Winter 2012 Edition by VRS Magazine

the contents

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Versus Interviews : The Dark Inker 04 collectives 10 Versus Showcase 12 Tech of the year 22 be inspired 2012 26 versus interviews : Omar Aqil 28 TDE Versus G.O.O.D Music 33 versus introduces : joey bada$$ 38 andre 3000 : all is by my side 40 versus year in review 42 Versus Interviews : J.Nolan 56 versus reviews : vldr 60

from the editor After a very long hiatus we are back and for good! Having taken a number of months off, skipping the Autumn issue entirely, we now feel we are able to deliver a magazine we can truely be proud of. To help us out we have a new face joining us, as a multifunctional writer (feauturing both in the music and design sections) and also a second designer, Calvin Ncube. Calvin is a necessary addition to our tight knit group, making sure we head in the right direction and are able to provide the highest quality of news and articles we can.

winter 2012 speak too UK born illustrator ‘The Dark Inker’ and Pakistani designer Omar Aqil. Then we have four outstanding designers featured in our showcase; Oliver Mendoza collaborating with us on our magnificent cover featuring Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Calvin Ncube has a look at the best tech coming out this year, just in time for Christmas.

With this being the Winter issue, it is jam packed with features, just like our jolly fat fella’s stockings. We had the chance to

On the music side of things we have a clash of the two biggest crews in the game ‘TDE vs G.O.O.D Music’, an introduction to hip-hop’s newest star Joey Bada$$ and an in depth look at Andre 3000 role in the Hendrix biopic. We end on a high note with our ‘End of Year Review’ looking back at an incredible year for music and looking forward to 2013. Welcome to the brand new and improved Versus Magazine!

konrad ziemlewski

jonathon bartletT

I have been fascinated by design from a very young age, currently studying Graphic Design New Media at UCA I am passionately pursuing design. Also I have a massive love for hip hop, loving its eclectic mix of genres and lyricism.

I’m 19, style and music are the two things that keep me entertained in life. Currently studying Broadcast Journalism at the University of Leeds.

justin prince

calvin ncube

I’m a Senior Broadcast Journalism major at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. A huge fan of Hip-Hop since my youth I’ve been listening to and enjoying Hip-Hop for over 15 years.

I’m studying Graphic design New Media with a love for typographic design and hip hop music. I really think music and design go hand in hand and Versus is the perfect example of this.

the team

get in touch twitter : @vrsmag facebook : facebook.com/vrsmag 02

web : www.vrsmag.com email : contact@vrsmag.com

versus interviews : dark inker Stephen Sampson who goes by the alias the dark inker, is living his dream. hailing from england he has worked in his dream job as a comic book artist, worked with disney and now, is going solo as a freelance illustrator. By Konrad Ziemlewski

It’s awesome to get the chance to grab this interview with you Stephen. Let’s start of with an introduction on who you are, what you do and what makes you tick? Hi Konrad and the Versus crew! First can I say thanks for taking an interest in me and my art and for the opportunity to talk to you and your readers. I’m Steve Sampson also known as The Dark Inker, currently working as an illustrator/Concept artist. What makes me tick? My art and all the lovely people that support and encourage me plus the world of wonders that produces no end of inspiration. I must mention Becky and Haku. Becky puts up with me working more hours than I should and Haku keeps me company each and every day. He’s my studio boss, oh he’s also a cat!! How did the closing of ‘Blackrock Studio’ affect you and the direction you decided to take with your work? Well I worked for Blackrock/Climax Racing for the best part of twelve years, so it was a big deal when we knew Disney were going to close the studio. The truth is that it was a scary period for a while, not really knowing what the future had in store. But looking back over the past year, it’s proven to be one of the best things that could have happened to me.

