Track of the Day: 'Love' (Kendrick Lamar cover) by Gengahr

Today is the hardest day of Coronavirus lockdown so far for me. By now I should already have my Glastonbury wristband on and be in Pylon Field setting up camp. The first two days would then be spent exploring the site, seeing what was new, and catching the smaller bands before the big stuff kicks off on Friday. Kendrick Lamar was due to headline Friday night and was definitely going to be in the pit for that one *sad face*.

By way of some slight compensation Gengahr have given us this great cover of Lamar's 'Love', which is great for listening too in the sunshine while trying to to cry too much.

Here's to Glastonbury 2021 - only 365 days to go!

Video of the Day: 'State Of The Union (STFU)' by Public Enemy feat. DJ Premier

Looks like Chuck D has made up with Flavor Flav. They're back together with some help from DJ Premier to deliver this coruscating attack on Trump and his Presidency.

"All we know is, Trump has gotta go..."

Let's hop this helps to achieve that aim, as well as signalling more new material from PE.

Recommended music: 'Yesterday's Gone' by Loyle Carner

It's been more than 2 years since I first wrote about Loyle Carner in this blog. In that time he's gradually built up a solid following, playing bigger and bigger shows, been mentioned in the BBC 'Sound of' list, opened a cooking school for kids with ADHD (from which he himself suffers) and has now released his debut album, the brilliant 'Yesterday's Gone'.

It's clear from the opening bars of 'The Isle of Arran' that this is no ordinary rap album. A track about a remote Scottish island featuring a gospel choir, it's not exactly a track about gangs and bitches is it?



That's the wonder of this whole record - it manages to be the authentic sound of British rap without resorting to cliches and lowest common denominator lyrics. Who else would write lyrics about his imaginary sister? Or would write about his parents with such love and warmth, including a poem from his mum and a track by his step-dad who dies last year? Even on the more traditional kind of track 'No CD' he manages to enthuse about the emotional attachments to old records - "Pretty ancient plastic discs of greatness that your parents used to play with" and "The crackle of the vinyl, sweet onto repeat" in a way that belies his youth.



This is singularly the most truthful and honest rap record that I've ever heard. It's not afraid to deal with the most complex of human emotions and it doesn't feel the need to be full of swaggering bravado. It celebrates our frailties as well as our successes, and for that it will always have a place in my heart.



'Yesterday's Gone' is out now on AMF Records, and the tour to support the album starts tonight in Dublin - full details here.

DJ Cull presents January Jams

It's the last day of January so here's a mix of the tracks I've listened to most this month. Hopefully I'll do one every month and then it will make the selection of my 'Best Of 2017' tracks much easier at the end of the year! Here's the tracklisting:

1. Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - White Crow (Erol Alkan Rework)
2. sir Was - Falcon
3. Loyle Carner - The Isle of Arran
4. Thundercat - Drunk (feat. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins)
5. Sinkane - U'Huh
6. Romare - All Night
7. Matthew Dear - Wrong With Us
8. The xx - On Hold
9. Run The Jewels - Talk To Me

Mash-up of the Day: 'Shadow The Jewels' (DJ Shadow vs Run The Jewels) by DJ Skarface

DJ Shadow and Run The Jewels are two of my favourite acts in the world. So what could be better than a mash-up of 'Endtroducing', a snatch or two of 'The Private Press' and 'RTJ1'? Pretty much nothing, this is fucking perfect apart from the fact that it's only 20 minutes long - I could happily listen to this all day. To top it off you can download it for free so grab it while it's hot AF.

Recommended music: 'RTJ3' by Run The Jewels

Like a present you never dared hope for, 'RTJ3' dropped unexpectedly on Christmas Day to fill your stocking with beats and rhymes. Following their usual distribution model Killer Mike and El-P gave it away for free, but you'll also be able to buy it from iTunes, Amazon etc., and there's a host of physical products and merch you can pre-order from here if you want to support them financially.

A lot's happened since the release of 'RTJ2' a couple of years ago, not least Killer Mike becoming some sort of unofficial spokesman on black issues in America, and you can feel the weight of what's passed on this record. Overall there's a sense that they're taking things seriously and this is no longer just two guys fucking about, getting high on weed and mushrooms and making music to please themselves. the music and lyrics are both more powerful and there's a higher proportion of proper melodies in place. Having someone like Tunde Adebimpe feature on 'Thieves! (Screamed The Ghost)'' no doubt helps but overall El-P seems to have upped his production game by a few notches, and there's not a single duff track in this bunch. 

