Fantana Reports V2.1

I have moved...

2010-05-07T08:09:00.001-07:00

Easy peeps. I've moved. I'm joining up with Brighton's Blackbelt Jonez and Tyni to host a new radio show on www.upfrontdance.net and in conjunction, have launched www.the273.com - which will be host to all manner of goodness in the coming months. So reset your bookmarks, head over and join the revolution. Peace.

Stylah - John Terry

2010-03-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

Lovely little tribute to the EX England captain right here, from the man like Stylah. Awesome. If only Wayne Bridge would co-sign this.... Mad chuckles.

1NF0 - POW

2010-02-04T04:02:00.001-08:00

Here's the new video from my boys in Sydney Australia, 1NF0. Jacob Giles and Nick Knowledge are two top lads who I had the pleasure of working with while I was on the other side of the world. Check this track out. Be warned though, the Lips 2 Da Floor style video has some serious 'wince' moments. I had been hoping I'd never see that kickboxer-getting-his-leg-snapped footgae ever again, but oh well... sometimes you gotta see what you gotta see...

Sean P - Figure Four

2010-02-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

New track from P. Some of you might know this beat as the sample has been used a couple of times (to my knowledge) beforehand, notably by Pacewon, and I think by Lootpack? Anyway, its an ILL loop - there was a time when every emcee in the UK scene would freestyle over this at some point in their live set - I recall Chester P from Taskforce killing it over this in particular. Anyway, the other P hits this in his usual indomitable style, with a couple of verses packed with quotables. Haven't got round to checking the LP that this is from just yet, but I'm gonna have to cop Mic Tyson in the very near future. So whether you're a Duck Down fan or not, hit that play button right now.

BONUS MATERIAL: Pacewon - I Declare War (check the small Eminem cameo in the intro).

Cannibal Kids - Kate Tempest

2010-01-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

Now I know nothing about this next video, or the performer, but spotted it in one of Stig's blog posts. (At least I think it was Stig - it may have been Syntax as they post as Stig & Syntax, but my money's on Stig). I'm never normally one for spoken word ish, or poetry, feeling that the majority of it is pretentious tosh, or just generally not very good. But I watched this clip from beginning to end, and its actually pretty damn great. Kate Tempest has an awesome way with words, lacing them together with effortless ease like a Foot Locker employee with the latest kicks. Anyway, whatever you think about poetry, check this out. Hopefully you'll be impressed in the same way I was.

Tom Caruana Goes Global!

2010-01-21T16:12:00.000-08:00

As some of you might know, I've done a few tracks with TC aka Tom Caruana in the past. In fact, my last record Billy The Kid was produced by him. Well, right about now, my good friend seems to have hit some serious exposure. Taking a bunch of Wu-Tang acapellas, creating some insane beats using Beatles songs, or covers of Beatles songs, and throwing the whole lot together as one free downloadable release has seen my man going off the charts. Today alone, I've seen his link retweeted by Aussie artist Urthboy, and heard on the grapevine that even the farrrrkin NEW YORK TIMES wants a slice of Tommy's quotables. All I can say, is if one person deserves some recognition, TC is him. Tom has put some serious work in over the past few years, producing tracks for Wordsmith, Dr Syntax, Longusto and others, and getting those unofficial remixes going on at other times. Dude deserves his props. If you don't know about Caruana's beats, then what are you waiting for? I said earlier, its a FREE DOWNLOAD. F-R-E-E. That means if you're reading this, and you haven't gone and copped a copy yet, you better go and get that happening real quickly, or you're gonna miss this wave. Now here's the link. Clickedy click.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT SOME

Meth & Red on the Big Breakfast

2010-01-10T18:21:00.001-08:00

Live @ Slipjam B 4/12/09

2010-01-08T04:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of clips from my first gig back in Brighton since getting back from Australia. Slipjam B is the longest running hip-hop night in the 273 and one that is very close to my heart. Big ups to Hinesy Hines for being an impromptu hype man for me and doing a sterling job, and also to Carl for getting some footage of the night. 'Drop Something' is produced by Tom Caruana, and 'Splash the Cash' by Black Grass. All in all, it was a damn good night.

Back for 2010

2010-01-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

Yo - Once again, I fell under that slack spell for the last few months of 2010 as I crammed as much as I could into my last minutes in Australia. As of now, I'm back safely submerged in the 273, and will be trying my best to bring you as much new goodness as I possibly can. Should have a new mixtape ready to see the light of day in the next month or so courtesy of my good man, ex-Brightonian Iye95 - now residing in Chamonix, France. Knowing his skills on the cut and the presence of a few helpers, this is exciting me quite a lot. I've just got back from a flying visit to Dublin where I've recorded a new track for Irish producer Kormac's new LP. Considering I only got it finished pretty damn close to the deadline - its sounding pretty ill. So stay tuned for that also.

Aiiight. That'll do for now. Gotta ease myself back into this slowly like a nice hot bath. Ahhhhhhh... Shit thats hot.

Now go and download the new Yelawolf mixtape (fuck it - its more like an LP) from the post below and treat yourself.

And if you ain't picked up the new Clipse LP yet - stop punching yourself and go and buy it.

Yelawolf - Trunk Musik

2010-01-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

I've recently come across this cat called Yelawolf from Alabama, and the kid has a serious flow mixed in with his southern states drawl. First came across him on a track with the Wu's Raekwon, and now I've done a little bit of online exploration, I've hit upon his new mixtape Trunk Musik. And man, as well as the Chef jawnt, which enough to download this shit for on its own, there are some other serious bangers. On Good To Go, Wolf lyrically spars with UGK's Bun B - and blows him away. Seriously. The first verse on this track is insane. Double time, multisyllabic goodness on a par with anything Em could deliver in his prime. And the best part of it - its free. This is a legit download, so waste no time, and head here to pick it up.

Other links: Yelawolf's Myspace page

Slaughterhouse - The One (Travis Barker RMX + Bun B)

2009-10-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling this. The original Slaughterhouse track is still one of my favourites off the LP, And on this version, Blink 182's Travis Barker turns up the heat on the drums, and there's also a verse from UGK's Bun B tacked on at the end that I hadn't heard before. Anyone know if a version with Bun was ever released?

