Must listen! Check the brand new FREE mixtape from rising UK hip-hop star Nate. Thought-provoking conscious lyrics, ghetto reportage, Afrocentric vibes, soulful beats and some great features from the likes of Lowkey, Logic, Cycolonius, Mohammed Yahya and Raggo Zulu Rebel.

DOWNLOAD HERE (MEDIAFIRE)

Tracklist:

1. Intro Feat. Dark Matter
2. Can’t Defeat We Feat. Tony As, Ethneezy & Raggo Zulu Rebel
3. You’re Amazing Feat. Dark Matter & Reena
4. Not For Sale
5. Could Be You Feat. Logic, Mohammad Yahya Jay-Jay
6. Africa Feat. Cyclonious, Dark Matter Jalex
7. Skit Feat. Dark Matter
8. One Wish Feat. Cyclonious, Lowkey Amy True
9. Cold Feat. Cyclonious
10. Spark My Soul Feat. Manic, Tony As & Jay-Jay
11. Inner Peace
12. Time To Shine Feat. Tony As, Non-Applicable, Raggo Zulu Rebel & Jay-Jay
13. Outro Feat. Dark Matter

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Can’t believe Rebel Diaz ‘Warrior Wednesdays’ has been going on for four weeks and I’m only just blogging about it now!

Check out these four great conscious hip-hop tracks, all available for free download! Let us know in the comments which your favourite is (I’m going for ‘Guilty’).

All tracks can be downloaded from http://warriorwednesdayz.blogspot.com/.

Week 1: Guilty

Week 2: I Need You More

Week 3: Craazy

Week 4: Chubaca

If you’re in London, you can catch Rebel Diaz at the following events:

LATIN AMERICA RISING – film, panel discussion and performance
Thursday 16 June, 2011, 5.30-9pm
Bolivar Hall, near Warren Street tube
Facebook event page

SPEAKER’S CORNER
Friday 17 June, 2011, 9pm-5am
Brixton Jamm
Facebook event page

Kyza drops some thought-provoking bars over this classic Common (Kanye-produced) beat. Kyza is a talented and underrated MC – this vid is definitely worth checking.

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Non-step militant rhymes from UK hip-hop legend Skeme, filmed as part of the recent SBTV 1K Cypher. Trust me, this is deep.

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Just a few days ago I was raving about this track. Here’s the perfect video to go with it.

Pharoahe Monch, Styles P and Phonte explore the position of black people in the US, exposing the many problems and bringing a message of unity.

(Styles P)
Give me five on the black hand side,
I’ll tell you what I see through the black men’s eyes
Fly chick, in the Cadillac a black man rides,
But every different day a different black man dies
Shwaty momma tripping off of crack, mad high
Now you’re watching TV, loving the bad guys
Piss poor with the welfare check
You know we’re African,
Cause we ain’t get healthcare yet,
Now he puts down his knapsack, got a crack pack
You don’t overstand if your vision ain’t abstract
Me and the projects, a lot of us is lab rats,
Voted for Obama, hoping he wouldn’t have that
Now I can tell you that I felt that
I still remember how a cell smells
I still remember how the pigs at
Family crying up on the ?, I couldn’t have that
Open the door and teach your soul,
Passing the blunt around, and hoping to reach his soul
Now give me five on the black hand side,
Goes to Pharoahe Monch watch the black man ride!

Chorus (Phonte)
I say open the door, let me in,
Teach your soul, preach your sins
Turn the cheek, let it slide
Give me five on the black hand side

(Pharoahe Monch)

Pharoahe’s a Navajo chief, the way I’m making it rain
Enough for a stipper with emotional pain
You would spiks shit that’s meant for the brain
Cause rain plus soil equal fruits and grains
My hood told a ni**a keep it simple and plain
Let me explain the game, break it down a couple levels like tetris
These youngins kill they own blood for a necklace
Leave slumped over the wheel of your lexus
Smoke kush, wake up and eat breakfast,
What the fuck he expect?
A generation overly obsessed with mobsters
Our revlutionaries won grammys and oscars
Imposters, fake orators, weak shockers
Making a mockery of the music to be pop stars,
And they say I’m a saint, because I see the remains of the whips and chains
In my hood where it ain’t all good
Peep the main of a single mother struggling
Young child sayin give me five on the black hand side!
Let’s maintain like it’s Soul Train keep and move it together,
I’m saying