As a games artist at Blackrock I had been doing more and more 3D game art and less and less 2D art, and I hadn’t been enjoying the “job” for some time. It was the illustration jobs on the side and my own personal work that gave me more satisfaction. At Blackrock I was just a small cog in a big wheel, now as an illustrator people come to me because they feel I can add something to their project. The great thing about the studio closing was the redundancy package. It gave me the time to not have to jump into the first thing that came along. I’ve not had to go near 3D art and have spent the last year and a half doing what I love, drawing and painting. It’s been a dream year, so much work coming in and all so different and interesting. It’s weird how things turn out, one of the projects I’ve worked on for the past year is an app called CSR Racing made by Boss Alien (one of the small start-ups after the collapse of Blackrock) for Natural Motion. I did all the character art and all sorts of other in game art, the crazy thing is CSR Racing made more money than all the games I worked on at Blackrock, crazy! The only downside is I do miss some of the lovely talented people from Blackrock. The day to day contact and banter, we did have some crazy fun times!

You started out as an illustrator in the comic book industry. Was it your dream to become a comic book artist one day? Did the extremely hostile and difficult environment of this industry shatter your dreams, or were you aware of it? It was comic books that got me into art when I was a kid, so when I became a comic book artist, it really was a dream come true. I was always realistic about the industry, in the end I made the jump from comics to games because of the money. I had some wicked times illustrating comics and worked with some huge talents. Being a part of 2000AD is cool and working on Judge Anderson with Alan Grant is something that I’ll always be thankful for. Funnily enough I’m just about to start a 21 page comic book, my first full length comic for many years. The comic is called Demon Streak, it’s published by Franklin Watts as one of their Slip Stream Graphics for children, with the story being written by Jonny Zucker. I guess it just came along at the right time; things have been going well and I just wanted to see how I’d go about doing a comic these days. I’ve done the cover and the strip is all sketched out, just waiting for the green light to start painting it up!! I am a massive fan of comic books, specifically for the extremely varied art styles. Have you got any you would recommend? To be honest I’m out of the loop on comics these days, but a few that grabbed my attention are ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ by Eric Shanower with wicked art by Skottie Young. I’m also loving what a guy named Ryan Woodward is doing with his animated graphic novel called ‘Bottom of the Ninth’. Also a good friend, Andi Ewington is writing a wicked story with Matt Woodley called OverRun with cool art by Paul Green! Another good friend, Baden James Mellonie is doing a cool zombie comic with artist Paul Peart-Smith called ‘Edge of Extinction’, I had some fun doing a zombie pin-up and a logo for them. Having worked on a number of properties before, what is one intellectual entity would you love the chance to work on? Alice in Wonderland. I came kind of close once, did a story for 2000AD featuring Judge Anderson called Anderson in Wonderland!

Being an illustrator is never easy at the best of times, but now with all of these blogs and work everywhere it is extremely difficult to get noticed. I browse an absolute ton of imagery a week, across a range of fields but yet your work stood out – the mix between comic book styling, illustration and vector just… works. How did you develop your style and what’s the process behind it? Thanks mate, that’s really kind of you to say! It’s strange because over the years I’ve struggled with “my style”, in the sense that I’ve always felt that people never really knew what to make of it. These days with so many people putting stuff out there and yet so much of it being similar in style I’ve learnt to embrace my own style and just try to develop and improve

“i learnt to embrace my own style” with each image I do. I wish I could give a cool answer as to how my style developed but it’s just the way I work. I’ve always been inspired by so many different types of art from classic masters like Alphonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt

to wicked graphic designers like The Designers Republic. Cool street art and Vinyl toys, a big favourite is Sam Flores. Comic legends like Mobius, Bill Sienkiewicz and Mike McMahon. Japanese art and animation, and artist like Katsuhiro Otomo, Koji Morimoto. Movies, are an endless list but Blade Runner, Alien, Tekkonkinkeet Akira, Avatar, etc. The process depends on the job; if it’s a personal piece it will just be something that inspires me. At the moment I’ve got a thing for female characters in big military helmet and goggles or animal head hats!? Don’t ask me why! But I will just get an image in my head and start drawing; most times they never end up where I thought they would go.

Coming from the UK, specifically from East London , are there any artists that inspire you from our shores or you feel should get more recognition than they currently do? Wow! I have to say there are so many artist that really inspire me and to be honest they are from all over the world. If I had to name one UK artist it would be Calum Alexander Watt, also known as Salary Man. I worked alongside Calum throughout my career at Blackrock, not only is he a top bloke but as an artist he is a genius. Such an inspirational artist and a name that I’m sure will become a giant throughout the globe.