Thaitanium ft/ Blahzay Blahzay & Lil' Fame

2009-10-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

Never heard of these cats before, but there's no doubt where they're repping with all those RUN BKK chains and tees. Good to see Blahzay Blahzay back though... though thats the crew right? The rapper is MC Outloud I always thought. And who is that at 2:22? PF Cuttin? Rapping? Can someone clear that up for me? Anyway, its a pretty dope track flipping what sounds like a Thai music sample... Still long odds on a new Blahzay Blahzay album in the next year? I'm still bumping the one with Danger and Pain I Feel after all these years. I even remember buying it from Black Grass' Mex when he worked in a record shop in Worthing... I must have been about 16. Didn't think however many long years later I'd have done a few tracks, and toured as far as Australia with him.

Update: Yo - Thought I'd add this little bonus gem - the video for Blahzay Blahzay's Pain I Feel... So sick. And yeah, after watching the intro, it could well be PF Cuttin on the mic in the Thaitanium vid...

Fantanamo K Film Review: Final Destination 3D / Inglourious Basterds

2009-10-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

Final Destination 3D: Well, I knew this was probably going to be shithouse. I can't remember which one of the series I'd seen before… it was the one with the rollercoaster, If you've seen any of them, you'll know the coup. Group of people miss out on a nasty fate when one of them has a premonition and they leg it. Death then throws a strop, and comes hunting for the ones that should have bitten the dust, and murks them in ever increasingly elaborate ways. This film is no different, but does come with the added bonus of being in 3D. Gotta love a pair of cheap plastic 3D specs. Anyway, in this one, the characters escape from a deadly crash/grandstand collapse at the local nascar speedway caused by a highly improbable series of events set up by Mr G. Reaper. There are some pretty far fetched ways in which people bite the dust. For example, one guy who turns up at a security guards house ready to carry out some race-related violence ends up being dragged along behind his own pick up truck on a chain, whilst being burnt alive, all after his [un]lucky horseshoe falls off the rear view mirror, knocking the vehicle into gear and simultaneously flicking on the stereo, which happens to be playing "why can't we be friends". Yes, its that realistic. But fuck it. 99% of people don't go to see a Final Destination flick expecting it to be earth shatteringly realistic. The plot is shithouse. The script is shithouse. Both of these I expected. I only really went to see it as I'd never seen a 3D film before, and that Pixar crap holds no interest for me whatsoever. The effect is used pretty damn well though, and I have to admit to flinching a couple of times when bits of something exploding seemed to come flying through the auditorium. The glasses themselves look like the glasses worn by those people who have a thing for skintight jeans and yellow kicks usually found wandering the streets of Brighton talking about the latest Banksy book. I was gonna take a stupid picture of me wearing them to accompany this post, but think I managed to leave them in Nandos when I popped in for some extra hot chicken after the film. Oh well. In summary, if you've never seen a 3D film before and don't mind a liberal sprinkling of blood and guts, go try it out. If your local flickhouse ain't showing it with the extra dimension though, I'd probably give it a miss. Oh shit, almost forgot - one of the deaths seems to be based on Chuck Palahniuk's Guts short story from his book Haunted. If you've never read it, its probably best I don't go into details. Overall 7/10 (4/10 for the film, 3 extra marks for the 3D)

Inglourious Basterds: I'd wanted to see for a while, so decided to make it double trouble at the flicks and catch it too after a cold Coopers in the pub downstairs. I like Tarantino's stuff. I've seen every film he's done apart from the Grindhouse pair, which I've inexplicably yet to see. The film is about The Basterds, a group of American Jews led by Bradley Pitt who Tarantino sends into occupied France in 1941 as an excuse to show lots of Nazi's being shanked, shot and strangled. The film seems a little disjointed. There are some highly enjoyable scenes, but Tarantino's trademark script is a little below par. Eli Roth whose film Hostel did wonders for the backpacker market in Eastern Europe also appears alongside Pitt - the only other notable casting being Mike Myers as an stiff upper lipped British general, one of the most bizarre and frankly fucking awful cameos I've ever seen. As I said, the film does have its moments, but like Final Destination, you're gonna need a strong stomach at times. Overall, its not shit, but I doubt you'll be talking about it for months afterwards either. 7.5/10

Tech N9ne - Show Me A God

2009-10-12T02:01:00.001-07:00

I have to say, this is the first time that I've got round to checking a Tech N9ne jawnt. Rappers named after guns normally don't float my boat, but this track boasts some sick flows...

Oz Hip Hop in the 09

2009-10-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

So, I've been out here for 10 months now, and I realised I haven't really brought you that much in the way of native music from this corner of the globe, so here's a few bits from some of the artists that I've been checking out while I'm away from the UK...

Thundamentals - Move it Up

Urthboy - Ready To Go

Drapht - Jimmy Recard

Downsyde - Fortune & Fame

Spit Syndicate - Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Gully Platoon (Pegz, Dialectrix & Joe New) - Nothing To Lose

Anyway, there's a few tasters for you. Caught a lot of these guys at the Obese Block Party in Sydney last week, and it was pretty damn good. Definitely worth checking out.

Hieroglyphics - Battle Drum (Marvel vs Capcom 2)

2009-10-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

Nice track from the Hiero Emperium right hizere.

Story of Three Stories

2009-09-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Fuck... no posts for ages, then THREE come along at once. Found these videos over at HurtYouBad. There's probably a full length one somewhere, but here's some clips from a film made about the creation of the graf walls down at Kensington St in Brighton. Aiiiight.

The Story of Three Storeys

Story of three storeys

Story trailer trilogy

Nightmare On Elm Street REMAKE

2009-09-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Directed by Michael Bay... this shit takes me back. Suppose it'll just be another shitty remake though. Not sure if it'll be the same without Robert Englund...

A Nightmare on Elm Street in HD

Out of Time

2009-09-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yo I know I've been mad slack posting anything up in this piece for a little while. What can I say - I've got a month left over here in Oz, so have been pretty busy. Anyway, here's a little video for you of some mad Russians getting crazy with the jumps. Check it, and I'll be back soon. K

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

Neurosonics Audomedical Labs Inc - SICK.

2009-08-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Fuck me. Just been pointed towards this insanely sick video featuring my good peoples Foreign Beggars, Dr Syntax & Stig of the Dump, and none other than the Scratch Perverts. Seriously, you need to check this out. Absolutely wild. The UK needs more videos of this calibre. Where are you film-makers??

