thenextmen music interviews Virgin Media
As good as The Nextmen
British hip hop duo The Nextmen are back with a new album, This Was Supposed To Be The Future - their first since the 2000 debut Amongst The Madness.
In the interim, the pair have been collaborating with such artists as Public Enemy and Morcheeba, as well as acclaimed new US hip hop outfit Kidz In The Hall. Here, Brad Baloo and Dom Search reveal the ten tracks they can't stop playing...
Tune! Love this. Seems to sound fresh and retro at the same time. Wicked vocals and production, brilliant. Nice to hear the Bugz working down at a hip hop tempo too.
Is it cheeky to include one of our own? Who cares?! Our first track with Alice Russell is a funked out stomper and the opening track from our album. Retro synths complement the vocal perfectly and the groove just rolls. That's what we think anyway.
Kanye West
No surprises here but it's rare to find so much talent in just four minutes. Some of the best MCs from way back (Rakim, KRS1) give masterful lessons in rhyming over a definitive Premier beat. Kanye fits in just fine and the whole package rings of top notch quality.
This is the shiznit. A rock steady, beatbox rhythm combined with a classic roots bassline and an infectious chorus makes for a sure fire club banger. Hasn't left the box since we got it.
This cracks us up. We love a moaner. The versatile MC Wrec tells us of his woes in this unrelenting ode to the more annoying side of British life. The grimy production works well with the vocal flow, and that last line... genius!
Redman
Next single from the Red Gone Wild LP. A cracker of a beat from Pete Rock. Quality music that people should check for.
Massive modern roots business. Also comes with a Busta Rhymes remix for those 'rap fans' out there. He's white but he's no Snow.
Rocker Frankie gets the disco re-edit treatment. This will be a monster festival record this year. It's kind of Fifties space rock disco. Is that a new genre?
Amy Winehouse
Camden's finest is joined on the remix by the mighty Pharoahe Monch. He absolutely smashes it, verbally attacking the size zero A-list crew.
Big D&B action from the Cambridge wonderkids. This is a journey into space and beyond. It's also extremely heavy. They have harnessed the spirit of Nineties Photek and taken it to the next level. Oh, and this tune features The Nextmen on the cuts.
22nd May 2007
