Razkid’s back.
Steadily becoming more and more revered, in my books at least, Raz has kept us entertained over the years since 2018’s Cardiff Music Awards Best Album nominee Broke By Monday. Tied over with tracks like Life is Strange and Problem Child we’re now heading towards the release of new EP ‘Welsh Weather’ with lead single ‘Workers Hands’ giving us a first glimpse at what he and long term collaborator Minas have been working on. Gritty depictions of a day in the life of across the grittier instrumental it’s further proof that whilst he’s recognised as one of the fiercest grime MCs in the country his artistry knows no limits.
For a completely different vibe, Juice Menace’s latest Pink Notes will heat up whatever environment it’s played in. Making nods to her roots as she states she’s “got shows from the taff to the thames” and with some brilliant creative visuals attached she sits so well in this lane. I’m not a mover at all but this will definitely get a shape out of me in the right setting.
We’ve just had Dydd Miwsig Cymru so it’s only right to touch upon a couple of Welsh language releases we’ve had this month. Izzy Rabey’s Gwaed sees the Machynlleth rep flow effortlessly over the traditional boom bap instrumental provided by Fred Harper touching on family, identity and grief. Masked duo Gwcci gave us the upbeat Canna also. All I’ve heard from this mysterious act has been great so far and I’m looking to find out more about them. SIDENOTE: I really want Welsh language acts to put their lyrics up online somewhere so I can confidently say them back to acts live. Also helps with learning the language so two stones and that.
One of the youngsters to watch this year is CH. Finishing last year off with the quality Big Up The Scene and kicking ‘23 off with Really Me has got me invested and I’m looking forward to seeing what his next steps are this year.
Other highlights from the month include heavyweights Mace the Great and L E M F R E C K dropping new music, the former with a feature from grime royalty Manga Saint Hilare. Do Not Associate’s change of direction is evident in his two recent singles ‘Soulless’ and ‘Hot Girl Summer’. With Valentine’s Day also bringing us a fair few jams for the lover’s Adotwiz and Korrupted of Lizzi£ Squad had a stand out with ‘No Games’
As always I’m going to drop the Larynx Entertainment playlist here where you can find some of the latest rap out of Wales and more!