOA’

“Jay kills it, breaking down how Auto-tune has helped make

hip-hop stagnant in the last 12 months. Real talk.”

2. RAEKWON FEAT. HAVOC & DILLA ‘24K RAP’

“Three years after his death and Dilla’s music is sounding

better and better. Been killing this on the radio show.”

3. RAMSON BADBONEZ ‘GET OFF ME’

“One of the best emcees in the UK – this dude is a serious

problem on the mic!”

DJ CRO (MAIN INGREDIENT/CRATE ESCAPE)

1. MICALL PARKNSUN ‘ALL 4 HIP-HOP’

“Parky sounds right at home on this massive tune, and with

the Jehst remix changing the vibe up it’s back of the net!”

2. GODFATHER DON ‘OFFDAMENTAL’

“Amazing unreleased Don material using ‘Nautilus’ to great ef-

fect – still sounds better than most rappers out now!”

3. PHAT KAT ‘NIGHTMARE (SUFF DADDY REMIX)’

“Suff manages to transform and improve on the original –

remix competition winner and rightfully so.”

53HHC DIGITAL #003

DEEJAYCHARTS

DJ ELEVEN (THERUB/DJELEVEN.COM)

1. GHOSTFACE ‘FOREVER’

“Neck and neck in the race with Q-Tip for leader of the Old Guy

Rap movement – I’m geeked to listen to this on repeat.”

2. DJ WEBSTAR FEAT. JIM JONES & STYLES P ‘UPTOWN’

“Harlem’s the only neighbourhood in Manhattan that matters

to hip-hop (sorry Murray Hill!) – here’s a new anthem.”

3. DORROUGH ‘ICE CREAM PAINT JOB’

“A near perfect southern rap song from outta Dallas, complete

with Saved By The Bell reference.”

54HHC DIGITAL #003

BENJI B (DEVIATION)

1. DRAKE ‘SAY WHAT’S REAL’

“Drake really goes on on the best beat from ‘808s And

Heartbreak’ – one to watch, and I think he’ll deliver.”

2. DOOM ‘GAZZILLION EAR’

“My favourite cut from the current LP, using a couple of my

favourite Dilla beats.”

3. BUSTA RHYMES FEAT. COMMON ‘DECISION’

“Not feeling much of the new Busta LP to be honest, but this

cut is quality.”

SPIN DOCTOR (THEDOCTORSORDERS.COM)

1. JAY-Z ‘DOA’

“When Jigga talks people listen, but will this really see the end

of the Auto-tune?”

2. BUSTA RHYMES ‘HUSTLER’S ANTHEM ’09’

“This tough little cookie is still killing it in both the club and

streets alike!”

3. J DILLA FEAT. DOOM ‘FIRE WOOD DRUMSTIX’

“A tag team of two of hip-hop’s most unique talents is always

gonna be heat!”

55

ON THE GO1. PETE ROCK

HHC DIGITAL #003

Welcome to HHC Digital’s new

fantasy playlist column, where we

– big leap of faith required – send

home grown producer-on-the-rise

Quincey Tones back in time and get

him to peek around the corner and

peep what our favourite sample-

happy hip-hop producers were

1. CANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET ‘CAPRICORN’

“The Soul Brother sampled the jazz sax legend on ‘In The

House’, the opening track off ‘The Main Ingredient’. Pete took

the beautiful two-bar Fender Rhodes loop and put his stamp

all over it, bringing out the bass in trademark fashion. It’s

the rawness of the live recording that gives ‘Capricorn’ such

character, especially the distorting of the rhodes.”

2. EDDIE BO ‘FROM THIS DAY ON’

“How could anybody not want to dance to this classic from

Eddie Bo? ‘Here comes the king’-style horns, fast flamenco

guitar run on the intro, and a funky beat and bassline drop – all

elements used on ‘The Creator’. From there on in it’s nothing

but hip-swinging New Orleans soul.”

