50 Cent – Be My Bitch feat. Brevi (Audio)

Trey Songz – Simply Amazing

Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa – French Inhale Directed by John Mazyck from Stampede Management

G4 BOYZ – “ICY AS FUCK” [MUSIC VIDEO] Directed by Adio Ash (@Adioash5) Single from “Blood Diamonds” album on iTunes/Amazon/Spotify etc

Taken from the producer’s new project “The French Revolution”.

Intergalactic synth-heavy Hip-Hop funk from the French production duo’s album “Analogtronics”.

Cascade Records has overtaken Warp and Ninja Tune for me when it comes to exciting new releases; the Paris-based label is constantly supporting underground gold- and their latest release with Resistant Mindz is no exception.

A great compilation with some fantastic post-hip-hop/trip-hop etc. sounds from a plethora of talented artists, including FTR faves Broke, Repeat Pattern and Ackryte (above), there’s some real special creativity running through the grooves of this record, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Taken from the French producer’s album “The Branstorm” which features appearances from Blaq Poet, Meyhem Lauren, Shaz Illyork and more.

Definitely one of the stand out tracks on the album, but we’d still love to see a promo video for ‘laissez moi ivre’ or even the epic solo’s from either ‘a coeur ouvert’ or ‘la tache’.

Things are getting big for Wati B boys – now mingling amongst the biggest American hip hop stars such as P Diddy and 50 cent explained in this recent interview with lead MC maitre gims.

Check out the video below for ‘ma direction – sexion d’assaut‘

Taken from the Baltimore duo’s EP “Start Your Bid’s” produced by France’s DJ Brans.

The critic likes to wear a Boston Red Sox fitted cap.

I’ve listened to hip-hop for many years now. At the tender age of nine, I remember picking up a beat-up copy of Onyx’s ‘Bacdafucup’ from my local Oxfam shop for £5 and ever since then, I have been completely besotted by the art of putting rhyme to rhythm.

Over the years, I’ve amassed a pretty substantial collection of hip-hop music, not just from the UK and America, but from all corners of the globe. In 2002 on a street corner in Berlin, I met EOW champion Chefket (in my opinion, one of the best all-round emcees on planet earth), while in France I took part in a drunken cypher with Parisian rapper Amalgam. Even in Hong Kong, I procured a rare mixtape from the then obscure Cantonese alt.rap outfit LMF (a group which has since gone double-platinum in South China).

In recent years, I’ve written pretty extensively about the underground UK hip-hop scene for sites such as Certified Banger (the most respected and longest-running UK hip-hop blog in existence), Rhythm Circus (one of the best indie/alternative music sites out there) and this blog (a blog which has garnered a little over 100,000 hits in less than two years).

That said, a few people have insinuated that despite my relentless enthusiasm for the art form,  I’m actually nothing more than a curious interloper in the world of hip-hop. In fact in a recent email for example, I was vilified by some internet troll for being “too posh and stuck-up to write about hip-hop” and labelled “a disgrace to the art.” The tone of the email clearly suggested that this person (who I don’t wish to embarrass by naming), was genuinely vexed by someone who is perhaps at times overly wordy, sensitive and even effeminate in the way he writes about hip-hop. In many ways, his words were symptomatic of the trite macho mentality which has long been associated with the genre, and so I was inclined to just ignore them and move on. Still, it got me thinking about whether or not I am too posh for hip-hop, and whether or not there is still this imaginary fault-line which defines who can be part of the culture.

To start with, I would never try to pitch myself firmly into the category of being working class for the sake of fitting in to the hip-hop scene, because I know quite simply, that it would be a lie. In fact, I’m much happier being entirely open about being a nerdy, middle-class white kid from the home counties. I grew up in a leafy suburban town and was encouraged by my parents from an early age to focus my energies into getting a good education. I went on to university and obtained a BA in Modern Languages, and now I’m a professional interpreter. So there you go.