Enter The Slaughterhouse

2009-08-05T02:01:00.000-07:00

The new Slaughterhouse LP is SICK. You need to go BUY that shit when it drops. That is all.

Oh, and here's the video for lead single The One:

Bay Area Slang - The Guide...

2009-07-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Rafael Casal brings you the Bay Area Slang aka The Grinch Song... Check it...

Skyzoo - Beautiful Decay

2009-07-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Dope new video/track from Skyzoo...

Livin' Major Over Here!

2009-07-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

MR. MECCA "OVER HERE" from Mr Mecca on Vimeo.

The new video from Mr Mecca, featuring Skyzoo, Sha Stimuli, A Pinks & Torae - a very nice little reworking of Craig Mack's classic Flava In Ya Ear RMX. Even the video steez is done nicely. Check this out for sure... K

Edit: Here's the original, in case you forgot it...

Fabri Fibra - Speak English

2009-07-02T16:30:00.001-07:00

Randomly found this video for Italian emcee Fabri Fibra, shot in my hometown Brighton... Check it out...

New Koaste 7" OUT NOW

2009-06-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

Finally... after years of waiting... my first solo release has dropped on Heroic Recordings. Billy The Kid / Blabbermouth is a limited edition 7" picture disc and features artwork from my good man back in the UK, Scruffy Mane. If you want to get your hands on one of these, email either music@rarekind.co.uk or jp@heroicrecordings.com while they're fresh. Hopefully some more places will have them very shortly, and I can get some shipped out here to Australia as well. ZING.

Slaughterhouse - Whats Its All About

2009-06-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

The Slaughterhouse Rules from jeff on Vimeo.

The Slaughterhouse cats break it all down on the supergroup... Mad funny!

Homeboy Sandman - Gun Control

2009-06-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

This track is ill. Not heard anything by this guy before, but checked this track (produced by Jake One I think) and its hot. Gonna try and pick up his new LP Actual Factual Pterodactyl on the strength of this one alone...

Fugs Need Hugs - Nine High

2009-06-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

Shouts out to my man Fraksha - here's the new video from UK/Australian collective Nine High...

When CGI Goes Bad...

2009-05-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

I kid you not... this is a trailer for a REAL film. This shit looks so terrible that I really want to see it. Who wants to hook me up with a DVD of this??

Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work Out

2009-05-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Nicked this from pleasedontstare - a great blog that I stumbled on recently. From looking at the dude in the video, I wouldn't have linked him with the voice that comes out his cakehole. But fair props, homie can sing. Check this sheeez. I'm gonna do some research into Mr H...

De La Soul @ Metro, Sydney 5/5/09

2009-05-10T02:19:00.000-07:00

Last week saw De La Soul's 20 Years High And Rising tour hit Sydney's Metro Theatre, and damn, it was good. I caught them last year at the Beachdown Festival in Brighton UK when I played there with Black Grass and thought they were good, but here, they were on fire. Got there nice and early, which was great as Jessy had forgotten her ID (they're mad strict on that shit over here - everyone has to show it, whether you're 18 or 80) and had to go through some bullshit before they let her in. Support came in the form of Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist, who pulled out some insane turntable shit, as well as some less good live shit with the help of an emcee who I didn't really rate - I didn't even catch his name, but he didn't do anything that made me want to research further...

De La came on around 9:30pm, with a 10-piece band, and immediately started bringing the heat. Eye Know, Say No Go, Potholes on my Lawn - all present and correct, Pos and Trugoy rocking the crowd with an effortless swagger that can only come from years of constant touring and work in the studio. After about 45 minutes of constant classics, the band had a break, leaving the trio to keep things moving on some two-emcees-and-one-deejay shit, pulling out Ooooh amongst others. Next they pulled a surprise, Pos giving a little background to the Native Tongues shit, before dropping the Flavour of the Month instrumental and introducing Dres from Black Sheep, who proceeded to kill it with that and The Choice is Yours... definitely a highlight of the night. The band came back for the second half of the show, bringing down the house, before De La Called time on Sydney. Except they didn't. The crowd knew they weren't gonna leave us like that, and after 10 minutes of constant noise, everyone came back for the encore, Maceo's manic screaming laugh beginning a floor shaking rendition of the Gorillaz Feel Good which got the place going off. Add to this Ring Ring Ring amongst others (sorry - my brain was fried by this point - I just know that it was dope as fuck).

If you get a chance to catch De La on this tour - make sure you do. They probably won't be touring for too much longer after this one, so this could be the last time you get to see this era-defining group in a live scenario.

Anyway, here's some pics from the night...

Sean Boothe ft. Amanda Diva - Music Man

2009-04-27T00:21:00.000-07:00

Found this track on Notes From A Different Kitchen... Very nice... K

Adventures Down Under Pt III

2009-04-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

Well its been a week of ups and downs as usual over here in rainy (sic) Australia. Finally moved into a new yard in the Redfern ghetto - seriously - there are po-po posters up on the streets warning people to watch out for CARJACKERS. Shiiiit. Good job I don't drive then... Anyway, no sooner have I moved, then my workplace shafts me up the gary for having to take an evening off to finish moving stuff. Fucking wankers. Which now means I have a new yard, but less money to pay for it. Which means I've got to get out on the job hunt again. Whilst being broke. And working out where I'm gonna get the money to pay for food. Wankers. Thats all I can say. Actually, I'll say a lot more once I get a new job sorted - then I'll really let rip on their bitch asses. Anyway, I got a definite possibility from a lil' Italian restaurant up in Leichhardt - so keep your fingers crossed for me on that one. Cocktail barman in a restaurant sounds way more my cup of tea than cocktail barman in a place that closes at 6am - and means that if I get it, I'll actually be able to get to some more jams and have some semblance of a social life, possibly leading to actually getting some gigs around this motherfucker. Aside from this minor blip, things in Syd City are good.

