Artist Introduction: Giggs

Artist Introduction: Giggs

That's an official picture, we swear we aren't racist or nuthin'

Giggs aka ‘Hollowman’ is a rapper from Peckham or ‘Pecknam’ as he and his cronies call it (you get it? Like Vietnam cuz’ it’s proper violent). If you follow the British Rap or grime scenes you will have undoubtedly heard of him, if you don’t follow them, then you probably only know Giggs as a the Welsh footballer who fooled everyone into thinking he was a model professional whilst he was swinging his cock at any female (preferably in a relationship with a loved-one) within a 50mile radius of Old Trafford….This is not that Giggs, this Giggs used to swing around Glocks and Gats whilst selling drugs before he embarked on a rap-career and started telling everyone about it.

Giggs’ first release was the freestyle ‘Talking The Hardest’ which he recorded over the Dr Dre produced Stat Quo track ‘Here We Go’. This track was monumental in British Hip-Hop and it blasted the ‘Pecknam’ rapper straight onto the top of the game’s pedestal. I may add that the track is well worth a listen or sneaky download, in fact you could even purchase it but that would you make you a corporate square…Look out for the line “Anybody thinks they can talk to my click will end up covered in red like a portion of chips” I don’t think anybody has ever used a bag of chips in such a threatening and effective way. I like that bar a lot it’s a bit silly, very English and also extremely hostile (like Nick Griffin…that’s right, I do satire too.)

Giggs’ style is unique, which is a rarity in rap nowadays- a fan of Giggs would say his delivery is slow, deliberate, passionate and honest. A critic of Giggs would say that he sounds like a lobotomised retard reading out ghetto nursery-rhymes. I hold the opinion that whilst Giggs is certainly not breaking any boundaries when it comes to lyricism he does have qualities that other artists lack, mainly authenticity and "gangsterness", by that I mean that when Giggs raps/mumbles threats that, "he will shoot someone if they doth wrong him", he sounds like he genuinely will.

His authenticity as a ‘badman’ is backed up by the fact that Operation Trident seem to have it in for Giggs. They turn up at his gigs and cancel them, they got him dropped from a record label and they got him kicked off of a tour with Lil Wayne for being too ‘violent’. I personally find it as ridiculous as I do impressive; to be kicked off a standard popstar’s tour for being violent is understandable but slightly cool but for being kicked off the tour of one of gangster rap’s most famous patrons, who’s image and popularity largely depends on having a history of being a bit of drug slangin’, bitch fuckin’ piece shooting vagabond is pretty badass… but sadly on the other hand it also makes a large aspect of hip-hop a bit laughable - it would be like the Rolling Stones in their prime kicking someone off their tour-bus for drinking a can of shandy and letting off a party popper….Ok well it’s not exactly like that but it’s a good analogy and a damn funny one if you’re intellectually capable of understanding a top-notch level of wit.

If you want to check Giggs out, then the tracks I suggest you download/youtube are ‘Talking the Hardest’ ‘You Raised Me’ ‘Walk in Da Park’ and my favourite ‘Slow Songs’ which features a fucking sick and beautifully poetic verse from his mentor Mike Skinner (I probably should have mentioned that he was handpicked by Skinner’s label earlier)

His albums thus far are ‘Walk in Da Park’ and ‘Let Em’ Ave it’ (I’m lead to believe that Em’ is shortened slang for Them and not a girl called Emma whom he was going to ‘Let Ave It’)

Flow: 8/10

Lyricism: 6/10

Gangsterness: 9/10

Dickheadness: 2/10

Song Quality: 7/10

Final Bar – I’m a fan of Giggs; he offers good music and a decent insight into gang related violence (that sounded so suburban), but I do understand that not everybody will enjoy the dark mumbling tones of a bloke who sounds like a murderous old man who’s been through a couple of strokes.

-TDS_Brio Boy

Ok Go release Muppet Theme Song.

Beards look great with Puppets, not at all "Rapey"

Well it was only a matter of time before the Muppets called for the A-Team of D.I.Y. music videos. But Weezer were busy so they called the less known, less talented, more open to embarrassment Ok Go.

I'm excited for the movie no doubt, the idea of Muppets in a contemporary setting with added CGI and... aww crap I cant hold it back, this will be shit. I'm sorry, it will be and that upsets me.

The last good Henson Film was "A Muppets Christmas Carol". Which was brilliant simply for that ultra realistic Michael Caine puppet. Pity they can never get the eyes to look like they have souls behind them.

Enjoy the video below.

-Chovey

Dub-Step: The death of the Underground.

Skream, Benga, Nero, DJ Fresh, Magnetic Man, Kaspa and Britney Spears. What do these serial music makers have in common? No its not a DJ train run on ol' Britney its Dubstep.

To those who don't know, "Dubstep" is a genre of dance music which combines elements of Drum and Base, Grime, Electro and Jamaican Dub yet comes out sounding wholly different and entirely original. It started in the clubs and record shops of south london during the early 00's. Specifically Big Apple records, from which 3 major movers on the scene originated, Messrs Skream, Plastician & Hatcha. It was the undergrounds worst kept secret for years, filling seedy clubs and supporting D&B nights across the country but never quite crossing over to the mainstream. Its slow beats and heavy "wobble" base seemingly too different to be incorporated into the candy sweet popcharts. However something broke, something scooped up the Dubstep children and placed them firmly in the hands of the arms of the Radio 1 elite.  Elements and whole tracks of it can now be found in your favorite David Guetta re-hash and yes even Ms Spears has pilfered from the underground jewels.

DJ Fresh : Louder was number 1 for 2 weeks and now the DJ duo Nero are topping the charts with the Emo/base heavy track "Promises". But why? Why did such a different and precious form of underground experimentalism end up here? Well there isn't one distinct reason but perhaps its very individuality cursed it into the limelight, oh and Twitter.

Here is how: Cool kids like to talk about how and why they're so cool, even though you probably haven't heard who or what they're listening too, the kid with the insanely tight trousers will tell you anyway. Now with Twitter they can tell the world. So, that little band you listened to with Amanda in some Croydon dive, is now that little band that Amanda listened to, loved and then posted as her new favourite, bestest most coolest band of the week on Facebook and which now has 30 likes LOLZ!.

Suddenly there is no underground, anything that is below the street is packaged plastered and listed as "New, Fresh and Exciting." NME and other magazines feature huge spreads listing the next "new" thing. What chance is there for the development of music when its plucked before it even knows what it is, itself? What hope is there when Christina Aguilera is warbling over a Plastician produced track?

Yes, there are many brilliant reasons to support and embrace the new social networks and their spreading of music to un-touched ears. Introducing kids to sounds not heard on Heart FM is brilliant, but we must also make a point of grieving for the death of the underground. Dubstep has shown us the last nails are being slammed into the coffin as we speak.

Chovey