Kill The King

A showcase of the unsigned and underground. Lets build this together. TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD [email protected]

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If you missed it this weekend: James Arthur got up to a lot. Last weekend a James Arthur - Fire In The Booth was released. Sparking controversy amongst the British rap scene; mainly due to many deserving rappers being pushed aside so the 2012 X Factor Winner could spit his game in the booth. One rapper in particular got under Arthurs skin on Twitter, that rapper was Dont Flop staple Mickey Worthless. Say what you want about Mickey, but one thing he is good at is controversy. After angrily tweeting back and forth, and a lot of trying to out-macho each other, we got some tracks from both artists. Mickey released the disco-infused Stay In Your Lane, James and James Arthur released the sax-laden (and homophobic) Hey Mickey! but soon removed it from YouTube after the huge wave of hate from fans and celebrities alike. After ANOTHER argument, this time with UK Comedian Frankie Boyle: Arthur took his ball and called it a day on Twitter. In short: Mickey Won.

Make sure you check out Mickeys Bandcamp

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Beth/Rest is the final song on Bon Ivers 2011 self titled album. The band manage to mix their well crafted sound with an 80's style synth led hook. A great feel good track. If you get the chance, the b-side Beth/Rest (Rare Book Room) is a great stripped down version interpolating a cover of I Can't Make You Love Me. It can be found on Spotify. Check out more of Bon Iver at boniver.org Add Kill The King to your social network TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD

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Audrey Hepburn is a great, chilled out song with a piano lead beat. With lyrics focusing mainly on his life, love and relationships; Minneapolis born rapper Paul Thompson delivers one of his best performances.

Check out all of Pauls releases here and a review of the album Escapism from which this song is featured.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers released Mothers Milk back in 1989. It was the first album with their most famous line-up (Kiedis, Flea, Frusciante, Smith). Featuring classic songs such as Stevie Wonder cover -  Higher Ground and Knock Me Down. Taste The Pain is a great taster for the album and shows off all the funky guitar, chants and heavy rhythm section that made Mothers Milk such a ground breaking album.

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Doomtree artist, P.O.S. released We Don't Even Live Here in March this year. Bumper was the lead single, with a bass drum-led beat and a loud synth hook, it was already a big change to the sound he created on previous album Never Better.

Check out doomtree.com for more information on P.O.S. or follow him on Twitter

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A great track from Welsh heavy rock band Heavy On The Ride. Differing slightly from the sound of their debut EP Delaying The Inevitable, Elliot brings a crunchier guitar sound and a bass and drum section that packs a punch mean enough to knock your head straight off. Definitely a riff to revel in. For more information on the band visit their Facebook, Twitter or Soundcloud

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Meadowlark is a 3-piece indie group fronted by YouTube sensation Kate McGill. This track was put on their site yesterday and is an absolute delight. Focusing on some fantastic harmonies and a catchy vocal melody, this stripped back track is a fantastic introduction to the band that will surely go on to big things. For more information on Meadowlark, visit their website Add Kill The King to your social network TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD

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Doomtree songstress Dessa has dozens of fantastic songs but this one is in my top 3. This live performance of Minesaft II is a great example of the individual style the rapper/singer brings to her live shows. Follow Dessa on Twitter Add Kill The King to your social network TWITTER | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | SOUNDCLOUD

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Kill The King favourite Sadistik has posted a very special YouTube video where he gives us a present. He is giving his latest album Flowers For My Father away for free (only need to pay for shipping). This is something that we love and look for in an underground artist. Much love to him. Support him. Happy Birthday Cody "Lets build this together." Hit up Sadistikmusic.com and fakefourinc.com for more information Add Kill The King to your social network TWITTER   |   FACEBOOK   |   YOUTUBE

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Soul Khan dropped a new video on his Youtube called Iron Galaxy Freesyle, make sure you check it out.

If you like Soul Khan, make sure to check out our review of the Soul Like Khan album, and check out soulkhan.com for more great albums.

