P was one of the most honest, kind and selfless people I met over the year I spent writing this blog, and I’m glad I got a chance to tell him that when I spoke to him a few weeks ago. He went out of his way to help me the same way he did for so many people he’d never met, always reaching out to offer wisdom and encouragement to anyone with a love for music. Thanks to Mike at hiphopbloggersunited for the email, my sincere condolences to his wife and son, he was a truly good-hearted man that uplifted everyone that had the good fortune to speak with him.
You can donate here, or Buy P’s music here, all the proceeds are being used to help his family cover funeral costs.
You might have noticed my posts have gotten shorter over the last few weeks, been struggling to find time to write as I’ve been putting together a business over the last few months. As I’m about to push through this next set of challenges, I’m guna get off all social networks and unplug from the more neurotic side of the internet so I can put in the hours on my own music and strive for the life I want. I’ll leave this page up in the hope that some kid hears Respiration and switches off the radio, and you can still get at me via the blog email address. MASSIVE thanks to everyone who sent me tunes, followed the pages I created, gave me an interview or took the time to read my words over the past year! I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to the culture I love.
Like a young crew of Hip Hop Lee Ritenour’s, Sumochief bring the smooth progressive jazz on their latest EP. Their unique filter finds them re-contextualizing Dilla and Busta interview snippets over shape-shifting guitar runs from Oscar Laurence on 1of1; Joe Armon-Jones scatters loose keys amongst Olly Sarkar’s swinging snares, with both moving from background to lead roles during the song’s seven minute odyssey, anchored by Jack Polley’s walking basslines that orbit a central refrain. Gator Season continues this immersive journey with another winding epic, this time drawing inspiration from Frank Zappa as his poignant words float above glissando guitars and mellow organs, driven by a swinging beat.
The band’s boom bap influence shines on through the lyrical styles Slam The Poet and Cecil B Demented drop on Segundo, while Happy Joy revels in the dance not the destination; slowly building in intensity while further clarifying the band’s take on creative expression through timeless teachings from the Alan Watts series Tao Of Philosophy. London emcee MADLean blesses the closing track It Is What It Is with confident flows, amplifying the aspects that made his 2013 release Batteries Not Includedsuch a banger as he gets busy over piano lines so sample-able you’d they came off Poinciana. Training in classical jazz may not be the first trait you look for when searching for new Hip Hop artists, but it’s gifted the four men in Sumochief the knowledge to assemble some of this year’s most interesting instrumentals; don’t sleep.
Obba Supa producer Hey!Zeus is back with another dope production on his new 7″ Holy Cow. Jehst and Kashmere spin a potent lyrical cocktail that measures equal parts eastern mysticism with UK slang, blessing a jangling beat that vapourizes wooden percussion and oriental flutes into a thick haze that lingers between the emcee’s esoteric bars. To celebrate this essential slice of psychedelic wax, the London-based beatmaker has organized a free show next Wednesday at The Silver Bullet. DJ sets come from Evil Ed, Boom Bap Professional’s Oliver Sudden, 7th Dan, Dusty Green Fuzz and Sonny Delight, while the line-up of emcee’s boasts both a Strange U and Kashmere solo set, TD’s Ray Vendetta and Tesla’s Ghost, and a spoken word set from Ma’ankha Bast. Holy Cow will get a digital and vinyl release in early October, with a video dropping soon.
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