Dope Beat Biz Vol. 1
By Haynesy
Album Review
When it comes to Hip Hop in the UK and the history of it,
many names come to mind for those of us who have grown up with culture over the
past 30 years or so.
One of those names would be DJ Cue Tips. Many consider DJ
Cue Tips to be one of pioneers of Hip Hop in the UK. Back in 86 he was working
with MC Dashy D and dropped the seminal on ‘Hard Core Vol 1’ and from there
went on to work with the South London SLR Crew as their primary producer and
DJ.
As with many of us, life got in the way, and it would be
2018 before he would dust the cobwebs off and get back in the game. Haynsey, as
is now know, would drop a few releases via spotify and the awesome 7” dub plate
release of Big Daddy Kane’s ‘Set it off’, The Bottom Up Remix.
The concept for Dope Beat Biz Vol 1 was simple. To have a
real Hip Hop album with real beats, real MC’ing, real cuts & real graffiti
on the cover, basically everything real hip hop should be.
So, let’s get into this as I take through the album, track
by track, and finish off with a few questions dropped Haynsey’s way...
There is no easing you into this as the album kicks off with
Put Me On. This is track takes Hip
Hop from across the pond, courtesy of Neek the Exotic, and weaves it with the
UK essence, from Gee Bag. This is the kind of beat and vibe that instantly
takes you back, way back, to the days when Hip Hop was all about the party vibe
and feeling good. Not just that but, you could not pick two better Emcee’s to rhyme
over such a fresh beat. What a start to an album.
Keeping the dopeness flowing as Trained Assassins drops, a proper banger of a track. This is the
first on the album to feature legendary UK Emcee, Scorzayzee on lyrical duties
with his instantly recognisable voice and flow, showing why he is so good at
this. This one will have you moving and grooving all the way. But, don’t sit
back and rest because up next we have Suspekt, one of the UK’s premier Hip Hop
crews, dropping the dope verses on an absolutely killa beat, Back in the Day. Taking you back to the
90’s with venom and leaving you there like some wicked Hip Hop trip. Do I
detect a little bit of Sucker MC’s in there, damn this one is off the hook.
That 90’s vibe is kept well and truly alive as Haynsey’s
reworking of Use your Head hits, and
this hits hard. Originally released on the Hitmen For Hire EP by Mark B (R.I.P)
& Blade from 1998, this one gives a renewed life to a dope classic track.
Not only that but, for those of us who know and love the Blade sound, this one
is a fitting tribute to everything Blade was and is.
How do you follow that? Well you take a funky Hip Hop beat
and a talented UK Emcee, in this case Dweller, and let nature take its course.
The outcome, another banger Jungle,
laced with a funky guitar hook, Dweller just gives the lowdown on himself and
life out there. The goodness just keeps on coming. Which is so true as
Scorzayzee is back on the hard and heavy Pioneerz.
This one grabs you by the ears and doesn’t let go but, you wouldn’t have it any
other way. Dope beatz and the kind of lyrics that have the corners of your
mouth curling upwards.
Pick it Up hits
featuring DDouble Impactt flippin’ their verbal skills on a proper boom bap
vibe track. Before you know it you are now half way through this album and the
energy just keeps you bouncing along and shows no sign of letting up any time
soon. The beat kicks in for Tri Polar,
which has Scorzayzee dropping his hat-trick with some more comical rhymes over
a banging beat which has a nice jazzy vibe to the chorus.
Next up we have the return of Dweller kicking it on These Days. This one has you bopping
and moving to a funky ass vibe that you just wanna keep feeling all day long,
and that vibe keeps going with heavy banging old skool vibe of Now and Then. Featuring south coast
Emcee Whirlwind D, this one takes you from the days of old to the days of now
and back again. Up next is Whirlwind D’s B-Line stable mate Chrome on Start the Panic. This one ups the
energy levels with a frantic style from both Chrome’s lyrical delivery and
Haynesy’s banging beat that will have you breathless in a good way.
Before you know it we down to the penultimate track, Evolution. Back one last time is
scorzayzee. This one has a jazzy style, still with a kicking beat, that might
take you back to the days of Gang Starr. Taking you on a trip though how
artists have used the technology available to them to get their message out
there and create their masterpieces.
The album finishes off with funkiest track you have heard in
a while, W-E-G, with WEG taking you
on a journey through a vision of his own life. Easing off the pace a little
but, not enough for you to lose focus. This is the perfect way to finish of
this album, in my opinion anyway.
First, I gotta say Wow...
Even though I knew who was on this album and the pedigree of
the producer I have to say I entered into this, as I always do, with little
expectation.
The vibe of the whole album is such that it gives you an
awesome feel good feeling from start to finish. I would say that would be the
same for us old skool heads, right up to those who might only just be getting
into Hip Hop.