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R.I.P Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch #RIPMCA A special post in dedication of Adam 'MCA' Yauch of the iconic hip-hop trio The Beastie Boys . It is very rare to be a Hip-Hop fan and not be a huge fan of the Beastie Boys. Their pioneering style has influenced countless musicians and rappers. His music with the Beastie Boys, will live on for generations.

I’ve loved the Beastie Boys for as far back as I can remember. I wasn’t the most loved kid in school. And the Beastie Boys were a great positive influence to really keep me going. After reading a lot of messages lately on twitter, I can tell I wasn’t the only one to really consider the Beastie Boys a huge influence. Not just on my music. But on my life. I remember sitting on my bed learning Beastie Boys lyrics when I was 13. Cheering myself up with Ill Communication when I was 14. Learning bass riffs when I was 15. Playing Beastie Boys covers with my band when I was 16. Dancing like crazy to them when I was 17. Getting drunk with my buddies to them when I was 18. Beastie Boys have always been a HUGE influence on who I am and who I inspire to be. RIP Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch

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EyeC - Happy Midnight

  Happy Midnight has a raw feel, that manages to fuse a lot of old school hip hop elements with a new school flow and content. Standout tracks include verses over the Still Got It beat and the Only Want To Give It To You beat.

Overall, EyeC has great delivery and content and Happy Midnight is a solid release from the young MC, and hopefully the start of a very exciting year for him and UK HipHop.

The EP is FREE and is dope so make sure you download it and give it a listen.

Listen to – In The Morning (Grown)

4/5 You can download the EP from here and make sure you follow EyeC on Twitter.

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Wax - Scrublife

Wax is a rapper/singer from Washington who has become a HUGE sensation on YouTube thanks to his constant work ethic, funny videos, expert rapping and constant promotion from YouTube giant Ray William Johnson.

When Wax released this mixtape in March 2011 he was quickly signed to Def Jam and will be releasing a full length Debut LP in 2013.

Describing his sound as Johnny Cash meets Jay Z, Wax holds no punches on this mixtape with not a bad track from start to finish. You will not find a better mixtape this year.

This is a quick look at some of the great tracks on this tape.

    •    Dispensary Girl Lead single from the tape. Great first choice for a single. A sing along/love song about the local girl behind the counter at the Weed dispensary store.

    •    Shoop Ba Doop (feat. Dumbfoundead) This was my favourite teaser we got pre-release. This song focuses using music to cheer yourself up during a shitty shift at your job. Fantastically chilled out and great lyricism between Wax and Dumbfoundead. I could listen to this song every day.

    •    Music and Liquor A gem on the album. As the title suggests, this song focuses on a guy who’s life revolves around making/listening to music and getting drunk, and getting caught in the spiral of those two points.

    •    Everything Made famous by Youtube superstar RayWilliamJohnson. This upbeat track is bound to get your head nodding within its first bar. This song focusses on having a girl who “could be your everything” but not wanting to be in love and focussing on other ventures in your life. One of the best on the album.

    •    Two Wheels My favourite single from the tape. This FANTASTIC sing along track would sit nicely in a top ten chart anywhere in the world. Focussing on the protagonist losing his driving license due to a DUA, he now cycles everywhere; enjoying the sights and smells of California. This song captures the whole feel of the album perfectly, a great frat boy sing along with some expert rapping.

In conclusion, this really is the Mixtape of the year.

4.5/5

Scrublife Mixtape by Wax

  You can download Scrublife from here and you should follow @Bigwax on Twitter.

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Paul Thompson - October

October is the latest album from Minneapolis based MC Paul Thompson. If you haven’t checked him out yet, he has a load of different projects that are all worth a look. Featuring collaborations with Dispossessed  Records label-mates John Daniel and Z, October is up there with the best of Pauls work.

Leading in with a beautifully, piano led beat – A Delicate Balance starts the album off by instantly pulling the listener in to its unplugged elegance. This is a real gem of a track and would sound fantastic with a live band.

Another gem on the album is the haunting Taylor Misiak collaboration Paris. Taylor’s almost Broadway-esque voice sits elegantly next to Paul’s mesmerizing and descriptive verses. A very fresh sound from Paul on this track and the collaboration is genius. I wouldn’t say no to a bigger project between these two.

