For Here On After

For Here On After rehearse the Bruno Mars track in an acoustic/skiffle version mashed up with the Police 'Message in a Bottle' at Waterfront Community Centre studios. Perhaps the track should be called 'Locked out of the bottle' ?
We love this exciting new young band (out of Ipswich)who are now regulars at the Waterfront and have thier own material that sounds just as good as the covers.

Check em out at :https://soundcloud.com/forhereonafter
Follow on : https://twitter.com/ForHereOnAfter

Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions from the MPC Era, 1992-1996 (Preview)

Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions from the MPC Era, 1992-1996 (Preview)

HOMEBOY SANDMAN: ILLUMINATI

Straight out of New York comes an amazing rapper by the name of Homeboy Sandman. We recomend you check out his new Chimera EP that includes the dreamy, unsettling and chilling track 'Illuminati'.


 The guy can do funny and funky as well as this very funny and inventive video of his track 'The Carpenter' prooves.

The Secret Meeting that Changed Rap Music and Destroyed a Generation

Sorry to be so late in posting this anonymous letter that purports to be from an industry insider who witnessed a meeting where shadowy figures conspired to encourage exploitative, negative, 'thugged out' elements in the hip hop music to help pathologize young black males into a prison based culture ; and those shadowy figures included interests from the US hugely powerful owners of private prisons (such as 'Hell'iburton perhaps?) All very plausible if you ask me, but i think sometimes you don't need a 'conspiracy' as vested interests in power and control of populations naturally work to mutual advantage and there's plenty of willing volunteers in the modern hip hop scene who seem to think its pretty cool to degenerate their own culture.

The full article is here : http://www.hiphopisread.com/2012/04/secret-meeting-that-changed-rap-music.html


This anonymous letter landed in my inbox about a minute ago:

Hello,

After more than 20 years, I've finally decided to tell the world what I witnessed in 1991, which I believe was one of the biggest turning point in popular music, and ultimately American society. I have struggled for a long time weighing the pros and cons of making this story public as I was reluctant to implicate the individuals who were present that day. So I've simply decided to leave out names and all the details that may risk my personal well being and that of those who were, like me, dragged into something they weren't ready for.

Between the late 80's and early 90’s, I was what you may call a “decision maker” with one of the more established company in the music industry. I came from Europe in the early 80’s and quickly established myself in the business. The industry was different back then. Since technology and media weren’t accessible to people like they are today, the industry had more control over the public and had the means to influence them anyway it wanted. This may explain why in early 1991, I was invited to attend a closed door meeting with a small group of music business insiders to discuss rap music’s new direction. Little did I know that we would be asked to participate in one of the most unethical and destructive business practice I’ve ever seen.

The meeting was held at a private residence on the outskirts of Los Angeles. I remember about 25 to 30 people being there, most of them familiar faces. Speaking to those I knew, we joked about the theme of the meeting as many of us did not care for rap music and failed to see the purpose of being invited to a private gathering to discuss its future. Among the attendees was a small group of unfamiliar faces who stayed to themselves and made no attempt to socialize beyond their circle. Based on their behavior and formal appearances, they didn't seem to be in our industry. Our casual chatter was interrupted when we were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing us from publicly discussing the information presented during the meeting. Needless to say, this intrigued and in some cases disturbed many of us. The agreement was only a page long but very clear on the matter and consequences which stated that violating the terms would result in job termination. We asked several people what this meeting was about and the reason for such secrecy but couldn't find anyone who had answers for us. A few people refused to sign and walked out. No one stopped them. I was tempted to follow but curiosity got the best of me. A man who was part of the “unfamiliar” group collected the agreements from us.