I find almost all creative types have a strong passion for music. What are you listening to right now and who would be one musician you would just love to have the chance to collaborate on a project? This is a great question, and for me it changes with my mood, if I’m a bit pissed off with a job I tend to listen to Hip Hop, the Beastie Boys and Eminem are always near to hand. When things are going well it really can be anything from Elbow, Royksopp, Mark Ronson, Unkle, The Avalanches, Daft Punk The Jackson Five. I do have a soft spot for Adele right now! The one group I can’t keep off the play list is The Black Keys. The chance to collaborate with any musician would be cool, with any of the above would be crazy cool. It’s been an absolute pleasure Stephen. Any last words? Really the pleasure is all mine, I love what you guys are doing with the magazine. For you to pick me out, on this occasion, from so many talented artists is very humbling and a great honour. I kind of live in my own little bubble feeling so lucky to be able to make a living doing what I love, so to get noticed like this is a big surprise but very exciting!! Love and luck to all the Versus crew and your readership! Could you possibly give us an insight on one of your recent pieces, what’s the story behind them and how did you go about creating them? One of my recent image is called Red, it feature a girl with big manga style eyes wearing a fox’s head hat, she’s floating above the ground and has a coy carp on a lead! Crazy I know, but the story is I did some car levier designs for CSR Racing. One of them was a kind of woodland giant, some of the guy’s at Boss Alien said they would love to know the story behind the character. So I decided to do a full painted image featuring the character. He’s sitting in the woods and has his hand out as if he’s holding something, this is where Red came in, I started drawing her floating in his hand, but my partner Becky really liked the character but said she would be so small in the giants hand that you wouldn’t get a proper look at her, so I separated her out of the original image and painted her up, the coy carp was added just because I wanted to paint one!. I still haven’t had time to finish the original image! What does Stephen Sampson’s studio look like? What are its inner workings? Well the truth is I work from home, but I love it and have a cool little set up, surrounded by Vinyl toys, books and movies! I have a cool kick arse HP computer and a Wacom 21ux Cintiq, if you don’t know what that is, it’s the Wacom where you draw straight onto the screen!! I love it and will be upgrading to the 24 HD soon. I know they aren’t cheap but any artist out there that can afford to, should get one. They are a joy to work on and really do help to speed up your work process. I also have a 27 inch second monitor for all my ref and other nonsense.

If you could give one piece of advice to an upcoming creative what would it be?

Is there a piece of work you would love to have a chance to redo and change?

Easy but not original , my advice would be, develop your own style, never ever miss a deadline and the client is always right, even when you think they are wrong!

I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing but I’m not someone that looks back much, I’m always thinking about the next project or next image. I did do an image recently that was called The Guardian. This image was selected by Imagine FX as one of two images they used when I was featured in the ‘expose’ section of their magazine. I had sent them a number of images and the Guardian was my least favourite, there is just something about it that I’m not happy with, but they must have liked it to print it in the magazine so it just goes to show, you never know what people will like, so like I said always best to move on to the next idea!

What do you do in your spare time, when not working on your next piece of work? Haa! I wish I could say that I was a trainee astronaut in my spare time or something exciting, but Becky would laugh at the mention of spare time! The truth is when not working on paid commissions I’m always working on my own stuff. We do try to go to the cinema as often as possible and watch a lot of movies at home, but I need to work on taking more time off and doing more interesting things.

Contact @thedarkinker & thedarkinker.com 09

One of the benefits being a freelancer is that it allows you to be your own boss – you control everything, what work you want to do, when you want to do it and how to engage it. There is a downside to all of this independence, mainly the fact that you become isolated and don’t have the chance to mingle and bounce ideas of colleagues, as well as finding it harder to find better paid gigs due to the limited support network around you.

It might seemW weird having a sort of dictatorial regime, but it’s an absolute must, because running the collective is about maximising your time and being able to spread the workload correctly when it becomes too much.