In my opinion, being middle-class is so irrelevant; it is surely the love and appreciation of the art form that transcends everything. However, many apologists seem to still want to crow about their salt-of-the-earth credentials and how this somehow makes them more credible exponents of hip-hop. As far as I’m concerned, I can’t really see why they get so invested in it. I mean in this day and age, aren’t most of us simply past that stage of caring? I mean, the old notion that hip-hop is a voice solely of oppressed, marginalized minority cultures is not only archaic, but also moot. Take a Don’t Flop event for example; do you see a room full of blinged-up, screw-faced gangsta rap caricatures? Of course not. In fact, I’d say Don’t Flop events tend to attract a pretty motley group of individuals from pretty much every imaginable walk-of-life. That to me is the essence of real hip-hop; building bridges, not borders, and positively welcoming a spirit of diversity and innovation. Groups like the Beastie Boys for example, who’ve had such a seminal influence on hip-hop music, are respected first and foremost for their craft and innovation – the fact that they are all upper-middle class Jews from midtown Manhattan is immaterial. And how about if we look at more recent rappers: Is college-educated Kanye West too posh for hip-hop? Is Drake, who grew up in an upper-middle class Jewish family in leafy suburbia, too posh for hip-hop? And is UK hip-hop legend Yungun, who was educated at Eton and King’s Canterbury respectively, too posh for hip-hop? Unless they have a real chip on their shoulder, I doubt a credible fan of hip-hop would say “yes” to any of the above.

Of course, I realise that some of the grittier elements of hip-hop culture are inescapable, and have to be adopted by awkward middle-class interlopers like myself. Much of the original Africanized vernacular for example, is integral to the art form and still helps codify a culture that was spawned by ghetto minorities (namely, African-Americans and Hispanics) in the South Bronx. Also, the widely stigmatized fashion elements (the fitted caps, the hoodies and the neck tattoos), are also part and parcel of an art form which is, and probably always will be, intrinsically anti-establishment. To be truly considered part of the hip-hop culture, I think you do have to conform to some extent, if only marginally – whether it’d be wearing your cap at a jaunty angle, or peppering your sentences with the odd “yo” or “homie”. But to pretend to be working-class is, for me at least, a step too far, as though I were hiding away my inner-self.

Hip-hop has long been, and continues to be a voice of the urban working-classes, but as an art form it has no real parameters or restriction as to who can take part. Anyone is open to contribute, and listeners can choose for themselves what they want to hear. Although many purists would rather it remained an inner-city art from, the fact is, the genre has evolved to accommodate those from stereotypically uncool backgrounds like myself. Like rock or punk, hip-hop is only truly realised in its ability to move a crowd as a collective; not in its ability to define class boundaries.

@TomClementsUK

Produced by France’s Kyo Itachi.

Whenever I’ve much on my mind (what I often refer to as S. O. double M.), I’m wont to either take my dog, Finn, on a longer-than-usual walk, or sometimes a little car ride.

With gas prices what  they are, I’m far less likely to do the latter these days, but it still happens on occasion.

On these vehicled excursions, I really get into the thinking groove, the reflecting mood, on the drive going north on 360 from Mopac to 183.  It is exactly long enough, with a good dose of the Austin skyline mixed with the quiet solitude of the hills, to create the sense it’s only you, your dog, your car and possibility. Like a sumo wrestler eating for his next big match, the vibe is enhanced when making the drive at night.  And  though Ted Mosby is mostly right, this is probably the only thing that gets better after 2AM.

