This was one of the highlights of G.R.E.E.d.S EP launch a couple of weeks back. Taking Wretch’s hit and making it into his own. Delivering a powerful message his words are sad but so true. Jazz Baliey with some gorgeous vocals and The Remedies onpoint as always heighten the emotional feel to this performance. Simply brilliant piece, spoken word continues to RISE! If you haven’t already get your hands on The G.R.E.E.d.S & The Remedies EP here money well spent!

Tough new tune from Dionne Reid! Assisted by Del on guitar and Zac and Alicia on BVs this tune is BIG! Wicked vibe to it and catchy as hell. I’m gonna be singing that “LA-ah-ah-ah-ahhhhvvvvee” all day. Love it can’t wait to hear a full recording of this tune enjoy!

Over the weekend SBTV dropped the visuals to Dean’s powerful piece “I am nobody’s Ni£*$r”. The visuals carry the same intensity as the words themselves and its nice to see familiar faces like G.R.E.E.d.S and Deanna Rodger to name a few. The acclaim and attention it has received has been massive, deserved and needed. Silence is not Golden indeed! Well done Dean. You can purchase the piece here with all procedes going to the Stephen Lawrence foundation a more then worthy cause.

Josh Osho brings us the second cover in his Take Two series and it is another classic and another wonderful performance. As always his vocals sound brilliant especially over this Fugees classic. Set on a rooftop over looking London Town it looks like this guy is destined for a great 2012.

Gorgeous recording of one of our favourites Louise Golbey sounding superb. Recorded in Coconut studios they’ve captured a really great sound in the room and it looks fantastic on camera. Lovely to hear a double bass (with a bow too now that’s GANGSTA) in there too. Something about black and white visuals that immediately suggests that something has quality or is gonna be a classic. That’s not always the case but this doesn’t disappoint at all.
Pick up her new acoustic EP ‘Keep My Feelings Hush’ out now on iTunes here

Nice cover from the lovely peeps from The Stow. Visuals are quality and the delivery is onpoint with Hayden giving his own take on the track and what it means to him. Looking forward to hearing some new material from these guys in the new year.

This is ILLLLLLLLLLLLLL soul funk straight out of the 80s words will not do it justice just listen, enjoy and look forward to getting your hands on the full tracks when it drops in the Spring. I’m gonna play it again!

With the imminent release of her debut album on the horizon the latest winner of the  BRITS’ critic’s choice award Emeli Sande spends some time with the cameras and heads back to Scotland and her first school. She talks about how she got started, her songs, early years and what to except on the album. Listening to her play and sing at the Piano she is very very good and someone who has honed their skills to a high level and is not just some girl that thinks they can sing. She says she wanted to make an album where every track is quality and can appeal to everyone across the world… well i’m certainly looking forward to it! Album drops Feb 13th and she is on tour in April.

A really touching piece from The Kings Will’s album launch that was one of the highlights of a brilliant night and show where Musa and the team on stage took Spoken Word performance to another level. Still amazes me how some artists can get up on stage and really share their deepest thoughts and rawest emotions to the world. A magnificent piece of poetry and an inspiring performance. The album is available here check it out.

Saturday night I had the pleasure of getting down to Brixton Academy to watch Ed Sheeran’s sold out show. It was amazing listening and watching the crowd follow his every command and gesture.
Here was a guy I first saw perform in a small venue in Farringdon now holding down a stage I’d seen the likes of D’angelo, Maxwell and Badu all superstars and I’ve no doubt in the coming years his worldwide appeal will match theirs and potentially surpass. Speaking to him after the show it was a pleasure to see it hadn’t all gone to his head. He was still the same genuine fun loving and humble ginger kid I had met a couple of years ago.
His latest video that he dropped after the show “Drunk” gives you a slight insight into his current world in the limelight rocking stages and crowds that he was always meant to and what his live show is like now on the bigger stage. Funniest moment is a shot of Ed in hoodie followed by lyricists XO and Mikill Pane on either side looking like his henchman jokes.
If you haven’t seen him yet buy that ticket its money very well spent and get your hands on the + album now.

Martyna Baker finds a quiet corner in The Roundhouse to give us an acoustic rendition of one of Gaga’s Hits. Martyna’s voice has always oozed quality and this performance is no different she sounds brilliant. The little bit of Drizzy at the end there is a touch of genius and she sounds dope! She wants to do more so hit her up and let you know what you would like her to sing.

