Happy 2012!! Bless outs to you and yours. It’s that time of year again when various entities throughout the music sphere all offer up their annual top selections for the year in review. I’ve tried this before but have always found it so taxing to choose out right once you realize how much quality music is put out over the span of 365 days. As such, many of my selections come from tunes released on the latter points of 2011, all still fresh on my playlist… Think “Oscar season”, when Academy awards come near, the nominations are usually released just a few months prior when still in the hearts and minds of the committee. Seasonal-timing aside, there are still some early releases that have stayed relevant throughout the year.
These days there are so many perspectives on music and so much accessibility to disseminate those feelings through the global circuit. So let’s be real… no matter how much knowledge or status one has in a music scene, these lists are all based on slanted opinion. As such, I will make no attempt at an unbiased list for 2011. Foremost, I love grime, rappers and other vocalists. I love dubstep and hip-hop, both of which can be classed as the two top types of urban music in the world right now; the former still riveting from its massive explosion circa 2009, and the latter in its golden age but presently still heavily influential on music worldwide. It’s the amalgamation of all of these urban styles that have fit into my top rated this year.
However, the other unique aspect of my approach comes from dubstep, which has also greatly impacted the sounds of grime and hip-hop this year. In 2011, I also heavily began to notice a balance between mainstream music and the ambiguous underground depths of urban/EDM scenes. How do you define what is “underground” via a particular sound-style (dubstep) versus a “mainstream” sound? Dubstep was a completely independent movement having manifested itself into the consciousness of millions of people around the world, without any major label or mainstream assistance. In fact, the term “resistance” could be implicitly put out there in regards to the major players, taking tenants of dubstep and applying it to various musical styles with absolutely no acknowledgement of the London star child. Any insiders of the LA music industry privy to the details of Rusko’s business ventures can attest to this.
So with that in mind, some of my selections will have that tinge of pop; which is really just a natural progression for anything coming out in the public eye. That said, my selections are still very much in the independent or “underground” realm that dubstep no doubt occupies, having facilitated that realm in its own right. Sure, the prevalence of dumbed-down, cheeseball music comes out of the pop industry (with product placement in excess), but there are still high-quality outputs hitting the charts. Katy B currently being a prime example of quality 140 urban bass music. Yes, regardless of how you feel on the topic of “mainstream”, some pop music is there because it is so fantastically formulated and executed by recognized artists; artists whom have all came from the “underground” at some point.
However, the other unique aspect of my approach comes from dubstep, which has also greatly impacted the sounds of grime and hip-hop this year. In 2011, I also heavily began to notice a balance between mainstream music and the ambiguous underground depths of urban/EDM scenes. How do you define what is “underground” via a particular sound-style (dubstep) versus a “mainstream” sound? Dubstep was a completely independent movement having manifested itself into the consciousness of millions of people around the world, without any major label or mainstream assistance. In fact, the term “resistance” could be implicitly put out there in regards to the major players, taking tenants of dubstep and applying it to various musical styles with absolutely no acknowledgement of the London star child. Any insiders of the LA music industry privy to the details of Rusko’s business ventures can attest to this.
So with that in mind, some of my selections will have that tinge of pop; which is really just a natural progression for anything coming out in the public eye. That said, my selections are still very much in the independent or “underground” realm that dubstep no doubt occupies, having facilitated that realm in its own right. Sure, the prevalence of dumbed-down, cheeseball music comes out of the pop industry (with product placement in excess), but there are still high-quality outputs hitting the charts. Katy B currently being a prime example of quality 140 urban bass music. Yes, regardless of how you feel on the topic of “mainstream”, some pop music is there because it is so fantastically formulated and executed by recognized artists; artists whom have all came from the “underground” at some point.
A song that can reach across genres with appeal for all sorts of people, whether the zealous or the ambivalent, is a truly great accomplishment and attests to the quality of that music. So although I do really rate these tunes as the best of 2011, understand as well that the pop-appeal in all of these selections is indeed a factor for my selections of recognition. This music blog’s focus has always been oriented around the culture that fosters the foundations of our music and facilitates further growth. This year, the breakthrough of dubstep into the mainstream was a huge moment. The year for dubstep as LoDubs boss man Jon A.D. put it, “2011 was a clearing of the smoke.” And I personally cannot wait to see what’s what our newfound clarity for bass weighted and urban music inevitably reveals as we progress into the future.
