Tuesday 31 May 2011

Kidtazstik - Moment For Life Remix

Urban Voice UK are all about supporting underground, upcoming and talented Bristish artists.  We aim to provide a platform for talented UK artists who might not otherwise get the opportunity.  So I would like to introduce you to Kidtazstik a female lyricist from North London and her remix of Nicki Minaj's Moment For Life.  When watching this video bear in mind that she is only 14 years old.  Check it out and let us know what you think - is it hot or not?


Saturday 28 May 2011

Urban Voice UK May Bank Holiday Hot Picks

Happy Bank Holiday people!  I have selected a couple of my favourite tracks of the moment (even if some of them are a bit old) and songs that I will be jamming to this Bank Holiday.  Enjoy!



Wiley Feat. Ed Sheeran - If I Could


Lethal Bizzle - Mind Spinning


Giggs - Monsta Man


Mz Bratt - Get Dark



Wretch 32 Feat Example - Unorthodox

Thursday 26 May 2011

Lord of the Mic's - Urban Voice UK Reminisces

I was chilling with my brother yesterday and we decided to reminisce on the old days by watching the Lord of the Mic's - Kano vs Wiley.  This is an absolute classic video and an example of how things were done when Grime was a mere new born.  When you watch this video you will find a very young looking Kano and look out for Wiley while Kano's spitting, he's so passionate with it, that it comes across in his face - no doubt he will make you laugh.

This is one of my favourites of all time but I still can't decide who wins the battle.  Who wins it for you Kano or Wiley?  Let the games begin - FIGHT!


Amplify Dot Feat. Kano - Semantics

As promised, here is the video for the track Semantics by Amplify Dot featuring Kano .  This is most probably the best female and male collaboration in while.  The release date for this track is due in July 2011.  In the meantime you can check out the video here on Urban Voice UK.
Follow Amplify Dot on Twitter now: @Amplify Dot and Kano on Twitter: @TheRealKano


Wednesday 25 May 2011

UK Artists’ Music Videos – What is the Future?

The Grime scene has largely developed and come a long way in the last 10 years.  With its growth artists are becoming increasingly present visually thanks to social media such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.  Sites such as YouTube make it easier for artists to post videos and share with the whole world their talent.  The underground UK music industry has also developed and elements such as a music video direction has become easier to produce and more professional.  This brings me to my point, where is the future of Grime/UK Rap videos headed?

A recent video of a well known UK Rap artist features scantily clad women dancing around the male artist and a big expensive car.  The music video itself follows a typical US style rap formula and famous US rapper lyrics which makes me question is this the future of Grime/UK rap artists as the scene progresses?  It is obvious that with musical fame and progression the money will follow and so will material goods such as flashy cars and glamorous females.

So where does that leave Grime and Grime Music videos?  I argue that we should not look to the US when making our music videos.  Grime came from the streets of London and one of the reasons that it is so successful is that it is home grown and we can feel proud like it’s something we have nurtured.  The British have always had a gritty approach to films unlike big Hollywood blockbusters and we do not tend to gloss over the mundane or struggles in life - take Eastenders and Coronation Street for example.  The US is built on a very different system with the American Dream which encourages the notion of opportunities.

British rap artists have imitated and looked to the US in the past for inspiration and I am sorry to say that UK Rap has not really worked out for us.  In my eyes the reason is simple, it is not home grown, it is not our own.  The US do Rap and Hip-Hop so well and for a British artist to compare, well it’s a bit like the HTC phone and iPhone.  It’s never quite good enough.

Don’t get me wrong there are many talented British artists out there who are shining through and standing tall for the UK. But these artists have done it their way, in an individual and honest British way.  In my eyes an upcoming British Grime artists will stand out far more than an upcoming British Rap artist.

This is why I refuse to enjoy watching British artists emulating the American Dream within their videos.  Fair enough the scantily clad ladies will be here to stay and that element is worldwide.  We, here in the UK are not ‘flossy flossy’ we don’t have Hollywood smiles and American football teams so why do we need to have US style music videos.  Take example from Giggs, Skepta and Kano who keep it real in their videos even with continued success.

I’m not knocking or hating on any artists who have the US elements in their videos and neither am I hating on the US.  All I want to say is that do we really need to see it and can’t we have our own style when it comes to making videos and do we really have to look to the US?

Sunday 22 May 2011

Xpress Yourself Repping for Leicester

Urban Voice UK are proud to introduce this next act to you.  Xpress Yourself are a group of 6 young people from Leicester aged between 15 - 17 made up of 3 MCs and 3 singers, the lead singer in this video is Morgan Munroe.

