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UK Runnings is back for its fourth volume of well respected UK Hip-Hop with our favourite mixtape DJ, Tricksta from Wolverhampton. Starting out in 2001, UK Runnings is on its eighth year and still going strong, supporting UK music to its fullest. London rapper, Big Cakes, hosts volume four of this series, The Digital Revolution, which also features a bunch of exclusives and tracks from some of the biggest names on the scene such as Tbear, Scorzayzee, Iron Bryadz, LATE, Manny Moscow, Big Ben, Supar Novar, Kyza and many more. Kicking off this frenzy of talent is Big Cakes with 'It's All Cake'. This is a dark, slow track with a true urban feel to it. The lyrics "Money makes the world go round", are very true in this materialistic world we live in. TBear picks up the beat with 'Bills Too Pay' and again has that urban feel to it. I love the melody to this. It's reminiscent of a creepy lullaby, and mirrors the lyrics of struggling in life but fighting on. 'Matrix Reloaded' by Skandal keeps the beat going and spits fantastic. The beat and spit almost become one and the melody is cool. Shame it's so short. Manny Moscow ft. Big Cakes is up next with 'Hide And Seek'. Again this is a little darker but the spitting is real and beat is phat. 'Biggest Victim' by Iron Bryadz is slower and quite creepy with the ghostly vocals of a child in the background. The honky tonk sounding piano adds to this vibe throughout the track. 'Friends' by Late is full of synth, which reminds me of the eighties. It's a simple and minimalistic tune with lots of advertising throughout. I love Supar Novar's 'The Way Were Living'. It's got feeling, soul and vibe. The female backing vocals are supreme and Novar's spitting sits perfectly on top of the background's beat and melody. Big Cakes is back with 'Don't Take The Mick' a headstrong tune with some strong rap and feeling. I love the piano in the back, it just adds to the vibe. 10Shott's 'Ghost Town' is a cover of The Specials famous song from 1981. I am always dubious of covers as I usually find the original is better but actually this version does The Specials justice and actually pays homage to the original version really well. Kyza's 'Go In' is not a favourite of mine. It feels a bit too clumsy and the melody seems too light and happy for the content of the lyrics. It just doesn't sit well together. 'Feel The Hunger' from Reload picks up the vibe again. The spitting not only rhymes but moves with the beat too. Loving it. 'Deadly For Music' is Deadly's contribution to this mix-tape. This is an upbeat track and it's good to hear some UK female talent. The beat and melody are cracking and the spitting is neat. 'It's Recession' from Crime ft. Killbill & Renegade is a darker track with a phat sounding melody. This will truly stick in your head for days! Throughout this tune there are soundtracks of guns, sirens and voice-overs. Mr Drastick moves things on with a funky tune in 'Nothing To Lose', this is a sophisticated track where I love the female vocals and Drastick's spitting. This could be taken straight from Hollywood. Big Cakes is back with Cyclonious in 'Keep Runnin'. The background melody, when you hear it, you will recognise immediately. I love this mixed with the rapping and beat. Uber cool! 'The Reason' by Fathomless1 is dark dark dark. The beat is deep and I like the many levels to this track. Fathomless1's vocals and lyrics are pretty neat too. Big Ben's 'Brapp' is chirpier and upbeat. The spitting is fast and makes you out of breath just listening. The background is quite minimalist but this makes it so much more. 'That's Entertainment' by Scorzayzee has a twinkly sounding melodic background which brings a warmth to this tune, but listening to the lyrics you can feel this is a cover up for the things we can't have but want. A little bit like that big diamond ring you want or the 52 inch plasma screen TV. All in all this is a sound mix-tape. I love that we have someone looking out for Hip-Hop and Grime in the UK. This tape just goes to show how much talent we have in the UK and this is only a snippet of the artists. 9 Helena Rea |
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