Martyna will be dropping an acoustic ep in the coming months exciting times!!!

Footage from Michael Kiwanuka’s recent performance @ St Pancras station for the Station Sessions. They have a chat with him talking about his time in the states and the new album dropping a little later this year. Can’t get over just how good this guy sounds simply awesome love it.

Another great feature from the SoulFeatures team this time they caught up with the genius that is Shakka for a quick chat after his performance @ Writers Block last year. As always Shakka is entertaining and his acoustic performance as always is quality!

Big UP Soul Feature for the work they are doing for Soul music in the UK it is much needed. Look forward to the next one.

The 14th were invited down to a warehouse in East London to film a feature with The Beatnik sessions. There’s an acoustic performance of one of their two step killers “Take Me There” and they have a quick chat with the camera. Really liking the stripped down sound with Tracy sounding absolutely immense can’t wait to see what these guys have planned for 2012!

Julie Iwheta teams up with Theo Llewellyn to give us her take on hotly tipped UK star Angel’s “Let’s Ride”. The jokes at the beginning aside (well it made me chuckle) Julie as always delivers a strong performance and I’m really feeling what Theo brings to it too, very noice. She’s taking requests so hit up on twitter and let’s hear some more!

More from the 14th this is for all the Garage Heads. Taking the accapella from Tawiah’s recent free download “RUN” The 14th have sprinkled their fairy dust over it and made it their own really is very dope. Like i said for all the 2 step heads out there ENJOY.

Scene: Backstage at the Rhythm Factory on the night of the Ready EP launch party. The atmosphere is nothing less than crazy but exciting at the same time. Mr Greed’s has a lot on going on around him as show time is near. Looking fresh and pristine is one of the main priorities for the main man himself so I decided to have a quick pre-launch chat with him whilst he ironed his trousers backstage.

KM Scribbles: Soooo…Mr Greeds the big night is here! How you feeling? What thoughts are running through your head right now? Are you feeling nervous?

Greeds: It’s crazy, I’m feeling a mixture of feelings right now mainly nervous but excited. I have got a lot of friends and family here but also some new people who have never heard my material before. This brings a little anxiety on board but I hope they like it. Overall I’m feeling good and ready to go.

KM Scribbles: I can imagine no doubt everyone will have a phenomenal night! We all know there was a minor set back with the venue cancelling last minute. What were your thoughts when that happened? How did you overcome the situation?

Greeds: Damn yea, initially I was very angry and annoyed purely because it was out of our power. However as the days went on, we started to see the blessing in disguise that it held. There definitely has been a lot of positivity that has happened as a result of the previous venue messing us around. For instance the venue we have now grants us a lot more freedom as opposed to the other one, which had a great number of restrictions. It still created major annoyance though because we put the launch on Bang Radio when we started promoting it with the old venue and then for it to be cancelled was frustrating to say the least! I have to give a big shout out to the team though, who pulled it together majorly. We were very diplomatic and didn’t cuss or anything lol (like we may have felt too) we just kept it moving.

KM Scribbles: You guys definitely pulled things together and tonight’s turn out is great! Putting a night together like this cannot be easy. Surely you don’t do this all yourself. You have a strong team right?

Greeds: Most definitely! I get beautiful help from Purple Hill, The Remedies, This is Jam and Rachel White – together we all make it happen. Collectively we put people together, contact press people etc… It gets mad busy there are people in charge of press, social media, so many things… Definitely have a strong team behind me, it’s a beautiful thing.

KM Scribbles: Team work definitely makes the dream work! So, what can we expect from the main man himself tonight?

Greeds: Well for me to get all the songs right firstly, lol. I’m going to have fun. I would love to see people get random when ready, ha-ha no pun intended! It is going to be a night of family, friends and randomness. I’m feeling good!

KM Scribbles: Okay, so your lyrics are very truthful, deep and meaningful. Where does your inspiration come from? Is everything you pen a personal experience?

Greeds: No not always from a personal experience. My inspiration comes from reading, watching films, performers, and musical idols. Some of my writing is from a personal experience but not all. I sometimes write about a cause that I feel very passionately about like the Stephen Lawrence case – that would cause me to pen something. Sometimes I think you can be someone else’s voice through writing so I write through another person’s experience. With this new EP though, I am showing a different side of things – Volume in Silence was a dark piece whereas ‘Ready’ is a happy piece hence the colourful EP cover.