Quickly after the meeting began, one of my industry colleagues (who shall remain nameless like everyone else) thanked us for attending. He then gave the floor to a man who only introduced himself by first name and gave no further details about his personal background. I think he was the owner of the residence but it was never confirmed. He briefly praised all of us for the success we had achieved in our industry and congratulated us for being selected as part of this small group of “decision makers”. At this point I begin to feel slightly uncomfortable at the strangeness of this gathering. The subject quickly changed as the speaker went on to tell us that the respective companies we represented had invested in a very profitable industry which could become even more rewarding with our active involvement. He explained that the companies we work for had invested millions into the building of privately owned prisons and that our positions of influence in the music industry would actually impact the profitability of these investments. I remember many of us in the group immediately looking at each other in confusion. At the time, I didn’t know what a private prison was but I wasn't the only one. Sure enough, someone asked what these prisons were and what any of this had to do with us. We were told that these prisons were built by privately owned companies who received funding from the government based on the number of inmates. The more inmates, the more money the government would pay these prisons. It was also made clear to us that since these prisons are privately owned, as they become publicly traded, we’d be able to buy shares. Most of us were taken back by this. Again, a couple of people asked what this had to do with us. At this point, my industry colleague who had first opened the meeting took the floor again and answered our questions. He told us that since our employers had become silent investors in this prison business, it was now in their interest to make sure that these prisons remained filled. Our job would be to help make this happen by marketing music which promotes criminal behavior, rap being the music of choice. He assured us that this would be a great situation for us because rap music was becoming an increasingly profitable market for our companies, and as employee, we’d also be able to buy personal stocks in these prisons. Immediately, silence came over the room. You could have heard a pin drop. I remember looking around to make sure I wasn't dreaming and saw half of the people with dropped jaws. My daze was interrupted when someone shouted, “Is this a f****** joke?” At this point things became chaotic. Two of the men who were part of the “unfamiliar” group grabbed the man who shouted out and attempted to remove him from the house. A few of us, myself included, tried to intervene. One of them pulled out a gun and we all backed off. They separated us from the crowd and all four of us were escorted outside. My industry colleague who had opened the meeting earlier hurried out to meet us and reminded us that we had signed agreement and would suffer the consequences of speaking about this publicly or even with those who attended the meeting. I asked him why he was involved with something this corrupt and he replied that it was bigger than the music business and nothing we’d want to challenge without risking consequences. We all protested and as he walked back into the house I remember word for word the last thing he said, “It’s out of my hands now. Remember you signed an agreement.” He then closed the door behind him. The men rushed us to our cars and actually watched until we drove off.

A million things were going through my mind as I drove away and I eventually decided to pull over and park on a side street in order to collect my thoughts. I replayed everything in my mind repeatedly and it all seemed very surreal to me. I was angry with myself for not having taken a more active role in questioning what had been presented to us. I'd like to believe the shock of it all is what suspended my better nature. After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to calm myself enough to make it home. I didn't talk or call anyone that night. The next day back at the office, I was visibly out of it but blamed it on being under the weather. No one else in my department had been invited to the meeting and I felt a sense of guilt for not being able to share what I had witnessed. I thought about contacting the 3 others who wear kicked out of the house but I didn't remember their names and thought that tracking them down would probably bring unwanted attention. I considered speaking out publicly at the risk of losing my job but I realized I’d probably be jeopardizing more than my job and I wasn't willing to risk anything happening to my family. I thought about those men with guns and wondered who they were? I had been told that this was bigger than the music business and all I could do was let my imagination run free. There were no answers and no one to talk to. I tried to do a little bit of research on private prisons but didn’t uncover anything about the music business’ involvement. However, the information I did find confirmed how dangerous this prison business really was. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Eventually, it was as if the meeting had never taken place. It all seemed surreal. I became more reclusive and stopped going to any industry events unless professionally obligated to do so. On two occasions, I found myself attending the same function as my former colleague. Both times, our eyes met but nothing more was exchanged.

As the months passed, rap music had definitely changed direction. I was never a fan of it but even I could tell the difference. Rap acts that talked about politics or harmless fun were quickly fading away as gangster rap started dominating the airwaves. Only a few months had passed since the meeting but I suspect that the ideas presented that day had been successfully implemented. It was as if the order has been given to all major label executives. The music was climbing the charts and most companies when more than happy to capitalize on it. Each one was churning out their very own gangster rap acts on an assembly line. Everyone bought into it, consumers included. Violence and drug use became a central theme in most rap music. I spoke to a few of my peers in the industry to get their opinions on the new trend but was told repeatedly that it was all about supply and demand. Sadly many of them even expressed that the music reinforced their prejudice of minorities.