The benefit of uniting a similar set of designers, say illustrators for instance as some sort of elite-band of talent is that you gain strength in numbers. A single person’s outreach is increased tenfold when you pull all the resources available to you within a collective. A collective is able to do things no one person could, due to the range of styles, ideas and work ethics, resulting in being able to offer a much stronger set of skills to a prospective client.

There is no need to have years of experience to start a collective. If you have your head screwed on and are ready to put the hours in, give it a go!

In many designers cases, especially nowadays it seems is to form a collective. Joining or creating a collective can spark your creative and even give your career a boost. The term ‘collective’ can mean many different things. It might be a vehicle for networking opportunities, an agency with no real hierarchy or simply a group of friends with the same goals. They can also be founded upon a similar ideology or just practical benefits, but in the majority they are usually created to cater a need.

The key to a successful collective is organisation – something that is hard to find when no one wants to take the role of the ‘boss’. Without having someone that is willing to organise and keep everyone on track, the collective just wont produce the results (it’s like trying to navigate aircraft without radar).

A drawback to most collectives is that they are rarely based in a studio. Having people scattered all over the world, all in different time-zones can become extremely problematic. You lose the ability too meet up in groups and don’t have that whole studio ‘vibe’ you cant just simply recreate. Although things such as Skype conference calls or collectives based on friendships usually remove the geography problem. There is also the problem with the lack of success a collective might encounter at the start and how that might simply mean it all ended before it really got off the ground; keeping a positive mind frame at the start is a must.

By Konrad Ziemlewski

versus showcase : C.Littlehales Who is Charlotte Littlehales? I am a 21 year old Graphic design student from Nottingham, East Midlands, England. In my spare time I am also a freelance Graphic designer. I’m currently studying my third and final year of a BA Hons Graphic design course at Trent University. You are an incredibly well rounded young designer, trying her hand at a number of mediums. Is that a conscious decision? Are you an very eclectic and experimental person? Yes, I love being creative and look forward to adapting and trying new things. I think it’s good to be experimental because it helps to make my work exciting. Whilst at university it is rewarding to be extravagant and step the mark, because the project briefs are so broad and open to creativity. I often apply this method of working to client freelance work too so that it has the potential to be unique and individual. I consider myself to be a versatile Graphic designer with skills in a variety of fields.

As much I enjoy working digitally, I equally benefit from working hands on. I often work with techniques that are time consuming and very tedious - which can be quite satisfying! The ministry of sound project consisted of wrapping cotton thread around nails to build the effect of sound wave structures which took a lot of dedicated time. However, working with 3D helped to create the depth I needed for the project. I am currently working on a project that consists of over 2000 matchsticks that spell a typographic quotation on an A1 wooden board. ‘A Spark is all it takes’. I will eventually burn it and record itwhich will probably take a matter of seconds to completely destroy. There is something quite gratifying about it and it encapsulates the message of the piece. I often select projects that are daunting and out of my comfort zone because I like the challenge. I find that by doing this it helps me as a designer. I am constantly learning and I can always utilise the methods I have learnt in future projects. This is probably why my portfolio is very broad. I also enjoy painting in my spare time because I find it refreshing- I wish I had more time on my hands to continue more. I enjoy working on portraiture and have recently begun to work with more expressive, abstract art. Often my painting technique reflects the message I am trying to give in the piece. I also enjoy working on a large scale canvas because it helps to give more impact as a piece of art

Are there any designers you particularly look too for inspiration? There are many designers that I admire such as Rob Ryan, Francoise Nielly, Egon Schiele, Cath Kidston and many others. Sir Paul Smith is one of my biggest inspirations. I love his passion and enthusiasm as a designer. I also admire the fact that he is inspired by the things that surround him as well as his love for collecting things. My design was selected by him in fragrance design competition. As a result, I was given the chance to meet him and visit his studio this summer, which was incredible. I took the opportunity to hand him a self portrait painting created by myself- what a great experience that was!

