ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

I've been playing the new Busta Rhymes record "Don't Touch Me (Throw The Water On 'Em)" for the past few weeks on my show and it's fire. Lyrically and energetically, it's the return of the classic L.O.N.S/The Coming/Gimme Some More animated Busta that I used to love. The video for it has just hit the net:

But for his return to music, Busta's doing it double A side style and has also done a track with Rock band Linkin Park...

Read the rest of this entry

This 7 year old needs some harsh discipline:

"I wanna do it 'cause it's fun. It's fun to do bad things -- and drive into a car." Reporter: "Did you know that you could perhaps kill somebody?" Milton: "Yes, but I wanted to do hoodrat stuff with my friend"

Wow. Just wow. Expect to see this kid in prison in about 10 years.

Last Wednesday 23rd April, Vula passed through my show with the multi talented Ben "Specks" Jones on the guitar and threw down one of the finest live sessions I've had the pleasure of being in the studio for. She performed 3 tracks:
- last week's Jam Hot "If U Want It" (the title track from her EP due out on 16th June)
- "Oh My Gosh" (one of the Basement Jaxx Tracks she featured on) and
- A cover of classic "I Can't Go For That"

Producer Kasey held down the levels, I held down the camera and I'm in the process of editing the videos as we speak. I've managed to upload the first - the video of her performing "If U Want It". Click below to enjoy!

Read the rest of this entry

Shouts to Austin Da Boy for putting me up on this one.

Remember when lip synching ended the career of Milli Vanilli? Marian Carey got caught out on friday lip synching to her song "Touch My Body" on American TV show Good Morning America which is like the US version of GMTV only on a much grander scale. Check this out:

LMAO at "Stop singing my part now bay bay..." Only Mariah could get away with something like this. Imagine if Leona got caught doing the same thing... she'd get ROASTED!

After looking at all the comments online when I posted the November 2007 edit of the 1Xtra TV ad, I thought I'd share with you the March 2008 re-edit!

The music in this is as follows:
1) Estelle - American Boy
2) Kelly Rowland - Work
3) Wiley - Wearing My Rolex

Don't say I dont do nuffink for ya!!

Every week on my show, I choose one record that isn't just hot, it's JAM HOT and I play it every day. This week the honour goes to a slab of major league Canadian drum & bass:
Visionary ft D.Suade & RnR - Change (VIP)

β€’ Visionary are DJ/producers and (click the underlined for their myspaces)
β€’ Both are from Toronto in Canada (although Marcus is has Guyanese heritage) and have been producing for over 15 years
β€’ They describe their sound as a fusion of "lovers rock with original vocals with rub a dub bass, soul and breakbeats"
β€’ Even though the pair own and run 3 record labels, they've had material signed to over a dozen D&B labels including L Double's Flex, Mc Fearless' Hustlin' Beats and Shy FX's Digital Soundboy and also collaborated with the likes of Benny Page and Shy FX
β€’ "Change" features the vocal talents of 2 of Toronto's hottest R&B/Soul exports and regular Visionary collaborators D.Suade and RnR
β€’ The original version updates Sam Cooke's timeless classic 'A Change Is Gonna Come' while the VIP actually has a Sam Cooke sample in the show stopping intro
β€’ Bailey has had this as an exclusive for months - so we heard it first on 1Xtra!

"Change" is due to be released sometime in June/July on Digital Soundboy recordings.

The last D&B Jam Hot was Jonny L's "Oh Yeah" which has quickly become an undisputed dance floor anthem and a #1 on the official 1Xtra and Radio 1 D&B Top Ten. "Change" has the right ingredients to be even bigger. I LOVE THIS RECORD!!!

Check it out on the show and let me know what you think - Monday to Friday from 7pm.

- Footage from my set at today's amazing in East London AND
- Vula's outstanding live performance on my radio show last week

Keep locked and don't forget to register to be able to leave comments. It's quick, easy and simple!

As a nipper, every day during a school holiday was started by watching one television show: Wacaday with it's host Timmy Mallett. Now, Timmy was a funny dude - huge oversized glasses, a penchant for neon (then again, it was the 90's) and he carried a stuffed mallet everywhere he went. Seems he's a boy better know fan in 2008...