Here's the song for the day. Mr Lif - Live From The Plantation

Mr Lif - Live From the Plantation

The King & I

2009-04-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

When my man JP @ Heroic Records told me that my forthcoming vinyl release was being pressed up by some head mental living in New Zealand, I wasn't sure what to expect. But after doing my research* it appears this fella is something of a legend in the game. Plus he's got a dope whip. Anyway, here's some footage of Peter King's set up deep in The Shire. Billy The Kid/Blabbermouth will be dropping soon peoples. Its been a long time, but I can feel its presence now. That void in your lives I know you've all been feeling will be plugged soon I promise.

- KO

Peter King And His One Off Vinyl

Genius Squad - The Bog

2009-03-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

Big up my fellow B-Town boys for this track... Vecks and Scizzahs on top form here... The Bog... YIIIIIIEEEEEOOOOOW!

Comedy Gold No. 1

2009-03-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Only really got into Katt Williams after spending mad hours playing the last GTA game, but dayaaamn is he funny...

Mike Tyson Documentary

2009-03-14T20:00:00.001-07:00

Looks pretty dope. Think I'm gonna have to check this out when it drops.

Stormy Weather

2009-03-13T23:50:00.000-07:00

The rainstorms over here in Aus are craaazy. This one crept up on me, dashed it down seriously hard for about ten minutes, then disappeared to be replaced by the sun again... Glad I wasn't caught out in it, thats all I can say...

Hip Hop Songs About Hip Hop No. 2

2009-03-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Fatlip, Slimkid3 & KRS-One - Gimme Some of That Hip-Hop

Don't know how recent this is, but it's dope. Check it out.

EDIT: This is actually off N.A.S.A's new LP The Spirit Of Apollo, which in itself is pretty interesting. Check it out. I'll probably make a separate post about it once I've listened to it a few more times...

Black Grass in Australia 2008

2009-03-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Its always interesting to have a little dig on youtube every once in a while to see what random videos people have taken at shows around the place. Only just found this one from spring last year, with Mex and I performing at the Oxford Arts Centre in Sydney. We were supporting Peanut Butter Wolf, who did an absolutely dope set that night. Anyway, the video is yours truly performing Splash The Cash - my track off the last Black Grass LP Three...

Takin' You Back: EMPD - Rampage

2009-02-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

Live from somewhere... Gotta love this tune. One of my favourite of all time.

Cunninlynguists - Never Come Down

2009-02-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

Devin The Dude Brownie Mix?? Dope!

Loved You First - Baby Button Eyes (184 Remix)

2009-02-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

Beautiful new track from my homeslick 184 - get your copy here: http://sharebee.com/08892816

Adventures Down Under Pt 2 - Update

2009-02-20T21:36:00.001-08:00

Well, I've been here for a couple of months now, and its been interesting to say the least. First its fucking hot - I'm sure many of you caught the bushfire stories on the news wherever you're based - its been pretty crazy. This week its been raining like the end of the world is round the corner, and its only finally showing signs of letting up this past couple of days. Been working hard trying to keep myself in scrilla to make my stay nice, getting a few of the 100 plus cocktails I have to make in my bar committed to memory - and that ain't easy for someone with a memory like mine. Its kind of apt that the bar is called Goldfish.

As far as music goes, I was on the radio a couple of weeks ago, blessing the mic with a cat from Sydney who goes by the name of Skrypcha - he's just had a new EP released on Obese records which you should check out, and try and get your grubby mitts on.

Lined up a show on March 20th at the Loft Bar here in town thanks to another emcee, Scott Burns who fingers crossed I should be collaborating with in the near future. I've posted his latest video for his track Frequency a little lower down in this post, so check that.

Big shout out to my man Longusto down in Melbourne at the moment, who seems to be getting up to all sorts of depraved shit a little further south, most of which is waaay too nasty for me to be talking about in public, so I'll leave it at that. Hopefully he'll get his ass up here for the 20th to spit a little something with yours truly.

Anyway, I'm off to try to find a room to rent as my girl's landlady doesn't seem to like the fact I'm staying with her at the moment...

Peace

Koaste

Scott Burns - The Frequency

I Fucking Hate Rappers - Pack FM (Accapella)

2009-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

"If you don't want trouble / stand there and don't say nuthin' like MF Doom's stunt double..."

Adventures Down Under Pt.1 - Days Like This Festival

2009-01-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

So here I am in Sydney, down under. Been here just under a fortnight now, and things are good. The weather has been pretty hot and my British body is just about used to the temperature. No sunburn yet touch wood! Been living off my last pay packet from the job I left back home, and need to step up the hunt for work while I'm over here - gonna try and get my Cruise-like cocktail skills back in action as soon as I can so I can get some scrilla coming in. After the weekend I'm gonna get my serious head on and get down to business.

Blagged free entry into the Days Like This Festival last weekend in Sydney's Entertainment Quarter which was pretty dope. Loads of artists from all over the globe were in full effect. A big set from Aussie producer Katalyst was the first one I caught, and although I'm not entirely sure who all the guests were aside from Steve Spacek and one of the emcees from Koolism, the overall performance was polished and pretty heavy.

Atmosphere and Brother Ali was probably the highlight for me, with an incredibly tight performance - it was the first time I've seen 'em live, after missing 'em back home in Brighton a few months back, and even though I'm not that up on their recorded material, it wasn't hard to get into, and I'll definitely be checking for the new LP after seeing them here.

DJ Vadim and Yarah Bravo ran a tight ship and rocked the crowd with a great set. Caught up with Vad at the afterparty, and after suppressing the surprise of seeing me over on the other side of the world, told me that both him and Yarah have solo LP's due to hit the light of day in the near future. Yarah rocked the crowd as ever, and although I've never been that into her lyrics when recorded, she definitely has the ability to work the stage, and she has mad presence when doing her live thang.

Caught a bit of the Morcheeba set, but that kind of down beat stuff has always bored me stiff, so wasn't feeling it. Wanted to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, but she was on at the same time as Atmosphere so didn't manage to check that. Killaqueenz I did see though, and they were pretty dope. I know my man Orifice from Foreign Beggars recorded one of the Gash remixes with them when they were over in April, and I'm gonna have to hunt that track down, as I definitely want to know what thats like now!

The headliners were the one and only Public Enemy who I've seen many times in the past, and to be honest, I didn't think it was the best performance I've ever seen them do, but to many of the people in the crowd it would have been their first time, and seeing it through their eyes may have given me a better impression.