All the young people involved have been individually dedicated to embracing a career within the music industry for the last few years taking on various projects across Leicester city and gaining the opportunity to develop their skills in live performance or working in a studio environment.

Revolution is their debut single and what an achievement it has been for Xpress Yourself.

As a group they have been together for a limited time under the guidance of B Dixon at Bad Music Entertainment.

Urban Voice UK wish these young stars all the very best and what an incredible voice the lead vocalist Morgan Monroe has.  Check it out here on Urban Voice UK and I hope you enjoy.  Let us know what you think!

Saturday 21 May 2011

Naila Boss - GARDEN, feat Melo and Keyz, - OFFICIAL Music video

Urban Voice UK are already supporting and showing love to Melo aka Murda Melz and just to make us love him a little bit more he has teamed up with Naila Boss and Keyz.  This is a chilled out summer hit that I seem to have on constant replay at the moment.  Check out the official music video for Naila Boss' new track Garden feat Melo and Keyz below.  Enjoy!!

Donaeo - Check My Swagga Out

Another club banger from Mr Donaeo himself.  Urban Voice UK predicts that this song will be big in the clubs at home as well as abroad this summer. With big boy bass and Donaeo's familiar voice and catchy lyrics this one is guarenteed to have everyone up and dancing.  The single is out on 30th May 2011 but you can check the video out here on Urban Voice UK.

Saturday 14 May 2011

Wiley Feat Alexa Goddard

Further to the Urban Voice UK review of the Wiley Feat Alexa Goddard track entitled Seduction I can reveal that the rumors were true and the video has now been released.

As promised, check it out here on Urban Voice UK

Tinie Tempah and Whoo Kid Foreign Object Mixtape Hosted by Russel Brand

The UK’s international rap star of the moment Tinie Tempah and DJ Whoo Kid drop the Foreign Object Mixtape with a little help from actor/comedian Russell Brand.  What an interesting 'manage a trois!'
Find out what the connection is in this free mixtape by CLICKING HERE to download. Enjoy!

Amplify Dot Feat Kano - Semantics

OH BOY! Well, I am definitely excited about this upcoming unreleased track.  Amplify Dot London's hardest female artist has teamed up with the one and only Kano and in my opinion any female who can hold her own against the mighty Kano is worthy in my books.  The upcoming track titled Semantics has one hell of a beat and I can not wait for the video which will be posted on Urban Voice UK for sure. Hold tight... 

Sunday 8 May 2011

Urban Voice UK Review Hood Soldierz - Fire (No Strings Attached)

Urban Voice UK have reviewed the eight member group Hood Soldierz's track, Fire (No Strings Attached).   Check out what Urban Voice UK has to say about this track on the Review page.  You can find the video below - definite party track, right?!

Saturday 7 May 2011

Melo aka Murda Melz - The Hoodz Favourite Producer

Coming straight out of East London, Melo aka Murda Melz is an up and coming producer and MC breaking through into the UK urban scene.  Having worked with artists such as Maxwell D, Fire Camp, Biggz, Naila Boss, Lady Fury and Shola Ama, Murda Melz is currently signed to a new indie label Life Changing Movements and has set up his own label Raw Talent Recordz with partner L.C.M.
With influences such as Method-Man, Big Pun, Dre, Kanye, 9th Wonder and Just Blaze to name a few Murda Melz has created a slow tempo sound with a familiar clap that features throughout his beats.  This is not your typical grime beat and is something quite different to what other producers are putting out there at the moment which is sure to make Murda Melz stand out.  Overall,  Urban Voice UK likes his style and it seems like Murda Melz will continue to do nothing but progress with his unique laid back chilled sound.


Melo aka Murda Melz's album O.G.B Only Getts Better is out now available to buy from Tesco Entertainment: http://www.tescoentertainment.com/store/mp3/melo-aka-murda-melz-ogb-only-getts-better/2:48293593/

Thursday 5 May 2011

Lady Leshurr - Smacking it with Look at Me Now

OH MY DAYS!!! Fresh of YouTube is Lady Leshurr smacking it with Chris Brown's track Look at Me Now.  Urban Voice UK are all up for supporting this British Talent.  The fact that Lady Leshurr can spit Busta Rhymes' difficult to deciper let alone remember lyrics shows the true talent of this Lady MC/artist.  I hope Busta himself gets the opportunity to see this clip as she definitely does this cover justice.  Check it out below!


Wednesday 4 May 2011

Kids of Grime Exhibition in collaboration with Y'OH, Pure Evil Gallery

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of visiting the Kids of Grime Exhibition in collaboration with Mens street wear label Y'OH at the Pure Evil Gallery in Old Street, East London.  I was excited about the exhibition as this is the first of its kind that I have seen around.  I was also more curious, than anything, to see what and how they would recreate Grime culture in art form.