Read the rest of this entry

Mega props to Emily and Jon for putting me up on this!

As a child I was a major fan of Sesame Street. Watching a show that was entertaining as well as educational was helping to shape my little mind, teaching me words, letters and how to count.

Read the rest of this entry

Do the Rolex Sweep.

Every week on my show, I choose one record that isn't just hot, it's JAM HOT and I play it every day. This week the honour goes to a soulful R&B record with an equally soulful house remix from a soulful UK singer: Vula - If U Want It (Original and Wookie Remixes).

Read the rest of this entry

..the new look 1Xtra site (hold tight for a new look to the blogs, just gotta convince the online team here at 1X to do it...!) and the updated blog software, here are 2 videos to make you hopefully laugh as much as I did. Put it this way, my stomach still hurts...

Read the rest of this entry

Welcome to a new dawn, a new era, a new day in the life of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Blogs. The software us bloggers use to create posts has been upgraded, there are still a few bugs but don't worry, they will be ironed out soon. There are a couple of slighly larger changes though that you do need to know about:

1. You will have to register before you are able to post a comment on here now. Please register, it will take a few seconds and it means you can get involved and let me know what you think of what I'm writing up on here. Sometimes a brother needs a little encouragement!
2. You will not be able to comment on any old posts so if you have a burning comment that you feel you need to make on something I blogged about 2 years ago (I'm talking to you lot who refuse to let the Timbaland vs Scott Storch post die!) email me and I may re-post the blog to allow you to comment.

From 1800 this evening (UK time), the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ boffins will be doing some essential maintenance to all of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's blogs. As a result of this, you won't be able to leave any comments on our blog posts from that time until early Thursday morning so hold tight people!

By all accounts Method Man and Redman completely obliterated the Shepherd's Bush Empire last night! If you want to hear what that sounds like then don't forget to tune into my show this Friday and Semtex's show this saturday.

Every week on my show, I choose one record that isn't just hot, it's JAM HOT and I play it every day. This week the honour goes to a steel town stormer of a record that I along with all the garage specialists (and Ras) have also been supporting: Booda and Becky Rhodes - Cheeky Things.

Who's Booda?
DJ Booda is a DJ/Producer from Sheffield who's been producing for over 15 years. He's also produced under various aliases such as Tek1, Bassface, Heavymen, Melo-D and Bass Alliance and recently collaborated with 'Godfather of Niche' Jamie Duggan on a remix for Suga Rush Beat Company's "SugaRush".

Who's Becky Rhodes?
Becky Rhodes is a singer also from Sheffield who turned 20 last week (Happy Birthday!). She sites Beyonce, Aaliyah, Faith Evans and Mike Skinner as influences on her MySpace and has got various other bassline producers clambering over themselves to work with her including Wittyboy and Mr V.

What's Cheeky Things?
Booda and Becky's previous collabo 'Secrets' was featured on Ministry of Sound's recent bassline compilation so they've decided to go with "Cheeky Things" as their follow up. The original version of the record itself (not the one on the video) has been bubbling under for a while now and doing damage at all bassline clubs across the country... so Booda gave it a cheeky re-rub and they shot a which is now on regular rotation on both MTV Dance and MTV Base; could this be the next bassline record to come from the underground and make a dent in the national charts?

UPDATE Booda and Becky will both be on my show TONIGHT (17th April) so lock in and lock on!

You can hear it everyday this week on your key to the underground with me MistaJam from 7-10pm

Welcome to the blaggers guide, a new feature that will give you everything you need to know to bluff your way through a conversation about something in black music that you were too scared to ask someone about. This month - Sound Clashes!

HipHop fans will remember when the producer Swizz Beatz was sued by Casio for allegedly stealing demo songs from their keyboards, making beats out of them and putting rappers like DMX and Eve over those beats. Well, Polow Da Don is screwing right now! If you don't know who he is - don't worry, Wikipedia says he "is an Atlanta-based music producer who rose to fame in late 2005 and early 2006 through hit singles by artists including Ludacris, Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland, Pussycat Dolls, Fergie, Rich Boy, Ciara, and Kelis." - so the guy has pedigree right?