Anyway, as far as my music goes, I'm still on a mission to hook up with some Aussie cats while I'm over here, and have been making some good contacts so far. Tonight I'm heading to a 'Tribute to the 90's' hip-hop night where my good friend Josie Styles is representing alongside Ology (also from Sydney) and P-Money from New Zealand - so should be a dope night.

Anyway, big shout out to all three of you who read this blog of mine, and stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Fantana down under. Shouts out to my man Longusto who's also out here in Syn City at the moment, Pneumatic, Black Ops, Illustrate, Lex, Josie, CJ, Ology and everyone who's helped me get myself sorted over here so far.

Peace

Katalyst: Aussie Heavyness

Killerqueenz: Fiery

DJ Vadim & Yarah Bravo: Dope show

Atmosphere & Brother Ali: Maaad live

Public Enemy: Not bad

Scarface - High Notes

2009-01-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ha ha ha ha... this video is priceless, just for the wink that 'Face gives the camera towards the end... Pretty fucking NSFW, so if you're skiving off in the office today, I probably wouldn't watch this in front of the Bizzoss. Whammy. K

Apple Introduces Laptop With No Keyboard

2009-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

As much as I love my Mac stuff, this is pretty fucking funny.

I Am An American - La Coka Nostra

2008-12-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

Big new video from La Coka Nostra feat. B-Real - Check it.

Ronald Jenkees Goes Off!

2008-12-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

This dude is NUTS. And he's got keyboard skills for DAYS.
Ronald Jenkees Website

Shake This - Royce 5'9"

2008-12-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

Royce Da 5'9" - "Shake This" from Three/21 Films on Vimeo.

Love a bit of Royce... New video for Shake This, produced by Preeeemo. Check it.

Taking You Back To 2005

2008-12-14T02:33:00.000-08:00

This Cribs spoof was made for the South Coast Brighton Hip-Hop Documentary that came out a while back. The film isn't perfect by any means, but has some definite moments in it. Anyway, this clip is from a crazy year, where Enlish, Daps & Newborn and me all lived together in a place affectionately known as Thug Mansion... Taking you back in time. The foot is on the gas pedal of the Delorean, and we are on our way to 88 mph... K

Oh yeah... here's the link to the full movie: www.southcoastthemovie.co.uk

Angel with Twisted Legs

2008-11-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

Garrincha was one of the best known players ever to play for Brazil. Born into poverty, with a birth defect meaning his right leg curved inwards, doctors advised him he shouldn't play football, but he never let that stop him. Here's a great little video documenting his rise and tragic fall...

B-Real ft/ Young De - Don't You Dare Laugh

2008-11-18T23:52:00.001-08:00

Nice new joint from Cypress Hill's B-Real... HAWLA.

You down with G.O.D? Yeah You Know Me...

2008-11-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

Took a short trip in DJ Catch's deathmobile to catch my man Jimmy Hatetank aka DJ Manipulate and Nozl perform an insane set at the Lansdowne in Lewes (Lewes?? Yep, you heard me right). These guys are at the top of their game right now, and their floss range is off the scale. Check the myspace fam: www.myspace.com/djmanipulate

Sickness. Make sure you pick up the debut GOD LP: A Stale Breath of Fresh Ahhh

Incredible Album Artwork No.1

2008-11-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is incredible. This guy hangs around with beaaaaaar mans. Ursa Major in the hizzy. Seriously though, this is off the scale of wackness, and back around to dope again. Pow.

Lions In The Forest - Pain Language

2008-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

Whuddup fools. I kind went missing over the whole of October didn't I. Well in the words of Timberland and One Republic, its too late to apologise. So I won't. I've been busy though. Busy slacking. Anyway, I got hold of the new offering from DJ Muggs and Planet Asia the other day, and it is really rather good. Pain Language is the name, and its exactly the kind of sounding album you'd expect from a Muggs production, and Planet Asia has always had a dope flow since I heard him on Rasco's first LP a while back. So I thought I'd share this video with you. For my fam into their UK shit, you may well recognise the two samples up on this one as they've both been used by UK crews in the past. The intro to this track is also the intro to First Down's Pyramids of Power, off the World Service LP, and the main beat is good old Bob James (Farandole if my memory serves me correct) and was used on Hijack's LP Horns of Jericho. Anyway, I think Planet Asia kills this, so check it out... My only beef is that most lions are surely found in the jungle rather than the forest?

Yours truly

Koko Skillachi aka Stone Cold Steve Irwin.

Guiness: Good To Share

2008-09-05T06:20:00.000-07:00

Ha ha ha ha... Big Things!

Dr Doom: Dr Octagon RIP

2008-08-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Dope horror flick inspired video from Keith Thornton... ZING!

Purple Porridge

2008-08-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

New video from my man Witchdoctor Wise featuring Freecy D... Purple Porridge! Check it out!

Mex & Me - On Aussie TV...

2008-08-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jesus. We probably shouldn't ever be interviewed again on the back of a week long booze binge...

New Heltah Skeltah LP Artwork

2008-08-04T12:10:00.001-07:00

Damn man... thats an album cover and a half right there! Can't wait for this to drop.

New Pharcyde Material

2008-07-26T01:44:00.000-07:00

Well it is kind of... Tre Hardson aka Slim Kid Tre teams up with Fat Lip for the first time in donkey's years to put together this sterling effort. I like this. Its pretty chilled out, and Tre has definitely still got the recognisable voice and the skills to go with it.

Kardinal Offishall ft/ Clipse - Set It Off

2008-07-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

Big, BIG new video from Canada's Kardinall Offishall... Check this sucka out.

Rising Styles Flicks

2008-07-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

You've had a few of the videos, now here's a little selection of pics from the Rising Styles live day down at the beach.

Jid Sames: Seriously, this dude is off the chain.

Soweto Kinch minus his Sax

Stig of the Dump, Skinnyman & Million Dan smashing Dogz N Sledgez

Jehst & Micall Parkinson

Koaste and Gunshot's MC Mercury

Snuff The Ablist cold chillin behind the decks

Some of the famalam including Snuff, Koaste, LJ, Vecks, Stig, Enlish, Tyni, 184, DJ Catch, Mercury & Longusto

Bert & Ernie - Ante Up

2008-07-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

This amused me a little...

Pharcyde - Runnin' (Philippians RMX)

2008-07-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Dope remix of a classic tune here, part of Delicious Vinyl's RMXXOLOGY project...