I officially quit the music business in 1993 but my heart had already left months before. I broke ties with the majority of my peers and removed myself from this thing I had once loved. I took some time off, returned to Europe for a few years, settled out of state, and lived a “quiet” life away from the world of entertainment. As the years passed, I managed to keep my secret, fearful of sharing it with the wrong person but also a little ashamed of not having had the balls to blow the whistle. But as rap got worse, my guilt grew. Fortunately, in the late 90’s, having the internet as a resource which wasn't at my disposal in the early days made it easier for me to investigate what is now labeled the prison industrial complex. Now that I have a greater understanding of how private prisons operate, things make much more sense than they ever have. I see how the criminalization of rap music played a big part in promoting racial stereotypes and misguided so many impressionable young minds into adopting these glorified criminal behaviors which often lead to incarceration. Twenty years of guilt is a heavy load to carry but the least I can do now is to share my story, hoping that fans of rap music realize how they’ve been used for the past 2 decades. Although I plan on remaining anonymous for obvious reasons, my goal now is to get this information out to as many people as possible. Please help me spread the word. Hopefully, others who attended the meeting back in 1991 will be inspired by this and tell their own stories. Most importantly, if only one life has been touched by my story, I pray it makes the weight of my guilt a little more tolerable.

Thank you.

Azealia Banks & MIA ; Female Emcee's Rule!

Ms Banks

Loving Azealia Banks right now, who along with M.I.A are my favourite emcee's of the moment. Azealia has a potty mouth but this mix features the awesome Mr Oizo mix of her super rude hit 212, but is edited in this version so i can play it on radio.

Who Got Da Props? Early Nineties Hip Hop Mix

Ripped from an old Mini Disk recording of a mix of early nineties hip hop by DJ Tommy 2 Bob from 1995-96(?) The mix spans the early to mid nineties period of hip hop and has some of the big hitters of the era like KRS One, Gangstarr, Nas and Wu Tang, but also more underground joints such as the uplifting and concious The Basement Khemist. Free download.


 Track list :
  
Wu Tang Clan -C.R.E.A.M
Pharcyde - Passin' Me By
Method Man - Bring The Pain
Black Sheep -Flava of the month
Das EFX - They Want EFX
KRS One - Wannabemceez
KRS One - MC's Act Like They Don't Know
Main Source - Lookin At the Front Door
Stetsasonic - Sally
Big Pun- Watch Ur Step
YZ –     Thinkin' Of A Masterplan
EPMD –     You Gots To Chill
Tha Alkaholiks - Only When Im Drunk
Nas - dr.knock boot
The Basement Khemist - Everybody L.I.F.E.
jungle brothers - jungle brother 12" edit
Black Moon –     Who Got Da Props
Breez Evahflowin' –     Forsaken
Rawcotiks –     Hardcore Hip-Hop
Gangstarr* –     Mass Appeal
Nas - Nas is like (DJ prem mix)
Gangstarr* –     DWYCK
Special Ed –     I Got It made
Ed O.G And Da Bulldogs*- nI Gotta have it
Jamose –     The Rhymthologist
Tha Alkaholiks –     Make Room
Redman –     Tonight's Da Nite
The Basement Khemist - Everybody L.I.F.E

Ramp FM Mix "The Rampy Ramp Show" 5/31/12 Raw Flavors Old & New

Ramp FM Mix "The Rampy Ramp Show" 5/31/12 Raw Flavors Old & New


Great mix from Freqnik & WDRE, well worth a listen and free download : Devestatin' to you ears!

   Ramp FM Mix "The Rampy Ramp Show" 5/31/12 Raw Flavors Old & New by Freqnik & WDRE

Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears) Tommy 2 Bob re-edit

Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears) Tommy 2 Bob re-edit

Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears) Tommy 2 Bob re-edit by blessedlovestudio


Love this much sampled track by Wendy Rene, the most famous probably by Wu Tang Clan in 'Tearz'.
But there are plenty more :

		Rapwacks by Buda Hedz (1994)
		Party's Goin' On by Shyheim (1994)
		O, Nai! by Terror X Crew (1999)
		Black Widow Pt. 2 by RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard (2001)
		Don't Stop by Jonell (2003)
		Where Do We Go From Here by Alicia Keys (2007)
		Eight Y Cinco by Chinese Man (2007)
		After Laughter by J-Laini and P-Man (2009)
		West Coast Wu-Tang by Kendrick Lamar feat. Ab-Soul and Punch (2009)
		Démocratie Fasciste - Article 4 by Rockin' Squat and Immortal Technique (2009)
		Dungeon Sound by Gramatik (2010)
		The Man With No Soul (Live) by Wax Tailor feat. Charlotte Savary (2010)
		After Laughter by Filtertypen (2010)
		Appreciation to the Mic by Kill Emil, Billa Qause, Elephant Phinix and J.Melik (2011)
		Y.W.I. by Donnis (2011)
		Tears (After Laughter Comes Tears) by Alborosie feat. Wendy Rene (2011)

