rap
Soundtrack of our lives: River Nelson picks his all time favourite hip-hop playlist
Hot on the back of his third album, US hip-hop artist River Nelson has picked out some of his favourite hip-hop records into a playlist for us here at Backseat Mafia. ‘How to dream’ is the follow up to his acclaimed albums The Rise and Fall of River Nelson and The Shape of the …
Les Ardentes Festival, Liege, Belgium. 2016 Edition
Belgium’s Les Ardentes Festival is now over ten years old, so this year it added an extra day, making it a five-day extravaganza. I’ve been to every one, and my role for most of them as onstage announcer has given me fly-on-the-wall access to it and how it operates. Unlike in the U.K., where the …
Track: Swa Playmaker – Only One (produced by TOPE)
Miami MC Swa Playmaker has teamed up with Oakland/Portland producer TOPE for an EP, titled (if you will) No Title. Having already released a couple of tracks off the record, the pair have now released a third slice of the action in the shape of Only One. Over this breezy soul/funk backing, tightened up with …
See: Jovel releases new emotionally charged video for ‘The Heroine’
Taken from London RnB rapper Jovel’s debut EP The Void, The Heroine (in this case, the spelling hides the dual meaning) is the powerful tale of someone suffering with drug addiction, from the point of view of a close friend, although it turns out to be a comment on society itself. It sounds autobiographical and …
Track: Ceiling Demons – Stones
We’ve long been fans of Ceiling Demons, which was only strengthened after they recorded an exclusive session for us last year. Now their back with an experimental tape on Frux Tapes, titled Belly of the Hopeless and from it they’ve released a new track, Stones. Its been produced by Bristol born producer Jonathan Swift, who …
See: Flatbush Zombies release new video for ‘This is it’
Brooklyn rap trio Flatbush Zombies, aka Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick Arc Elliott are one of the hottest acts in Hip-Hop right now, having released a couple of mixtapes and their highly regarded Clockwork Indigo EP since their inception in 2012. Ahead of their debut album 3001: A laced Odyssey the band are following …
Album Review: Kanye West – The Life of Pablo
With every album expected to be released in 2016, few have had the same amount of hype as Kanye West’s seventh solo record, So Help Me God, SWISH, Waves, The Life of Pablo. Much like Rihanna’s Anti, the release of this record has been a messy, rushed, and ineffective affair on behalf of that god …
Track: SHA¥ Khushrenada – 10’s
Taken from his forthcoming mixtape, The Karman Line, produced by Toby Kenobi from the Astronaut Heroics collective, 10’s is the latest track to be released by London rapper SHA¥ Khushrenada. Talking about the track, he says that it’s “…simply about the paper chase, some people see money as a want, others a need. I talk …
Track: Nico Ghost – Night Terrors
Joining the likes of Allday and Ivan Ooze at the forefront of a new wave of Australian hip-hop is Melbourne MC Nico Ghost. Following on from his debut EP ‘Kaishi’, he’s already gained a slot at the Beyond the Valley festival and supported Wu-tang clan. Ahead of his support slot with G-Eazy this week around …
Track: SamuelThe1st – Bo Jackson
Ahead of his forthcoming project Pinehurst, produced entirely by DrewLocs, Portland Oregan MC SamuelThe1st has released new music – Bo Jackson produced by the prolific Stewart Villain who’s dropped a background cut up from some smooth jazz and some scattering percussive work. Over the top, Samuel both raps and sings, laying out via some insightful …