All you need do is cross the Pennybacker Bridge, the suns of other systems winking at you, the lap of lake waving you on, and you can stretch into the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:360_Bridge_at_night,_2008.jp

In just a few miles, windows down, dog chilling on the back seat, the running away into thought, singing at the top of your lungs, all is captured by one song: “Désolé.”  And sometimes, as if watching from outside the car, scarcely a few feet above, I imagine I’m making my own video for it.  This is just a minor escape, five fleeting minutes, with the crisp night air, Finn up way past his bed time, volume up even higher.  The world seems a little more conquerable as I leave the embrace of the hills to get back on 183 to head home.   Though this might be my preferred route, song and place dancing inextricably in my mind, to be honest, any night drive will do.  Try it once and see for yourself.  But try the song first.

Hyper cool French DJ collective C2C, are due to release their new EP in the UK next month. For those unfamiliar with the crew, 20Syl, Greem, Atom and Pfel won the DMC World Team DJ Championship four years in a row, from 2003 to 2006, and as a result have gained a huge following around the world. Check out the video below, of their 2005 DMC set, to see why.
“Down the Road” is the first official release from the group and sets a high standard for any future material they put out. Take the almost orchestral force of the first single, “F.U.Y.A”, as a taster of what the EP will bring. You can actually buy “Down the Road” now on iTunes, or you can wait for the UK vinyl release on 7 May.

Title track from the collabo album from the West Coast emcee and French producer.

Much like the nouvelle vague du rock français scene that saw the rise of garage-rock bands like Naast and my beloved Plasticines in France, there’s a new breed of underground beat-makers in France seeing the creation of a new-wave of electronica and hip-hop.

Sorg is one such artist at the forefront of the emerging scene, joining artists such as Miqi O, Zerolex and Don Da None in bringing a blend of sample-based, electronic and acoustic instrumentation to trip-hop for a sound which, sounds just as uniquely French as French house does.

Check out Zerolex‘s new album which features both Sorg and Don Da None:
http://zerolex.bandcamp.com/album/musique-r-apprivois-e

And if you like what you hear, check out Sorg‘s Preface EP, It’s an underground gem: 
http://sorg.bandcamp.com/

Taken from the French producer’s new album “NY Minute” which features the likes of Blaq Poet, Smiley The Ghetto Child, The Opposition and more.

Here’s what happens when the biggest name in French hip hop comes to town! Sexiond’assaut take charge and make it big for their latest album release last week. We’ll be reviewing their latest work ‘L’apogee’ very soon. In the mean time here’s what they’ve been up to recently.

Follow McFly on Twitter @McFlyCTZ || McFly Facebook Page

Tracklist:

Youssoupha – Viens
La Sexion D’Assaut – Disque D’or
Black Kent Feat. Sifoor & Haze – Seven Seas
Haze – Première Vague
L.E.C.K. – Thug Life
Guizmo – Ramène Moi N’importe Lequel
Tom Kingue – Ali
Romano Daking – Pour Du Vrai (Feat. Tito Prince & Naithy)
Kozi – SOS
Tiers Monde – Minorité Visible

Francophone rapper and hip hop artist MC Solaar was born with the more prosaic name Claude M’Barali on March 5, 1969 in Senegal. When he was six, his family moved to the outskirts of Paris. A stint in Egypt at age 12 introduced him to North African rap. His family stressed the importance of education alongside his music career. Solaar majored in languages and philosophy in his graduate and post-graduate studies. He released his first album, Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo, in 1990 and his most recent three album set, Magnum 567, in 2011, for a total of nine releases. He’s had unusual success for a francophone rapper in the U.S. as well. He won a Victoire de la Musique (French Grammy) for Best Male Artist in 1995 and one for his album Chapitre 7 in 2008. My students always love his 2001 hit “La Belle et le Bad Boy.” Just try to not sing along to the chorus. It’s infectious.

Today’s expression, qui sème le vent récolte la tempête (key sem luh vehn raykolt lah tompet) means “he who sows the wind reaps the storm.” The expression is almost the same in English, except we substitute “whirlwind” for “storm” for euphony. This is the expression MC Solaar riffed on in his first album. He changed the expression to “he who sows the wind reaps the beat.” It’s a much happier image than imprecations of storms and doom!