Juga-Naut: Time & Place (Stream)

New music from arguably one of the most consistent and hard-working artists of his generation, as Juga-Naut returns with what is purported to be his magnum opus. Time & Place is a weighty collection of 20 songs, each one forged in the fiercely independent fire that Jugz has been stoking for years.
DIY artistry at its finest and deeply rooted in his hometown of Nottingham, as demonstrated by the album’s featurs, which include appearances from Cappo, Vandal Savage, Scorzayzee and Liam Bailey. Even the artwork is an original painting by local talent, Emily Catherine, resulting in a true celebration of the East Midlands cultural scene and its interlinked communities, as well as another flawless display of Juga-Naut’s all encompassing abilities in the studio.
Time & Place is available to stream below, as well as plenty of other streaming and physical options offered over on the usual platforms.

Tom Caruana: Brewing Up (Stream)

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In my seemingly endless game of catch-up, I’m shining a light on the latest from Tom Caruana, which surfaced back in March. Thanks to Tom’s dedication to his craft and his flawless ear for pairing rappers and beats, you already know that any release he puts his name to is going to be praiseworthy before you even press play. Brewing Up carries on that long-standing tradition, thanks to another selection of finely crafted production gems and an impressive line-up of featured artists from across the UK. The list is long but to give you an idea of the pedigree of rappers involved, there are tracks with Melanin 9, Lunar C, Juga-Naut, MysDiggi, Scorzayzee and Skuff, to name but a few. You can get a taste of the whole project for yourself below and then head over to Bandcamp to cop a download, or one of the physical formats that are available.

Juga-Naut & Micall Parknsun: Twelve Bricks

Another solid offering from Juga-Naut, as he reconnects with Micall Parknsun for Twelve Bricks. The success of their earlier Six Bricks EP prompted the duo to return to the lab and record a full-length. And we should all be thankful they did. Jugz has been sitting comfortably among the upper echelons of UK hip hop for a while now, so his partnership with a veteran as consistent as Parky makes a lot of sense, even more so when you hear the finished product. A nice variation in the beat selection helps to keep things interesting, especially when you make your way through the album for the umpteenth time in an attempt to collect every jewel that Juga-Naut is dropping. Some decent features too, with his fellow VVV gang stepping up to the plate on GAUDI-GANG, Tommy Nova and Scorz dropping in on The Juice, and Da Flyy Hooligan rounding things off on the album’s closer. You can experience the full thing for yourself below, with physicals also available.

Joe Publik: Stubborn Vectis (Stream)

Fresh out today, comes the debut LP from Joe Publik. Following on the back of a couple of strong singles, Stubborn Vectis is a healthy blend of precision lyricism and often jazzy production from an artist who has been feverishly honing his talents over the last few years to great effect. While the main star of the album is Joe on production and mic duties, he is joined by a strong supporting cast, including Scorzayzee, Res One, Chillman, G00SE, Coosie, Awfer, Lazy Habits and Clippa Sound. The LP can be heard in full below, with various physical and digital options available via Played Out Records.

Joe Publik: Head Nod Hip Hop / Military Minded

Double-header from Joe Publik, as I play catch up with the Isle of Wight MC’s recent releases. First up is Head Nod Hip Hop, which dropped a couple of weeks ago and sees Joe teaming up with two of the Verbal Highz gang, Chillman and G00SE, to great effect. The video comes courtesy of Sektion Red. And yesterday we were treated to Joe’s latest video, which has some more excellent features, in the form of Split Prophets OG, Res One and Out Da Ville legend, Scorzayzee. The video for Military Minded was made by Double or Nothing. Both tracks are self-produced and the cuts were supplied by Willz of Steel. They are taken from Joe’s debut solo LP, Stubborn Vectis.

Juga-Naut & Giallo Point: Back To The Grill Again (Stream)

Another incredible album is released into the world today, as Juga-Naut and Giallo Point drop the rightly anticipated, Back To The Grill Again. Both artists have steadily climbed the ranks of recognition over the past few years and are now viewed by many as two of best in the UK. The argument for that recognition is very strong on this new album, with Jugz’s lyrical prowess seemingly more attuned than ever and Giallo providing the perfect accompaniment for him with each beat. It’s definitely one to satisfy the older generation, as you can guess from the opening lines of the blurb – “This album is best listened to on MiniDisc in Nottingham, wearing Air Max Uptempo’s while going to watch Space Jam the day it dropped at the Odeon 1997” – but I can see it easily enticing fresher faced fans too, thanks to the production values and the often luxurious lyrical content. Fine list of features too, with Milano Constantine, Scorzayzee, SmooVth, Napoleon Da Legend, Vandal Savage, and SonnyJim all on the assist. There are various physical and merch deals available over on Bandcamp and you can hear the album in full below.

Juga-Naut ft. Scorzayzee & Vandal Savage: Silk Portraits

We’re only two days away from the release of Juga-Naut’s latest album and to get us in the mood, he has blessed us with a single serving of dope from the project. Silk Portraits is a self-produced affair, with features from two fellow Nottingham mic killers, Vandal Savage and Scorzayzee. The full album, Bon Vivant, is up for pre-order now over on Bandcamp, with the release set for Friday.

Scorzayzee: Illa World

Fresh out the Midlands comes a new audio leak from UK favourite, Scorzayzee. He is releasing his Scorz Illa EP next week and this is one of the featured tracks, all of which are produced by Scorz himself. Pre-orders are available here.

Scorzayzee: Gangsta Wraps (Take The Throne)

There is usually deserved hype when Scorzayzee drops new material and this new project is no exception. Featuring a definite culinary theme, Scorz and his GM Unit wage war on fast food in Gangsta Wraps. You can pre-order the vinyl now, which also includes Equestriansim and the Chester P collaboration, Double Dragon. Orders are available here.

Mongrels: Full Moon/Half Moon

Been meaning to post something about Mongrels for a while because as far as collaborations go, this is pretty cool. Comprised of Benjamin the DJ and Kid Acne the MC, Mongrels are set to release their debut LP on 6 May on the Invisible Spies label. This is the first single, following on from an EP at the start of the year, which was well received by listeners and critics alike.