- Label
- 679
- Release date
- 10th September 2007
- Genre
- Rap / R&B
- Buy this album
- Order CD
Coolest of the mainstream grime MCs returns to tough fray
Grime – the slowed-down, rough and ready rap that started to bubble out of the UK’s largest urban areas a few years ago – has enjoyed a remarkable degree of crossover adoration, from Lady Sovereign’s Stateside assault to Dizzee Rascal’s pop success. Now Kano – arguably the coolest of the London grime MCs, ex-Diplo collaborator and The Streets labelmate – returns to the fray with an album featuring, among others, Kate Nash and Craig David.
Snagging mainstream music buddies doesn’t spell a “sell-out” for the star; London Town opens with ferocious, staccato rap, and when Kano takes a break from his own incisive, poetic and intelligent lyrics to give control of the song to a fellow artist, there’s rarely a jar. The album stays away from clichés by featuring a Plan B-esque, Max Romeo-borrowing acoustic anthem (Fightin’ The Nation) and a Bugz In The Attic-style dancefloor romp (Me & My Microphone). While every UK urban artist is going to have their work cut out in beating Dizzee’s awesome Maths And English, London Town will certainly end the year as a “strong contender” rather than an “also ran”.
More to try: Dizzee Rascal: Maths And English Virus Syndicate: The Work Related Illness Mark One: One Way