What are you plans for the future? To establish myself as a Graphic designer and to continue what I love doing- being creative! Once my university studies are over I can continue to develop my skills and work experience. I always like to keep my options open to any new and exciting creative opportunities.

Contact @harriet_madan & charlottelittlehales.com

versus showcase : s.Oakley Hey Shaun, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do? My name is Shaun Oakley A.K.A Mr Personality. I’m a 25 year old artist who has a 11 year graffiti background and works as a graphic designer/art director for a large apparel company in South Africa. What are the influences behind your work? Does your South African heritage influence you at all? I think a lot of my influence comes from over sea’s artists as well as local artists, but I always try to keep a similar style throughout all my work. Comic book layouts and certain movies also give me variety in my idea generation. My South African heritage doesn’t influence me too much but rather gives me the chance to portray the cultures and people in so many different stereotypes, which is unique because it only relates to South Africa and no where else..

I have noticed a lot of your work seems to be somehow inspired or centred around the thematic idea of ‘gangsters’ and the ‘street’. What’s all that about? A lot of my work is more urban inspired and centred around the streets because over the years of graffiti and involvement on the streets, I guess its just a way of portraying different scenario’s or my memories of my encounters.. I also try including tattoos in most of my works as it relates to the times, these days 8 out of 10 people are tattooed. So it has relevance.to South Africa and no where else.. Who would be one designer and one musician you could collaborate with and why? I think the 1 designer would be Insa, a graffiti artist because our styles would work well together as his style is a vector style but painted. As for a musician, I’d like to collab with Childish Gambino. He’s got a loose wild style.

Contact @iheartalies

versus showcase : J.Hortop First of all go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us how you got into design? Hi! I’m Jasmine or @jasminehortop to tweeps, I’ve just recently graduated from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in BA Illustration, and I’m currently interning at the Association of Illustrators as well as freelancing. I’ve been arty ever since the word go, when I was young my aspiration was to be a ‘cartoonist’ which really isn’t that far off what I’ve ended up doing, so I guess I’ve always been very determined to get to this career path, I don’t think there was ever any doubt I’d end up doing something non creative. I was very lucky at university to chance upon an amazing tutor, who had so much enthusiasm and fanaticism for picture books, it was contagious. In such an oversaturated market that design is, your work stands out due to stylistic mix of new and old. What and whom have influenced you?

I have some huge influences, and I’m amazed and abashed when people tell me they can see those influences in my work as I see such huge differences. When I was quite young I met Quentin Blake at The Big Draw even at the V&A, an age that I was reading Roald Dahl books regularly, I was in awe. I have done countless essays and presentations on the work of Maurice Sendak, who sadly passed away quite recently. I love the colours in his work, and the magical worlds he makes up in his story, which often disguise a more sinister story underneath. Less traditional inspirations are illustrators Oliver Jeffers and Jon Klassen, both hilarious in their own ways. You must, must youtube Jon Klassen’s book trailers; they have me in tears every time. I am continuously motivated and inspired by my fellow members of Coffee Club Collective; they set a bench mark which forces me to rise to it each time. I owe so much to Tristram Tolliday, who is constantly finding us new

Throughout your work you feature a number of animals. What’s the idea behind using these animal avatars to tell your story? Mainly - I hate drawing people! You can give really sinister human characteristics to an animal, and they can still be funny and likeable, this is called anthropomorphism. I was also influenced very early on by street artist’s Erilcailcane and Roa, Ericailcane especially has his animal characters wearing vintage formal wear and so on, you would also recognise this in Wind in the Willows, I love the eeriness it gives them. If I do draw people it’s in a complete different context, and would be observational, I feel you have to do something different like this every once in a while. For my children’s books, I can only see myself drawing animals for years to come. I choose each animal dependent on the characteristics I want to portray, for instance Shadow Tail is devious and sneaky, and a skinny rat fitted the character perfectly. For Rip Claw, he’s just a big, friendly bear. To me, these visualisations of these characteristics in animal terms is simple. Where would you ideally like to end up in the design industry in 3 years time? I have so many wants right now! To be working on a book to be published would be perfect. A whole book would take me about a year, and I would love to do nothing but designing and producing my own children’s book for that long. I also want a studio in my future flat in north London, where I can live with my cat and my boyfriend. Not too much to ask is it, surely?

