Leeds Hip Hop Scene

I seem to be spending a ridiculous amount of time in the Faversham recently. The reason? Well, apart from my mate Anna’s predilection for 2-for-1 burgers (Monday nights… get to know), there is the small fact that the venue insists on putting on quality UK hip-hop acts on a regular basis. The latest culprits to trip up the motorway from the Big Smoke were Verb-T, MC partner Kashmere and UK super-producer Ghost… and I was pretty excited at the prospect of catching them live. As you may have gathered if you read my recent review of Verb-T and Harry Love’s “Back To Basics” album, I really rate him as an MC… on record at least. Would the magic translate into a live environment? Read on, my friends, read on… I was greeted at the door by bouncers keen to shake me down in search of marker pens. Not having any on me, I was allowed in and proceeded to size up the venue. I think Noah was on the decks for a sec but was swiftly replaced by Eliphino, celebrating his 22nd birthday by playing a solid hip-hop set with the usual heavy scattering of J Dilla tunes.  MC Haiku Before the headliners stepped up, we were also treated to a brief “improvised introduction” by El’s crew, 9-Lives Clik - AKA MCs Chief Wigz, Haiku and Pro-Optik. The three brought enough energy and enthusiasm to their intricate rhymes to make me wish they were on for longer, but one track was all we got and then Verbs, Kashmere and Ghost were upon us.  Their show was something of a mixed bag. Ghost thankfully proved himself to be as proficient on the 1210s as he is behind the mixing desk and his track “Seldom Seen, Often Heard” definitely ranked as the high point of the night in my humble opinion. Kashmere and Verbs both held their end up on the mic and at no point was there a real quality control issue. However, the conservative nature of the musical product they were pushing mattered much more as part of a live gig than on an album - the show was largely lacking in the rawness, originality and the indescribable “x-factor” that makes for a truly great show. Having seen similar but more high-profile Lowlife combos at the same venue in recent months - Braintax plus Mystro plus DJ Kam, Jehst plus Asaviour plus DJ IQ - I have to admit that one onlooker’s comment that this was “just another UK hip-hop show” rang sadly true.  I wouldn’t want anyone to think for a second that I didn’t have a good night and I’ll still be checking for releases by these artists, but in terms of hip-hop shows I’ve experienced, Wednesday night was pretty middle-of-the-road. If you want to judge for yourself (or are just gutted that you missed out), I think 1Xtra still have a recording of the same line-up warming up for Jehst and the Nextmen if you follow this link.