Lyrically, this album is brilliant and a true testament to how hard this artist works. The song ideas are world class and the beats are the best I have heard him use. There is still work needed on the flow and delivery, but if these problems were addressed, there is no doubts in my mind that Paul Thompson could be one of the next big Minneapolis MCs.

Listen to – Curtains pt 2, April Song, Paris

4/5

  October by Paul Thompson

  You can download the EP from here and you can find more information on the artist from his Facebook page

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Happy Birthday Food & Liquor. 5 years ago today, a relatively unknown 24 year old Chicago born rapper released an album that would go down as arguably one of the best debut rap albums of all time. Food And Liquor fired Lupe Fiasco into the mainstream, a feat which is very unusual for a rapper that talks such knowledge in his rhymes. 



The album opens with a poem spoken (by Lupe’s sister) over a background noise of street noise set the album up perfectly. Experience and knowledge spoken from a street corner is the whole feeling I get from this album. 

Lupe’s hunger on this album is evident in every track. From the guitar driven second track Real all the way to the conclusive Kick Push 2 via chart hits such as his address to the state of hip-hop Daydreamin’ and a story about a man and his love for skateboarding, Kick Push.

Featuring production from The Neptunes, Mike Shinoda and Kanye West and featuring artists such as Jill Scott, Jay-Z and Pharell; this album has something for everyone and still manages to keep the message throughout.

Lupe himself is lyrically fantastic on this album. His story telling and technical ability is as good as its ever been. Arguably one of the best to do it.

Personally, I remember being in college and hearing Daydreamin’ on the radio and being automatically interested in this guys music. I got hooked from the start and he has gone on and brought out 2 more great albums and countless EPs. 

If you are a fan of Rap music and you haven’t heard Food and Liquor yet…what are you waiting for? You are 5 years behind.

Happy birthday Food And Liquor.



  4.5/5

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(this is a re-upload from September 19 2011)

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KD Knows My Name - Cover your ears!

Cover your ears! by KD knows my name

A 3 track pop covers EP from hardworking South Wales punk band KD Knows My Name.

A reworked version of the Fountains of Wayne 2003 smash hit Staceys Mom (reworked to Staceys Dad) is the stand out track with the other two tracks being covers of Reach by S Club 7 and Hey Ya by Outkast. Not bad for a free download and great for fans of KD Knows My Name and parody fans.

Listen to: Hey Ya

3/5

You can download the EP from here and you can find more information on the band from their Facebook page

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Inspired - Inspired  

Inspired’s self titled EP is a beautiful and honest acoustic voyage through the mind of Kristian Davison.

Kicking off with my personal favourite track The Water. Kristian takes your conscious into a deep journey on life and what happens when it comes to an end.

Next up we have a brutally honest tale about self growth and change. Don’t Belong ends with an aggressive “Acousti-punk” chanting over heavy acoustic guitar strumming which leads into the gem of the album, Unfortunately.

Unfortunately has a beautiful melodic vocal part combined with strings, bass guitar and drums to create a world class tune. The extra instruments really stand out compared to the rest of the soft gentle tones we have heard on the previous tracks. The build up into the poignant flute solo is just phenomenal. Kristian sings his heart out on this track, which can be felt by anyone who hears it. 10/10 track.

There aren’t many songs that can follow up that, but Reason stands its own as a solid track. With guitar reminiscent of Foo Fighters-Everlong, Reason manages to stay soft and fragile, yet anthemic.

Final tracks Invincible and Falling In Love manage to close the EP off very well. With vocals tackling the subjects of self-doubt and self-reflection which is a running theme through-out the project.

Overall Inspired is a very talented songwriting act that has managed to create a sound so gentle yet aggressive that can draw the listener into their own memories due to the sheer conscience-ness being shown through the lyricism

Listen to: The Water, Unfortunately.

4.5/5

  You can get the EP from the here. You can find more information on this artist on the official Facebook page.

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