Contact @jasmine hortop & jasminehortop.com

versus showcase : O.Merza Could you give us a little insight on who Oliver Merza is and what he does? Hi. First of all I would like to thank you for this awesome feature. I’m Oliver Merza, an artist from the Philippines. I turned 20 last February. My friends and acquaintances call me Pikaso. I’m currently working as a graphic designer in a “not so big” company here in my country (it’s actually my first art-related job). I’ve gotten digital exposure during my college years but since preschool I’m already in love with my pencil. My first works were dark-themed photo manipulations before I learned vector illustrations. Whom or what has influenced you stylistically? Regarding my photo manipulations, I was mainly inspired by music (ranging from country songs to metal) social issues, history, and weird things. Evidently, I’m so in love with dark and deep colors and mood whenever I make photo manipulations. Bands like The Beatles, Rise Against, Coheed and Cambria, have greatly and badly influenced my works. Regarding digital

illustrations, where I’m currently addicted, Ken Taylor has been my inspiration, as well as other great Philli artists. I’m still discovering my own style because I’ve been doing digital illustrations and vectors for only a year and a half and I know that there are lots of room for improvement (I hope so). Where do you see yourself in 3 years’ time 3 years is quite a long period of time (actually, this question reminds me of my first job interview). I see myself creating a great design in my own design studio for my own clothing line. As of now, I have to work hard, improve my skills and surround myself with creative creatures, called humans.

Oliver Merza was our collaborator for this issues cover, feautring Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

Contact at behance.net/olvermerza

By calvin ncube

Phillips Fidelio L1 Style and rich sound. What more do you need? Just looking at the headphones makes you want to try them out. The Fidelio L1s are the headphones to own because they tick the necessary boxes. Design wise they ooze the classic styling reminiscent of the 70s or 80s with the vinyl detailing on the cups. These headphones have had painstaking attention to detail all the way down to the most important thing in a set of audio headgear, the sound. Some may feel that the bass on these headphones isn’t the best out there but that will not put off the majority of audiophiles. The L1s are that good. Sitting at the higher end of the price bracket at £230 they may burn a little hole in your wallet but they will last a long time because of their build quality.

form1 3D printer 3D printing could very well be the next industrial revolution. These printers are capable of printing almost anything; imagine being able to download a file for a component that broke on your phone, printing it of and fitting it together... how cool would that be? That is the sort of future we have to look forward to but for now, the Form1 is one of the best, accessible (I say this loosely) 3D printers available. Having had a succesful ‘Kickstarter’ campaign, managing to earn nearly $3million more dollars than it needed in fundraising, the product is now in the pre-order stage, priced at $3,000. Although clearly not cheap it looks like the best 3D printer an average Joe could possibly afford. I cant wait for the sort of projects people will be coming up with the Form1 in their hands.

Samsung Galaxy S3 The must have smart phone of the year is the Samsung Galaxy S3. With tech specs and performance to die for what other phone would you really want to purchase? Imagine the smart phone world as a playground at primary school. Strange analogy I hear you say but bear with me; I’m getting to the point soon. Samsung is the kid that has a few friends but isn’t really into the popularity contest mentality that the other phones are into. Instead it quietly keeps to itself, waiting for one day when it will get recognition for being a good loyal friend to you. I think this is the year that Samsung and Android are going to be recognised as the juggernauts of the industry, with the rest playing catch up.

Touchscreen Gloves by Mujjo Winter is nearly with us, that’s a fact we can’t ignore unfortunately. It’s time to start wrapping up warm with the winter combo of gloves, scarves and hats. One problem, if you own a smart phone with a touchscreen you then need to take the gloves off to be able to use the screen, that’s if your hands aren’t shaking from the cold. Solution, buy some trendy touchscreen gloves from Mujjo. These bad boys do exactly what they say in the name. Allow you to carry on keeping your hands warm while at the same time be able to use your phone while you’re out in the glorious winter weather. A definite buy for sure and the price is pretty decent too at €24.95 (around £20).