Glade Homegrown DJ Mix

Glade Homegrown DJ Competition 2012 by Blessed Love Studios on Mixcloud

 

We havnt got a hope in hell, but we thouht we would enter this mix for the 'Glade' Festival homegrown DJ mix. This mix was originally part of my warm up set for a party at Plan B, Brixton. A mixture of fave rare groove, funk and disco. No idea if this is what they are looking for; but worth a punt. Needs 100 plays to get considered.

 

 

Blow Away the Illuminati!

Kate Bush v Immortal Technique 'Blow Away The illuminati' by blessedlovestudio


Our new mash up of Hippy dippy warbler Kate Bush versus militant rapper Immortal Technique.
Track uses Kate Bush's 'Blow Away' as an instrumental bed for a live recording of a free style rap by Immortal Technique. Its a bit rough round the edges, but hey we are not getting paid for this.

Apologies to fans of Ms Bush, but such an incredibly cool artist needs wider exposure in the hip hop community, so many people have sampled her after all, but you should educate yourselves and check out her original work.

Life Of Rhyme

Channel 4 have made an excellent programme about UK MC's highlighting thier art form and putting it alongside poetry as an art form, check it out here : http://www.channel4.com/programmes/life-of-rhyme

Thrilling to see artists like Lowkey getting props alongside vetrans like Rodney P and Ipswich Town's own DEL's not to mention Devlin, PMoney and loads more beloved artists we thought we would never see on the telly. Big up Akala for hosting.

One treat was more exposure for Lowkey who is the living example of the industry outsider who does his own thing and exemplifies the outsider voice bypassing the mainstream and making waves. Check out a favourite track of his here :

UK YOUTH IN REVOLT

"The more there are riots, the more repressive action will take place, and the more we face the danger of a right-wing takeover and eventually a fascist society."

                                              - Martin Luther King

"Create a society that values material things above all else. Strip it of industry. Raise taxes for the poor and reduce them for the rich and for corporations. Prop up failed financial institutions with public money. Ask for more tax, while vastly reducing public services. Put adverts everywhere, regardless of people's ability to afford the things they advertise. Allow the cost of food and housing to eclipse people's ability to pay for them. Light blue touch paper." 

                                              Andrew Maxwell, comedian

"They can't use my music to advertise for Coca Cola / they can't use my music to advertise for Motorola / they can't use my music to advertise for anything / I guess that's reason the industry won't let me in / refuse to be a product or a brand I'm a human / refuse to contribute to the gangsta illusion."
Lowkey, rapper

Like most of the people we know we are shocked by the events of the last few days, however we are not surprised. As Youth Workers of 25+ years of working with socially excluded young people in our inner cities we were expecting and dreading this, Ultimately the Police shutting the door to a grieving family with unanswered questions about their son's death by Police in Tottenham was all that was needed to spark anger. We dont need to debate if this is an excuse, nothing can excuse oppression turning in on itself like this, however the initial cause is clear and we should have learnt the lesson of the riots of the eighties when ignoring deaths in custody and use of 'Sus' laws (updated and spun as preventing terrorism and community safety rather than routine harrassment of sections of our society)  lead to exactly the same situation (Minus the Blackberry and hoodie)

Unlike the 80's riots this whole situation has however gone 'viral' and could be compared to a mass psychotic episode in our young people and the wider 'underclass'. The destruction of communities and damage done to relationships between the public at large and young people is almost like a mass act of self harm. The obscene materialism and gross gaps between the rich and poor in our society has finally exploded. We want to add our voice to oppose the mass media reaction that has been vengeful, unfair and grossly biased. Calls to bring in the Army (er, we sent them all to Afghanistan, do you think martial law and death camps are a good idea too?) 'clean the streets of scum' (Daily Express 10/8/11) and other reactionary views make me feel almost as angry as the 'rioters'. Those calling for harsher penalties for offenders fail to spot that a lot of the rioters are not covering their faces, they don't care about consequences, they realise the material obsessed culture does not care about them, think of them as scum, and will work hard to ensure they and their children are destined to be excluded from success and achievement for generations. These reactions will only fuel future conflict. 