Rising Styles Videos

2008-07-15T23:52:00.001-07:00

The Rising Styles Festival on Brighton beach was a great success with some great performances from artists including Million Dan, Jehst, Kidz In The Hall and many others. Will post a full review soon, but here's the first selection of videos I've skimmed off of Youtube... The quality on some ain't great - camera phones can be a little iffy, but when I find some more, I'll post 'em. Big Things.

Hip Hop Blues - Snuff The Ablist ft/ Koaste & MC Mercury

Million Dan - Hip Hop Freestyle

Jehst with Micall Parkinson

The Benjamins (Koaste & Longusto) ft/ Vecks - Major

Muto

2008-07-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

This shit is incredible... described on the website www.blublu.org as an ambiguous animation painted on public walls, Muto is definitely worth a minute or three of your time.

Jay Z @ Glastonbury

2008-06-29T23:37:00.001-07:00

Looks like Jay stuck two fingers up at that cunt Gallagher with this set. Big things. I doubt anything could get me to go to Glastonbury, but I might have put up with the mud and shit for this set. Here's the full set...

World Record Slam Dunk Attempt

2008-06-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Say No To Piracy!

2008-06-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Rare Eminem & Proof Freestyle

2008-06-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

Back From Australia!

2008-06-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

Just got back this morning from Australia, and I've got to give mad shouts out to everyone that made our stay down under so enjoyable! Black Grass played shows in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and it was pretty damn special! It was my first time over there, although Mex had been over there on more than one occasion, and the place and people made a big, big impression on me! I'm not gonna bang on about it, but here's some photos from the 11 days we spent over there! Pow!

Hanging out backstage in Perth with The Resin Dogs and NZ's Scribe

Being dropped off at Perth Airport with Dabruck & Klein, Ajax and others

Koaste and Mex hang with the legend that is Peanut Butter Wolf

The crowd at the Black Grass/Peanut Butter Wolf gig in Sydney

The Fantanaman cold chillin' in a pile of ice in Melbourne

The view from our apartment in Brisbane... so, so dope.

Black Grass hanging out with the lads from The Whip... check for this band!

Anyway, thanks again to everyone at Playground, the guys and gals at Family, Peanut Butter Wolf, Resin Dogs, Bec Reid, The Diamont Hotel in Sydney, Josie Styles, Laura, Is & Tony, and finally Candy and all the fantastic people we met in Brisbane... If I've forgotten anyone, blame my alcohol intake! See you all soon! K

Righteous Kill

2008-05-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

Hype over this film doesn't seem to have reached these shores just yet, but its only a matter of time. With De Niro and Pacino back together for the first time since Heat, this is gonna be big. Here's a little trailer for you.

Lil' Wayne's Ill Brain

2008-05-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Its not often I have anything to say about Lil' Wayne, except "what the fuck is that dude on?" (The answer to this is obviously sizzurp, so I'm not gonna say that again). However, I caught this video on youtube and it is genius. Its like a lil' insight into what must be going through Weezy's brain at the exact nanosecond he conceives his lyrics. So peep this, and imagine yourself as a psychoanalist delving into his psyche as this is probably the closest you're going to get, being that in every interview with him I've ever seen he seems to be off his fucking nut.

PS: Check out Damn I'm Cold off Bun B's new LP Ill Trill for some more Weezy ridiculousnesseezy. The beat is off the lil' heezy. Fa sheezy. (stop it).

Hip Hop Blues - Snuff The Ablist

2008-05-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd draw your attention to the new 12" dropping this week from my man Snuff The Ablist. Hip Hop Blues features yours truly alongside the legend that is MC Mercury from Gunshot, one of the most well known and respected crews in UK hip-hop history. Since Gunshot split up, Mercs has been out of the game for 5 years, and this track is his first return to the mic booth since then.

The B-side, Maelstrom, features myself again alongside Foreign Beggars' Orifice Vulgatron on a dark, dark beat by Snuff which allows us both to take the listener to the realm of nightmares.

The 12" is the first release from Snuff's forthcoming LP featuring the cream of UK hip-hop, scheduled to drop later in 2008/early 2009.

The launch party is at Cargo in London this Saturday night and features Snuff, yours truly, Mercury, Dr Syntax & Stig of the Dump, Last Skeptik and St. Anthony, and is sure to be a show not to be missed. So clear your diaries and get down to Shoreditch!

Anyway, until then, get your listening gear round this little sneak preev... POW!

Beer & Rap 3rd Birthday Party

2008-04-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

A few of us jumped in DJ Catch's Deathmobile and headed up to the big smoke yesterday night for Beer & Rap's third birthday party at the Amersham Arms in New Cross... Dope venue, a lot of very purrrrty girls, and performances from the likes of Stig, Jid Sames, Saturday Night In Frankfurt and Taskforce...

I've never seen or even heard much of Jid Sames to be honest before tonight, but I'm not really sure what to make of his set... A little crazy to say the least, and for one section of the crowd, he definitely wasn't their cup of tea, and he was pelted with plastic glasses throughout...

Taskforce tore the place down as usual, with a little cameo from Jehst for The Trilogy, and all came to a riotous head with one track that had the heads at the front going apeshit, pogoing and indulging in some slightly rubbish but well meaning stage diving... ha ha...

But the real highlight for me was Saturday Night In Frankfurt, the alter egos of two prominent UK hip-hop producers, Beat Butcha and Chemo... I honestly don't know how to describe what they do, but get over to their myspace HERE to find out for yourself!

Just so you can experience a little bit of the madness that was their first live PA, here's a little video of them performing The Biggest Penis In The World... Check for Butcha's air guitar solo...

POW!

Romario Calls It A Day

2008-04-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Romario De Souza Faria, better known simply as Romario has called it a day and retired from professional football at the age of 42. There's no doubt about it, this guy was one of the best strikers to ever play the game, scoring some incredible goals whether playing for Brazil, Barcelona or Vasco. So here's a little montage - some of the footage is pretty blurry, but thats probably because TV was in its infancy when Romario started knocking 'em in... A'way... Romario. Legend. End of. Pow.

Ya Boy - 100 Bars of Death

2008-04-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

Big... Some killer lines in this shit...

Like It Was 1980...