(Slight interruption from a guest backstage who was so ecstatic at the fact that Greeds’ mum cooked puff puff and meat pie for the backstage party – which was more than delicious by the way!)

KM Scribbles: You’ve taken spoken word to a different level. What made you decide to include The Remedies to accompany you?

Greeds: It was an idea from Felicha (Writers Block) who booked me for a gig and suggested I perform with music. She then introduced me to Ash (The Remedies) and I performed the first gig with just myself and him which was a really nice vibe! We decided to take it a step further and include the full band for the next gig we did together and the rest rolled from there.

KM Scribbles: It’s a really nice unit you guys have going! What is your favourite track to perform?

Greeds: Oh wow, I don’t think I have one! Writing is so fun to do because I can take a topic and jus t go wild. Hmmm….that’s a really good question I will have to have a think about that now. ‘There she goes,’ is always a fun one to do because people act silly and really get into it. ‘Rush,’ makes me lose my voice, I love its intensity. A favourite though, I’ll have to get back to you on that one…

(Greeds is giving his trousers evil eyes because the creases aren’t budging)

KM Scribbles: Ha-ha, I’ll be intrigued to hear your answer. So, you’ve kicked started this year with a bang already….what else can we expect from GREEDS in 2012?

Greeds: Well I will definitely be writing more and making a conscious effort to work with different genres. I really want to write a good play also. It’s funny because initially I said I didn’t want to do music I just wanted to focus purely on writing but a lot of people find that comment crazy. We shall see what the future holds but definitely more writing without a shadow of a doubt!

KM Scribbles: Nice! Well the time is flying by and it’s nearly show time! Thank you for letting me invade your ironing moment! Good luck for tonight – everyone is excited it is going to be a good night.

Greeds:Thank you Ms Scribbles….YOTP!

Greeds now has his trousers pressed to a high standard and is ready to start the show!

G.R.E.E.d.S & The Remedies Ep available now to download on iTunes here and read our review here

All about good music spent last year putting on a range of live shows up in Manchester giving local acts a platform to perform on and inviting London acts up giving them the chance to perform to new crowds (something desperately needed if this scene wants to survive).
To celebrate a year of quality events the guys have produced a mixtape featuring some of their favourite acts to have performed. Lot of quality there with makes you’ll recognise and some you won’t have a listen though its free and its all about good music!

First F64 of 2012 and it is SERIOUS. Akala as always delivers bars of seriousness and realities you gonna need to listen to it a couple times to get it all in very BIG! My words won’t do it justice just listen.

One of my favourite poets of last year was the brilliant Harry Baker the mathematician come rapper come poet has audiences in stiches at every performance. This is another of his classics merging all of his passions into one Piece simply brilliant.

The good peeps @ SOul Features bring us their second interview and once again its another class act. Josh Osho Is someone I’d heard whispers about but I didn’t know quite how good he was till I saw this. Lovely tone to his voice and he’s not a bad writer at all and from his interview its clear to see he has a real passion for his craft. Will be watching this guy closely big up the Soul Features team look forward to seeing more.

This is a BANGER! A headbopper in every sense of the word from Incisive and the brilliant beatmaker TE1. Incisive murders the beat with his flow and wordplay and hats off for him editing another dope video! Loving the concept and the cameos from G.R.E.E.d.S, Nadine Charles, Kadija Kamara and Shakka to name a few. Track is taken from his album available now on iTunes here Check it!!!

Mystro Dropped his annual Rap up on 1xtra last week and now here’s the video wrapping up the year that was 2011. Speaks for itself simply brilliant Salute mister Mystro! Big up Black Einstien for the killer production.

Footage of the excellent Louise Golbey in action at Ronnie Scotts performing one of my favourite tracks “No Pretence” Love it! Enjoy!

Lovely way to start your morning some soft sweet keys from our favourite Matti Roots enjoy. Big up the team at quality control another great video.