We have repeatedly called for more youth workers and services to young people, but obviously the problem is significantly bigger than this; however anyone calling on harsh treatment for young people needs to ask themselves what exactly have they done to make a difference and make a connection to excluded young people? We want to say a lot more, but for now here are some comments we would like to highlight from Twitter that chime with us

Fraudster politicians forgiven, bankers who broke the economy rewarded, boy who steals trainers evicted with his family

Audience member on BBC3 Youth Question Time

"The established community is perceived to provide nothing... It's not one occasional attack on dignity, it's a repeated humiliation, being continuously dispossessed in a society rich with possession".

Kids Company charity founder Camila Batmanghelidjh in The Independant
 

We failed to stop our youth killing each other, we stopped caring about them and thought we could just malign them as 'chavs' 'gangmembers' etc and its ended up with this. We need to take a long hard look at ourselves. Dont trust anybody who says this is just about criminality; this is revolt and we have to start caring about the youth of this country and stop blaming them or its going to get much worse.

This is like a horrible form of community self harm.

Blessed Love Studios on Twitter  (@BlessLoveSt ) 9/8/11

We can judge & point the finger but these are OUR children & this is a reflection of how WE have let them down!..WE ARE 'ALL' RESPONSIBLE!..

Ms_Dynamite 

Twitter 9/8/11

Misguided and frustrated, yes! Mindless thugs, no! Who is it that taught these youth to love material things so

@Justice4SmileyC

If you hadn't ignored the music these kids make and listened to for the last 10 years you'd know exactly how they think.

@djlogansama

@guardiannews Make no mistake, this is youth in revolt, they called the rioters in the 80's criminal, and they are doing it again
@BlessLoveSt

we failed to address yp's killing each other, they are now turning on the rest of soc, lets take a long hard look at ourselves

@BlessLoveSt


@LeeJasper Our youth club/studio in SE5 got no funding we kept scores of angry youths of the street, but no 1 wanted 2 know
@BlessLoveSt

Number Crunching: Cost of UK Bank Bail Out: £850m Cost of UK Riots £20m approx. Of course lives have been tragically lost in the Riots, but how many more lives are at risk by cuts to UK services including the Police?

@BlessLoveSt

"I did see the riots coming and the government should have seen it coming, too. Jobs are hard to get and, when they do become available, youths don't get the jobs. There is nothing to do, they are closing youth clubs so the streets are just crazy. They are full of people who have no ambitions, or have ambitions but can't fulfil them."

18-year-old Chavez Campbell, who predicted the riots in an interview in The Independant a week before it all kicked off : http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/12/riot-predict-trouble-not-over

At some point after the dinner, the group walked through Oxford when one (thought to be Fergusson, though exact recollections differ) threw a plant pot through the window of a restaurant.

The burglar alarm was activated and police descended with sniffer dogs. Six of the group were collared and spent the night at Cowley police station before being released without charge.

"David Cameron was one of the four people who escaped," a witness says. "If it wasn't for his foresight, he'd have spent a night in the clink.

Recollections of the infamous Bullingdon Club whose members include David Cameron and Boris Johnson. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/camerons-cronies-the-bullingdon-clubs-class-of-87-436192.html

Nicki Minaj V Metronomy Mash Up

Nicki Minaj v Metronomy Mash (and Far East Movement) by blessedlovestudio

Our latest mash up, a bit of a work in progress, may well end up as two seperate mashes of rampant rapper Minaj over UK synth art rockers Metronomy 'The Bay', and then auto tune addicts Far East Movement over Wild Rumpus & Beardy Man's awesom 'Rock the Joint' disco jam. Free download

Guilty Simpson - Man's World

Using the late, great, J Dilla's  'Man's World Chop' from his Beats series of CD's, Guilty Simpson delivers a moving personal reflection on fatherhood. Got a feeling this track could replace Nas's 'I Can' as a great classroom example of rap lyrics for young people. The lyrical content matter is of course highly relevant to those working with young fathers or fathers to be.