2008-03-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

Found this up on Funny or Die... Fuck knows who this dude is, but its pretty damn amusing...

Beat Juggling With Tape Cassettes?!?

2008-03-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

Man... this shit here is pretty incredible. I'm not even sure how he's making it happen - but he is. He definitely is. DJ Ramsey shows you how to rock a jam when the soundman drops both the decks or loses the needles... POW!

La Coka Nostra - Thats Coke

2008-03-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

First video I've seen from the Coka Nostra guys, and its pretty slick. Maybe one day they'll get round to releasing an LP...

Everlast Interview

2008-03-29T03:13:00.000-07:00

House of Pain and La Coka Nostra frontman Everlast talks about his forthcoming new LP...

See more from Everlast at Martyr Inc

Bonus Footage:

Snoop Dogg - Jump Around

Weezy Hit By Champeezy

2008-03-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yo, my finger ain't so much on the pulse, but scratching my balls while the pulse goes on unchecked. Sure you've all seen this already, but here's Lil' Weezy getting the crowd's backs up at the Stratford Rex (Jesus... last time I was there was 10 years ago for Fresh '98...)

Hip Hop Songs About Hip Hop No. 1

2008-03-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Pacewon & Mr Green: Hip Hop

Broken Language '08

2008-02-29T00:10:00.000-08:00

Didn't believe this when I saw it, and even then I worried whether it'd be any good, but Method Man and Redman do the original of Broken Language proud with this version for the '08. Big, big things.

Tom Caruana Remix Time

2008-02-18T00:13:00.001-08:00

Brighton based producer Tom Caruana is one of the most prolific beat makers on the south coast these days, spilling out more hot bangers than many of his contemporaries. So many beats in fact, that now he's turning his head to remixing some of those artists from the other side of the water. Its all unofficial of course, but the man can certainly add a little UK flavour to the tracks he's selected... So here you go... TC:

Gangstarr - DWYCK (TC Remix)

Q-Tip - Breathe & Stop (TC Remix)

Casual - Thats How It Is (TC Remix)

NORE: Cocaine On Steroids

2008-02-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

POW! Okay, so this mixtape came out last year, but I think it's still one of my favourites, up there with Clipse's We Got It For Cheap Vol. 2 - NORE is king of that ign'ant shit, and if you like a little bit of that, then this tape doesn't fail to please. From the opening Cocaine Cowboys, via the explosive Club Shit featuring Three Six Mafia, this is some shit to bump as loud as possible in the whip or in your cans. So click that link, twist your cap back, roll your sleeves up and get thugged out. Cocaine on Steroids - by far the best name for a mixtape in the last few years, mixed by DJ Green Lantern, so get ready for some spinbacks and explosions...

Cocaine On Steroids

First Down: Last To Fall

2008-02-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

Have a butchers at the photo from the post below. See that tall block on the right? Well, most of you probably don't know that in that block, up on the 22nd floor, was where one of my favourite UK albums of all time was recorded. An album which still gets bumped hard in the Illwood Heights stereo. Any ideas yet? Well, allow me to put you out of your misery. World Service, by First Down dropped in '94, and proceeded to put Brighton truly on the map as far as hip-hop music goes. The combination of heavy beats and the uncompromising vocal styles of the emcees rode the line between the Britcore styles of crews such as Gunshot and Deliverance and styles infiltrating our ears from the other side of the pond. Regularly rated in the top 50 UK hip-hop LPs of all time, World Service was a big inspiration to me as an up and coming rapper, and continues to prove worthy of the accolades it received.

A few years later, a follow up album was recorded, although never released.

Later in 2008 though, these tracks, and some brand new material will be released upon an unsuspecting world through the medium of mixtape. Featuring Korekt, Aroe, Baron Demus, Surprize, Bluze, and featuring guest spots from Remark (Deliverance), MC Mell'o' alongside others I'm sure. And how do I know this? Well, I'll be guesting on the mixtape as well. I spent a day locked in the studio the other week, and I can officially tell you that it is sounding HOT. Now I understand there's still a bit of recording to get done before the tape is finished, so here's a couple of tracks from World Service to get you fiending.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen RMX

Jaw Warfare Pt. 4

For more stuff featuring the production of First Down's Aroe, check out Soundmakers' myspace page, and hunt down the Tuff Crew remixes!

POW!

Sunshine!

2008-02-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

Into February we go, and things are looking better outside Illwood Heights with a great guest appearance from that big ball of heat we like to call the sun. It still ain't exactly hot out there, but a little bit of blue sky does make everything just that little bit better. And everything will be doper still when Dr Syntax, DJ G-Petz and myself head over to Chamonix next month for a set of three gigs in the French Alps. We're hitting the slopes though, so expect to see me on stage on crutches knowing my abilities on a snowboard!

Anyway, make sure you check the vid below of Alex Young getting wild with the ink, and if you haven't checked the site out already, head over to The Sixtyone and vote for my tracks...

POW!

'Inkin Heck! Its Alex Young

2008-02-10T02:16:00.000-08:00

Big props to the fam over at Delarge for this vid, showing one of the craziest artists in the game right now. Alex Young has done artwork for various artists such as the Nextmen, Evil Ed & K-Delight and others, and proves here that he's sick with the ink as well as the can.

Time-lapse art featuring Alex Young from delarge on Vimeo.

You can find more of Alex's work here: Brain of Alex Young

The Sixty One

2008-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

Another quick little post to get your heads pointing towards The Sixty One - a music site I had recommended to me. Its for both artists and listeners alike. Artists upload their music, and the further up the site those tracks go, is completely down to the listeners bumping them from their profiles... Confused? It all makes perfect sense once you're had a Frank Butchers at the site.

Anyway, I've uploaded a few new tracks to my page on the site, so if you feel compelled to sign up and bump them up the list, then go ahead...

My tracks are here.

HAWWWWWWLAAAA!

My Fist In Your Face

2008-01-18T02:51:00.000-08:00

Stumbled across this blog when I was jumping through random links like the Sam Beckett of cyberspace, and I'm glad I did. There's a load of good stuff on offer like the BUMPS mixtape, which I've got pounding through my off-the-back-of-a-lorry speakers right now. There's also a link to the demo tapes from one of my favourite LP's of all time, Casual's Fear Itself, which makes it worth visiting the site on the strength of that alone. A'way, I've adde the address to the Linkage section for future reference, but for now, get your mouse and hammer on these words right here ---> MY FIST IN YOUR FACE!

