"And I’ll admit, I fell in love with Kim, round the same time she had fell in love with him"
Kanye West dropped an early Easter present to his devoted followers on Friday with two cuts from the upcoming, and eagerly anticipated, G.O.O.D Music compilation album.
The track is oddly called Theraflu, presumably a reference to how Kanye is so "cold" to his enemies he leaves them needing flu medication (get it?). Whatever it's called, it's a straight up banger.
Last night, the BAWSE that is Rick Ross tore down London's O2 Proud with his custom packed out shows. See below for a selection of the best videos. FYI - This was a Rick Ross concert, so expect a lot of poor quality filming as my Blackberry camera is pushed from side to side. I consider myself lucky, the guy next to me with his smashed up iphone was not that happy at the end. Enjoy!
"...there's no such thing as Broken Britain, we're just bloody broke in Britain"
With the coalition government's budget set to drop tomorrow, amidst rumours that (surprise, surprise) the 1% of society that fall under the bracket of the term 'super-wealthy' will benefit greatly from a tax relief, now is a good time to comment on a video that was released last week.
When Plan B debuted the video for his sure to be hit single, and our 'Choon of the Week', Ill Manors, everybody from political commentators to Labour party MP's felt the need to praise what is quickly becoming the best protest song in a generation. Labour MP Jamie Reed tweeted that the song was 'excellent', whilst Channel 4's Economics correspondent Faisal Islam called it 'fantastic' and retweeted the songs key message.
So why all the fuss about the song? Well it is the first time a mainstream British artist has spoken so candidly, and explicitly, about last summer's riots. The song itself sounds like a riot - and the brilliant video, directed by Top Boy director Yann Demange, intersperses news footage of the riots with acted out scenes of youth violence and street crime. It's all made so believable since one can imagine Plan B himself, were he not blessed with the luck of making it musically, being one of those kids rioting in the streets last summer. The rapper, who was kicked out of multiple schools as a teenager, admits to this himself.
For what is an overtly political song and message, government figures only appear in a few brief moments. The main anger of the song is directed towards the media and their constant demonisation of an entire class of people that ultimately results in the type of scenes we saw last year. As Plan B stated in an interview with Radio 1:
"When you attack someone because of the way they talk, the way they dress, the music they listen to, or their lack of education, and you do it publicly and it's acceptable to do that, you make them feel alienated. They don't feel like a part of society … For every person who uses the word chav there is a less educated person ready to embrace it. They say, well, look, I'm never going to change the way you think of me so actually I'm going to play up to it and fuel the fire. In essence that's what Ill Manors is about."
This is an important message - one that was briefly discussed in the aftermath of the riots but quickly forgotten and neglected as the government piled more austerity on the public. So whilst we complain tomorrow about the prices of petrol remaining high, child benefit being cut and alcohol prices rising, let's spare a thought about the so-called inhabitants of what David Cameron called 'Broken Britain', because the more they get neglected, the more they get demonised, and the more messages like Plan B's get ignored, we continue to sleep our way to another riot.
"They say I been gone for a hot minute, who put my rolex on the radiator"
When Labrinth signed to Simon Cowell's SiCo imprint, it was obvious big things were to come. Well take this remix to his mammoth track, Earthquake, as a perfect example of what the producer/singer/rapper/songwriter can do.
With his status rising and rising, Labrinth is able to call on the help of the likes of Kano (who had already remixed the track on his Jack Bauer mixtape) and Wretch 32 on the remix.
Surprisingly, we also get a brilliant verse from Busta Rhymes who, in typical fashion, rides the beat like he has been spitting over UK grime/dubstep beats for the whole of his career.
"It's like a dream to me, all the things that I see, start from something small, I am the man now"
On February 28th Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius released their joint, rock inspired album WZRD.
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Tipped to be the next single off the album, after the impressive 'Teleport 2 Me, Jamie', is a cool joint that is reminiscent of some of the tracks from his first album, Man on the Moon.
"Time's have changed now" sings Cudi on 'The Dream Time Machine'. After kicking his drug habit, the singer/rapper/producer is in reflective mood on this great track.
As soon as The Urbanite heard that the man of all talents Plan B's next album would see a return to his hip hop roots, Ill Manors was always going to be an eagerly anticipated project. Well the lead single from the album premiered today on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio One show and is the DJ's 'Hottest Record of the Week'.
Ill Manors, scheduled for a May release, is sure to be an exciting album.
I was on the dancefloor in Funky Mojos when I got the text - "Whitney Houston is dead!!!". Shock took over as I took to twitter and read the numerous tweets bemoaning the loss of another legend. Memories of the moment when Amy Whinehouse died also came to mind - that initial feeling of shock and then the realisation that there was always something inevitable about this happening.