As for the beat, we just love the way J Dilla can just take a samle that people have used a zillion times (James Brown's version of course with that amazing cascading string section intro) and just chop it up in unexpected ways : pure genius. Having trouble trying to get hold of the vinyl for this. Lyrics posted below so u can mime along to the video!

this is a mans world,thats what my old man told me,
in the living room listening to the oldies,
playing dominoes drinking shots of stoli's,
with his friends we refer to them as homies,
drug dealers and addicts some parolees,
pimps and macks superflys and goldies,
i remember everything them cats showed me,
how to kick it with the females and roll weed,
it seems pop took more time to scold me,
i figured that was his little way to control me,
through hard times he never did console me'
instead he eyeballed and spoke coldly,
i was your son but you didnt really know me,
i lived life like everything was rosey,
standing firm on the concrete below me,
a part of you old dude low and behold me,


hook:everything is yours its a mans world,
now get your ass off the phone with them damn girls,
chasing nuts the downfall of the damn squirrel, get your head in them books man,
stand up straight and look in my eyes,im hard on you cause i love you and thats no lie,
im sorry bout the bruise on your face understand?youre still my son im still your old man,

2nd

i dont really understand everything i do,
so please help me out im like you part 2,
my old dude was something to see,
my only idol everything i wanted to be,
all i wanna know is what you wanted from me,
i did more right than wrong,
and thats the reason i write this song,
its therapy for my mind while i light the bong,
shit hurts but i feel like life goes on,
be a man suck it up,
by 15 im ducking left hooks and uppercuts,
i fought back in many ways it made me toughen up,
but surely its the reason its limited love with us,
something i wont get past soon,
thats real proof that time dont heal all wounds,
but still i learned alot cause see,
when i have a son now i know how not to be

Harry Shotta, Beardy Man, Nathan Flutebox & DELS : Summer Turn On's

  
Just a little roundup of whats rocking our world right now, starting of with Harry Shotta, the best MC we have heard for a while. With an extreamly witty and machine gun delivery he stormed the drum n bass scene originally along with junglist stallwarts Skibadee and Funsta. However Harry's skills are too big for just 160-170bpm's of DnB and he has increasingly been making a big noise in the Hip Hop world and has even spat over Dolly Parton's 'Nine to Five'! The spittin' boy wizzard is all over youtube but we have selected our favourite clip below of his flows over Dead Prez's 'Hip Hop'.

Next up is Flutist and Beatboxer and like Harry a former Drum N Bass MC, Nathan Flutebox Lee. Basically he does exactly what it says on the tin ; Beatboxes and plays the flute.....at the same time! We love his link ups with Beardy Man as demonstrated in the video below :

Finally we want to celebrate the rising profile of Kieren Dickins AKA  DELS. An incredibly versatile and experimental MC who believe it or not comes from little old Ipswich ; BLS second home after Sarf London. We are naturally proud of DELS sucsess as it's proof, if needed, that there is a huge amount of talent in this Eastern backwater. We can't claim any part of his sucsess, it was in fact electro rockers Hot Chip, although we have enjoyed working with his hugely talented Ip's producers and rappers PEP's and Eli.(More about them soon) We are hoping these local heroes might be next to signed too DELS label Big Dada, home to UK Hip Hop Hero Roots Manuva. DEL's is also an extreamly talented graphic designer (See artwork for his Shapeshift EP below)

Hip Hop and Indie Rock

Tame impala V Bruno Mars/BOB - DJ Tommy2bob mix by blessedlovestudio

UPDATE : This as good a place as any to post our latest rock/hip hop mash up of Tame impala V Bruno Mars/BOB 

Just to proove that here at BLS we are not all about Hip Hop/Urban musical styles we present a new mash up of South Central LA's Hip Hop Slackers The Pharcyde on Oxford Indie 'Shoegazers' Ride track 'Leave Them all behind'.

Ride versus The Pharcyde : Leave them passing me by by blessedlovestudio

It has also made us think it would be a good idea to highlight some of our favourite Hip Hop and Rock hook ups over the years. Probably the most influential rock/hip hop crossovers would be RunDMC and Areosmiths 1986 track 'Walk This Way' (The groundbreaking video is below)

The story goes that Run DMC's late, great DJ; Jam Master Jay used to use the opening

two measure drum beat intro by Areosmith drummer  Joey Kramer in thier early sets, looping it into an endless beat. Years later when approached by thier Record Company to release the track with the 70's glam rockers Areosmith, Run DMC were suprised and revealed they had never listend to the track beyond the drum beat intro!

