WOEBOT

Garage.

D Double E/Footsie: War Wid.

On Braindead records which is Tubby's label. I heard Tubby, who put out "Slush", on Rinse 100.3 FM this Sunday. He pretty much played instrumentals back to back. For the first time I thought, shit this is an instrumental set I can really dig, then my attention wandered. You've got to admit it, in terms of the instrumental, Garage has REALLY dropped the ball. You could happily listen to a whole evening of without an MC as recently as 2001, but now they're pretty dull on their own.

Tubby is placed somewhere between the Newham massive and the FWD breakstep crew. I said the same thing about Popadomz (Wizzbit & Riko Dan) and got my wrist smacked by a Ms. Fiddy. She says that Wizzbit has always made ruffer records; I said hang on a minute sweetheart he's on Dumpvalve. Whatever! Tellingly Tubby gave a shout out to Plastikman AND Wiley, clearly revealing his split allegiances.

D Double is now officially a loose canon. He's gone freelance, shows up on the Skepta record later. Luka was discussing recently Marcus Nasty getting out of jail and sacking Jammer first and then D Double. Old news innit. Marcus Nasty says that Jammer is "a snake" hoarding all the crew's money.

If D Double is free to show up on whatever records he pleases that can only be a good thing. He's certainly the next great MC talent to emerge from Garage after Dizzy. It's that bloody "Mui Mui" noise isn't it. Just so startlingly inventive! It's a mnmonic. A signal. That's it with D Double's voice isn't it too? It's weird. it stands out. I think MCs are wasting their time on lyrics, they ought to work on their sound. Ragga has always grasped this from Tiger to Elephant Man. You've got to find a sound that will burn through the airwaves.

"War Wid" is a fucking great track. It's the same combo of production depth and ferocious MC performances that made "Popadomz" the hit of 2003.

God's Gift: Girls Get Lend, To My Friend.

Well at this rate we're in for a absolutely scorching 2004. This is absolutely AMAZING. Gods Gift is one of those MCs who everyone doffs their hat to. He was in Pay As You Go with Wiley. Other stuff I've heard him on has been pretty good, nothing to write home about, like "Tribute to 32 MCs" (yeah OK your mudda likes it!) Gods Gift owns his own delicatessen! No he doesn't.

However, I've never heard him do a pure ragga delivery like he does on this excessively rude 12" (label reveals a close-up of a lady's snatch half-heartedly covered up with a couple of stick-on gold stars). This is blisteringly good, quite like Harry Toddler's "Donkey Kick" if it had really worked. This riddim, the Pum Pum Riddim, was all over the radio at Christmas. Other tracks on it which are good (and there are 3 EPs) are the More Fire version, a cheerful "la la, la la la la la la" chorus they give it. This riddim, by Commander B, rips a lot of ideas of Wiley's "Igloo", but so what, it's great. Spizzazzz crew also picked this up, so respekt to them.

Dice Recordings Presents: Life's a Dice Game Vol.1.

Holy moley! A 4 12" pack replete with cover put out by Skepta. This has got to be some kind of Garage landmark. Secretly I'd dreading other artists are gonna catch on. Wiley's Eskimo two 12"s weren't in anything as grand as a pack of their own. It's sort of like those dreadful, dreadful quadruple packs that started coming out of Jungle after first the Full Cycle and Dope Dragon packs (great) and then the Ram records pack (er, less great) and then a deluge. With any luck Skepta (who put out DTI as a double pack last year) is looking to US hip hop comps like the Ruff Ryders ones (or the slighly slimmer David Banner one) for his inspiration.

Still it's packed with great stuff, including "Serious Thugs" with D Double and JME, which we all know as "Thuggish Ruggish." That Boyz to Men sample and the whole G-Funk flava (think Westwood!) was a bit of a turn off, but I've come round to it. A lot of the record has quite a down tempo side to it, prompting me to wonder bout the state of the rest of the UK's Hip-Hop. The difference, well Garage is clearly looking to crunk; and the rest to The Roots, Hieroglyphix and less nasty rap. But you know, I could be wrong.....

Armour: In the Biz.

Another N.A.S.T.Y. solo venture on my latest fave label After Shock. This is THE hot label of Garage. Actually this track is only OK. Not nearly as firing as the "I Can C U, U Can C Me", "Frontline" or "Cockback." Armour is a bit boring. The main reason I've got it is that I keep going down the shop going: "Excuse me have you got Riko's "The Chosen One" in yet." To which they reply: "Nah mate, come back in a couple of days, we'll definitely have it then..."I'm going mad to hear/buy that record. Supposed to be well 'ard.

Posted by Woebot at January 26, 2004 10:03 PM