Adam & Cuth – The Letters EP (Review)

Adam Kammerling, more commonly known in hip-hop circles as Adam The Rapper, doesn’t really fit a pre-determined stylistic box. He isn’t an overtly “conscious” emcee, a comedy rapper or an avant-garde obsessive; he just plays himself – an unpretentious Brighton-bred, London-based emcee entirely unbound by a need to seek fame and recognition through his artistic exploits.

In the process of aspiring to the plain and simple, he’s in some ways adopted a kind of frontier mentality: a certain freedom to mix influences and depart from both hip-hop and spoken-word traditions through his cross-cultural merging of the two art forms. Far from being an ego-driven genre contrarian, Adam ensconces the listener into his easily accessible, organic sound without the need of didacticism or forced abstraction.

His latest release, The Letters EP, is a fresh, delectably simple and original mutation which successfully marries spoken-word and rap sensibilities. Soul-drenched, sample-heavy beats suspend a medley of serenely self-possessed musings on everyday life and the human condition. Chock-full of heady and happy reflection, the EP never aims to be anything but a laid-back and comfortably sedated affair, whilst providing just enough nuggets of wisdom and insight to pique the listener’s curiosity. In thrall to the notion that art can never remain too stagnant, the most important factor in this release is not just to please the listener, but to also give them something to think about.

Characteristically scruffy and off-kilter, Adam is a fringe-dweller who’s contented to stay grounded in the face of stresses generated in the course of modern living. Without talking witlessly and in mindless platitudes about the day-to-day struggle we all face, Adam prefers to gently massage his own wisdom into the roots of this EP through a sound that is unmistakably of the old-school. Never ranting or rallying, though occasionally betraying his weariness with the current state of the hip-hop (a seemingly inescapable trope of underground hip-hop), Adam prefers, for the most part, to wax lyrical about his abiding love of books, a decent cupper, and a simple life divested of high-octane distractions.

Both Adam and beatmaker Cuth evidently share a similar worldview and enjoy an unerring intuition on this EP. A hand-crafted duo functioning in a smooth, symbiotic arrangement, they’ve taken a traditional format and tried to do something interesting with it — their collaboration being a distilled wisdom gained through careful thought and meditation, merry mishaps and a willingness to drift through life’s challenges with a clear and level-head.

Devoid of pretence, the EP’s sound is a perfect antidote to listeners weary of hearing rappers possessed of huge egos and an obscene fetishism of money and materialism. Carrying a self-conscious hippie image that thankfully never congeals into shtick, Adam shines as a light of quiet transcendence in the UK rap game, gracefully tracing his steps towards spiritual self-fulfilment.

Stripped-down and unelaborate, the EP is solid proof that good music is very often, if not most often, simple music that coaxes traditional elements and occasional innovative flourishes into magical submission.

Download The Letters EP @ http://adamandcuth.bandcamp.com

Scizzahz – Workaholic

Hailing from Hastings but based out of Brighton, UK hip-hop artist Scizzahz is one half of O.S.B’z with Wizard, and also part of Genius Squad alongside Vecks, Herbie Dragons, 184, Enlish and Conflix. With a fair few releases to his name, Big Scizz has been putting in the work consistently for years — both as a producer and an emcee. In the process, he’s collaborated with such high-profile UK luminaries as Dr Syntax, Sonnyjim and Beat Butcha; however that being so, you can’t help but feel it’s high time he garnered greater recognition as a solo artist in the UK hip-hop scene given his ubiquitous influence and stellar work ethic.

‘Workaholic’ is the first single off his soon-to-be-released album ‘I Still Work Harder’  which is due to be Scizzahz’ fourth solo studio album release. The album is entirely self-produced and self-mastered, and features guest spots from Dr Syntax, Sonnyjim, Joey G-Zus, Adam The Rapper, TC as well as voice-over commentary from the venerated Gary Martin (credited among other things as being the voice of The Honey Monster). The album promises to explore a more introspective side to the otherwise blithe and comedic Scizzahz you’ve all seen in Don’t Flop battles, with the single ‘Workaholic’ being a clear statement of his everlasting ambition to make it big in the game despite many years spent in relative underground obscurity.