Despite her trials and tribulations, there wasn't another voice in the world like Whitney's. She won more awards and sold more records than many of her contemporaries. She was responsible for one of THE classic soundtrack to a film and was a talented actress as well as a phenomenal singer. One of the first singers to bring gospel style vocals to contemporary, mainstream rnb made her an inspiration for the majority of female vocalists we all admire today - from Christina Aguilera to Beyonce, Houston was the example to follow.
All which makes her demise ever more sadder. Her battle with drug addiction was well documented and she failed to really make an impression on the charts post 2000 as her behaviour became ever more erratic. She was apparently unable to get through concerts without running out of breath, an obvious result of the years of cocaine abuse, and her comeback tour in 2010 was for all intents and purposes a flop.
Still, she was a legend that no one can deny deserves to be recognised as one of the greatest vocalists of our generation. Being found dead in a hotel room in Los Angeles at her mentor Clive Davis' pre-grammy party seems like the way it was always going to end for Whitney.
"Please put away the cameras, cos we just in the club getting MC Hammered"
The Urbanite's Choon of the Week this week is a remix from one of the heaviest tracks off of Young Jeezy's latest mixtape, Thug Motivation Pt 3: Hustlerz Ambition. It seems like Jeezy wasn't satisfied with just having two lyrical masters in Jay Z and Andre 3000 on the original track and he has now raked in the talents of Canada's finest, Drizzy, to lend his support to the chilled out song.
The choon sees Jeezy state his love for the rap game, Jigga his love for the streets, Drake his love for a chick (as always) and Andre 3000 his love for a potential sweetheart.
Jay Z and Kanye West today dropped a little treat for their fans worldwide, and a nod to their London following, with the release of their exclusive new video for Ni**as in Paris. Projected onto the walls of Shoreditch High Street Station during rush hour today, the video itself is, in the words of Kanye, cray.
Nothing much more can be said about this video. It's The Weeknd, singing his best song, Wicked Games, with a live band in front of a sold out audience.
If this is anything to go by, those making their way to California and Coachella are in for a treat.
So Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager. Judging by the subdued reaction on twitter this was something that was always bound to happen, but for some this has been a surprising turn of events for a number of reasons.
It doesn't seem that the FA really cared whether Capello stayed or went. They flagrantly undermined his authority during the Terry saga (even though it may have been for the right reasons) and have not really put out all the stops to ensure that the Italian was happy and fully aware of the reasons behind why and how they acted. Here was Capello's reaction when speaking to the Italian press:
"They really insulted me and damaged my authority. What really hit me and forced me to take this decision was the fact the much-vaunted Anglo-Saxon sense of justice, as they are the first to claim that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. In Terry's case, they gravely offended me and damaged my authority at the head of the England side, effectively creating a problem for the squad. I have never tolerated certain crossing of lines, so it was easy for me to spot it and take my decision to leave."
The FA statement on his resignation called it the "right decision" - and for them to say that about a manager that they have paid 6 million a year in the hope that he would win something by 2012 is shocking.
Remember, we replaced Steve McClaren with Fabio Capello because the Italian has been a success everywhere he has been. He may not make us play the prettiest football but he was one of the best managers out there at the time that we got him. If a manager of his calibre cannot do something with the crop of players we have at our disposal, then that is a sorry indictment of the structure of English football and the blame lays at the door of the FA.
All eyes are naturally on Harry (sorry Spurs fans) and he is the logical choice for the job. He can unite the team for this tournament and knows the English game in and out. Plus he has one other major advantage on his side - the country seems fully united behind him already. That was something Capello never really had.
Our best hope at the moment is that Spurs and the FA reach some form of agreement where he stays on at White Hart Lane until May whilst overseeing the direction of the England team. With the FA, however, you can never be too sure what a next move will be.
Imagine the scenario. You're an English teacher in a rough inner-city school in Manchester. You don't particularly like your job, the kids make fun of your ginger beard and your adolescent dreams of being a money-making rapper are dead.
What better way, then, to take your anger out on the world then by absolutely destroying one of your cocky students in a rap battle? Well that is exactly what Mr Mark Grist does in this amazing 8 minute rap battle filmed for Dontflop.com (skip to 01.38secs).
The Urbanite was alerted to this video on Friday and can't rate both rappers enough. Whilst the young Blizzard is obviously a talented battle rapper, his teacher is raw! Unafraid of tackling the most harshest of topics, Mr Grist totally embarrasses the kid and shows him how to truly diss someone's mum (I'll never look at laminated floor in the same way again!).
It's like a cross between 8Mile and Saved By The Bell.
"damn girl why so much? You bout to blow your cover when you cover up. Don't you know your imperfections is a wonderful blessing, from heaven is where you got it from"
Kendrick Lamar is a bit of a weird artist. You would think that with the Dr Dre affiliation, coupled with the fact that the 24 year old is from Compton, the rapper would continue the tradition of west coast gangsta rappers. What you get from Lamar, however, is something completely different and is exactly what the rap scene today needs - an intelligent rapper that is comfortable talking about the problems with our generation today.