Chorus (Phonte)
I say open the door, let me in,
Teach your soul, preach your sins
Turn the cheek, let it slide
Give me five on the black hand side

The ‘Celtic warrior maroon from yard’ drops pure knowledge for the block over a hard grime beat. Four minutes of mindblowing skills and wisdom!

It would take hours to transcribe the whole thing, but here’s the last bit:

This whole thing’s chess
And they want us to celebrate the fact that we are just pawns
But man are not on it
See the last thing they want
Is for man with road energy to stop killing one another and think cleverly
And ask why you’re living where you’re living, how you’re living
Did you create the condition that you were raising your kid in?
If you didn’t, who did it?
Is it really for the hood if our oppressors like our lyrics?
Only by crushing your aspirations can we maintain this here situation
Only by crushing the dreams of your kids quick
Can we keep our unearned privilege
And that’s what it’s all about

Knowledge is power!

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Six minutes of inspiration and sense from Logic!

Download the MP3
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One of the best tracks from Wretch’s debut album Wretchrospective (which was released in 2009 – if you haven’t got it yet, cop it quickly before the next one comes out!). The intro says it all:

“Now I’m a man with strong beliefs / And that’s something that no-one can ever take from me / Or you / Nah / You may only be the employee / But that don’t mean your boss can take your integrity / Or your passion / And remember – they can never take your soul”

Pure positive vibes from UK legend Skinnyman! As usual, Skinny’s reppin’ for the youth, telling you the truth in the only way he can be sure you’ll listen to it – in music.

Great video as well, including footage taken at an anti-BNP protest.

Lyrics:

Chorus:

Music speaks louder than words
It’s the only thing the the whole world listens to

Verse 1:

They didn’t want to understand about the views of the kids
Until they heard it getting ran over the music I did
A true reflection of the way we live
Getting broadcasted live way beyond those council estate cribs
The sound of music and the power it gives
That’s why I’m forever reaching out to my fans, doing my gigs
Anyone who see my show can see how true that this is
Now there’s journalists wanna interview me for this
They can’t be disillusioned or confused from my hits
I’ve just been telling it the way that it is
It’s not about showbiz
Before that they wanna make my words sound twist
I think they’re either dumb, ignorant or taking the piss
Before I get into this and let my words sound twist
I say excuse me while I light up my spliff
I’d rather twist up my ‘erbs
Instead of letting you lot twist up my verbs
I let my music speak out for me, louder than words

Verse 2:

I took my raps and ran to the booth
I knew my lyrics brang you the truth
It’s like nobody didn’t wanna take a stand for the youth
I let them know that the system’s got a plan for the youth
And how the media really couldn’t handle the truth
They don’t expose how the police like to handle the youth
In broad daylight they get away with strangling youth
In Camden Town on a Saturday, I brang you the proof
RIP Uncle Dob I’m still banging for you
I’m damned if I don’t, same way I’m damned if I do
Now if I namesake they claim say I’m some scandalous yout
Cos the message that I bring to ya
Is the opposite to their political hypocritical propaganda
So know what you stand for or fall for anything
The jewel in the mind is worth more than any bling
That’s why I’m bringing myself up in this position
To give it you it the only way the whole world listens to

Bridge:

I stay loyal to the music
It won’t betray me
And I’m mad over music cos it drives me crazy
I’ve changed for the better cos my music’s changed me
I feel I’ve been saved like my music’s saved me
Unstoppable, got my ambition in music
And I won’t go abuse my position in music
I’m feeling like a man on a mission in music
The way to make the whole world listen is music

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