For me a lot of the Grime scene are over hyped and over praised. In a week when Lord Of The Mics 4 has announced it’s forthcoming one of it’s pioneers and greatest artist Skepta drops a music video to address certain things. In this track Sketpa talks about how the media over hype the new wave of Grime and elevates these fresh MC’s to the heights of the Wiley‘s, Skepta‘s and Roll Deep‘s with little to show for it and how unimaginative the artistry has become. He also addresses how he has survived controversy and how he’s built his brand and taken his time to establish Boy Better Know into a UK powerhouse. I am really feeling Sketpa‘s frame of mind on this track and have to agree with him, for me he has one of the most clear deliveries and can show great intelligence and understanding in his music.

Tonight sees Cormega & Large Professor hit the stage at London’s Jazz Cafe. In honour of this we go back to a classic Cormega track. Mega had his share of ups and downs in the 1990s but since going independent in the 2000s he’s been consistent and gained a global fan base who adore his street tales and laid back flow. His close affiliation with Mobb Deep spawned ‘Killaz Theme‘ a Hip Hop classic. The haunting Havoc beat saw Prodigy, Mega and Hav drop gems with Mega’s flow leaving the beat flat lined.

Birmingham’s Slick Don has been doing his thing for a bit, more of a rave MC for me but occasionally drops tracks with the last one of note being P Money and Blacks ‘Boo You‘. But this Preditah produced track caught my attention because of the feature artist, the undeniable Roachee. The ex Roll Deep member is one of the most recognizable Grime artists vocally and has a flow that no one can match. He is the embodiment of East London in a verse, he sounds like a cockney rapping which is why he is so interesting, and his wordplay and lyrics are always eventful, especially on this track ‘Chill Out Abit‘. Roachee maybe a Grime veteran but is also one of the best MC’s in the scene.

Collaboration EP/Mixtapes between an artist and producer in Hip Hop has become common place and is producing some incredible music recently. OFWGKTA‘s Domo Genesis effort produced entirely by our boy The Alchemist is an no exception as both artist and producer brought out the heavy artillery for this release. The No Idol‘s project is available for free as is most Odd Future music but it really brings Domo‘s songwriting and MCing ability to light. Tyler seemed to get a lot of the attention when Odd Future exploded on the Hip Hop scene but this release has swayed me to preferring the artistic ability of Domo. And for a good 15 years Hip Hop fans will be aware of Alchemist‘s skills and some of the classics he’s produced.

No Idols is a fusion of head banging Hip Hop production with a wild imaginative interpretation from the new generation of west coast MC’s that embody elements of the ghetto dweller, the college graduate and the hustler. A new breed of MC is emerging, one who is influenced by Hip Hop as a whole and not noticeably from a region, Domo Genesis is one of these MC’s along with Curren$y, Smoke DZA and Kendrick Lamar. In the 1990s Hip Hop fans could identify where rappers are from from their sounds and flows but as the genre matures this line is becoming thinner. The release showcases both the rapper and the producer at their best with Domo touching some of Al’s more abstract beats and also providing lyrical jewels like the concept song ‘Me & My Bitch‘ All the guests show their justified being on this release with verses from Tyler, Prodigy, Smoke DZA & Action Bronson to name a few. Altogether the project is a fantastic advert to demonstrate that the creativity and essence of real Hip Hop still exists, let hope some visuals land to accompany this project.

Not to keen on Cherri‘s English accent on this one, but she is vocally flawless as usual. She delivers this video off her new EP, which for me has one gem, ‘One Day‘, hopefully this one will have a visual but she delights the male fans with ‘999‘. When I say delight, I mean seeing Cherri V, the cute school girl develop into Cherri Voncelle, the sex kitten has been a pleasure. She continues her growth in this video where she performs in some sexy underwear, that could have you mistaking the video for a Victoria Secret’s Advert. Love Cherri‘s vocal ability but still feel she’s never fully delivered a to her potential, but as a woman she has definitely reached her potential, her body is incredible.

Download her new EP here.

One of Canada’s most respected Hip Hop artist is going solo. Junia-T is half of Toronto’s legendary Smash Brovaz and has dropped a free download called ‘You & I‘. Produced and featuring the musical chameleon Slakah The Beatchild, the single has that old school soulful Hip Hop vibe and shows that although Junia-T is now solo, he will continue in the musical vain of his old crew.