Hip Hop was invented by white men with beards and sandles - Fact...

Firstly I would like to thank Mr Troublesome for his kind welcoming words, I’m truly touched (but you won’t be touching me again good sir. We were drunk, I was emotionally confused and you’re a date rapist…). However I must address the ‘elderly victims’ that were discussed by Sir Trouble. Those pair of centurion bastards tried to bum rush me for the last copy of Gardener’s World so I had to merk their asses – end of…

Right onto business…



'Twat', you were probably thinking after reading the title of this post, but I urge you dear reader, let your eyes scroll on and take in what I have to say - it'll either make you think, 'that boy might just be onto summat there' or just merely reiterate your initial thought…

In the interests of continuity I'm about to lace Ruffhousing with another Top 5. This particular Top 5 is a short explanation of a theory I have been bouncing around for a while - just as James Brown, The Last Poets etc and the urban melting pot that is NYC invented hip hop in the early 70s in the States, it was simultaneously invented in dear old Blighty by a munch of hirsute folk artists...

Right, so here goes my Top 5 reasons/songs/albums of the connection between British folk and hip hop…


1. Rain and Snow – Pentangle



This is the track that started it all off for me. Its all about the moment Terry Cox’s drums drop – they just straight bounce! Basically Pentangle are the seminal folk super group. Their line up of Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Jacqui McShee, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox is super dope, but you don’t give a fuck about all that folky guitar nonsense do you? No, probably not. But let me tell you about Danny Thompson and Terry Cox, their rhythm section. These boys were Brit jazz bad boys and Bert and John basically pissed of the whole Brit jazz scene by nicking them, but to what boom-bappin’ results! Man they lay down a groove and a half! They swing like monkeys hanging from nooses! Basically peep this track (it’s on a wicked album called Reflection) and try and stop your head from boppin’ when those drums drop. So there’s your beats…


2. Matty Groves – Fairport Convention



Story telling rhymes and violence are big in hip hop but they’ve been big in folk since the middle ages. This is like a folk ‘Children’s Story’ or ‘Love’s gonna get you (material love). Basically, young Matty has been nobbing Lord Donald’s wife and got busted – which is a bit like Jigga catching Bow Wow (fka Lil’ Bow Wow) with his dick all up inside Beyonce. Now Matty ain’t packin’ shit but a pocket knife while Lord Donald be rockin’ two long beaten swords. Instead of getting’ knee deep in some neck wettin’ your Lordship toss’s his best sword to Matty and let’s take the first blow! This doesn’t do shit and Lord Donald slays him where he stands – now that’s both noble and gangsta! Needless to say the woman concerned is a bit peeved at this so Lord Donald merks her ass too – pimpin’ ain’t easy yo! And all this song by Sandy Denny, the MC Lyte of the folk world! A true ghetto/rural story!

This track is available on what may be the all-time classic folk-rock album, Liege and Lief – every record collection should feature a copy. Oh and kick ass drums are featured throughout, especially on ‘Matty Groves’.


3. Sir James the Rose – Steeleye Span



I swear man, Run DMC should have covered this track! This is some proper folk-rock and once again with an utterly gangsta theme – the auburn haired Sir James has offed one of his noble homeboys and there’s a crew on his tale to deliver divine retribution. Guess who Sir James turns to first, one of his old bitches! But the slaughter posse catch up with his ass and stick his head on a spike. The lyrics are delivered from the point of view of the story-teller and Sir James himself, which would be perfect for Run and Daryl or a couple of Beastie Boys to trade-off with each other… And all this is told over some seriously block rocking beats – it seriously wouldn’t surprise me if a break from this track turned up in some unreleased Afrika Bambataa mix…Anyway, this track is on an album called Rocket Cottage (check the hilarious ‘take the title literally’ artwork) which also has a track with a sick drum, bass and violin loop – use it…




4. The Hunting Song – Pentangle



They’re just too dope, are old Pentangle, and this track is so sample-able it’s untrue. In fact UK producer Ghost used it on his debut but not before my brother (TimLowe – www.myspace.com/brummiebeats) had made a far superior version only for it never to see the light of day. Sinister bass, a guitar loop and Terry Cox’s funky drums make this track a proper gem - imagine Wu-Tang in Morris dancing cipher and you’re half-way there…Don’t really wanna go on about this track too much, check the video above recorded for the BBC. Oh, and it’s on an album called Basket of Light.

