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Kanye
West |
Kanye
West is a real one-off
in the larger-than-life world of
hip-hop. Firstly, he’s from Chicago – hardly
a hotbed of hip-hop activity in
the tradition of New York or Los
Angeles – and secondly, he’s made
that rare move from behind the
mixing desk to the front of the
mic when usually, it’s the other
way round.
Indeed, it was his early production work that got him noticed by the Roc-A-Fella label
but he first came to prominence via his stunning contributions to Jay Z’s 2001 album, Blueprint,
and the tracks Takeover and Izzo
(H.O.V.A.).
Rumours soon spread that West was to make his much anticipated debut
as a rapper but all expectations were dashed after he was involved
in near-fatal car crash. Following a period of recovery, West re-appeared
seemingly stronger than ever. In addition to recording and releasing
his 2004 debut album, the universally acclaimed The College Dropout, West left his indelible mark on hits
for Talib Kweli (Get By), Ludacris (Stand
Up), Jay
Z (03
Bonnie & Clyde) and Alicia
Keys (You Don’t Know My Name) as well
his collaboration with Oscar-nominated actor Jamie Foxx (Slow Jamz).
At the beginning of 2005, Kanye West secured an incredible 10 Grammy
nominations (he went home with three) while his sophomore effort, Late Registration, raised hip-hop’s bar. A true original, Kanye
West has made good on hip-hop’s original promise.
Download
Kanye West now or
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Roots
Manuva |
To his mum, he’s Rodney Hylton Smith from Stockwell, South London. To the rest
of us, he’s
Roots Manuva, the standard bearer for UK hip-hop.
He first came to mainstream prominence after making a guest appearance on
Leftfield’s Dusted, the opening track
of their much anticipated sophomore album,
Rhythm & Stealth, but it’s through a series of highly
regarded albums that he’s come to make his name.
With influences ranging from dub to ragga to the nascent trip-hop genre,
Roots Manuva managed to cherry pick the best bits and,
in the process, created something new. His debut album, 1999’s
Brand New Second Hand, was showered with praise and
saw him pick up a much deserved MOBO. Without wasting much time, Roots was back
in the studio to assemble the follow-up,
Run Come Save Me. Released in 2001 and preceded by the
hit single,
Witness (1 Hope), the album scored big and was
instrumental in expanding his international reputation. Though missing out on
that year’s Mercury Music Prize, it spawned the magnificent remix album,
Dub Come Save Me. His third album,
Awfully Deep, kept up the creative consistency and was
released in 2005.
Download
Roots Manuva now or
subscribe to Wippit.
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