Nekwreka Presents
BLADES
The Rhyme Slayers EP
It’s been a couple of years since we last heard from the
Guys from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Kid Lyrical & Wizla. So, I
wanted to know why they decided to drop this new EP now and so asked them and
this is what they had to say:
We
are always involved in different projects and in general it happens
organically. People will hit us up individually and as a group for features on
the regular, so even though we haven’t released something with Blades for a
minute we have still been consistently making new music and getting heard. We
have been working with the POTF crew over the last few years doing features for
the UK/EU Britcore scene so when we were given the opportunity to do a few
tracks as an EP it was pretty easy to do. We didn’t even plan on doing anything
like that to be honest so it’s good to have peers who are motivated and keen to
push you to make more music. Guess it’s about fuckin’ time tho haha...
So, now you know the why. Let’s get into it.
Now, if you’ve been
feeling that your Hardcore Hip Hop taste buds have not been fully satisfied recently,
then you need to be prepared for this one, because the guys have hooked up with Nekwreka
(aka: Inzaine from Planet of the Fakes, who got to know the guys after
they worked on Shadow of the Lunatic LP) and Naked Ape/Underground United to release this new EP,
RHYME SLAYERS.
Its sixteen years since the guys released their first self
titled Album, Blades of Hades (as they have also been known). So what can we
expect from the guys who have had a pretty good run so far?
The easiest way for me to do that is to give you a Track by
Track run down of the EP and see if I can give you a teaser of just what your
ears can expect.
Both, from my point of view as reviewer and also the view of Kid Lyrical and Wizla, so let’s get into
this:
Enter Hades is the
intro and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the Album. Deep Hardcore Hip
Hop, banging beats and heavy guitar, very much in the vein of the Hardcore UK
acts we know and love with Kid and Wizla on fine form with rapid fire, in your
face lyrics.
BLADES:
One hot minute of heavy guitar riffs with a slamming beat and trademark Blades
spits sets the scene for the rest of the EP.
Rhyme Slayers,
which features DJ Highfly, does not let up on the heavy banging beats and adds
the rapid scratch of DJ Highfly. Your energy levels are launched into orbit
with Kid and Wizla displaying exactly why they are the Rhyme Slayers by
assaulting your senses with impressive verbal skills.
BLADES:
This track does not fuck around instantly booting ya in the face with a heaving
britcore breakbeat and devastating cuts from Highfly followed by Kid and Wiz
doin’ their thing. Fuck a chorus, more cuts.
DJ Highfly returns for Real
Raps. Now the BPM might not seem so hectic on this track but, don’t think
for one minute that your energy levels will drop. The beats are still heavy and
the Lyrics skilful and at times hitting you like a sudden switch from Semi to
full auto and add to that DJ Highfly’s rapid raw scratch and you get the idea
this is how Real Rap is done.
BLADES:
Another heavy head nodder with ill beat switch ups to accentuate the different
rhyme patterns of the MCs makes this one the hip hop kingpin of the EP.
We Got This Shit
is one of those tracks we all drool over as it as features a host of the UK’s
Top Underground Hip Hop Emcee’s. Joining Kid and Wizla on this track are Iceski,
Chrome, T.S.One, Exile and Inzaine. With a line up like this, what can you
expect? The track is proper Hip Hop, high energy, machine gun lyrics and every
emcee bouncing off the last with ease.
If you grab the Limited Vinyl release of the EP, this track features a bonus verse by the UK's Carpetface. So, get your order in quick.
If you grab the Limited Vinyl release of the EP, this track features a bonus verse by the UK's Carpetface. So, get your order in quick.
BLADES:
This beat soundtracks your descent down the rabbit hole into the asylum of
britcore with a swag of ill feature verses from some of the heaviest hitters in
the UK scene.
Target the Hunted
is the final track and there is no letting up here with the pace or the
hardness. Proper raw shit with Kid and Wizla grabbing you by the scruff of the
neck and smacking the taste outta your mouth.
BLADES:
This track is scary. It sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie and at
140bpm is also the fastest track on the EP.
I have been privileged to have had this to listen to for
some time and I have lost count of the times I have listened to it. However,
every time I put this on it sounds as fresh, Hard and full of energy as the
first time I listened to it.
The production here, from Nekwreka, is top notch. It has to
be, to keep the listener buzzing at such an energetic pace. Every track has
that Hardcore, rapid fire in your face style of UK acts such as Killa
Instinct, Planet of the Fakes and others.
As I continue here. I wanna give you a bit more from the a Q&A I had with the BLADES Crew &
Nekwreka:
Who brought in the awesome line up of UK emcee’s for We Got
This Shit:
BLADES:
We’ve collaborated with a lot of these guys on other releases already so are
familiar with their styles and are stoked to have them all on board. They were
handpicked by the producer. We weren’t involved in the selection process of MCs
for this track.