3. MILT JACKSON BIG BAND ‘ENCHANTED LADY’

“Another great jazz sample, this time vibraphonist Milt

Jackson with assistance from his incredible band. This track

On The Go

CapricornCANNONBALL ADDERLEY QUINTET

From This Day OnEDDIE BO

Enchanted LadyMILT JACKSON BIG BAND

Groovy SituationMEL AND TIM

I Ain’t Got The LoveTHE AMBASSADORS

By Quincey Tones

listening to as they grew up as shorties. This month, what

songs were shaping the future sound of a knee-high Soul

Brother Number One?

moves along thanks to the drum groove, not to mention the

simple but infectious melody from the muted trumpet. A great

summer tune, and you’ll recognize the chords on the intro

from Pete & CL’s classic ‘Carmel City’.”

4. MEL AND TIM ‘GROOVY SITUATION’

“Not to be confused with ’80s pop act Mel and Kim, this

’60s soul duo recorded many a great party song and ‘Groovy

Situation’, with the pair’s superb harmonies, big horns, and

excellent backing band, is certainly one of those. Pete & CL fans

will pick out guitar parts used on ‘I Got A Love’; Will Ferrell fans

might also recognize it from the Anchorman soundtrack.”

5. THE AMBASSADORS ‘I AIN’T GOT THE LOVE’

“Making up the other half of the ’94 single ‘I Got A Love’ is this

similarly-titled soul gem – Pete sampled the intro horns and

scratched the hook line for his version.”

(Check out mo’ Quincey at www.myspace.com/quinceytones)

56

UNKUT PRESENTS:BACDAFUCUP!

HHC DIGITAL #003

pretty much had a problem with 75 percent of New York but

has posthumously appeared on tracks with Nas and virtually

everyone else mentioned on ‘Hit ’Em Up’.

Possibly the most ridiculous incidents have been the blend of

Biggie vocals onto Ghostface and Raekwon’s ‘Three Bricks’ and

The Chef’s subsequent ‘Letter To BIG’. You go to the trouble

to dedicate an entire venomous skit to the guy when he was

alive and kicking, and now that he’s passed it’s all love-love?

Don’t even get me started on ‘paying homage’. Whether it’s

Jay-Z reciting chunks of the Black Frank White’s rhyme book,

shameless imitation of Big Pun’s flow, or everyone who’s ever

driven through Detroit ‘channeling’ Jay Dee and chowing

down on his unorthodox drum patterns – shit’s disgusting, B.

Blogs are equally to blame – every year I have to wade through

the same old dedications to the same old late rappers and beat

makers – and yet Scott La Rock, Subroc, Too Poetic and Paul C

remain as mere footnotes? Will KL from Screwball, Party Arty

and Tony D (pictured) receive annual memorials at every major

Rappers – whatever you do, please try to avoid dying a violent

death. Sure, there are ‘6 Million Ways To Die’ if you believe

the raspy warnings of 9 Double M (better known as Nine),

but those who are unfortunate enough to be gunned down in

their prime are then forced to endure another lifetime’s worth

of indignities.

The real losers are the fans, who not only have to deal with

the loss of an artist who they connected with on a musical

level but are then sentenced to endless abuses of their legacy.

While I’m the first to get giddy with excitement – or at least

marginally interested – when unheard Big L demos surface,

it almost never ends there. As ‘Born Again’ demonstrated,

tacking your a capellas onto new beats crammed with a

who’s who of current ‘rapper dudes’ is usually embarrassing

for everyone involved. Especially for someone like 2Pac, who

rap magazine and website? “But none of those people were

platinum artists!” Tell someone who gives a shit – the fact that

they weren’t is all the more cause to give them some shine. At

least we can take some small solace in the knowledge that we

won’t have to stomach their catalogues being stripped bare

by the hungry vultures that are record labels and bitch-ass

bootleggers.

Robbie Ettelson