5. Comus



Well I’ve already mentioned violence but what lies on Comus’s debut album is some Grave Diggaz ultra gore violence shit! A bit like Necro with a Lute…For instance, here is the first verse of the track ‘Drip Drip’ –

You dangling swinging
Hanging, spinning, aftermath
Your soft white flesh turns past me slaked with blood
Your evil eyes more damning than a demon's curse
Your lovely body soon caked with mud
As I carry you to your grave my arms your hearse
You stand before me defenceless
Your stare unchanging silent, cold, intense sears my brain


I don’t think I need say much more…Its just straight gore delivered mover some haunting, tribal folk backing with all kinds or eerie flutes, female backing vocals, spooky violin etc thrown into the mix. The album is called First Utterance and it’s the least funky but most scary of this Top 5 – check it if you’ve got the minerals…


So there you go…check these tracks/albums out and either think I listen to some gay folk, or enjoy the hip hop undertones which a smug ‘we invented these steez time ago’ smile on your face. British folk and hip hop – one and the same mate…no wonder Task Force came out with the Voice of the Great Outdoors EP, all that pixie shit was in their veins…

STYLEZ OUT

'If you like good music..'

Then you may wish to download an exclusive mix by one of our residents:

Reecha Presents 'The Ruffhousing Ruff n Tuff party'

Reecha - Lets Make Kyrpnotine
Diplo - Hollertronix 1.5
Scottie B + King Tut - Kill em' in the Club
Uffie - Ready to Uff
Prince - When Doves Cry
Marcos Dos Santos - Not on the Gueslist
Herve - See me
Justice - Let there be Light
The Cars - Just what i needed (Roctakon edit)
Jamelia - Something about you (Mr. Ozio mix)
DJ Ayres - Pitbull v Yaz
Tittsworth - The Jeffresons
Bugz In the Attic - Dont stop the music (switch mix)
Scottie B + King Tut - African Chant
Mekon - Yes Yes Y'all (sinden mix)
Scottie B + King Tut - Call me Al
Low Budget - Whatchooknowaboutthis
Roctakon - Sunglasses at night
Splat Pack - Shake dat Ass
Solid Groove + Sinden - Red Hot
Tiga - Move my body
hijack - hijackin (herve's f*ck f*ck mix)
Double 99 - Ripgroove (Tim Deluxe 2006 mix)
Teki Latex - Disco Dance (Para One mix)
Stevie Knicks - One Winged Dove

Listen/download here

look out for more podcast/mixes- next up Tom Troublesome's top ten tunes to cut yourself to- buy it if you your into Pete Tong/Ibizia

Negativity: The Top 5

I would like to begin this post by welcoming the newest member of Team Ruffhousing: Mr Brummie Stylez AKA Lord Lucan.

Stylez came to our attention during a trip up to Birmingham whereupon we noticed him shanking wildly in WH Smith. When he seemed to have calmed down – and the ambulances had dispatched his two elderly victims - we approached him and asked if he was interested in contributing to our blog. His eyes seemed to say 'Yes, absolutely!' but his mouth said 'Fuck off and leave me alone', so we were forced to pursue him along the street for roughly 45 minutes until, eager to get rid of us, he reluctantly agreed.

Now, with his first post under his belt (not literally) he is truly part of the musical/satirical/digital behemoth that is Ruffhousing. Brummie Stylez, we salute you.

Anyway, back to the post in hand. Recently, there has been a great deal written in the media about the negative influence that music may be having on the youth of today. Certainly, with the recent incarceration of grime MC Crazy Titch following his part in the murder of a rival crew member who had 'dissed' his brother, Durrty Goodz, the promotion of gun violence, criminal behaviour and general nastiness has never been more controversial. It is of paramount importance that music celebrating these activities is not encouraged or condoned, especially by young people in the poorer areas of Britain.

However, here at Ruffhousing, we are middle class. I, for example, get my butternut squash from a local farmer's market, take a weekly pilates class and rarely watch ITV1. So, since the media seems to be solely concerned with the effect that violent and unpleasant music may have on the working classes, it is all well and good for us to present to you our top 5 songs promoting dangerous, horrific, deplorable and violent behaviour!

We will be looking at 5 different categories here: Gun Violence, Drugs, Morality, Criminal Behaviour and Sexism/Mistreatment of women. So, come on, let's do this!