After watching TOWIE this week (yes, The Urbanite is a fan of trash tv, and what?!) one of his songs from his critically acclaimed album Section 80 sprang to mind as scene after scene showed pretty young women with way too much of that stuff on their faces.....
On 'No Make-Up' Lamar sends a simple and important message to the girls of our generation - sometimes, sometimes, less is better.
The west-coast rapper is shaping up, along with A$AP Rocky, to be one artist to watch this year and with Dre behind him it is hard to see how he will be stopped. If you're going to see Drake this year on tour, then make sure you watch out for him as he will be supporting the Canadian rapper.
Some videos from the Kop after Liverpool's highly charged F.A Cup win over bitter rivals Man Utd. It goes without saying that I, and the rest of the Kop, went absolutely mental when Dirk Kuyt banged in the winner. And the celebrations and songs continued well after the final whistle....
"Forget chilling in the hood, I'll be in the ocean, I need some space to breath the city's too closed in".
It goes without saying that The Urbanite is a fan of Frank Ocean. Weeks go by when he is practically all we talk about. So when beat-box extraordinaire Faith SFX decided to remix Ocean's iconic single Swim Good, eyebrows were raised.
With the use of no other instrumental other than his own voice, the UK's beatboxing champion creates a medley composed of the Dr Dre produced Nas track Affirmitive Action (off the classic It Was Written album) and Swim Good. Who knew that the beatboxer could sing as well? Vocally the song is on point and is polished off with a great verse from Edmonton - North London resident/rapper, and one-time contact of The Urbanite, Black The Ripper.
The choon has been on repeat for the past few weeks and has already exceeded 79,000 views on YouTube alone.
Yesterday The Urbanite's favourite new artist, A$AP Rocky, dropped the video for his Clams Casino produced banger Wassup.
Directed by the artist himself, the video provides perfect visuals for the zoned out, hazy track that has had us bumping our heads ever since he dropped his acclaimed mixtape LiveLoveA$AP.
If you watch closely enough you will see that the video attempts to incorporate some of urban culture's most favourite films; from Scarface, Belly and Enter the Dragon to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. If there is one thing that you can't say about the guy, it's that he doesn't have an eclectic choice in cinema.
Soul legend Etta James has sadly passed away at the age of 73 after a lengthy battle against Leukemia. The icon, who was given a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2004 for her influence on rock, soul, the blues and just music in general, enjoyed a brief revival in her career recently. Her legendary status was confirmed into history in 2008 when Beyonce sang her classic record, At Last, to President Obama and his wife Michelle at his inauguration.
James was a key figure in the formation of what we consider R&B music today and was most definitely an inspiration for artists like Beyonce. Winning award after award for her unique voice, At Last as a song continues to get plaudits, featuring at least once a year on X-Factor as yet another contestant tries to imitate her class.
She battled drug addiction and fought it, but could not beat Leukemia. Her manager announced on Friday that she died at Riverside Community Hospital in California with her two sons and husband by her side.
Much congratulations to one of The Urbanite's favourite actors, and possibly one of the best the UK has to offer, Idris Elba for winning a Golden Globe for the best actor in a mini-series or tv movie award for his brilliant portrayal of an antihero police officer in the gritty British drama, Luther.
Easily one of the best shows on the BBC last year, the drama deserves all the praise it gets and Elba should be especially proud in beating Hugh Boneville from the successful Downton Abbey (still can't get into that show) and the impressive Dominic West in The Hour. It seems like the ex-The Wire star has been going from strength to strength after the success of his stint in the States, and just makes you wonder once again why he had to leave the UK to find fame.
On Sunday Marsha Ambrosius, formerly one half of UK hip hop duo Floetry, tweeted the below tweet to reveal that Frank Ocean was continuing with the good work he delivered on Watch The Throne and is once again hooking up with Kanye West.
The tweet suggests that Ocean, who is mid-way through completing his latest highly anticipated album, has hit the studio with Pusha T, Manny Fresh and Big Sean, all of whom are in London working on their G.O.O.D Music compilation album.
If this is indeed the case, then it seems like this Kanye-led project is definitely one to delight fans this year.
Late last year Kanye West's bezzie mate and self proclaimed 'Man On The Moon' Kid Cudi delighted his followers on twitter with a snippet of his latest song - a result of the rock project he has started with artist Dot Da Genius.
After this surprise, nothing more was heard of the track but on Saturday evening, Kid Cudi took to the stage at The Heatwave Festival and performed the full track in all it's glory.
As you can hear, it is Kid Cudi on usual form as he does not stray far from what we all heard on the Man On The Moon albums. There is definitely more of a "rock" theme to this track, which may be due to the presence of a live band.
Either way, this taster of what's to come from the talented singer, producer and song-writer is a treat and means we at The Urbanite cannot wait until he releases his new album.
