A Reminder...Not Long Time Ago, The Main War Chapter Between The English & The Yankees Was Pure Fun. No Grime. No Dub Step. No Shit!

One Of The Best Old School Hip Hop Collectives, Hijack.

After hearing Hijack's 'Hold No Hostage' whilst being a guest on Tim Westwood's Capital Rap show, Ice T signed them for his newly formed Rhyme Syndicate records label. Their first single from the 1991 'Horns of Jericho' LP was 'The Badman is Robbin' which even entered the Gallup top 40. This connection helped them reach a wider audience and they went on to sell more than a phenomenal 30,000 albums in Europe and tour with artists such as: House of Pain, Ice T, Leaders of the New School and Public Enemy. But in a story similar to several other UK groups on the verge of something really big, misfortune would set in and lead to the crews demise. Rhyme Syndicate records was shut down and Warner Brothers, the parent company, although deciding to keep the group on, did not have the knowledge or set up to nurture them properly and sadly overlooked them. Due to these frustrations DJ Supreme (the main producer) would leave in 1992 to pursue other projects.By The Low Life Label - The Hip Hop dATA bASE.

Play 'Hold No Hostage' (real player)


Mark B & Blade, They Use To Keep It Hardcore & Funky...Listen

Producer Mark B and MC Blade hail from South London, England. Their debut, The Unknown is a concept album (without arty pretensions) aiming to celebrate home-grown hip-hop. Conceived as a call to arms, Mark B and Blade's collaboration deserve plaudits outside US comparison. Alongside, Big Dada's Gamma they have mounted a rap attack on hip-hop's dumbed-down status quo with an album that is lyrically and sonically superb. Although the subject matter may be monotonous for most (the under-appreciation of UK hip-hop), the delivery certainly is not. Though elderly (in UK hip-hop terms), Blade's baritone breath control is timeless. He rhymes with a furrowed brow straight across battle-scarred lines, assaulting conformists on "From The Wordlab" or criticising the music industry's predilection for fads on "Ya Don't See The Signs". The ever-prolific Mark B profits from eccentricity; for him all music from Polish folk music to Elmer Bernstein-style brass is relevant. His desire to search and utilise the ultimate but strangest breaks marks him out as an innovative talent who can produce world-class state of the art hip-hop. Listening to their signature tunes, The Unknown is an affirmation of this: Blade is the everyman tripped up by life's ups and downs, chasing his demons and flitting in and out of reveries. Instead of providing a melody that stinks of dank basement isolation in the manner of such arch-miserabilists as Company Flow, Mark B provides a tidal wave of sublime funk and choppy beats and he does it over and over again. The Unknownis a great album that proves (again) that quality UK hip-hop is not a contradiction in terms. By Maxine Kabuubi.


& This Is Mr. Lewis Parker. Listen

As well as the old skoolers there was a new fresh wave of talent emerging to continue the struggle and progress British Hip Hop. One of these artists was Lewis Parker. Coming from Kent via Luton he is now based in Aldgate, East London. After self financing his first release 'B-Boy Antics' (1995) at the age of 16, he has worked frenetically hard to become one of the UK's foremost Hip Hop all-rounders. After dropping a 7" based on Oasis' 'Wonderwall' and a troubled period with Trevor Jackson's 'Bite It! Records' label where he dropped records like 'Rise', in 1998 he dropped 'Shadows Of Autumn' 12" as he progressed to Massive Attack's Melankolic label, an imprint of Virgin, to whom he is still signed.

Lewis Parker - Shadows Of Autumn [Melankolic]His first release for them was 'Masquerades and Silhouettes' Ep [Buy], which brought him to the attention of the music press and a wider audience. He has developed his own style blending 'Easy Listening' with the raw grit of underground hip hop and although he has had his detractors (or are they just jealous?), Lewis has re-signed for an Album, whilst keeping his integrity. This is testament to the quality and originality of his music and his continual touring both here, on the University circuit and in the USA, supporting groups like Massive Attack. With his easy on the ear approach he has a mass appeal and is still able to keep true to himself. In between Melankolic releases he has released some material on Low Life Records. By The Low Life Label - The Hip Hop dATA bASE.

Play 'Wonderwall' (real player)

Play 'Rise' (real player)

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Impressions Of Today Scene By vanguardonline.f9.co.uk:

Where to start? The past few months on Sheffield's hip hop scene have been ruff, rugged and raw, with legends from far and wide descending on the Steel City to drop beats and spit rhymes. With limited room there's not time to mention them all, but here's a re-cap of some of the more memorable highlights: I'll start with the one and only Dirty Rotten Scoundrel, Jeru the Damaja!-one of the greatest and oldest names in the game, renowned for solo releases such as 'Da Bitches' and collaborations with the likes of those NY legends Gang Starr and Freddy Foxx. He brought a packed Tuesday club to life laying down rhyme after rhyme, line after line in an animated performance which gave justice to his reputation.

Despite the as always hot and sweaty atmosphere, the crowd couldn't get enough and lapped up his preaching's on the fairer sex interspersed with hip hop gems such as the classic 'Come Clean'. Unfortunately all good things come to an end and after a relatively short, but sweet, set Jeru had left the building. Not all was lost though, in fact quite the opposite, for minutes later the outrageously talented, ex DMC champ, DJ Ca$h Money appeared on stage. His mixing and scratches were what you would expect from a DJ of this calibre, and for a crowd already buzzing from the Damaja it was just what was needed-a high speed, high energy, high class mix of US and UK beats, from Miss Dynamite to Wu Tang, Roots Manuva to Nas- undoubtedly one of the best DJ sets of the 2003. From here it seemed the year could only go downhill, but between them the Tuesday Club and Phonetics have kept up the quality and quantity: Hot on the heels of Ca$h Money came another ex-DMC champ who greatly impressed- DJ A-trak, who dazzled a this time thinner crowd with every trick and scratch in the book, and an outstanding display of beat juggling with DE LA Souls 'OOOH'.

Soon after us lucky inhabitants of South Yorkshire were paid a visit by the Russian Percussion, a DJ Vadim and Mr Thing led mixture of hip hop and jazz, at Sheffield's hugely suitable Po Na Na-what followed was a night of shear funk with 4 turntables, live percussion, live bass and mellow vocals-a refreshing and welcomed change from the norm, and an opportunity to see a truly gifted act. As if this wasn't already enough, the following week we were treated again by the boys at Phonetics to another funk odyssey, this time hosted by the world famous and equally talented Jazzanova. By now in this whistle stop tour of the past few months us hip hop purists were yearning again for some more beats and rhymes, so where better to finish this piece than with the recent visit to the Tuesday Club of DJ Shadows' Quantum Project.

With MC's like Blackalicious' Gift of the Gab, and Latif the Truth Speaker taking centre stage it was bound to be good, and they didn't fail to impress- combining new material with old favourites like 'Don't let money change ya' the night went off, with frenzied crowd interaction and the ever popular messages of peace not war ensuring this one not to be missed. Sheffield heads have been really spoilt with the quality of hip hop acts they've been treated to like the people in the Ferrero Rochet advert, 'Monsieur with the combination of dope beats and ill-rhymes you are really spoiling us!' Please sir, can I have some more?

Low Life Records

Dj Vadim

Grand Central Records

Grime & Dub Step By Pitchfork

blackdownsoundboy

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Peace...