IT'S A LEEDS THING!

Below is a article written by Ryan Maxwell for HipHopKings.com

Hip-Hop Kings FEATURE

City Review – Leeds

Welcome to the first edition of “City Review”. Each month I will be researching, and collecting material from various city's and states across the world. This is basically an attempt to raise awareness for the city I choose, and reveal the talent that so many fans are missing out on. So why should you be interested? Well it's important to realise that hiphop is a global sound, and we are far past the days that New York and California are the only two states with quality artists. If you feel your city or state should be nominated for review, please email r.maxwell@hip-hopkings.com for more information.


This month we will be covering the city of Leeds. I have selected my hometown because I feel the talent in the city is as good as the next, and the artists involved aren't being recognised for their efforts. For those who don't know, Leeds is based in the North of England, in the county West Yorkshire. We have various reasons to visit the city, Gate Crasher and Oceania are two of the city's biggest clubs, which attract the like of DJ Tim Westwood and DJ Trevor Nelson amongst others. UK's leading rappers Skinnyman and Braintax were born in Yorkshire, and Skinnyman, Leeds itself. Plenty of gigs are held in various clubs, acts such as Roll Deep, Dizzie Rascal, El-P, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Klashnekoff have all performed, and of course the Northern Light Club hosted the Leeds night of the “Hip-Hop Kings Tour 2006”.


So lets get to the artists. In an era where everybody wants to be a rapper, and nobody supports the UK scene, it's difficult for groups and acts to gain any sort of recognition. However the likes of Yorkshire Terrierz have their video “What's Ya Life Like” on Channel U, and their debut album “Blended In West Yorkshire” can be found on the shelves of HMV and iTunes. They also hold their monthly event “Urban Mondays” at the Mixing Tin, where a live set from various local acts proves one of the highlights of the month. More information can be found on their myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/yorkshireterrierz).


They are extremely dangerous, and it's advised you don't listen to their material alone. The name is Double D Dagger. The duo are signed to Cryogenic Records, and are arguably the most notorious name from Leeds. Danger and D Bizzy are ever present when people speak of their favourite Leeds bands, and deservedly so. The “Packaged Fear EP” is available to purchase from retailers across the country, and online from www.fatcity.co.uk. Tracks such as “Batteram” and “Twisted Funfair” are the fans most popular, which is shown on their official myspace page where the duo have just under 50,000 plays (www.myspace.com/doubleddagger). Fans of Rising Son were blessed when the duo appeared at the Hip-Hop Kings Tour 2006 event at the Northern Light.


One of the most hard-working networks for the city is LHHS (Leeds Hip Hop Scene). The team at LHHS are dedicated in networking fans across the city and having the related content on one website. Www.leedshiphopscene.co.uk proves to be the website to visit, for the latest reviews and news on Leeds artists, and truly reflects the amount of talent that is arising from the city today.

Joined at the top with LHHS, is our good friends at Kmedia. Designed to promote quality unsigned artists, Kmedia works with, and represents the largest names in Leeds hiphop. As previously mentioned, both Double D Dagger and the Yorkshire Terrierz are affiliated with the company, with the likes of Bianca G, Kockee K, and Stay Focus. Their website can be found at www.kmedialeeds.com and also features the latest news and releases throughout the city. The Kmedia mixtape was a huge success, and featured artists throughout the city on one compilation. The mixtape can be purchased on the official website.


The basics have been covered, so now it's your duty to expose yourself to the scene, and check out the artists and companies mentioned. The acts might not be household names (just yet), however the quality is present, and the connection in the city is like no other. As Ras Kawme says “Don't Sleep On Leeds”.


Written by Ryan Maxwell

APRIL'S OFF THE HOOK

On the back of another OTH: If you missed it, you really missed out! April saw Rikke Normann with her full band all the way from Norway! This girl is very special!....nuff said!
Faro - The New Age Rock Star, rocked the place! with a feat from Solja, the Manchester MC making big moves!
Manky Movement managed to chat up the ladies while performing a big set! & Ash King a singer from London town, blessed the place with his soulful set, all improvised on the spot with the OTH house band!!

Below is a short video and pics from the night! - Enjoy

Pic's are here! Just click on the thumbnail below!

COMIC RELIEF FINAL TOTAL

We can now let you know after running the RND campaign and donating the proceeds from the sales of our mixtape and collecting donations. Our final total ready to send to Comic Relief is £102.50!! - Every little helps!

A big thank you to everyone who donated to this worthwhile cause!