If you don’t know about grime music, you’re about to be put on. Half my family lives in London, so I was put onto the early acts like So solid Crew (which are actualy more part of the garage genre, but that’s another blog post) at a young age. Now the game has evolved, and you have these guys murdering microphones with wreckless abandon.

Take the time out of your day to hear these guys spit. JME, Skepta, and Frisco. Frisco’s the weakest link (you’ll know who he is soon), but he is still doing the damn thing. If you don’t appreciate it, I don’t know what to tell you. Things should start to get crazy around 3:20, when JME starts to spit.

I’ve been posting some grime music occasionally. If you’d like, just give me some feedback, and I’ll put you on to some other stuff. I recently put up JME’s new(ish) video for “Over Me”, which is available on iTunes now. I bought it. Give me your thoughts! Can this genre make it to the US? Bonus video (it’s actually ridiculous. Skepta spits for 9 minutes straight. @DrSpaceMan put me on.) after the drop (aka press “continue reading”. ASAP.)

I have a lot of family in the UK, so when I was younger, I was put on to the garage / grime movement. I started with So Solid Crew and Oxide & Neutrino, and now I’m all about that Boy Better Know camp. My favorite grime artist, JME, dropped this joint from his upcoming album Digital Dropout. I think it’s incredible. Wordplay is crazy, and it’s just different. I mean, who else drops 8 different short verses? I’m all about it. The video dropped in mid-August, and I’ve just seen it for the first time today. Expect to see more grime up here regularly, and if you need more grime, e-mail me and I’ll get you hip. If you don’t know what he’s saying (the accent can do that to you sometimes. Get cultured though. I’m just playing. Sheesh.), hit the “continue reading”; I got those lyrics for you so you can follow and see why it’s clever.

(more…)

dizzee rascal has done a great job of staying relevant over here in the states, as well as in his hometown of london. he’s a fusion of garage (a UK genre, based on fast-tempo electronica / dance jams), grime (another UK genre, like hip hop but “grimier”; i’ve featured a few grime joints on here back in the day), and hip hop, and this track definitely showcases his diversity as an artist.

it’s definitely a club track, a lot more upbeat and melodic than the back-in-the-day dizzee. i’m a big fan of rapping over electronica-based beats, so this joint does it for me. and he’s learned to slow down so we can understand his london boy twang, cuz back in the day i wasn’t really sure what he was saying sometimes. shout out to P&P for putting me on. featuring R&B singer chrome.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: Dizzee Rascal – Holiday [feat. Chrome]

if you like that, i’ll link you to some other good jams with a similar vibe.

BONUS: Dizzee Rascal – Dance Wiv Me | Dance Wiv Me  [Shazam Remix]

BONUS: Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers [courtesy of Pocket Full of Paper]

i didn’t know much about these british alternative rockers at all until my man albert whose studying abroad in europe put me on. and their music all rocks a lot (check it all at their myspace), but this song stood out to me in particular because they took nelly’s “ride wit’ me” and acoustified it to the fullest. imagine if this version dropped first before the hit single?

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

DOWNLOAD: I Call Shotgun – Ride Wit’ Me [Nelly Cover]

wale went in on it and killed it (get that version here), but he only flowed for like a minute. theophilus london decided to go for 4 straight, and he also murders the track. they might as well make a US remix for this british track, because americans are jumping on it and owning the beat. if you had wale and theo on the first two verses, who would you wanna see on the last? maybe we can make it happen.

if theophilus impressed you, go get his new “this charming mixtape” from my girl heather. it’s critically acclaimed and internet goons across the globe are praising it heavily.

BONUS: K.I.G. – head, shoulders [the original, by popular demand!]

my dude smokeYYY threw me an e-mail about this track a minute ago, and i finally got the chance to jam it. UK grime MC wiley and australia’s illest crooner daniel merriweather collaborate on this craaazy track. the video is pretty dope too. the concept and execution is awesome. i feel like it’s a take on the recession, because you know everybody in the world gets affected when the US economy is failing. peep.

i’m pretty sure his label did a contest and told people whoever makes the most vicious video for this single would get 10 G’s. this was the winner, i guess. i woulda liked to see more wiley and daniel, though. cuz clearly they aren’t the white guys and gals in business suits singing along. but still, though.

DL: wiley feat. daniel merriweather – cash in my pocket

PREVIOUSLY: wiley – wearing my rolex

blind i put me onto some of the illest art i’ve ever seen. UK street artist banksy gets busy with that spray paint real quick! the stealthy graffiti mastermind tagged up an abandoned gas station out in birmingham, alabama, with some thought-provoking imagery.

the coolest thing about him? he is almost never seen when he creates these masterpieces. he got caught like one time ever. how much metal gear solid do you have to play to get that stealthy? he’s quickly risen to the top of my favorite artist list. i’m pretty sure i heard/saw that brangelina (angelina jolee and brad pitt) bought one of his pieces or some big bucks in the past. banksy hits cities all around the world, and both his indoor and outdoor art is insane, for real. check it out.

kids uncovering paradise in bethlehem.

abe loitering / cruising around downtown new orleans after katrina.

wow.

mockey of katrina.

MJ in hansel & gretel! this is what brangelina bought.