Apple iPad with Retina display Apple’s iPad or should I say “King of the Tablet Jungle” is the piece of tech that is coveted in the gadget world. It may be because it does a lot of things exceptionally, or the fact that it is a clear E-reader, gaming platform, mobile office, and entertainment centre in one. You name it, the iPad probably does it and well too. Before this piece of tech was released critics called it an enlarged iPhone essentially and others didn’t see much point in it. Despite all this scepticism Apple pulled it off, it made a beautiful, useful piece of tech. At its 4th generation it appears that it is not going anywhere soon and it may not have a clear definition of what its meant to be used for but that’s ok too because the iPad may have created a use for itself, just being the iPad. Prices for the iPad start from £399.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

There’s no mistaking the boom in e-reader’s popularity today, go on the tube and examine the ratio of people with hardback books and e-readers. It’s fair to say that it’s close to being a tie. The e-reader enables the book lover to carry virtually their whole library in the palm of their hand, in a lightweight device. Convenience is the keyword here. Its no use being able to carry all your books if the reading experience isn’t as good as hard back though, that’s where the Kindle comes in. The screen makes the whole experience a pleasure because of the text clarity. It gets better and better when you look at the gadgets tempting price of £109 too. This is a no brainer for anyone into losing themselves in a book or two at home or on the daily commute. The Paperwhite is the e-reader of choice.

wacom intuos 5 When illustrating on a graphics tablet you need a few essentials. Firstly you need to be able to translate exactly what you would like to draw into the computer precisely. Examples include the tablet being pressure sensitive. When drawing thicker or stronger lines then the instinct of an artist would be to press harder on the paper for example. The Intuos series translates these natural artistic instincts into the computer in a naturalistic way making it the essential piece of kit for illustrators and designers. It oozes simplistic and functional style that should definitely help those creative juices flow. Another good reason to not avoid this gadget is the price, which starts from around £183.

Nintendo wii u Looking for a new way to experience gaming? Nintendo Wii U may be the console for you (woah that rhymed). This gaming company has always been the first to innovate when it comes to peripherals in the past seeing as they were created the first controller that had an analogue stick allowing you to move around in a 3d space. They may be onto something with the Wii U as well, the console comes equipped with the brand new gamepad which when looking at it opens a lot of possibilities for the imagination. It is interesting to see what developers will do when they have more time to work with this peripheral. The Wii U has entered the HD arena with the other consoles in its field and should definitely be one to watch in the years to come. The Wii U price will start from £259.99.

Microsoft Surface The surface is an interesting cross between a traditional laptop design and the tablet pcs that have become popular lately. The surface at first does take a little getting used to, laptop users may find it odd when trying to sit the device on their lap because of the flip stand that comes out of the back of it. The Surface is also equipped with its own version of Windows RT which is an OS based on Windows 8. The biggest noticeable change is the OS’ integration of tiles, a new way of displaying information on the device, an extremely innovative idea that works brilliantly. Overall the Surface does enter the tablet market with its own identity that stands out when compared with its contemporaries. Some may find they will need to compromise a few things to make it work but its definetly worth it. Pricing starts at £399.99rrp.

Versus Interviews : Omar Aqil omar hails from pakistan, a huge contrast to what we are used to back here in the Uk. We talk about how his background has influenced his work, his eclectic use of mediums and the importance of education. By Konrad Ziemlewski

Hi Omar. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to let us pick your brain for our readers. Could you tell us briefly about yourself and what it is you actually do? I have been working as a freelance graphic designer, typographer, calligrapher and illustrator for over 5 years in the advertising industry. I did my Master’s degree in Communication Design from PUCAD (Punjab University College of Art & design), Lahore, Pakistan in 2008. After working with an advertising agency for few days, I found that the route was not following my destination. So feeling some thirst to do something out of my own, I quit the job and decided to start my career as a freelance designer. I mainly worked in graphic design and typography, typography being my favourite medium to play with. Drawing has been a major part of my daily working routine for so many years. I am trying to do more and more experiments in different mediums and trying to explore new techniques. I have never bound myself to a particular medium or technique. Having gained a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts, do you believe deciding to go into education has improved your skills as a designer, or stunted your development? I believe one cannot learn to swim until he dives in the water. It is important for everyone to understand the significance of education. Education plays a major roll to develop your skills and enhance your thought process. I have learnt a lot while doing my master’s degree but I feel one should always have the thirst to learn more and more without considering himself perfect. Art & design need freedom of learning, observing, experimenting and reconstructing. Hailing from Pakistan, do you feel like the culture you have been brought up in has influenced your work?