  

Rick Rubin & Jay Z

The sucsess of the track opened the floodgates and produced a rash of rock and hip hop collaborations. Although not a collaboration, The Beastie Boys work with Def Jam producer Rick Rubin, produced one of the greatest collision of rap and hip hop in thier track 'Fight for your Right to Party'. (Video of the original track and the star studded 2011 update below)

Rubin went on to work with artists as varied as and has worked with artists as varied as Slayer, Slipknot, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta, Danzig, Dixie Chicks, Metallica, AC/DC, Weezer, System of a Down, The Cult, Neil Diamond, Mick Jagger, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine

On the heavy side of things we have to mention hook ups like Public Enemy and Anthrax seen performing below at the 2004 Hip Hop awards

 Also loving his thrash metal is Ice T and his rock outfit 'Body Count' made infamous for thier LAPD baiting track 'Cop Killer', which suprisingly didnt go down with the United States 'moral majority'. Ice T said when asked about the bands name stated : 

 "We named the group Body Count because every Sunday night in L.A., I'd watch the news, and the newscasters would tally up the youths killed in gang homicides that week and then just segue to sports. 'Is that all I am,' I thought, 'a body count?'"

You can see how this trend lead to one of the most sucsessfull Rock/Rap collaboration, Jay Z and 'emo' rockers Linkin Park (video below)










Most of this mid eighties craze for Rock/Rap hybrids concentrated on the heavy side of the US 'thrash metal' scene like Anthrax and Slayer. However where things get more interesting is on the mash up scene that cast a wider net of both the rock and Rap/RnB scene. Probably the greatest mash up was Freelance Hellraisrers The Strokes Vs Christina Aguilera mash up - 'A Stroke Of Genie-us' (video below)

We also have to mention Belgium based art rockers SoulWax '2 Many DJ's' bootie/mash up project that mixed Salt n Peppa with the Stooges and Nirvana with Beyonce

(check back for updates, this blog will be updated, please add ur sugestions for the best rock/rap crossovers in the comments section)

Cream of Mash Up Mix 2011

Cream of Mash Up 2011 by blessedlovestudio

TRACKLIST:  

Max Tannone: Mos Dub- In My Math

Freqnik & WDRE : Black & Yellow Reggae Mashup

Max Tannone : Dub Kweli-Panta Move

J Star – Regulate Rock

DJ Moodz : Jackson 5-ABC- Remix

Jimi Needles : M.I.A vs The Honey Drippers - Paper Presidents

Freqnik & WDRE: The Message vs The Message Funk Mashup

Jimi Needles: Dizzee Rascal vs Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Sirens

The Gaff : Bring the Noise

DJ Tommy2Bob : Champ V Tramp mash

Blade : The Coming Is Near

Hi Karate : I Got Soul

???- One for The Money

DJ Tommy 2Bob: Let's Breath & Stop

DJ Tommy 2Bob : Dangerous Horn

Here at BLS we are still huge fans of the mash up genre and present to you today a roundup of some of the best mash up artists out there. The great thing is that nearly all of them are from Soundcloud and can be downloaded for free. Below the tracklist for the mix we have pasted in the original tracks (with no radio edits, we had to censor the mix for broadcast)
We have chosen to select dub, reggae and funk tracks combined with 90’s era hip hop accapella’s, which to be honest always seem to work the best on a mash up level.  

A couple of artists we have to big up in particular for their genius level mashology. Firstly New York based producer & DJ Max Tannone who is represented here by the excellent track ‘Panta Move’ which combines Talib Kweli’s ‘Move Something’ with Lee Scratch Perry’s incredibly influential riddim track ‘Black Panta’. I heard about Max from trawling my favourite NYC record shop Turntable Lab and seeing his album of Talib Kweli versus Dub Reggae called ‘Dub Kweli’. A bit of research and i found the album had been bootlegged from his own free upload on his website.Max has uploaded both the Dub Kweli album and his Mos Def versus Reggae album and the incredibly useful (for any potential mash up producer) instrumentals for free download.