1. GUN VIOLENCE

Vybz Kartel – Bus Mi Tool


This category was only ever going to won by a dancehall artist, although The Lighthouse Family's 'Lifted' did get an early look in. 'Bus Mi Tool' is a glorious celebration of all things gat-related. Kartel begins the song by claiming, “me nah trust me mother, nah me father, nah me gyal like how me trust me gun”; an emotion that I think we can all relate to in this fickle age we live in. One of the best aspects of this track is that, unlike so many other gun tunes, Vybz does not – at any point – attempt to apologise for, or condemn, his obvious love of busting shots. From his confession that as “me wake and brush me teeth, me haf fi bus mi gun” to his reminiscing over halcyon days gone by when he had only a “paper gun” to play with, this is truly one man's love letter to a cold, metal killing machine. Much of the song is made up of Kartel's descriptions of various different guns that he owns and from the “day-breaker gun” that his butler brings him in the morning, to “the vagina gun” he uses to “shot” “pussy bwoys”, they are all comedy gold. In fact, during the second verse, Vybz's passion for the humble gat becomes almost too much for him to bear as he cries, “more time me think seh I'm a gun”; this is quite clearly a man on the brink not only of a violent episode, but also of some sort of schizophrenic attack. Say what you will about the negative promotion of gun crime on this track: at least it's negative promotion from the HEART.

2. DRUGS

The Heartbreakers – Chinese Rocks


Drugs, as we all know, are bad. But are they? Are they really? Yes, they are. However, on 'Chinese Rocks', Thunders, Hell et al manage to transform all the dirt, squalor and grime of heroin addiction into a slightly more glamorous and appealing package, without really losing any of the original dirt, squalor and grime. 'The plastic's falling off the wall', sings Richard Hell, “my girlfriend's crying in the shower stall/It's hot as a bitch/I should have been rich/But I'm just lying in a Chinese ditch”. It's all so seedy and sticky and sad but at the same time, there's something very attractive about it; perhaps because, while Hell is essentially complaining about the situation that the 'Chinese Rock' has got him into, he never really expresses any desire in the song to change his ways. This is, quite simply, a fantastic song and it goes a long way towards confirming what we've known all along: taking heroin is a good idea.

3. CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR

Big L – Lifestylez Of Da Poor & Dangerous


No type of journalistic interpretation of this song could ever do its unapologetic violent brilliance justice so I will simply transcribe it as if it were an interview.

Ruffhousing: What's your name?
L: My name is L
Ruffhousing: Where you from?
L: I'm from a part of town where clowns get beat down and all you hear is gun shot sounds.
Ruffhousing: What happens at night time?
L: At night time, niggas try to tax. They sneakier than alley cats; that's why I carry gats.
Ruffhousing: How would you describe yourself?
L: I'm a motherfucking fugitive. Buck-wild and foul is the lifestyle that I choose to live.

L goes on to explain how he and his friend Chuck use to “stalk the city” essentially robbing and abusing people. The culmination of this anecdote is that, having “stuck a dice game on the Av”, L murders Chuck in cold blood in order to steal his half of the loot. The trend that is appearing throughout all these songs is that, in addition to their horrific depictions of deplorable behaviour, there is very little sense of apology within them. Certainly, this is true of L on 'Lifestylez...'; he claims: “my moms told me to get a job: fuck that... I'd rather do another hit/I want clean clothes/mean hoes/and all that other shit”. God, I love Big L.

4. MORALITY

Grateful Dead – Me & My Uncle


This is a strange one, I know, and essentially, all of the songs on this list could have come under this category. However, it seemed right to have one entry that encapsulated all the negativity we are promoting here and, basically, just celebrated doing the wrong thing, morally speaking. 'Me & My Uncle' really does have it all; gambling, alcohol, cheating, lying, gun violence, greed, theft and the murder of a family member. I know I could have gone with 'Mmm-Bop' by Hanson in order to combine all these elements, but I just prefer the Grateful Dead. Basically, our narrator (who is, I suppose, John Phillips of the Mamas & The Papas, who actually wrote the song) tells of how, having conned, escaped – and murdered – some irate cowboys, he and his uncle “high-tail it down to Mexico”. 'That's not too bad', you're probably thinking; 'that just sounds like a normal Boxing Day to me'. However, greed gets the better of our cowboy (“those cowboys... I love their gold”) and he ends the song by claiming, “I love my uncle... taught me all I know/taught me so well/I grabbed that gold/and I left his dead ass there by the side of the road”. This is so gloriously unethical that it makes Big L's murder of Chuck look positively tame.

