hip hop etc.
Pleased to be able to bring you new music from Gawd Status. The duo have emerged from their hiatus, with two new offerings, including the Jehst-assisted, Severe Price. It’s backed with a Rhi remix of Messiah Hybrids, which originally appeared on the 2019 album, Firmamentum. You can listen to Severe Price below, with the remainder of the release, including instrumentals, available via Bandcamp.
Continue reading “Gawd Status ft. Jehst: Severe Price”
When it was first announced that King Kashmere and Joker Starr – two highly respected and established artists within UK hip hop – were joining forces to form GAWD Status, my interest was undoubtedly piqued. But I was not expecting it to reach the experimental, psychedelic heights it did. Firmamentum earned them a lot of much deserved critical praise from far and wide, including from the good people at BBC 6 Music. Not long ago, Joker Starr and King Kash announced they were doing a Q&A session on their Instagram stories, to which I jokingly replied that I might try to turn the opportunity into an interview. I say jokingly, but I had been speaking to Kash about doing an interview for ages and so when they both replied telling me to go for it, I couldn’t resist. So what follows is the result of a casual back and forth via Instagram DMs, over the last week or so. We discuss the old days, the 6 Music angle and how GAWD Status came to be, among other things. Their album is also available to stream at the end. Continue reading “GAWD Status: Interview”
More psychedelically charged raps from GAWD Status, as they release their latest video. Admiral Byrd is taken from their debut project, Firmamentum, which saw its release last year and earned them a lot of critical praise in the process. This particular track is named after a famed US naval explorer, who was rumoured to have flown into the Hollow Earth – a theory which attempts to cast doubt on current scientific beliefs regarding the Earth’s structure – during a particularly infamous Arctic expedition. The track itself goes into those theories in more detail, thanks to Joker Starr’s conspiracy fuelled bars. The track also features cuts from the legend that is Jazz T. The video was made by Pietro Biasia. Firmamentum is out now on Tru Thoughts.
New material from the Godfather of UK Hip Hop, as Rodney P treats us to the a-side from his upcoming 7″. The Next Chapter is a reflective track, with the London Posse veteran looking back over his lengthy career, as well as turning his focus to the future. Rodney also looks at how the game has evolved since he first started making music. The full release will also include the b-side, Recognise Me (I’m An African), and will be released on 11 October via Tru Thoughts.
Continuing the theme of strong link-ups, today also sees the release of the debut project from Gawd Status. A debut it may well be but this is not Gawd Status’s first musical journey, as in their individual forms, King Kashmere and Joker Starr have long been major presences on the UK rap landscape. Firmamentum is a psychedelic joy on the ears, boasting a heavy guestlist, including features from Big Cakes, Micall Parknsun and Anyway Tha God. You might also recognise the cover art as being a brainchild of the man behind Strange U’s album artwork, Matt Littler. Firmamentum is available now via Tru Thoughts and you can stream it in full below.
More fire from UK supergroup, Kingdem, as they continue the build up for their EP release. KingStep is the second single we’ve heard from the trio and features some superb reggae inspired production, which has always been my favourite style to hear Rodney do his thing on. The Kingdem EP is due for release on 23 August via Tru Thoughts.
Heavy Metal and The Alchemist are the first tasters from a new collaboration between two UK stalwarts, as King Kashmere and Joker Starr combine their respective talents to form Gawd Status. For this project, the Strange U inhabitant has stepped away from the booth and is handling full production, while Joker Starr maintains his ever-solid grasp on the mic. The vocal feature comes from Fae Simon. The full LP, Firmamentum, is due for release on 30 August via Tru Thoughts.
UK veterans Rodney P, Blak Twang and TY return with a video for their previously released track, The Conversation (We Ain’t Done Yet). If you weren’t already aware, the trio recently toured the UK under the group name KINGDEM and in the process they have recorded some new music together. The Conversation is produced by Nutty P and the video was made by George Malsbury and Ernest Simons. The track is taken from their forthcoming EP and is available to stream/download from the usual platforms.
Harleighblu is a singer from Nottingham, whose work draws on influences from hip hop, soul, electronica and beyond. Thanks to a string of superb releases, including her Futurespective series, she is already forging her own path in an increasingly saturated scene. I caught up with her recently to discuss a number of things including her new project with Bluestaeb, her musical roots and surviving the industry as a female artist. Continue reading “Harleighblu: Interview”
gingerslim 