Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. From The Word Lab |
| 2. Building A Rep |
| 3. The Unknown |
| 4. Ya Don't See The Signs |
| 5. We Stay Rough feat Rodney P |
| 6. Back In The Days |
| 7. The Long Awaited feat Lewis Parker & Skinnyman |
| 8. Right Here - Right Now |
| 9. Hostile Takeover feat Chester P.Westwood |
| 10. 24 Hours (Everyday) |
| 11. Split Personalities feat Al Tariq of Missin' Linx |
| 12. One Shark, One Piranha |
| 13. Bad Day |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Producer Mark B and MC Blade hail from South London, England. Their debut, The Unknown is a concept album (without arty pretensions) aiming to celebrate home-grown hip-hop. Conceived as a call to arms, Mark B and Blade's collaboration deserve plaudits outside US comparison. Alongside, Big Dada's Gamma they have mounted a rap attack on hip-hop's dumbed-down status quo with an album that is lyrically and sonically superb. Although the subject matter may be monotonous for most (the under-appreciation of UK hip-hop), the delivery certainly is not. Though elderly (in UK hip-hop terms), Blade's baritone breath control is timeless. He rhymes with a furrowed brow straight across battle-scarred lines, assaulting conformists on "From The Wordlab" or criticising the music industry's predilection for fads on "Ya Don't See The Signs". The ever-prolific Mark B profits from eccentricity; for him all music from Polish folk music to Elmer Bernstein-style brass is relevant. His desire to search and utilise the ultimate but strangest breaks marks him out as an innovative talent who can produce world-class state of the art hip-hop. Listening to their signature tunes, The Unknown is an affirmation of this: Blade is the everyman tripped up by life's ups and downs, chasing his demons and flitting in and out of reveries. Instead of providing a melody that stinks of dank basement isolation in the manner of such arch-miserabilists as Company Flow, Mark B provides a tidal wave of sublime funk and choppy beats and he does it over and over again. The Unknownis a great album that proves (again) that quality UK hip-hop is not a contradiction in terms. --Maxine Kabuubi
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Vinyl
I'm not the average hip hop kid, I acknowledge that, but I'd become really bored of the majority of US releases that had been hyped over the past year. Apart from Common and Slum Village I'd practically given up. I was recommended this by mr hip hop at Selectadisc in Nottingham and was immediately blown away. The beats are funky as hell, the lyrics poignant and intelligent without veering off in to the realms of navel gazing and there is some well used, very well executed old skooly SCRATCHING! I haven't given the LP 5 stars as side C isn't as strong as the other 3 sides and only mildly rocks. On the whole tho' if you like hip hop buy this. And forget the fact that they're British and supposedly not REAL enough and just listen (and dance) to the music.
Format:Audio CD
This album is Seminal in that the guys have been around the scene for 13 year before deciding to release this. The beats made by mark B are expansive and use a lot of inventive instruments and samples. Blades rapping is both exellently written and executed.
Format:Audio CD
This album blew me away. For the first time in many years i have found a U.K. hip hop album that can be labelled as a true classic. Marks production is unrivalled and Blades rhymes fit each track perfectly. 'Ya Don't See The Signs' is a fantastic track but then all of the tracks are superb. If you want a great U.K. CD from a great duo then buy this now - you wont be disappointed!
REPRESENT U.K. HIP-HOP!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
UK Hip Hop finally gets the bomb
Ok it is guilty of being a one theme CD and cultural references still tend to follow in the traditional manner but there can be no doubt that this is truely one of the most... Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2001
Now this Is Some proper Homegrown ****
This is what it is all about for any Uk Hip Hop Fan to see Two of their own out doing all of the commercial American East coast and West coast and go back to the basics wicked... Read more
Published on 31 May 2001
the best of old sckool english hip hop
bangin !!!!!! that sums in up this album.is the best combination of some bad ass beats and so hard core MC'in that i have seen
english kickes ass !!! Read more
Published on 18 May 2001
The Beat Britsh Hip Hop album in years.
Both veterans in the game, super human producer Mark B teams up Blade, still as shap as ever bustin wickid flows over Mark's simple but devastating beats. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2000 by bruceleejoet@yahoo.co.uk
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Music > Pop
- Music > Rap & Hip-Hop
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
