Free Mixtapes Don’t Pay The Rent – The Manor [REVIEW]

FREE MIXTAPES DON’T’ PAY THE RENT

Artist: The Manor

 Record Label: N/A

 Follow On Twitter: @ScottyStacks @DannyGraft @Jonny_Dutch

After the banger of a mixtape that was ‘The Manor’ the trio have set the bar yet again.

Whether you’ve just awoke, in the car or getting on it, the second official mixtape from The Manor, comically named ‘Free mixtapes don’t pay the rent’ will be the first 11 tracks on your playlist.

“The only shirt I worry about is what my team is, they say fuck swag I’m the only one who means it” 

Danny Graft

The first track ‘Fuck Swag’ paves the way for the following 10 tracks beautifully offering a musical introduction to the lad’s day to day lives. It makes for a refreshing change to hear a realistic take on life and not the standard mainstream Hollywood nonsense that fills the charts today.

“I weren’t fostered but I’ve got a white brother, cause Danny graft’s fam never ever saw colour”

Johnny Dutch

‘Andi Peters’ is the first track off the album to have a video and rightly so.  I feel it acts as the summer anthem of the mixtape portraying how the infamous Splosh Gang like to wind down after a hard days graft by drinking tea, smoking weed and loving life. Listening to the lyrics you can how close the group are, seeing each other as brothers and not just mates.

“It’s been a long time coming, for the ravers, ALORS EN GRAFT, EN GRAFT” 

Danny Graft

Translating from French to English meaning then we graft is the 7^th track and is the track I hope to see chart in the near future, this would be massive in the club scene. It’s one of the few tunes today that everyone I know loves. The Lads Army smashed it! I have a feeling this is the track that gets prime position on a lot of people’s party playlist.

“Summer time piffing in the moonlight… Lads Army, fuck what my girl says”

Scotty Stacks

Till the summer goes out is a perfect way to finish the mixture off. One of the reasons I love this track is, just like the whole mixtape, myself and the team can relate to it. There’s nothing better than being with the lads, having a laugh, beer in one hand and snout in the other.

With other tracks such as ‘surving the splosh, ‘avin it larse’ and ‘Alton towers’ this mixtape has got to be my favourite of 2012 and the fact that they released it as a free download leave no excuse for you to follow the link and hear it for yourself.

For those who are not from the manor here’s a link that may help fully appreciate The Manor a lot more;
http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/docs/html_cockney_english.php

WHO’S COUNTING?

Click the cover above to download for free

Words by Sam Moore (@SamUrbanVibe)

The English Gentleman (Produced By Rediculus) – Big Dutty Deeze [REVIEW]

 

 

 

The English Gentleman (Produced By Rediculus)

Artist: Big Dutty Deeze

Record Label: Knowledge Giving Birth Productions / Island / Def Jam Digital

Follow On Twitter: @BigDuttyDeeze & @Rediculus

The English Gentleman is Big Dutty’s first album and it’s safe to say there is more to come from this artist. Big Dutty Deeze has used his own life events to create a deep, thought provoking hip-hop album and this is what makes him so favourable. Each track showing his determination and moralistic nature.

The albums first track ‘Fire’ shows Big Dutty’s fortitude and ambition in full. It refers to the massive amount of fire and drive this artist owns and gives an insight into how this fire started.

‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ shows the artists moralistic side discussing a list of problems in the world and how it’s too late to resolve these issues. It’s a very touching track and creates a form of realisation for every listener, however, it’s a shame Big Dutty Deeze did not use more of his motivational insight in this track as he has done with other songs. This track has the potential to inspire a massive amount of people.

Another track that touches the heart is ‘Hallelujah’, it is a very deep track that creates empathy for a girl you’ve never met. It creates questioning about where this track has come from and why this artist in particular decided to write about such an upsetting subject.

Big Dutty Deeze has a more political side with tracks like ‘Never Understand Us’ and ‘This is England’. ‘Never Understand Us’ features artists Ruste Juxx & Prome and is a brilliant collaboration. The collaboration relates to the tracks name ‘Never understand us’ as opposed to never understand me, these small details make it even more enjoyable to listen to. ‘This is England’ is a track that shows England in an urban light. It shows the less pleasant side of the country and reveals the truth about how some of England’s residents live.

‘The English Gentleman’ doesn’t always come across as a gentleman though, he also possesses a more vicious nature, the track ‘The English Gentleman’ being an example of this. ‘Madman’ is another aggressive track, it boasts clever bars and brilliant ambiance, however, made me slightly fearful of reviewing Big Dutty’s album if he is as much of a psycho as this track suggests.

The album also provides some slightly more light hearted tracks such as ‘Ganja anthem’ and ‘Life of an Englishman’. If you are short of cash I advise you don’t listen to ‘Ganja anthem’ as you will be booking a ticket to Amsterdam quicker than you can say Big Dutty Deeze. I love the truth behind the track ‘Life of an Englishman’, it refers to the simple standard things us British love; bacon sarnies, a spliff and a cup of tea.

Click the cover above to download via iTunes

Words by Jennifer Fordham (@JenFordham18)