I entered the neat little gallery filled with street art to find gallery staff members in the background busily discussing art space and clients interested particular pieces.  Not finding what I was looking for I headed on downstairs to the dark basement only to be welcomed by a projection on the blank white canvas wall to the right of me.   The first image to greet me was a projection of Chronik's face on the canvas wall and I thought 'this is it, this is what I came for'.

So what was the exhibition about?  Well, Kids of Grime manages to do do what it does best and gets out there on the streets interviewing some of the most relevant contributors to Grime.  I only managed to catch about 45 minutes - 1 hour of the video footage during which interviews take place with Ruff Sqwad, JME, Chronik, Maxsta and Rival.  Kids of Grime explore open questions such as how did the artists, mentioned above, get into Grime and how they started, what do they think is Grime, the negatives and positives of the Grime scene past and present.

Having personally experienced the UK Garage scene, which was mainly UK wide, give way to the emergence of Grime, a brand new sound which stemmed from within East London post codes, I could naturally relate to the comments within the video.  The Kids of Grime video looked back to the beginning of Grime with views from Ruff Sqwad, JME, Chronik, Maxsta and Rival.  I couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic as Stratford Rex, EQ Club and Palace Pavilion were mentioned as being the go to places for MC's back in the day.  The video simultaneously looks at how Deja Vu FM was a crucial pirate radio station for up and coming East London MC's and DJ's which saw the likes of Wiley and Dizzee Rascal gain ground.  Ruff Sqwad tells how Nasty Crew would blow up the airwaves with their set on Deja Vu, Mondays 8pm - 10pm.  The exhibition also touches upon Tinchy Stryder's journey, as a much respected and successful UK artist.

When the question 'What is Grime?' was posed some of the views were interesting and relevant to Grime today.  Views ranged from the basic mentioning that it is a genre, type of music, a culture to the more technical answer of it is a 135 - 160 bpm (beats per minute) style of music.  Other views elaborated that Grime is a representation of UK Street Culture in music form, it has seen people go from pirate radio to major labels and chart hits which shows that Grime can be a powerful tool to get out of the everyday mundane London struggle.  The major response was that it is a UK sound, home grown deriving from an urban environment/situation.

Kids of Grime also covered the negative and positive aspects associated with Grime.  JME argued that 'it is harder to get love now' than it was before.
The negative argument highlights how the rave scene has died and hunger to MC has disappeared along with the suspense of waiting to hear a brand new track on pirate radio or at a rave.  This has been replaced with mp3's and Youtube's instant access culture but on the flip side it is more professional and established now, we have grime forums such as grimedaily, bloggers, SBTV and twitter to encourage the development of the scene.


Another issue raised was whether postcodes influence the scene.  The ultimate response was yes, mostly back in the day but not really now as Grime has evolved becoming largely digital and online which has caused Grime to create an impact nationwide and maybe even worldwide.

In addition to the video footage a selection of Kids of Grime photographs were displayed within the Pure Evil Gallery.  Photographs by Verena Stefanie (Kids of Grime) have captured the essence of Grime music and culture which I think is a nice touch to the exhibition.  Verena Stefanie's Photos catch MC's in action spitting lyrics mid-flow on the microphone along with shots of crowd reactions.  What I imagine to be East London's youths pose for the camera in their street wear rocking a street style unique to the UK's youths. Stefanie has a playful and attentive eye when capturing the grime lifestyle something which I assume is close to her heart and relevant within her own environment.


Overall, I was impressed with the effort Kids of Grime have gone to, to produce a positive artistic story tale of Grime music and its culture.  The exhibition successfully portrays urban and street culture in a fresh and innovative way via media such as photography and video.  Kids of Grime have effectively taken a scene which is at the moment heavily online and placed it in a quirky, street art and graffiti gallery in what an estate agent would describe as 'a hip and happening part of the East End of London' (not my words) which the majority would agree is the rightful birth place of Grime.

After checking out the exhibition I will finish by saying that at this moment Grime is and will continue to change.  Grime is digital, online, evolving, maturing and inspiring to many.  I will be as bold to say that we in the UK have found our equivalent to the US' Hip-Hop.  The urban environment will continue to change, in time we will have our Grime icons, we already have our pioneers and influences and I think the Grime scene will continue to gain a strong foothold and grow from strength to strength.  It has lasted a while now reaching almost a decade and it doesn't look like the excitement or energy will stop.  In fact I reckon it's only just the beginning...