Old To The New - Ryan Proctor’s Beats, Rhymes & Hip-Hop Nostalgia

A visibly tired Doctor’s Advocate on Clue’s Power 105 show talking about retirement, his new album “L.A.X.”, and not working with Dr. Dre.

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The Game ft. Keyshia Cole - “Pain” ( Interscope / 2008 )

You’ve gotta love the lyrics on this one - “Ask a Jay-Z fan ’bout Big Daddy Kane…”

Naledge and Double-O talk to HipHopOfficial about their new album “The In Crowd”.

Erule - “Listen To My Demo” ( Gutta Lane Entertainment / 2008 )

The Cali artist responsible for the mid-90s gem “Listen Up” returns with a respectful nod to an old-school EPMD classic.

Describing the formation of multi-cultural UK hip-hop crew Chain Of Command as a “meeting of minds” may sound a little cliché, but it’s hard to disagree with member Manage’s summary of the collective’s genesis after hearing their ‘Rogue State’ EP. A hard-hitting collection of intense, brainstorming lyricism and high-calibre production courtesy of longstanding allies Beat Butcha and Chemo, the seven-track release definitely sounds like the work of a group with a shared vision, albeit a harsh and sometimes uncomfortable one.

“We never wanted to do a full-on political project,” says Manage of the social commentary running throughout CC’s debut. “It just took shape naturally because we were all pissed off with different things we were seeing in the world around us. We like to think of ‘Rogue State’ as being more of a conscious release. We’re not Public Enemy, so we weren’t planning to change the world with the EP, but we did want our music to have some meaning.”

With Manage, Conflix, CLG and Syanyde having all gained experience as solo artists prior to Chain Of Command, the four emcees finally came together after regularly bumping heads with one another at London’s many open mic nights, not least the Speakers Corner events, a monthly jam which recently came to an end after a lengthy and successful run. “There was never any cliquishness about Speakers Corner in terms of the artists who were allowed to perform,” recalls Conflix. “Any emcee or crew was able to come down and do their thing. It was definitely good for the scene.”

Certainly not for fans of sing-a-long ringtone rap, Chain Of Command’s music covers everything from UK involvement in the Iraq war (‘Not In My Name’) to the general pressures of everyday life (‘Stress’), with the group displaying a take-no-prisoners attitude towards their craft that evokes the spirit of early Britcore legends such as Hijack and Gunshot.

“Negativity is the main problem,” offers Manage when asked to pinpoint the cause of the widespread community unrest addressed on much of ‘Rogue State’. “I think right now there’s just general paranoia on the streets and people are scared to embrace each other. We don’t talk to each other enough and England is becoming a very anti-social society. People need to learn how to interact with each other on a correct level. There are a lot of problems in the world today, but I think the first step towards solving some of them is just through general communication with each other and music is a great tool for that.”

Chuck D would be proud.

Ryan Proctor

Skyzoo - “The Necessary Evils” ( AudioWorx / 2008 )

Lifted from the recent online-only ”Corner Store Classic” remix project.

London’s Mysdiggi tears the mic up on DJ MK’s Kiss FM show - watch out for new Mystro material coming soon on the Beer & Rap label.

The D.O.C. - “The Formula” ( Ruthless / 1989 )

On the strength of his Dr. Dre-produced debut album “No One Can Do It Better” it’s quite possible that, if it hadn’t of been for the tragic car accident which led to the loss of his voice, heads today may well have found themselves name-checking The D.O.C. as one of the best to ever do it - what could have been, huh?

Bus-A-Bus makes sure the crowd at his recent Denmark show knows exactly what his forthcoming album “Blessed” is all about - high-five!!

The Black Moon emcee takes it waaaay back to the early days of his career before talking about his current movements on Toronto’s Flow 93.5FM.

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Kiss FM’s DJ MK delivers a typically eclectic Gullyver podcast alongside A-Cyde - listen here and let those feel-good vibes flow freely. 

The World’s Greatest Entertainer talks to Blackademics during a recent visit to Los Angeles.

The West Coast producer talks to Tha Bizness about creating his own sound, being influenced by Pete Rock, and working on the new Self Scientific album.

New mixtape featuring your favourite rapper’s favourite ghostwriter doing his thing over a strong selection of 90s instrumentals - download here and read what Skillz himself had to say about the project below.

“Now I don’t do that many mixtapes, I think I may have like 5 or 6 to my credit. Maybe because I just dont really get inspired to spit over whats hot right now and leak it to the world. I feel like doing something special when I do something, something that will stand out from what else is being at the moment. Picture me rapping over Lollipop right now?? LOL, aint happening homie! So I came up with this idea to do a mixtape series on decades of music. I had to start with the 90’s cuz that music influenced me the most. And when I started pulling songs it was a zillion, I couldn’t decide on which ones that I wanted to do. So these songs are me paying respect to the cats who inspired me. I still get in the car and pick a week where I just listen to one artist all week whenever Im in the car so I can remember how I felt when I first heard those songs. Like last week I listened to Eric B & Rakim all week long, every song, every album. It helps to inspire me ya know? I can’t get inspired by what I hear on the radio. I titled the songs by their initials so you wont know what I did over until to hear the actual song, so check it out, ride with it (it plays perfect in a ipod) vibe to it and hopefully I can make you feel the way I felt while making it. Shout to Cannon & J. Period for making it with me…look out for future volumes cuz I can do these joints all day long!! LOL!”

MC Ricky D talks to EdMagikTV prior to his performance in Los Angeles this past weekend.

Buff1- “Beat The Speakers Up” ( A-Side Worldwide / 2008 )

New single from the former Athletic Mic League member’s forthcoming album “There Is Only One”.

A couple of atmospheric head-nodders from the Chicago-based producer’s instrumental album “Neighborhood Suicide”.

Radius - “Logan Square” ( The Secret Life Of Sound / 2008 )

Radius - “Englewood” ( The Secret Life Of Sound / 2008 )

Killah Priest - “For Tomorrow” ( Good Hands / 2008 )

New single lifted from the Wu-Tang affiliate’s forthcoming album “Behind The Stained Glass”.

Doug E. Fresh performs his classics “The Show” and “La Di Da Di” with Galactic and Chali 2na at the 2008 Jammy Awards in NYC.

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Back-in-the-day footage of UK rap pioneer MC Mell’O’ performing his classic 1990 single “Open Up Your Mind” on Yo! MTV Raps Europe.