NEKWREKA:
"To be fair, I didn't do the leg work on the posse track. That was all on
Tibbs. He shopped the beat around, got all the verses from the artists etc. I
just did what I do after he delivered them."
The Lyrical delivery of Kid and Wizla matches the pace of
the beats with ease and that’s something to keep up the kinda hectic delivery
track by track. Indeed, as Nekwreka informed me, these guys can Rap, DJ,
produce and break so they bring the whole essence of what Hip Hop is to their
music.
In fact, I wanted to ask them about their style and how they
came to get their Hardcore/Britcore style:
BLADES:
We have always been into hardcore aggressive music as an outlet to channel our
energy in a positive way. We grew up listening to heavy metal and hardcore rap
at the same time. If it had that feel to it we were about it. Our first
exposure to the Britcore sound was hearing Def Wish Cast in the early 90s, but
we actually didn’t hear the term Britcore or start to be described that way
until much later when the UK/EU scene discovered us, we were just labelled as
hardcore (oz) hip hop. We could list 1000 influences from multiple genres, but
some major ones include Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura, Ice-T/Body Count, 2 Live
Crew, Naughty By Nature, Public Enemy, NWA, Derek B.
What was it like for the guys recording in Australia with
their producer all the way here in the UK?
BLADES:
It’s been really good. It is different working with people on the other side of
the world that you have never met, you don’t get to sit in the studio and bang
out, the process is less organic than working face to face, communicating using
text online doesn’t carry the same emotional connection and the process is a
bit more drawn out. Having said that it has been awesome working with Nekwreka,
he is a talented producer who has vision for the tracks he creates and knows
what he is going for which makes our job really easy. We receive the beat,
track the vocals, send the stems and just wait for the inbox to bing and then
it’s like a fuckin’ box of Gumpy chocolates. We sent him accapellas for ‘Target
The Hunted’ and literally received the whole track back 12 hours later with a
new beat and everything, he is a freak.
BLADES:
Yeah you could say that. Our sound has always been well received in the Britcore
scene and this EP is more for all the cats over the pond than for the oz hip
hop scene (but I know there are some old blades/Britcore fans here who will be
fangin’ for a taste too). Having said that we regularly have new fans here
commenting on our music and how it differs from everything else they are
hearing domestically which is good to hear.
It is true that this kinda Hardcore Hip Hop has its own
niche and is not for everyone. Some may find it hard to follow the speed of the
lyrical flow and the hectic beats; in fact some might find it hard to deal with
the pace at all. If you love this style of Hip Hop then this is gonna blow you
away. It’s definitely one of those EP’s you can bung on while you’re gaming or
in the car or whatever you’re doing. It also displays the global nature of Hip
Hop and unity the spans every corner of the globe.
This is definitely one for the collection and I am looking
forward to tracking down some more physical copies of the Blades material. In a
world where the digital age is making physical copies of music uncommon with
many, this is the kinda release that makes owning physical and digital copies a
real plus. The Vinyl will be a Limited 10” release from Naked Ape/Underground
United and the Digital release, brought to you from Nekwreka, you get a bonus remix of Rhyme Slayers by DJ Cold Turkey.
So, you best get in there quick you know...
So, what’s next for the BLADES Crew...
BLADES:
Keep making noise, staying creative, evolving musically and enjoying the
process. Not sure when the next Blades release will be after this… we have a lot
of tracks that are ready to go or close to it, but in terms of a release
nothing is planned. Kid has his debut solo album dropping later this year which
will be highly anticipated, and Wiz is working on the next Madhouse release
with Micks King which always feature us heavily as well.
I also asked if there was any chance they might
tour over here...
BLADES:
I swear every year since the last UK/EU tour in 2008 we revisit this
conversation and never actually get there. We are def keen to come back, it’s
hard to do on an underground budget as its literally on the other side of the
world but we would love to get back over and smash some shows. A wise man once
said “book them and they will come”, if anyone is keen to help us make it
happen let’s talk about it.
If there are any promoters out there reading this, let’s
make this happen and get the BLADES over here...
As I have said before Real Hip Hop is global and Real Hip
Hop also Lives Down Under and the BLADES have brought it from AUS to UK. Rhyme
Slayers will have you buzzing from beginning to end on a Hardcore Hip Hop trip
in to the atmosphere that will leave you breathless and leave you wondering
‘What the Fuck just happened’ before wanting to do the whole thing again.
But, that’s not all, the EP is mixed by Super JB (who you
should know by now) and mastered by Bristol’s own Rola, except ‘Target The
Hunted’ which is mastered by Gavin Weiss. Seriously, can it get any better than
this...
I hope you enjoy this as much as I have reviewing it.
I would like to thank Kid Lyrical, Wizla and Nekwreka for
giving me this opportunity and for answering my questions.
Also, a big shout out to Boris at Naked Ape for the dope
picture of the artwork you see above.
So, go pre-order the EP... Now, Links below...
On that note, I’m outta here...
Steve
Fkn awesome music and legend guys love it.
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