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Best MC 2011
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#3. For this, I would imagine that most people would rate P-Money this year... and rightly so. Following recognition in the grime scene in 2010 via his now infamous clashes with Ghetts, 2010 also saw his deviation into dubstep proper. Following the massive reaction to his vocal version of Doc P’s “Sweet Shop”, P-Money took off on the grime-step tip, benefitting from the close links grime shares with dubstep. Mic controlling regularly on London radio with his OGz crew (Blacks had his breakout year), as well as touring 2011 with Plastician, P has gained fans all over the world. He then teamed up with the top producers, getting on massive rave anthems such as the Swerve x Marco Del Horno collab, “Ho! Riddim”, Magnetic Man’s “Anthemic”, (plus a huge remix from Faze Miyake), as well a terrible vocal version for Flux P on “Bass Cannon”. (It’s notable to mention the “Bass Cannon” effort simply because the original version was one of the largest dubstep anthems this year).
Magnetic Man ft. P-Money - "Anthemic" (Faze Miyake Remix)"
Swerve v. Marco Del Horno ft. P-Money "Ho! Riddim"
Swerve v. Marco Del Horno ft. P-Money "Ho! Riddim"
But it wasn’t merely dubstep that P should be recognized for this year. Without a doubt, his largest (if not the largest) tune of the year was Royal T’s vocal remix of TRC’s “Oo Aa Ee”, entitled “Boo You”. A garage-grime hybrid, with nothing but the naughtiest, sexually explicit lyrics from P himself, Blacks and Slickman. Inspired by Oxide & Neutrino’s “Remy On The Dancefloor”, this tune singlehandedly re-energized 2-step garage styles at the perfect moment for grime when it has began moving back to its instrumental roots of UKG; spearheaded primarily by the brilliance of the Butterz label. Props to P for hearing the Royal T remix and creating a massive garage-inspired tune with an inhibit ability to cross genres with ease, resulting in airplay from top selectors amongst UK Funky, Grime, Dubstep and beyond. Expect much more from P-Money as we go into the new year.
P-Money & Blacks ft. Slickman - "Boo You" [Butterz]
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#2. Stateside across the Atlantic, where dubstep seems to drown out its sibling-styles, P-Money seems the most likeliest to be the top MC of 2011. However, there were other artists who made homegrown waves as well, which just didn’t get marketed well outside of the British Isles. That said, the runner-up for best MC of 2011 was Dot Rotten. The former OGz member was one of the few to be signed to a major this year, a huge accomplishment for any grime star. However, in grime, a major label deal is something of a glass ceiling. The artist almost always will enter into commercial pop music far removed from grime. But Dot getting signed to Mercury Records was more special because of the relationship he has with music and grime.
Dot is an uncompromising grime artist, yet always maintained a level of soul and depth that few within the hyped aggression of grime can deliver. A primary factor for success in 2012 as he develops into a mainstream artist, is his singing skills, that ability to hit his notes in key, as well as using auto-tune in a quality, aesthetic way. And that’s not to mention he is a fantastic producer, which is a strong tenant as it acts as a filter for his beat selection for upcoming projects. Like P-Money, he also had huge dubstep tunes with ace producers such as Breakage and True Tiger this year. He’s recently just come off tour with Chase & Status, so here’s to hoping he gets in studio with them in 2012. Along the lines of pop appeal, his collaboration revealed an affable character for mainstream radio play. His recent collaboration with Diplo was bass-pounding electronic hip-hop, with that bass coming more from those smashing kicks than any sub-bass patterns, with Dot’s delivery on point for each snap of the drum. Dot was busy this year, but it's no long ting... his work ethic is uncompromising.