5. SEXISM/MISTREATMENT OF WOMEN

CocoRosie – By Your Side


This is another weird category and, to match it, a very weird – and very beautiful - song. While the obvious choices for this category would have been songs like 'Fuck You' by Dr. Dre and 'Domestic Abuse' by RZA, 'By Your Side' has a hauntingly bleak innocence to it that is far more powerful – and negative – than the shouting and leering that traditional hip hop sexism offers. The track is sung by a woman (Bianca) who seems to playing the role of a naïve and desperately downtrodden housewife. She pleads quietly with her man to allow her to be his slave, essentially; “I'll make your bed/And cook your food”, she says and goes on to claim, “I'll never cheat/I'll be the best girl you'll ever meet”. This is basically a woman acting out the traditional male fantasy of what a wife should be; she is meek and subservient and perfectly willing to dedicate her life to making sure that her husband has clean floors, good food and is tucked up warmly in bed. The song takes an even darker turn halfway through as Bianca promises “I'll wear your black eyes/bake you apple pies/I won't ask why... I'll try not to cry”. Clearly, since this song is the creation of two women – and is, most probably, a satirical look at the type of men that this would really appeal to – there is no ACTUAL sexism meant here, but still, it's pretty damn negative and that is what this list is all about!

Anyway, that's it for now. More top 5s coming up shortly. Word to your uncle,

Thomas Troublesome AKA Tha Dubplate Rapist

It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day and I'm feeling Hood...

Hello dear friends or 'bitches', if you prefer? This is the one and only Brummie Stylez stepping up to the plate to add a new regional voice to the beautiful, yet slightly London-centric, dream-destroyer that is Ruffhousing...

Now as this is my first post I feel it would be ill-advised to immediately front on my boy Trouble but...

Although the post below a truly beautiful piece, I feel I must comment upon it as it appears to mislead somewhat. Yes, More Fish is a good album, but it flows like a bit of an afterthought, a glorified mix-tape if you will (which to all intents and purposes it is, it just hasn’t been marketed as one). Monsieur Stark's previous album Fishscale is superior both lyrically and musically (Just Blaze, MF Doom, J-Dilla etc provide some certified bangers, and Ghost himself pens better tunes and concepts), but also as a cohesive album. I don't wanna waffle on too much about why Fishscale a fucking dope album because I shouldn't really have to, you should own it already...

I do however wanna make a couple of further statements...

- Although Shaun Wigs is pretty fly - for a white guy (sorry, I won't be that gay again - I promise) - his feature track with that total cretin Eamon is utter GASH and somebody should burn the fucker’s toupee collection for it.

- Pokerface is also a bit of a lame cash-in on the subject matters current popularity and I for one expect more the Theodore Unit boys. Dissing over…


Right, having said all this though and appeared to diss the album it is worth a purchase, mainly for the excellent tracks that my colleague has picked out. You should however hand over your hard earned (or easily earned if you have a piss take job) cash to your favourite record emporium for Fishscale and the Theodore Unit album 718 first. Actually, I tell you what get Bulletproof Wallets First too cus 'Theodore', 'Maxine', 'The Forest' and 'Walking through the Darkness' are all hot as fuck...

Oh and to cap off what has been a truly enjoyable first post, I will leave you with another recommendation... If you thought Moorish Delta 7, Yogi, Rukus and the 1's Def and Shade were the only hip hop heroes in the Second City, then check some Brum boys from around my way - TLG (The Lost Generation):

http://www.myspace.com/thelostgen

And one of their sick beatsmiths, Eyebs:

http://www.myspace.com/eyebsbeats


So that's it from me...for now

STYLEZ OUT

More Fish Please

'Ghost is back, stretch cadillacs, fruit cocktails'. These aren't my words. Neither are they the words of Micheala Stratton, although you could be forgiven for making that mistake. They are in fact taken from the song 'Apollo Kids' on Ghostface Killah's brilliant 'Supreme Clientele' album, and they are especially fitting here as, not only do I LOVE fruit cocktails, but - more importantly - Ghost is indeed BACK.

'More Fish' is half new Ghostface material and half Theodore Unit promotion and, while I have a lot of time for Trife and the boys, it is Starks who comes off best by far on this record.

This album is, I think, Ghost's most accomplished work since the aforementioned 'Supreme Clientele'. I am, however, in no position to say this as - despite being a huge fan of the Ironman - I have not actually listened to any of his work since the aforementioned 'Supreme Clientele'.

A few years back, after paying actual money (£2.99 in HMV bargain bucket) for the musical abortion that is Cappadonna's 'The Yin and The Yang', I came to the conclusion that far too great a percentage of my record collection harboured the Wu stamp, and I decided to stop buying new Clan solo material. It is for this reason that Pretty Toney, Bulletproof Wallets and Fishscale all passed me by. It is for this reason also that I never got hold of U-God's recent masterpiece 'U-GODZILLA presents The Hillside Scramblers'; a mistake that still keeps me awake at night now.


So, when my fellow Ruffhouser Little Lord Fauntelroy returned from NYC just after Christmas bearing a copy of 'More Fish' - and a worrying genital yeast infection - my initial reaction was one of disinterest and quiet despair; it had taken me a long time to get over 'The Yin and The Yang'. However, Fauntelroy was insistent we give it a listen and, as I thought back to Starks' brilliance on 36 Chambers, Ironman and ...Clientele, I was forced to consent.