From the acknowledgement of their own stardom (on 'Call Ticketron'), through the politically charged 'Thieves!' and the nightmare view of the future on '2100' this is the sound of a duo on the top of their game.

If you're one of those people bemoaning the lack of protest music in these turbulent times then you need look no further. This is the sound of a black man and a white man uniting their voices against racism, fascism and all of the other shit in the world today. 'A Report To The Shareholders: Kill Your Masters' might take things to the extreme with its "kill your masters" refrain but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

In summary, and because the official release date is 13th January, this is the first essential album purchase of 2017.

Christmas Rave of the Day: 'Merry Christmas Lil' Mama' by Jeremih and Chance the Rapper

As if Chance hasn't been good enough to us already this year, he's just dropped this 9 track mixtape with Jeremih to give y'all some festive cheer. There's some great tracks on here, from the vocoder-heavy 'Snowed In' to 'Stranger At The Table' lifting the melody from 'I Want You Back' to the piano and organ-led full-on Christmas ballad 'Joy'. Seriously, this guy can do no wrong at the moment, and this is a grat way to round off a huge year for him.

Christmas Rave of the Day: 'Night Shifts At Christmas' by Golden Rules

A heartwarming tale of hard work and family life, this track from Golden Rules shows what can be achieved in rap and hip-hop music without resorting to 'f' words and 'n' words all the time. You can buy this song from all your favourite music download emporia.

Video of the Day: 'Payout (feat. Stalley)' by Apollo Brown & Skyzoo

Another quality track from the Mello Music Group stable, this killer cut from 'The Easy Truth' hits the spot. I love a track that starts and ends with the sound of warm vinyl pops and hisses (unless I'm actually listening to it on vinyl lol). Have a look at the brand new video below.

Track of the Day: 'Things' by Oddisee

A new Oddisee album, The Iceberg, will be with us next February, and is surely something we all need in these trying times. A plea for understanding and for us to recognise our common ground, it will feature his trademark intellectual insight and rapid-fire rhymes.

Lead single 'Things' sets out the album's stall as, over an infectious dance groove, Oddisee runs through the things that are getting him down, and talks about how we should share our concerns and experiences. I can't wait for the whole album, but until it arrives I've got 'Things' on repeat.

Track of the Day: 'Digging For Windows' by Zack de la Rocha

What do you expect from a track by the ex Rage Against The Machine frontman and produced by El-P from Run The Jewels - teddy bears and flowers? Of course you don't. What you expect is exactly what you get - a pounding beat, electronic crunches, angry lyrics (the first word is 'fuck' and it's not the only use of it) and attitude by the bucketload.

We need more angry records like this in the world, especially if they're given away for free via BitTorrent like this one is - you can get it here.

Video of the Day: 'Friends' by Francis and the Lights feat. Bon Iver and Kanye West

I heard this track on Radio 1 today (I'm not sure how I hadn't heard it before) and they mentioned how good the video was so I headed online to look it up. And it's great - from Kanye's appearance at the beginning (where he gets into the music and then kinda checks himself), to Francis bursting out of the set to dance and then calming himself down once he's back on, to the fact that it's all filmed on one take, to the great dance routine with Francis and Justin Vernon, to all three of them striking a pose at the end. It proves a lot of things, not least of which is that fact that Yeezy doesn't always take himself too seriously.

Video of the Day: 'Nobody Speak' by DJ Shadow feat. Run The Jewels

It's a week or so old now but that doesn't detract from the power of this video. In some ways it reminds me of that old video for 'Two Tribes' by Frankie Goes To Hollywood', where Reagan and Gorbachev squared up for a fight.

Any record that's made by two of my favourite acts was always going to be good, but this video elevates the track to a higher level. Watch and learn what congress is really like.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-10 Days: Blackalicious

This West Coast rap duo have been making records for nearly 20 years and their new album (the first in a trilogy no less) will be out in September. From it comes this track:


If you're not familiar with them but like rap acts such as Jurassic 5, Pharcyde or even De La Soul then it would be worth your while checking them out. They're on in the Pussy Parlure at half past Midnight on Saturday - I'll see you there.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-20 Days: Vince Staples

Vince Staples debut album 'Summertime '06' got somewhat lost last year in the general swell of mass appreciation for 'To Pimp A Butterfly'. While it doesn't consistently hit the heights of Kendrick's masterpiece it wasn't without merit, and a slot on the West Holts stage late on Friday afternoon should go a long way to raising his profile in the UK.