Breakage ft. Dot Rotten - "Ain't Nobody"
Ed Sheeran ft. Dot Rotten & Scrufizzer - "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" (True Tiger Remix)
Dot Rotten - "I Want To Annoy" (prod. Dilpo)
Dot Rotten's final release as an independent artist was a celebratory/promotional free-release he gave out for just after getting signed. The Above The Waves EP carried an immense quality that makes one feel it could carry over to any urban audience.And just this month, Dot dropped the first single since being signed to Mercury. Released along with a wicked video, which literally takes place in a ‘paper stacking’ facility, the song “Keep It On The Low” is, as Louise Brailey at NME put it, “uplifting grime-derived pop music in hi-def.” This song epitomizes so much about the trends I foresee with 140-bass music in the coming year and beyond; that is, in regards to the pop-sphere. The relationship to mainstream music is so evident in this tune, with a smooth, vocoder-induced chorus followed by a hard-hitting drop accompanied by equally hard bars that can stand on par with the most aggressive of grime. It’s that appeal that makes it so unique across the board, and this style may very well be remembered as a breakout track for 2012.
Dot Rotten - "Normal Human Being"
Dot Rotten - Normal Human Being from Luke + Barber on Vimeo.
Dot Rotten - "Keep It On A Low" (prod. TMS) [Mercury Records]
***Update Note: Although it's now 2012, I'd like to share the exclusive 2nd single from Dot's work with producers TMS and Mercury Records. The follow-up tune to "Keep It On A Low" (also a TMS production) is further indicative of the huge things on the horizon for Dot Rotten in 2012. Cop the release on March 5th, 2012. Massive!
Dot Rotten - "Are You Not Entertained" (prod. TMS) [Mercury Records]
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#1 Although Dot Rotten is on track to have the biggest year in 2012, he was just shy of the best in 2011. That honor goes to the man that’s “badder than the baddest bad boy that you’re bad with… and that’s badboy, Trim” aka Trimeleon, aka Monkey Man, aka Trimbal aka Trimothy, aka Taliban Trim aka… well, you get me. Trim is one of the most unconventional characters in grime. Only could he make an off-beat flow sound so on point. So maybe you’ve always known Trim but didn’t vibez off that flow... Or perhaps those massive pars on his talking dubs maybe just aren’t your thang, fair play then.... Or maybe you’ve never heard Trim before since he’s always been heavily underrated.... Understandable. But for 2011, “You don’t have to know of me, I’m Trim I kinda used to flow off beat, but it’s fresh Trim now, I do not sleep… and do you not see, I do not need, no one […] I’ve got this, but who’s got me”.
I won’t even begin to mention his past history with Roll Deep, et all. That's because 2011 is fresh Trim now. Man is primarily just an independent artist, even running his own crewdem, Circle. Independence noted he is nearly a living legend amongst his niche, cult following of Bow E14 and beyond London City. The master of word play is more a poet than anyone in the “rhythm applied poetics” definition of ‘rap’, especially for grime. On the surface, an aesthetic is brought forth from the abstract and free-flowing expression, which floats atop deep substance contained within each rhyme scheme and word put together. The whole piece then comes off as pre-emptively systematic, yet also brazenly effortless. And in 2011, “effortless” shouldn’t ever be applied to Trim. Man just did not stop at all this year, dropping a respectable four mixtapes, adding 12 to his total work rate still, with a debut album still waiting. They were all well received for their experimental formulation of beats, accompanied by diverse content and subject matter delivered from the methodical London lyricist.
Skream ft. Trim “Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dumb!” [Skreamizm]
Pritch & Trim - "Stereotype" [Planet Mu]
Last Japan ft. Trim - "Blood Diamond" [Bullet Train Records]
Trim gained a wider fan base this year, featuring on some top-notch producers. Standouts were Skream’s “Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dumb!”, the Stereotype EP collaboration with Mark Pritchard on Planet Mu, and one of the top vocal-originals in the dubstep scene this year, Last Japan’s “Blood Diamond” (which I still get chills listening too). But just as the rest, last other top emcees of 2011, it was not the dubstep which shown through as the artist’s best this year. Once again, and not surprising in the least, a Butterz release topped Trim’s discography this year (Butterz also dropped P’s “Boo You”). Trim’s vocal collaboration with TRC on his “Skipping Rope” riddim entitled "I Am", was one of biggest grime tunes of the year. It was also released with the huge B-side "Notice Now". And thanks to Butterz marketing foresight, the acapellas were given out public and heavily remixed gaining Trim further notoriety amongst the scene.