Next up is probably the most well known of all the producers here is Londons own J Star. We have been buying and playing out his 7" for years and i have nearly worn out my copy of his stylus stimulating classic hip hop/reggae mash up 'Tooting Gangstar' (Toots and the Maytals versus Gangstar- its on our mixtape UK Bass Culture Vol2) His Soundcloud page is as good as anywhere to start and you can get some of vinyl releases still on the aforementioned Turntablelab.
But its back to NYC for 'Producers, Party Rockers & Record Nerds' Freqnik and WDRE who really get the party started on the mixtape with thier inspired funky reggae version of Wiz Khalifa's Black & Yellow, and just when you thought you were two bored of 'The Message' mashups they produce an almost definitive mix of Grandmaster Flash's slightly corny social message track that rumour has it they were instructed to produce by the pony tails in A&R .
Another UK DJ & Mashup producer rinsing out the Soundcloud community is 'bootlegger extrordinaire' Jimi Needles . This guy really knows his battle breaks and adds quirky, complex jazz and funk rythms to MIA & Dizzy Rascal on the two tracks we have selected. We also loved Canada's The Gaff's mash of Public Enemy's 'Bring The Noise' ; his use of the Lowell Fusion's (or is it the Brothers Lloyds all star version? i cant tell) instrumental of the funk classic 'Tramp' inspired us to include our own little Tramp v Champ cut up's that we have sporadically dropped in to our live DJ sets over the years.

 The Soundcloud Top 9 Mash Ups tracks (In order as on the mixtape) :

Mos Dub - 04 - In My Math by Max Tannone

Black & Yellow Freqnik & WDRE Reggae Mashup by Freqnik & WDRE

 
Dub Kweli - 04 - Panta Move by Max Tannone

 

REGULATE ROCK by Jstar

Jackson 5-ABC-DJ Moodz Remix by DJ Moodz:Classics



M.I.A vs The Honey Drippers - Paper Presidents (Jimi Needles Summer Cocktail) by Jimi Needles

The Message vs The Message Funk Mashup off the forthcoming Captain Obvious E.P by Freqnik & WDRE

Dizzee Rascal vs Dizzy Gillespie ft. KRS ONE - Dizzy Sirens (Jimi Needles' Big Band Cocktail) by Jimi Needles

Bring the noise-gaff's trampy whatnaughts mix by THE GAFF

How to get your tracks on BBC1xtra and 6 Music

                                                      Goldies Band by Roayl Appointment on BBC Two


As the established music industry goes into a terminal decline, the economy collapses and mainstream entertainment and media present music only if its related to mindless celebrity, lame talent shows or the most processed dolly like clones ; it is more and more important to get your unsigned/underground material to the right ears and find a market.(phew! that was a long sentence)

The internet seems to make it all the more difficult as big budget web marketing is bound to restrict you to a handful of views and you will be more likely to get an STD than your vid going viral on YouTube.

Anyway the answer to the question in the title of this post is remarkably simple : just post your tracks to BBC Introducing (follow the link) and get your tracks directly to DJ's like Target on BBC 1xtra, Tom Robinson at BBC6 and Friction on the BBC Asian network. Simple, we did it and we will let you know how we did. Your limited to three uploads, so let us know which tracks on the Blessed Love Studios player on the right of the blog you would select as most likely to get airplay.

We heard about this after watching the excellent BBC show, Goldies Band.  The only thing we don't like is the whole Royal Family and by Royal Appointment thing, which goes totally against the very cool, innovative and radical theme and content of the show. We have always loved Goldie who is, appropriately TV gold right  now after triumphing as a classical music conductor, but best remembered by those a little older as the master of the time stretched 'Amen' break sample. Goldie is joined by a group of 'mentors' who include the wonderful king of jazz/hip hop poetry,  Soweto Kinch who together try and find the most cutting edge young musicians from typically 'challenged' backgrounds. That 'reality show' sob stories soon become irrelevant when we are introduced to very edgy and inspired talent. The group (in episode two) meet up and work together on a performance for Prince Harry (Groan! They should have got a festival at least) You have to hear the female singer and songwriter, guitarist and harmonica player in particular, but the stress is on them being in a band and working in a group (something we are very keen on here at BLS) Will it end up as a Special AKA of the new millennium? We hope so, tune in.