Muse continued their run of superb Word of Mouth nights with more live hip-hop and soul to mark the quadrennial festivities; perhaps in special honour of rap footnote Ja-Rule, who saw his first glimpse of bling on this ‘Leap Day’ 32 years ago. The line-up was an impressive roster of Nottingham talent, with local boys Ill Citizen topping the bill once more.

Warming up the crowd was hip-hop stalwart DJ Squigley of OhMyGosh Records, spinning some anthemic classics from his extensive crates. Once proceedings had begun proper, soul siren Jay Thomas took to the stage to deliver a soothing performance which was greeted well by the now near capacity audience. Next up: Lady Paradox, who with her assured set and solid delivery broke my previous conceptions of her, demonstrating why she is the eighth most downloaded female artist in the whole of Japan! (apparently).

Local favourite Karizma dropped by later for an unbilled but more than welcome appearance, spitting some of his well-known tunes and indulging the throng before him with some improvised freestyling. Audience participation was a highlight, as the rapper asked for words and phrases to be shouted out for reference in the ad lib rap. Any man who can incorporate pork pies and nods to this fair city into his verse at the audience’s will deserves a pat on the back.

The headliners, Ill Citizen, whose devoted fan base had all but packed out the venue, continued with their winning formula of quality beats and rhymes, with production coming courtesy of Tom G, who also represents on vocal duties with Canni and Allergy. After numerous performances at different venues, the boys have now got rocking a crowd down to a tee. Some new beats accompanying classic material was the basis for a solid set, with the tune Now What proving popular with many of the revellers forcing themselves towards the front. It’s always refreshing to see fans at gigs actually enjoying themselves rather than the traditional image of independent hip-hoppers morosely nodding their heads at the back of the room. Ill Citizen certainly got the place livelied up.

The venue is always good for this kind of event, with acts taking residence on a raised seating area, and the crowd afforded a spacious dance floor and sofas. Publicity for the night was extensive, so the floor soon filled. This enlivened the atmosphere but also meant that getting a drink in/moving was sometimes a bit slow.

But for £3 on the door for a good five hours of top music, you have to try pretty hard to find something wrong. I’m glad I won’t have to wait another 4 years for such a good night out, as Taskforce headline Word of Mouth in a month’s time.

Ill Citizen played Muse on Friday February 29 2008

Ill Citizen MySpace
Ill Citizen website
Muse MySpace

Originally published at LeftLion.co.uk, Monday February 3, 2008.

Cappo, Ruddington’s MC extraordinaire, dropped in to the Maze this Tuesday to continue promotion of his latest release, the Directors Commentary mixtape. Mixed, scratched and cut up by the legendary Styly Cee, the album charts a strong rap career, with production spanning from the late 90s to brand new exclusives and freestyles.

The Ruby Kid, a young Notts rapper who has recently relocated to the Steel City, got things underway. Having never seen him perform before, he proved to be something of a revelation; shame that a mix-up on the door times didn’t ensure the crowd he deserved. His confident delivery and clever wordplay with the dynamic of a live bassist show why his gig diary is filling up.

Second on the bill were the always captivating Ill Citizen. Rhythmically monikered MCs Canni B, Tom G and Allergy made sure the floor filled, with their up-tempo, infectious beats, rhymes and commanding stage presence. Well-established tunes such as Brainwash Policy and newer cuts like Respect thy Neighbour were run through at break-neck speed, with no pause for breath. Due to time constraints their set was limited, but this only enhanced the party vibe and good-time feel that is the original hip-hop ethos – a quality that Ill Citizen maintain with every performance. They finished with the excellent Now What. Its refrain of ‘I don’t wanna work right now / I don’t wanna hurt right now / Now what?’ certainly resonated with the midweek crowd.

By now, even the prospect of an early rise could not dim the atmosphere, and the audience were in the mood for more. Luckily, one of Nottingham’s finest was on hand to give them just that. The ‘self-styled one-man industry’ delivered a solid set of new and old material, showing that all the hard work pays off. Favourites from the brilliant Spaz the World LP from 2003 like Learn to be Strong, a Cappo classic, brought the Heavy Bronx sound of the P Brothers’ production, with its deep bassline testing the Maze’s sound system. On the ones and twos was DJ/producer/rapper and epitome of Notts hip-hop, Styly Cee. Styly has left his alter ego behind for some time to concentrate on producing quality hip-hop such as One in a Million from Directors Commentary, the tune from which the above and below quotes were taken.

Capps also spat a couple of verses over The Format by AZ (Nas’s mate) and his gruff yet clear and visceral articulation demonstrated how he can easily hold it down over the finest quality New York beats, such as this one from the king, DJ Premier. The behatted one was also joined on stage by his crew, Midnyte and Rukus Regardless, who ably coped but frustratingly never quite managed to produce much of a spark. On wax their flow is assured and exciting, flecked with accent and cheeky puns, but they never quite seem to transfer this energy to a live performance. The headliner, who by now had definitely fulfilled his promise to ‘for better or worse leave my clamp on proceedings’ then finished with a trio of new tracks from his upcoming album, leaving me eager for the date it drops.

Cappo played The Maze on March 11 2008

Originally published at LeftLion.co.uk, March 14, 2008.