The main thing about Scizzahz that I think appeals to fans of his is that he doesn’t take himself overly seriously, plus the fact he brings on an every-man aesthetic to his battles and his music whilst still proving to be a genuine hardcore hip-hop enthusiast. His direct, straight-forward approach to rhyming also works well and makes him relatable — plus he’s got some swagger, but isn’t over the top with it.

Be sure to keep tabs on this dude and to cop his album as soon as it’s released.

Website: http://www.myspace.com/scizzahz

O.S.B’z Bandcamp: http://osbz.bandcamp.com/

Genius Squad Bandcamp: http://geniussquad.bandcamp.com/

Enlish – Cold Lazarus (Album Review) (www.rhythmcircus.co.uk)

After six years spent paying dues on his local hip-hop circuit as both an MC and DJ with the Mad Love and Blaze One crews, Falmouth-raised Enlish (AKA Big Dave) relocated to Brighton and spent five years establishing himself as a mainstay on the local hip-hop scene with a string of mixtape releases and an EP to his name, in addition to becoming a permanent fixture at Rising Styles’ Brighton Hip-Hop Festival. All the while he garnered numerous impressive features including a guest spot on BBC 1Xtra with F.U. Music affiliate Stig of the Dump, and has shared bills with such hip-hop luminaries as Klashnekoff, Jehst, Rodney P, Raekwon, and Phi Life Cypher but to name a few. Released under the auspices of independent label F.U. Music, Cold Lazarus is Enlish’s long-awaited flagship solo album project and the fruit of four years unrequited passion for hip-hop combined with assiduous musical endeavour, but also a wealth of setbacks; however, despite the trials and tribulations of a struggling independent artist, the end product is nothing short of a seamless hip-hop masterpiece.

An undisputed OG, and perhaps one of the most under-appreciated of UK hip-hop legends, Enlish is the MC’s MC: with his exquisite flows, deft freestyle ability and flamboyant image propelling him to the status of a cult hero in the UK scene, Enlish has long exalted traditional mid-90’s era hip-hop out of America’s regional confines, taken it to the British South Coast and injected it with his own colourful persona and the worldly-wise perspectives a self-confessed “brown-skinned, Cornish-Asian rapper”. A de facto Sean Price of the underground UK hip-hop scene, Enlish displays a similar internal rhyme aggressiveness, alliteration and densely-packed polysyllabic rhyming style of his quasi-role model, and like Sean, he’s clearly an intelligent guy; however, a real masterstroke of his is how he forgoes any marble-mouthed, esoteric references (which I’m sure he is quite capable of producing) and instead adheres to a formula of spitting straight-up flows and packing them out with hard-hitting punchlines. Moreover, Enlish wisely repudiates the common tropes of self-proclaimed socially conscious rappers who display a complete inability to spin a compelling narrative, by crafting eloquent verses about deeply-ingrained personal issues. Indeed, there’s a complex interplay of themes and admissions in the album: he presents himself as a larger-than-life and extremely outgoing character on the one side, but on the other he explores the dichotomy of the same man riddled with insecurity, everyman melancholy and self-destructive bouts of depression.

For all his introspection however, Enlish never sacrifices humour or swagger, and the beats of Cold Lazarus are seriously banging. Produced, mixed, mastered and arranged entirely by Ido, it’s a sonically rich affair with a myriad of musical ornamentation and a cohesive collection of sounds wherein each individual element serves its purpose to the fullest. Chiseled with a heady blend of bass-heavy tracks structured by cymbals, reverb-heavy squelching synths with meaty guitar stabs as well as simpler looped instrumentals with wistful flute melodies, Cold Lazarus has some of the most accomplished and varied production I’ve heard from any UK hip-hop release this year.In addition to the album’s high-end production values and its flamboyant aesthetic, Enlish lays bare his self-depricating persona and is entirely honest about the adversity he has had to face in life — especially concering the tragic death of his mother —and his consequent succumbing to a desultory, hedonistic lifestyle of booze and women. Heavily suffused with nihilistic undertones whilst also conveying some affable and often deadpan comedic sensibilites, Cold Lazarus is the soundtrack to the real-life tale of a tortured soul, emphasized by the inclusion of three very introspective and heartfelt numbers: ‘I Feel Good’, ‘Only Human’ and ‘Karaoke’. In my opinion, it’s in these tracks that some of his best lyricism comes out: “Heavy flowing with as much serotonin left as Leonard Cohen'”. Additionally, he also provides some stark and earnest messages to those similarly vulnerable to the same temptations: “Choose to reject what your fate brings, and you’ll be frozen in a moment from which you’re never escaping.”