This is turning into a longer post than I had intended so, in order to assure its brevity, I will pick what I believe to be the stand-out tracks on this record and talk about them a bit.

1. Ghostface Killah (f/ Sun God) - Street Opera


This is the first time I've heard from Sun God (since the postcard he sent me during his history of art trip to Venice last Autumn) and to be honest, I'm not overly impressed. His rhythmic structure, flow and lyrics are fairly bog-standard and he clearly got his generic Wu alias from the internet 'Wu-Tang Name Generator'. It was probably a toss-up between 'Sun God' and '41st 60 Second Masta Killa Bee Disciple' and Sun God just rolls off the tongue easier. Ghost, on the other hand, is pretty good and the final, conversational verse between the two of them works very well indeed. However, it is the beat that truly makes this song great; a shuddering, wailing lump of soul that provides the perfect soundtrack for a late-night walk home with your hood on your head and a scowl on your face.

2. Ghostface Killah (f/ Redman & Shawn Wigs) - Greedy Bitches


Ghost, as we all know, is a soul man. However, as a quick glance at his attire on the cover of Ironman will confirm, he is also fucking hilarious. He allows his humour to come to the forefront on this track, which opens with Mr Starks bewhaling 'greedy bitches' and claiming 'the hoes ate the Oreos'. He also allows the kind of humanity and maturity he demonstrated on tracks like 'I Can't Go To Sleep' to shine through, as he states, 'And your fat friend you bought, she can crash too/But if your stomach growling hard, I'mma laugh, boo'. Tony Starks is quite clearly all heart. Nice guest spot from Reggie Noble too; he's apparently 'still spending from Red & Meth's sitcom'. He clearly shops at Morrison's.

3. Ghostface Killah (f/ Trife & The Willie Cottrell Band) - Josephine


So, yeah; joking aside, Ghost really is a soul man and this track is the genuine proof. A lovely chorus -and bass-driven beat - from the Willie Cottrell band compliments Ghost and Trife's gut-wrenchingly brilliant tales of innocent young ladies corrupted by the vices of the ghetto. This song reminds me a lot of my own life, with the exception that I am white, male and have never smoked crack or had intercourse for money.

4. Trife (f/ Solomon Childs) - Grew Up Hard


Here's Trife all out on his own! Well, nearly; he evidently got cold feet at the last minute and went back to get Solomon Childs for emotional support, but still, this track is not half bad! While a string-lead beat with a sped-up soul sample is hardly pushing the boundaries of experimentation in hip hop, it is still a very strong backing to some even stronger verses from the Trifester. Certainly, excluding Ghostface himself, he is the most talented lyricist in Theodore Unit and he proves it here with some nice double and triple syllable rhyme patterns and an excellent flow. Well done, Trife. On a separate note, Solomon Childs claims on the chorus, 'I ain't been to many operas', when I know for a fact that he and Akon reserve a box at Glyndebourne together every summer.

5. Ghostface Killah (f/ Amy Winehouse) - You Know I'm No Good


I bet Ghost tried to have sex with Winehouse. She was probably pissed when he asked and she probably said yes. Maybe Ronson worked the camera. He doesn't look like he'd actually get involved, although I'm sure Starks and Amy would have been up for it. I bet Ghost's had a threesome and I bet Winehouse has too. The only difference is Winehouse probably wept after hers and Ghost probably had a nice bit of cod. Anyway, this track is very good.

So yeah, all you Wu-Tang solo skeptics out there: go cop this! it's both big and bashy.

Peace out, Billy Van Buskirk.

MTV Radio Cribs

As a deeply lonely person, I spend a lot of time - when not wandering the streets or weeping - browsing the internet. During one of my more lengthy searches, I found an episode of MTV's new radio version of 'Cribs' featuring rapper Trikk Murdah (a representative of crunk outfit, White City Click). Check it out on the Ruffhousing Podcast site.

Freaky

Every once and a while a song comes along that simply defines musical genius: Stay by Shakespeare's Sister, Thunder by East 17 and UGLY by Daphne + Cleste are just a few. The next track like this is from Wayne Fresh featuring Cutlass and Stumpy D.
What makes this track particulary special to us here at ruffhousing is that these are artists we have been championing for a while. Cutlass appeared on our first podcast, Stumpy D was the topic of one of our earliest posts and Wayne Fresh may have possibly date raped your sister.
Without further adue we give you Wayne Fresh feat. Cutlass + Stumpy D - Freaky (Sexual Plan)

Listen here