Trim - "I Am" (prod. TRC) [Butterz]
Trim - "Notice Now" (prod. D.O.K.) [Butterz]
Despite his diverse style, staying away from the rapid-fire verbal assaults, and ultra-violent aggression, Trim still defines what it means to be grime by his wordplay. Although sometimes unacknowledged, or as I’d prefer to think, “tacitly implied”, wordplay is indeed the most important characteristic in what makes grime separate from simple raps at 140 BPM. And when it comes to wordplay, Trim is unrivaled. Although he may not be the most recognized, he is definitely the best at the moment…. The monkey man went ape shit in 2011, so expect more monkey business in 2012. “If you notice this notice you will notice that, this notice is worth noticing… take note of that.” P.E.A.C.E.
***As you can see, most of the top selections for 2011 came from the Butterz camp. In fact, "Boo You" vinyl release as well as the I Am EP have been the only vocal releases from the 2-year-old label, speaking to their quality control. Check the Butterz boss dons' Elijah and Skilliam's fresh Rinse:17 compilation. Grime will be huge in 2012, and Butterz will be continue to be the ones at the forefront. So just remember on thing: Butterz is the label! Latas 2011... and onward we march!
P-Money & Blacks ft. Slickman - "Boo You" [Butterz]
---
Dot is an uncompromising grime artist, yet always maintained a level of soul and depth that few within the hyped aggression of grime can deliver. A primary factor for success in 2012 as he develops into a mainstream artist, is his singing skills, that ability to hit his notes in key, as well as using auto-tune in a quality, aesthetic way. And that’s not to mention he is a fantastic producer, which is a strong tenant as it acts as a filter for his beat selection for upcoming projects. Like P-Money, he also had huge dubstep tunes with ace producers such as Breakage and True Tiger this year. He’s recently just come off tour with Chase & Status, so here’s to hoping he gets in studio with them in 2012. Along the lines of pop appeal, his collaboration revealed an affable character for mainstream radio play. His recent collaboration with Diplo was bass-pounding electronic hip-hop, with that bass coming more from those smashing kicks than any sub-bass patterns, with Dot’s delivery on point for each snap of the drum. Dot was busy this year, but it's no long ting... his work ethic is uncompromising.
Breakage ft. Dot Rotten - "Ain't Nobody"
Ed Sheeran ft. Dot Rotten & Scrufizzer - "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" (True Tiger Remix)
Dot Rotten - "I Want To Annoy" (prod. Dilpo)
Dot Rotten's final release as an independent artist was a celebratory/promotional free-release he gave out for just after getting signed. The Above The Waves EP carried an immense quality that makes one feel it could carry over to any urban audience.And just this month, Dot dropped the first single since being signed to Mercury. Released along with a wicked video, which literally takes place in a ‘paper stacking’ facility, the song “Keep It On The Low” is, as Louise Brailey at NME put it, “uplifting grime-derived pop music in hi-def.” This song epitomizes so much about the trends I foresee with 140-bass music in the coming year and beyond; that is, in regards to the pop-sphere. The relationship to mainstream music is so evident in this tune, with a smooth, vocoder-induced chorus followed by a hard-hitting drop accompanied by equally hard bars that can stand on par with the most aggressive of grime. It’s that appeal that makes it so unique across the board, and this style may very well be remembered as a breakout track for 2012.
Dot Rotten - "Normal Human Being"
Dot Rotten - Normal Human Being from Luke + Barber on Vimeo.
Dot Rotten - "Keep It On A Low" (prod. TMS) [Mercury Records]
***Update Note: Although it's now 2012, I'd like to share the exclusive 2nd single from Dot's work with producers TMS and Mercury Records. The follow-up tune to "Keep It On A Low" (also a TMS production) is further indicative of the huge things on the horizon for Dot Rotten in 2012. Cop the release on March 5th, 2012. Massive!