Hailing from Long Beach, California, his early friendship with Odd Future helped to propel him into the limelight, something that his current tour with A$AP Rocky is only adding to.

 

While he might not grab such a large audience as Run The Jewels did in a similar slot last year he'll still be worth seeingon the brilliantly eclectic West Holts lineup.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-22 Days: Oddisee

You don't have to go very far in the pages of this blog to find me singing the praises of Oddisee. One of my favourite rappers ever, he's as brilliant live as he is recorded, as you can see in the live video below.



If you were expecting raps about drive-bys and bitches hopefully that's put you straight. Oddisse is much better than, with an intelligent, lyrical flow that deals with weighty subject matter without ever resorting to cheap shots.




Prodigious in output, he's already released a free EP and a full-length instrumental album this year, and I've no doubt there's more on the way from him too.



I love so much of his stuff it was hard to know what to put on this page, but hopefully there's more than enough here to get you into him. Wherever he's playing (I suspect West Holts or John Peel) I'll see you down the front.

Glastonbury 2016 - The Ones To Watch - T-29 Days: Kojey Radical

Today's recommendation is spoken-word poet/rapper Kojey Radical. He's playing at the Rum Shack on The Common on Thursday night (along with Kate Tempest among others). Having released the fantastic '23Winters' EP earlier this year his star is burning bright, and he'll be well worth a late night visit to the naughty corner.

Track of the Day: 'Dapper (feat. Anderson Paak)' by Domo Genesis

There's some proper old school funk and soul vibes on this track. It's as smooth as a spliffed-up silk worm, Definitely some Kendrick vibes in here too, though a bit less jazzy, and the guitar solo at the end is just perfect.

Recommended music: 'Alwasta' by Oddisee

It's hard to fathom how Oddisee can continue to make records with as much quality as this and yet still be relatively unknown. Maybe it's because, as with this release, he sometimes gives his stuff away for free, that people fail to attach a proper value to it. Or maybe he's just too good for this world of mass-produced, mass-marketed and over-hyped mainstream media shit. Whatever the reason, the world is a crazy place, and all I can do is be grateful that he's doing this stuff and I get to hear it.

From the lush opening strings on 'Asked About You' to the slow jamz and harmonies on 'Slow Groove' this release is packed with quality moments' Fast paced lyrics on 'No Reservations' tell the tale of his ambitions and how he lives with no plans and no regrets, while 'Strength & Weakness' continues the autobiographical lyrics, while also giving his great band a chance to show off their musical prowess.

'Wouldn't Be Surprise' is probably the weakest track here, one that never really finds its groove, but weakness is relative in a canon of work as good as Oddisee's. To prove the point 'Lifting Shadows' follows immediately, with beats that Jay-Z would kill for and some fantastically fast-paced lyrics. Topped off with a sung chorus it showcases the depths of Amir's talent, which will be on display again very soon as he's already announced that he's releasing a new instrumental album next month called 'The Odd Tape'.

You can stream and download this release below. Catch Oddisee and his band Good Company at festivals all over the summer, including at Glastonbury in the UK in June, where I'll see you down the front.

Recommended music: '23Winters' by Kojey Radical

The line between rap and poetry has been blurred before, but never so successfully and so powerfully. I've personally seen both Oddisee and Loyle Carner deliver spoken-word, acapella pieces that worked really well, but they struck me more as raps that work as poetry, whereas I get the sense the Kojey's work seems to have its roots in poetry and the beats are added as a way of broadcasting it to the world. Kojey makes reference to this in the album's opener 'Footsteps' as he says "Let's play a game of pin the pressure on the poet, is it poetry or rap, I found rhythm inside of poetry".

That's not to say that the music isn't good, adding as it does a dark and brooding atmosphere to the record. It's downbeat and sometimes introspective, but never depressing. The brilliant chorus on 'Kwame Nkrumah' is definitely one of the high points - just imagine a whole audience shouting out "They look at me like a winner now". It's defiantly optimistic, and we need more of that in our lives.

Overall the vibe is a bit Roots Manuva, a bit Tricky, and there's an occasional catch in his voice that sounds like Kendrick Lamar. There's no doubting the depth of both Radical's talent and his commitment to and belief in his work. What you're witnessing with this record is the birth of a major new talent, and one that is worth much more than the '5 grand for 3 albums' deal that he was offered by a record label that should be ashamed of themselves.

Buy this once, and listen to it all year. It's the real sound of 2016.