So last Friday Michael Kiwanuka was announced BBC sound of 2012 a massive look and achievement that will now give his songs and voice the attention it deserves. Last Friday he was pulled into the breakfast show with Zane lowe for an interview and performance.
I Remember seeing Michael a year or so ago at a Wired gig and hearing his sound for the first time and being in awe of his vocals and the way his music held you in a trance. This from a guy who I had only ever known to be playing guitar for other artists. His rise has been a joy to watch and a triumph for whatever A&R had the guts to take a chance on him. It gives all the real musicians out there renewed hope that this “Urban” music industry may not just be interested in pint sized rappers, DJ produced dance tracks sung by R&B singers or bass heavy dubstep rhythms but in the soul music that has always been embraced and enjoyed by the United Kingdom.
Looking forward to his album when it finally drops later this year

Been listening to this for the past week and with every listen my head bumps harder. Just before Christmas HipHop artist Mangaliso released his second instalment in his Versology series December Chill and it is a banger. Riding beats from Flying Lotus his flow and delivery are onpoint and sounds just right. A must for all HipHop heads and a new name for all to keep their eye, he has a lot to offer. Look forward to hearing new material this year. Listen enjoy and download for FREE!

Always thought Cherri V was a class act and she proves it again with this track. Her vocal performance is superb and shows just how good she is. The songwriting is also honest and heartfelt whilst the production isn’t anything massively amazing but it does the job. I do hope we get to see Ms V shine in 2012 and deliver an album that her Fanbase and the rest of the country are waiting for! This is definitely a good start.

Save Me by cherriv

I really like this. Kay Young has been making waves on the circuit for a little while now and the team at Mahogany Sessions reached out to film her in action and she made sure it was special. Keys double bass and HORN SECTION?!?!? Yes Kay YES very big and it all sounds great!!!
Big up Mahogany sessions for the footage!

One week away from our first event of the year GREEdS & The Remedies showcasing their EP “READY”. The show is shaping up to be a great night with plenty of guest artists joining the guys on stage plus performances from Kal Lavell and Joel Culpepper.
Don’t take my word for it have a listen to the interview below and click the link here for all the deets and visuals of what to expect. Thursday 12th Jan Rhythm Factory see you there
READY EP Advert! SEE YOU ON THE 12TH by GREEdS

Simply Brilliant piece by Dean Atta who is never one to mince his words and not tell it how it is. The words speak for themselves and i hope people find it as inspirational as i have. Salute brother.

I Am Nobody’s Nigger by Dean Atta by deanatta

AGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH This is just RIDICULOUS! Another Shakkapella and another innovative and inspired cover from the man like Shakka. Another example of just how awesome this guy is and how massive he will become. What song shall he do next…

One of the finest vocalists we have had the pleasure of working with Raff brings us this cover of 90s classic “Missing” by Everything But The Girl. The Remedies add their own touch of magic onto it whilst Raff does what he does best and delivers another flawless performance immense!

South London Rapper Tee Stone dropped his “Lost Property” mixtape at the tail end of last year. This is one of the standout tracks the beat and sample are strong and he works the track nice. Well shot vid too based where else other then the streets of Clapham South London. Checkout the mixtape here.

New team on the block Soul Features presents us with their first offering a feature on the wonderful Kersha Bailey. There’s footage of an intimate performance with Kersha and she talks about music and her forthcoming release very noice.
Good work from Soul Features guys look forward to seeing more from them.

Another of our favourites Jodi Ann Bickley performed at the last Writers Block. Shes had an epic 2011 and if this brilliant performance is anything to judge by her 2012 is gonna be immense!

Singer Ashleigh Ashley kicks off 2012 with her first official video “Shades of Blue”. The visuals are slick and sharp on the streets of Amsterdam and the vocals are quality. If you like the track you can download it here.

Last year our good friends @ All About Good Music invited one of our other good friends Shakka up to Manchester to perform and also caught up with him for a chat check it out and enjoy.

This guy is awesome. Beautiful acoustic performance of a new track from Bluey Robinson “Can You Stand The Rain”. Something special about piano ballad when you have a pianist who is utilising his instrument to the fullest and a vocalist who delivers a flawless performance every single time. This is immense. Its available to download here and i hope we get an Album from Bluey this year he’s more the ready and i know the country and the world will love it and him.

Don’t know much about this lady but i do like this. Taken from her performance just before Christmas at Love Lounge this tune is Noice! Lovely musicianship quality harmonies and Justene has a good vocal. Look forward to hearing and seeing more from her in 2012. Props also to Love Lounge for the visuals and for bringing live music back to South London its a good look!