New Track: Shine – Ashley Shakur

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Having kicked off 2016 with the release of his debut EP, London-based experimental emcee ASHLEY SHAKUR continues to make waves in the British music scene with his follow-up project Hare Colours.

Combining his inherent poetic wit, with clever wordplay and an effortless flow, the EP sees Ash rap over a selection of beats from different producers, showcasing his versatility as an artist.
Featured single Shine kicks off the EP as a statement of intent for the young artist. Rapping over a languid beat, supported by a deep rolling bass and phased guitar, Ash’s positive attitude radiates throughout the track as he predicts his bright future “you can’t deny my success, you can’t doubt my future”.

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An all-round creative, Ash took his first foray into music when he was creating illustrations whilst listening to classic hip hop instrumentals from the likes of Outkast, Nas and Mobb Deep. He takes full control in his artistic direction, designing his own artwork and clothes and, co-directing his visuals.

Bringing originality back to music, Ash is not afraid to think outside the box and succeeds in bringing a fresh, unorthodox style the British hip-hop scene with his unique cadence and positive storytelling. Tackling current topics and issues in today’s world, Ash’s thought-provoking material has caught the attention of underground radio stations such as Reprezent and Radar and the likes of Noisey, Earmilk, Complex and Indie Shuffle.

Filling the void with music that he feels the current hip-hop scene is lacking, Hare Colours comes as a refreshing body of work and the perfect project to cement him as one of the standout artists in the British music scene.

So get him in your system…have a listen to Shine.

New Music Video: Vogue – 3Bubble & J.Gray

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Ok ladies, this one is for you (sorry guys!)

3BUBBLE & J. GRAY have recently dropped their video for the uplifting and club-ready effort, Vogue. In the three-minute vividly coloured production, the Houston hip-hop duo pays homage to women across the globe regardless of  background, race or size.

It’s time to check it out…and ladies, don’t forget to STRIKE A POSE!!! Vogue is the leading single from their latest album, Pentagon Memoirs, available now on all music digital platforms.

To read the review on Pentagon Memoirs, head right here.

 

Mixtape Review: Arcadia – Dizzy Rambunctious

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He dazzled this blog and fans with standout tracks including Midnight Jams and Carnival…now DIZZY RAMBUNCTIOUS is sure set to blow minds with his 16-track instrumental mixtape, Arcadia, released this month.

In his latest release, the young New Jersey producer took inspiration from classic and modern arcade games, often fusing the sugary sweet nostalgic rhythms with his laid-back, borderline boom bap trademark. Definitely worth a trial – hit that play button.

New Track: Strings – Nick Ryan

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NICK RYAN is definitely the one to watch.

Hailing from Houston, Texas this upcomer takes hip-hop/Trip-hop to a whole new level with his latest release, Strings. Almost five minutes long, this masterpiece carry irresistibly heavy drive  accompanied with intermittent harp/Far East-esque overtones.

It’s an acquired taste and it worth checking out…like NOW.

New Music Video: Waters Run Deep – Coco (ft. Shola Ama)

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COCO continues his rapid ascent with the release of the compelling Waters Run Deep featuring an inspired collaboration with the urban scene’s sweetheart, Shola Ama and fellow Sheffield spitter, Deep Green.

The soft instrumental bed radiates a warm and deeper edge to COCO’s sound as he leads his vocals from Shola Ama on the opening hook. From the instrumental, the variance in tone of the three contributing vocals accentuates mystery and empathy, whilst  displaying a raw edge of reality from the rougher vocals of COCO and Deep Green.

The Sheffield emcee’s artistic unpredictability and vision to experiment with different flavours and styles has made for an inspired catalogue of music over the last 18 months, resulting in him hitting the polls as one of the ’15 MC’s Out Of London You Need To Know Today’ via Complex Magazine and being chosen as ‘One To Watch in 2016’ for MixMag by Annie Mac. From the hefty grime remix of Big N Serious with MOBO nominees AJ Tracey and Nadia Rose, through to his recent Jamaican-peppered collaboration with Protoje, (making him the first UK act to collaborate with one of the biggest reggae stars across a grime beat), COCO has taken a fearful and inspiring route to releasing music in 2016; making the music speak for itself.

Finishing what has been a defining year for the Sheffield native, which has seen him perform at Glastonbury on the BBC Introducing stage, alongside Stormzy at Ibiza Rocks, Red Bull’s Manchester Carnival, Notting Hill Carnival, Bestival and the Royal Albert Hall for Jamie Cullum’s BBC Proms, this promising upriser gives an idyllic and retrospective send off to the year with Waters Run Deep – check out the video.