Perhaps to provide some much-needed levity to the introspection, the comedy track ‘Dickhead’ features a humorous light-hearted exchange between Enlish and close friend Hines who nags and reprimands him for wasting his days and for not getting out there and doing shows. Recurring themes in this as well as some other tracks on the album include flagrant substance-abuse, plain idleness and degenerate boozing, and are dealt with with an intriguing mixture of blithe humour and genuine earnestness. The album’s stand out track — which is also the album’s featured single— is the thickly synth and bass laden ‘Arrogance is Bliss’ which is a serious head-banger; it’s also thoroughly apolitical and loaded with tongue-in-cheek gangsterisms and near-the-knucle humour. Complete with a Sean Price fresh out the Carhartt-era and a potty-mouthed Stig of the Dump, the track lends most itself to bursts of laugh-out-loud punchlines: It ain’t line dancing when I say I throw the hoe down. Another stand-out is the ‘Imagineers Cypher’ which is a rowdy collaborative effort featuring fellow F.U. Music cohort Dr Syntax (himself a UK hip-hop veteran), Hines and Clev Cleverley with a classic rock emphasis and some seriously dope scratches from DJ Manipulate.

Overall, there’s really very little I can fault in Cold Lazarus, and I certainly haven’t got a bad word to say about Enlish; indeed, for all his hip-hop posturing and well-deserved hubris, he still comes off as a genuinely nice guy, and his affable charm and charisma make him a true breath of fresh air in a country pervaded by the scourge pretentious grime MCs-turned-popstars. No doubt there will be incessant buzz and clamouring when his album is released on 7th June because this is literally, HUGE!

To whet your appetite a little, download the single ‘Arrogance is Bliss’ featuring Sean Price, Stig of the Dump and DJ Manipulate:

http://enlish.bandcamp.com

Also, check out Enlish’s popular blog:

http://rapaintreallyreal.blogspot.com

Rum Committee – Committee is Boss (Mixtape Review)

While they put the finishing touches to their long-awaited debut titled Booze Town, Brighton-based Rum Committee have compiled a 32-track mixtape prelude to whet their fans’ appetites . A nine strong crew of producers, rappers and DJs, Rum Com are something of an institution in the spirited Brighton hip-hop scene — and their latest release is proof of how prolific the crew are in making music . With 32 varied and voluble tracks for just £3, there’s really no excuse not to cop this mixtape if you’re a UK hip-hop head; especially if you share the crew’s penchant for nihilism, sexual degeneracy and reckless alcoholism.

Debauched, desultory and downright despicable,  Committee is Boss might just be THE ideal soundtrack to a boozy night out, complete with a punch-up in the kebab shop and followed by a one-night stand with a ropey sket. Unashamed and unbridled— but endlessly fluid with it — Rum Com’s explicit lyrical content is also sustained by some pretty dope and accomplished production: DJ Choice does an especially good job of mixing it all, while Gi3MO, Ruff Snippit and Scizzahz really stand out with their beatmaking skills; bass-heavy beats with eclectic sample blends are played off against heavy dubstep beats to give a raw, but comical vibe.

Though the mixtape’s concepts and themes are hardly novel — and occasionally being a bit too full-on with the whole booze concept — the manic and boozed-up Gi3MO, TC Johnston, Prince Kong and Captain Bukioe lay their souls bare without ever falling into the obvious age-old traps of making pointless conscious tracks, telling cringeworthy love tales, or merely rapping for rapping’s sake. It’s in the emcees’ flows, rhythm-shifting speech patterns and intricate rhyme schemes where the crew’s talent really shines.

In essence, Rum Committee provide conclusive proof that rap and rum go together as well as fried chicken with mac and cheese. If you can spare a few quid, then for God’s sake buy this friggin’ awesome mixtape!

www.rumcom.bandcamp.com

RUM COM CYPHER VIDEO