New video from Row D, track entitled ‘Chill’. Dropping a dope flow on this cold beat. Recently won the first ever Converse MC clash and earned the right to have a track released on the No Hats No Hoods label so watch out for this guy if you haven’t already heard. Been putting mad work in from early and its starting to pay off. The way the punchlines and hooks are landing on this one shows the talent of this MC. Large up Row D

29th March, the final regional Converse MC Clash took place at JD Sports on Oxford Street, London. By the end of the night they had their third finalist. If you thought that was the final chance for any MC to get to go to the block party then you were mistaken. A fourth place is up for grabs for the Converse Block Party on 29th April and YOU can choose the MC you think should be there.

The Peoples Choice puts the power back in your hands and you can decide who you think should be the fourth finalist at the block party. Its pretty simple, all you have to do is click here, then click on the sub heading Peoples Choice and you will see all the remaining MCs who narrowly missed out on making the event. Click on an artist to view their 32 bars and if you want to vote for them then click the like button to the bottom left of the video. If you want to get votes up for an MC there is also the option to share on Facebook or Tweet the video. The competition went live last Saturday (31st March) and finishes at 09:00pm on 22nd April.

The winner of The Peoples Choice will be thrown right back into the mix alongside the other three finalists. They will perform on the same stage as some of the biggest names in the game and could go on to claim the ultimate prize at the end of the event and earn the right to some studio time and the recording of a track under the No Hats No Hoods Label. Get voting, it’s all down to you!

With the third installment of Lord of the Mics being released at the beginning of the week everybody is talking about it. I think its time to look back and see what made LOTM such a big thing for artists to get involved with? Why Jammer has decided to bring it back?

‘Battle rapping’ started back in the 70′s in America and has since become a massive feature in the hip hop culture and provided the launching pad for one of the biggest artists to hail from the genre, Eminem. Skip a few decades and over here in the UK we have developed our own take on the American pastime. Clashing was born and started featuring heavily in Londons grime scene, with rap battles providing a new lease of life for a genre that was in danger of slipping under the radar. Many memorable moments have come from UK rap battles including the infamous Dizzee vs Crazy Titch battle (‘I’m not a mook’) that resulted in a volley of dubs between the two and it also launched the career of one of the most successful artists in the UK at the moment, Pro Green. In 2004 Jammer & Esco decided to make an actual event to host battles with some of the biggest names on the underground circuit taking part.

The first two LOTMs featured many artists that have made the transition from underground to household names, not just here in London but up and down the country and some even across the pond. With the likes of Footsie vs Scratchy, Bruza vs Crazy Titch, Ghetto vs Napper and of course Kano vs Wiley on the first DVD and Bashy vs Demon, Skepta vs Devilman and Tinchy vs Ears on the second its clear to see that Lord of the Mics has been influential in many MCs careers. Im not saying that this is the sole reason for these artists success and of course they also helped build the name of Lord of the Mics but the rate of MCs who have gone on to bigger and better things who have been involved with LOTM is very impressive.

Which leads to the question, what does LOTM3 have in store for the artists featuring this year?

A lot has already gone on with all the hype sessions and interviews surrounding the release of the DVD. One of the clashes I think most of us are looking forward to is Kozzie vs Sox, am I wrong? When word got out that Sox had to forfeit in the dungeon and shortly after dropped a dub entitled ‘Compulsive Liar‘ it suddenly added another dimension to the ensuing battle of two talented young MCs, since then Kozzie replied with his own dub and a rematch in the dungeon has been added to the DVD. Its not the only conflict that has a lot of attention as all the battles carry a lot of potential with some very talented MCs taking part. One thing is for sure, Lord of the Mics gives all the artists involved a chance to appeal to a wider audience as there will be various artists fans watching as well as fans of the actual concept itself. All in all it should be an explosive DVD (and audio CD) of raw UK talent showcasing what they do best, straight barring!

Surely this has to be seen as one of the biggest spring boards in the scene for many underground artists? You just look need to look at the line up of the past battles to see the ratio of success.

Full Line up for LOTM3:

Wariko Vs Diesle
Marger Vs Layz
Kozzie Vs Sox
Hypes Vs Tez Kidd
Tre Mission Vs Jendor
Jammin Vs Clipson
Merky Ace Vs J1
Desperado Vs Rival
Kozzie Vs Sox (REMATCH)

This is old school! My favourite MC from back in the day. This guy used to murder beats! Begs the question where would he be now if he wasn’t locked up?? He’s managed to drop a mixtape while being inside, but it isn’t the same as having him out here and competing with the talent of today. Free Titch!

veehylton:

“It’s fresh Trim now, I do not sleep, and did you not see that that I do not need no one, but you lot dream…of being this good, but you lot do not reach, my height, so shhh…do not speak, I got this but whos got me?” Ahhh morning gasssss!