Dot Rotten - "Are You Not Entertained" (prod. TMS) [Mercury Records]
---
#1 Although Dot Rotten is on track to have the biggest year in 2012, he was just shy of the best in 2011. That honor goes to the man that’s “badder than the baddest bad boy that you’re bad with… and that’s badboy, Trim” aka Trimeleon, aka Monkey Man, aka Trimbal aka Trimothy, aka Taliban Trim aka… well, you get me. Trim is one of the most unconventional characters in grime. Only could he make an off-beat flow sound so on point. So maybe you’ve always known Trim but didn’t vibez off that flow... Or perhaps those massive pars on his talking dubs maybe just aren’t your thang, fair play then.... Or maybe you’ve never heard Trim before since he’s always been heavily underrated.... Understandable. But for 2011, “You don’t have to know of me, I’m Trim I kinda used to flow off beat, but it’s fresh Trim now, I do not sleep… and do you not see, I do not need, no one […] I’ve got this, but who’s got me”.
I won’t even begin to mention his past history with Roll Deep, et all. That's because 2011 is fresh Trim now. Man is primarily just an independent artist, even running his own crewdem, Circle. Independence noted he is nearly a living legend amongst his niche, cult following of Bow E14 and beyond London City. The master of word play is more a poet than anyone in the “rhythm applied poetics” definition of ‘rap’, especially for grime. On the surface, an aesthetic is brought forth from the abstract and free-flowing expression, which floats atop deep substance contained within each rhyme scheme and word put together. The whole piece then comes off as pre-emptively systematic, yet also brazenly effortless. And in 2011, “effortless” shouldn’t ever be applied to Trim. Man just did not stop at all this year, dropping a respectable four mixtapes, adding 12 to his total work rate still, with a debut album still waiting. They were all well received for their experimental formulation of beats, accompanied by diverse content and subject matter delivered from the methodical London lyricist.
Skream ft. Trim “Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dumb!” [Skreamizm]
Pritch & Trim - "Stereotype" [Planet Mu]
Last Japan ft. Trim - "Blood Diamond" [Bullet Train Records]
Trim gained a wider fan base this year, featuring on some top-notch producers. Standouts were Skream’s “Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dumb!”, the Stereotype EP collaboration with Mark Pritchard on Planet Mu, and one of the top vocal-originals in the dubstep scene this year, Last Japan’s “Blood Diamond” (which I still get chills listening too). But just as the rest, last other top emcees of 2011, it was not the dubstep which shown through as the artist’s best this year. Once again, and not surprising in the least, a Butterz release topped Trim’s discography this year (Butterz also dropped P’s “Boo You”). Trim’s vocal collaboration with TRC on his “Skipping Rope” riddim entitled "I Am", was one of biggest grime tunes of the year. It was also released with the huge B-side "Notice Now". And thanks to Butterz marketing foresight, the acapellas were given out public and heavily remixed gaining Trim further notoriety amongst the scene.
Trim - "I Am" (prod. TRC) [Butterz]
Trim - "Notice Now" (prod. D.O.K.) [Butterz]
Despite his diverse style, staying away from the rapid-fire verbal assaults, and ultra-violent aggression, Trim still defines what it means to be grime by his wordplay. Although sometimes unacknowledged, or as I’d prefer to think, “tacitly implied”, wordplay is indeed the most important characteristic in what makes grime separate from simple raps at 140 BPM. And when it comes to wordplay, Trim is unrivaled. Although he may not be the most recognized, he is definitely the best at the moment…. The monkey man went ape shit in 2011, so expect more monkey business in 2012. “If you notice this notice you will notice that, this notice is worth noticing… take note of that.” P.E.A.C.E.
***As you can see, most of the top selections for 2011 came from the Butterz camp. In fact, "Boo You" vinyl release as well as the I Am EP have been the only vocal releases from the 2-year-old label, speaking to their quality control. Check the Butterz boss dons' Elijah and Skilliam's fresh Rinse:17 compilation. Grime will be huge in 2012, and Butterz will be continue to be the ones at the forefront. So just remember on thing: Butterz is the label! Latas 2011... and onward we march!