Well, Polow has recently worked with Usher on his new single 'Love In This Club' which is currently tearing up clubs and radio all over the world. It seems that the beat Polow made for Usher is actually a preset synth sound on Apple's Garageband music making software, given for free on mac computers. Take a look at this:

Polow recently spoke about this to site :
β€œThat’s not where I got them from, but they’re definitely in there,” Polow said of the sounds used in β€œLove in This Club,” telling SOHH he had yet to view the YouTube video. β€œThere’s this keyboard I have that a lot of sounds come in.” Polow noted that the song contains a live bassline and that Robin Thicke was enlisted to play piano on the record. β€œIf a ten-year-old can make β€˜Love in This Club’ and save Usher’s career and make black women want to f*ck him again, after they was done with him for getting married, then sh*t he’s a genius just like me,” Polow said. β€œI also wrote the hook - that’s not a preset.”

I'm torn on this. Most of me agrees with Polow - anyone can sample records or synths or sounds to make a beat but it's what you do with it that turns it into a hit. What do you think? Has he done enough with the sounds to warrant Apple not trying to sue for part of the copyright or not?

The new video from my second favourite new Usher track (favourite being 'That Girl Right There' - why didn't they go with that as the first single???) has just been leaked:

Is it me or is this a shinier version of Usher's "You Don't Have To Call" video? Make up your own mind:

Every week on my show, I choose one record that isn't just hot, it's JAM HOT and I play it every day. Week 15 of 2008 - the honour went to a record I think has the potential to be absolutely massive in the UK: The Crookers Remix of Kid Cudi's Day N Nite.

Cudi (pronounced Cuddy) was born and raised in Cleveland Ohio but is currently residing in Brooklyn NYC. His unique approach earned him a dedicated grassroots MySpace following and caught the attention of Plain Pat, Kanye West's A&R, who became his manager and mentor. Pat used his experience working on all three of Kanye West's albums to help Cudi start his career and soon after, DJ A-Trak's (Kanye's DJ) record label Fool's Gold signed him to their growing roster of artists (including Kid Sister) and included him as a special guest on their sold-out North American tour.

His album 'Man On The Moon' is currently in the works and he recently smashed it at the South By South West festival in Texas. "Day N Nite" is available to download from your favourite legal download spots now but the remix by Italian superstar DJ's is the mix that takes the laid back original and smacks it to new levels of hype ridiculousness!

Check blog and his for more information on Cudi, to hear his version of Justin's LoveStoned and for the link to download the Crookers mix of Day N Nite for free!

Cudi joined me on the show to talk about the track, future plans and his inspirations:

Major league props to and of course the big homie Semtex for putting me up on this guy.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Ok, pause the Rolex Sweeping for a few minutes. Today is the 40th Anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King's assassination and irregardless of your colour, your creed, your religious beliefs or the colour of your skin; take a few minutes to watch the below:

One of the true icons of recent times, MLK's non-violent stand against oppression has inspired many people from many backgrounds across the years. Click here to hear the 1Xtra documentary looking at MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech (in full in the video above) and hear Kano, Bashy and Ali Shaheed Muhammed from A Tribe Called Quest comment on the civil rights leader's style, delivery and message.

Hopefully one day, Dr King's dream will be fulfilled.

THIS IS HILARIOUS!!!

Problem for me is that it's much better than the actual official video that you can watch via which looks like a poor trance video the kind of which you can see on MTV Dance at any given time of the day or night ESPECIALLY with the quality of videos Wiley's peers have put out there via major labels (Dizz, Kano etc...)

What do you think?

What is it with Kanye and visually stunning music videos? Here's (finally) the video for ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔcoming:

I'm a bit disappointed it didn't have Chris Martin in full B-Boy gear but you can't have everything. I love the fact that Kanye doesn't go down the heavily worn path of the rap cliche video. I love booty shaking, cars, making it rain and drinks in the club as much as anyone else but it gets a bit too much in every rap video. What do you think?