Son Raw wicked like Dan, anyone Flow, Riko, Meridian.
I’ve decided to make these Grime vocal wrap ups an ongoing project to complement my instrumental reviews, given that the newest generation of UK emcees are dropping some of my favorite tracks this year and scene veterans are following BBK’s lead in returning to the genre’s classic sounds. Unlike my instrumental reviews which I hope cover the best of the best, this round up isn’t comprehensive by any means, just a quick summary of what’s been rotation.
First up, Rinse FM’s Sir Spyro dropped an absolute banger last month in “Side By Side,” reuniting legendary Meridian Crew/Bloodline members Big H, Bossman and Prez T for a track about suspected snitches and paranoia. While JME and Skepta’s Boy Better Know offshoot may have taken a larger share of the spotlight in recent years, “Side by Side” is proof that North London talent runs deep, and Spyro’s dark minimalism is a perfect complement for this kind of classic flow clinic. Special shout to Prez T, still one of Grime’s most underrated and best voices. Also worth your while: Big H’s Zoom Zoom Zing mixtape, which splits the difference between a set and a proper release.
Plastician has been involved in a fair bit of public soul searching recently in terms of where he fits in when it comes to contemporary music, but you wouldn’t know it from “London Living” with Jammz, a track that flows as naturally as anything he’s ever put out. Cleverly flipping the intro to Dizzee Rascal’s “Go!,” it’s a bit of old and bit of new that marries the best of his old Plasticman sound to Jammz’ acute observations on life in the capitol. The best thing about this is that it opens up so many doors for more collaborations: if veteran US producers like Alchemist can drop entire EPs with new emcees and reap the benefits, why not a Plastician project with Jammz? Or AJ Tracey? Or any of the other producers in the scene. The possibilities are endless. Meanwhile, Jammz has hinted at another release dropping very soon, and he’s close to locking down the “breakout star of 2015” nod that Stormzy and Nov shared last year. Top stuff.
Wiley’s been dropping a single a week all summer and the results have been as manic and compulsively listenable as ever. For my money, the best two have been “Outchea” and “Cypress Hill”: the former is produced by the evergreen Maniac (out on work release?) and it’s a one person shelling session in classic Wiley style. The self produced “Cypress Hill” features Roll Deep’s Flowdan and Scratchy and while it’s comparatively subdued, the strings and the hook are just plain catchy. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the man had another album out by Christmas.
Shifting things up North and away from Grime entirely, Levelz’ Sparkz just released his Angle One EP, and it sounds like… Rawkus circa 98? Yup! The last thing I expected from this one was Boom Bap drums and crunchy MPC style sample choppage, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t fun. In an era where so much New York revivalism seems forced and awkwardly tries to interact with contemporary Hip Hop without actually sounding like it, tracks like “Kno the Sound” an “Closed Curtains” are breezy, jazzy and perfect for a warm summer day. If Levelz have one M.O, it’s winning by daring to be different and this is no exception. J-Live, Mos Def, Louis Logic fans take note.
Finally, I gave Mic Ty and Big Zuu plenty of words last month, but they’ve dropped another collaborative project, on the low. It’s just as recommended as their previous joints.
Catch you at the end of the month with more instrumental madness.