Blast From The Past

2008-01-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

Well its Saturday afternoon, and here's a little treat for you all. Taking things back to 1999, a little footage from that year's South East Mixing Championships, featuring some early footage of my old friend Killa Kela back in the 360 Physicals days... You can spot a few infamous faces in the background, including yours truly...

Pure Mayhem

2008-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Not sure what happened to The Terrorists' mixtape that this tune was supposed to feature on, but for those that haven't seen it, here's the video for Mayhem by my good friend Dr Syntax... A very dope track, with a very dope video, I think you'll agree...

Happy New Year Motherfuckers!

2008-01-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Guess who's back... Yeah, thats right, I've finally composed myself and dragged my stinking carcass out of the intoxicated liver-fuck that was my Christmas, Birthday and New Year, and I'm now rolling up my sleeved and preparing to hit 2008 with the kind of ferocity normally reserved for Newcastle fans with season tickets behind Sam Allardyce's dug-out. I realise that the tail end of 07 was a bit slack as far as Fantana Reports goes, but I'll endeavour to bring you a little bit more quality over the next 356 days. Who knows - it might actually happen.

So... thats all very well, but what have you got for us now?, I hear you cry. Well let me cut to the Chevy Chase.

First up, registering strongly on the radar is the debut LP from NYC producer/deejay Statik Selektah. Now you may or may not know the name just yet, but Spell My Name Right hits all the right buttons as far as I'm concerned. I had mad trouble picking it up from around Brighton and had to cop it online, but its worth the search to get your hands on it. The list of guests he's managed to rope into appearing is pretty phenomenal. DJ Premier, KRS-One, Large Professor, Q-Tip, Joell Ortiz, AZ, Royce the 5'9", Ev from Dilated Peoples - the list goes on. The beats are all pretty tasty too, from the laid back Stop, Look, Listen to the Mike Tyson's Punch Up sampling Punch Out (see what they've done there) featuring Big shug. Anyway, picking up this LP if you haven't already got it would be a sure fire way to kick off 2008 in style, so go geddit!

I also picked up Termanology's Hood Politics V, but I won't offer my opinion just yet, as I haven't listened to it enough to do any review justice...

Right, moving on to video of the week - taking things over to the Westside for Ice Cube's Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It - judge this for yourself fam, but up here at Illwood Heights, I'm definitely feeling it.

In UK news, it gives me great pleasure to announce the return of Dusty Crates Radio after a brief hiatus. My man Last Skeptik will be uploading new shows on the rgular, so head over, slam a bookmark in that goddamn web address, and rest easy knowing your life is a great deal more complete than it was before you did it. And while I'm on the subject, check out Skeptik's Under The Patio for January. If you don't know, know you know.

Moving on to films. Whatever you do, don't waste an hour and a half of your time sitting through I Am Bell-End or whatever Will Smith's new flick is actually called. Nothing more than a yank rip-off of 28 Days Later, with possibly the worst ending I have endured for a good few years. Its that shit that I thought I'd post a breakdown on here, but then I thought no, if you want to ignore my advice and watch it, then do. You won't get that time back though, ya heard! Oh, and don't get me started on the shithouse CGI...

Anyway, before my blood reaches boiling point and I spontaneously combust, I think I'd better mention the fact that my man Vecks from Genius Squad has a new track up on his myspace called Sunday Service, featuring Rup the Cnut and yours truly, pontificating on the finer points of the beautiful game.

Other things that are good, before I go: Jessica Alba in Sin City; My liver healing itself after the festive booze up; The new beat I got off Tom Caruana; Gigs in the French Alps in March; Longusto's forthcoming CD; Anticipation of the new Aliens vs Predator film (whether or not it will be any good is another question, but I live in hope); Call of Duty online (PS3 you Xbox chumps)...

Till next time.

Breaking News: UGK's Pimp C Found Dead

2007-12-05T00:23:00.000-08:00

Click Here For Full Story

Sad news. RIP.

Its Oh So Quiet

2007-11-28T03:50:00.000-08:00

Its damn quiet here in the office today, so for once I thought I’d take some time out to pop a little summin’ summin’ up on here for a change. I threw up the Scarface video earlier today – if you’re hating on that track, you’re obviously a joker, so jog on. Not much has been moving on the hip-hop front down here in the South Easy. No big shows of any size, and nothing seems to be on the radar either. This time of year is always a quiet one as the students start drifting back to their famalams, and the cold weather seems to stop people wanting to travel further than is strictly necessary in search of a good night out.

If you haven’t heard it yet, go check out the new Wu Tang long player – 8 Diagrams. Aside from a few minor irritations (I’m not a big fan of some of the singing up on there) its definitely a return to form for the crew from the 1-6-Oooooh. There are some on fire verses from Meth and Ghost – fuck it, all of the Clan bring the heat during the course of the LP, obviously dedicated to the man ODB (Rest in peace Ol’ Dirty!). So go find yourself a copy and get into that kung-fu frame of mind. Wu-Tang Clan still ain’t nuttin’ to fuck wit’.

Anyway, its time for the random Fantana Reports Top 10. On fire my good man.

1./ Girl You Know - Scarface
2./ Posse From The Bronx – Camp Lo (Black Hollywood LP)
3./ I’m So Hood Remix (yes, really) – DJ Khaled feat. Jeezy, Luda, Busta, etc.
4./ Ego Trip – Dubbledge ft/ Skrein (Richest Man in Babylon LP)
5./ Weak Spot – Wu Tang Clan (8 Diagrams LP)
6./ Prove Me Wrong – Rick Ross ft/ Devin The Dude
7./ We Gon Ride – Saigon ft/ Tru Life
8./ Stop, Look, Listen – Statik Selektah ft/ Styles P, Termanology & Q-Tip
9./ Get Naked You Beezy – The Federation
10./ Popos – Turf Talk ft/ E-40 (West Coast Vaccine LP)

And a big special shout to my man 184 who has put the finishing touches on his remix of my track Ill Padrino, as well as G-Petz laid down some ill chops in the hook. I’ll link it up on my myspace as soon as I get a second.

F