Haynesy’s concept, production, music and Cut’s arrangement
is flawless from start to finish. Bringing you vibes that are proper Hip Hop at
its essence and it is that connection to rawest element of what Hip Hop is that
gives this album such an enjoyable feel. The guest Emcees are all on top form
and bring their individual styles and energy to each track. I don’t think that
Haynesy could have got a better group of guest together for this one. The album
is polished off the expert turntable skills of one Jabbathakut who provides all
the cuts for the album.
This album is a package and that package includes the
artwork. This was provided by one Chris Archer AKA Drop Dead Fresh.
Mixing was done by Haynesy and Leo Kin and Mastered by Leo
Kin.
If you bring all elements of this package together does it
truly do what it has set out to do, to create an album of Pure Hip Hop in all
its elements and down to its true essence. With all honesty I would have to say
that it not only achieves what it set out to do but, it takes that Bar to a
whole new level and does what other producers have done this year like Specifik
and DJ Pandamonium have done and craft something that says, here is my
experience of Hip Hop and what Hip Hop means to means to me, and puts that into
audible form for everyone to listen to and enjoy.
This is probably a good time to hear from the man himself.
So, what did I ask him...?
So, firstly I asked him why he dropped the album now and if
there was any driving force behind it?
Haynesy: I’ve always had an itch over the years to self produce an album to my
taste basically, & the fact the tech has advanced enough that this is
capable with laptop was the green light really. I’ve been making mash ups on my
iPhone with various apps for years but was always acutely aware that I was
using 1% of my creativity by being limited to literally apps.
Next I asked him if there was any plan behind the guest
MC’s. I wanted to know if he had specific people in mind as he worked.
Haynesy: It just snowballed really. To get my ear back in I released straight to
streaming sites an album of vocal stem remixes featuring Scorzayzee &
Dweller, old acappellas of theirs basically...I contacted Scorz & asked out
of professional courtesy whether he’d like to hear them & he really liked
them so I pitched the idea of doing an album with various MC’s & he said
he’d be up for it.....then what I was totally unprepared for was the reaction
to my back catalogue from the 80’s, once people knew I was DJ Cue Tips who did
Control etc then the pieces just started falling in place with the MC’s.
So, how does he
feel about being looked on as a pioneer or even founder of what a lot of people
now call Britcore?
Haynesy: I was told recently
by a few people that Control was the first ever Britcore track which is
something I’d never considered, we just thought at the time “what’s not been
done & how can we be different” so we banged the tempo up & made it
130bpm(!)
.....it’s very
flattering but not something I’ve ever really thought about, there were a few
of us from ‘86 trying to fight the ‘novelty of uk hip hop’ factor which
is why we made Control different, we all played our part I like to think.
For me this
album feels like a master class in bringing together every element that Hip hop
is, was and could be. It just has that feel good vibe that is the essence of
hip hop. Do you see it that way or does it have a different vibe for you?
Haynesy: I tried to make 13
tracks all as good as each other & all you’d want to hear over & over. Problem
for me is I have ADHD so I hyper focus & have a psychotic attention to
detail, so I’ve had every track on an operating table so to speak 1000 times to
get them just right to me, so I’ve heard them all as many different version
with 100’s of little edits, but now yes, I can play from start to finish with a
smile, Job done.
I asked how the Blade came about. As with this track being the
only one on the album being a remix of a track already out there?
Haynesy: I just asked him if he’d do a track & played him the other tracks on
the album, he said yeah....so then I panicked as he’s so busy with 05:21 so
rather than chase him to record a new track I asked him if I could redo an old
track of the bottom up, from the bare acca & that he owes me a new track
however at some point in the future, to which he agreed.
With this album
being Vol 1, I wondered if Vol 2 was already in the works.
Haynesy: Well I’ve left nothing on the table with
this one, & now it’s done I have a decision to make, my 2 options are the
easier route i.e. releasing a string of singles with various MC’s, or having a
month or 2 out & starting volume 2.
Finally I asked if
there is anything else in the works, aside from the prospect of Vol 2.
Haynesy: I get up at 5am every day purely so I can
have 90mins outside a coffee shop near my work with the cans on. I have so many
beats/ideas/random tracks on the laptop that I don’t know what I’m going to do
next, my project management without a goal is bloody awful so that’s why I need
to make a call soon.
OK people, so there
you have it, A little insight into Haynesy and how everything came about on
this project.
I found it very
interesting that he has ADHD, as I was diagnosed with ADD a few years back and
the way I approach what I do for these reviews. I don’t start to write until I
have listened to the music enough times to really feel it inside.
So, there is little
left for me to say except I can see this becoming an instant classic. The
blending of beats, lyrical flows, music and cuts is everything Hip Hop is to
its very core. This is the definition of Hip Hop music.
So, go out there
and get your copy, you will not be disappointed.
Huge thanks to
Haynesy for giving me the opportunity to review the album.
Till next time, I’m
outta here,
Peace.
Steve