I love my country and it has a very rich culture. Though, the kind of art I am trying to produce is not very much relevant to my country’s environment but obviously, it is influenced by the bits and pieces of my country’s dynamics.

Where do you find your inspiration? Is it from specific designers, the web or just everyday things? I believe inspiration is everywhere. I am specifically inspired by the varied expressions of wild animals. I believe, an artist should have strong observational skills to bring more depth and precision in his art. Of course, I keep on observing work of different designers at the web. I have been observing works from different dynamic designers. Unlike many designers you are someone that works in a number of mediums; be it 3D, typography or illustration. What’s the story in deciding to be extremely eclectic with your mediums rather than focusing on one?

As I have been feeding my restless nature to explore more and more, I always love to learn new mediums. I have been good at drawing since forever and as I kept on moving with graphic design as my major subject, I found myself interested in typography, calligraphy and illustration as well. During last year, I found 3d as a very strong technique to express my ideas so I tried to blend it up with different mediums I have already been working in. Since you are multi-disciplinary I imagine your studio set up is quite extreme. Can you let us in on what sort of tech is part of your work place?

Though I don’t have a very big studio, it is enough to fulfill my needs as a professional artist. Being a graphic designer and illustrator, my studio is equipped with different manual and digital facilities of art production. It includes high tech computer system and different digital and manual gadgets. I only don’t have a Wacom Intuos that I really want to bring into my studio.

“I believe one cannot learn to swim until he dives in the water” You have worked in the advertisement industry for a number of years. What are the pro’s and con’s of working in such a competitive environment? I enjoyed working in advertising industry but I agree with the statement: It has both the pros and the cons. I believe that the positive aspect of industry’s competitive nature is that it gives you the pace and ability to handle things within the given time and resource constraints. But on the other hand, as other side of the same coin, the negative aspect is that sometimes decisive authorities are not willing enough to see the picture as you want them to see. Rather they try to impose their own demands.

“first learn about the rules properly & then to feel yourself free enough to break them” Clearly you are someone that breaths design, but what do you get up too in your spare time?

If you had to teach someone how to be a designer, what’s the first thing you would tell them?

In my spare time, I love to listen to good music and to nourish my soul with some good poetic thoughts. Also I love to spend time with my family and friends.

As a designer, one thing that I would really like to tell any upcoming designer is to first learn about the rules properly and then to feel yourself free enough to break the rules and set your own boundaries.

Your most recent project ‘Type Has Muscles’ is absolutely crazy! I never thought something like blending type with muscle cars to give the typography attitude could work, but you pulled it of. Could you walk us through the processes you went behind creating these pieces and the inspiration behind them? I have always been highly inspired by the shape, form and strong looks of Muscle Cars. Ages ago, I started typography; I tried to blend my inspiration of muscle cars into the typography. But I was constrained because I did not know the technique of 3d modeling. As time passed, I found my desire growing stronger so I decided to learn 3d modeling in order to be able to execute my idea. I tried to present the shapes of a muscle car in my own unique style. The shapes I draw, do not match any of the actual cars. If you observe closely, you will find that I made my shapes based on a number of animal’s postures and mixed them with typography. For instance, the shape used for the A, is based on an alligator. The one based on the C came from a camel’s posture and the other the E was based on an elephants. All of us as learn lessons as we grow up, be it as designers or people in general. What are the 5 most important lessons you have learnt up to this point in your life?

The first lesson, I learned from life as a designer is that nothing is impossible. All it takes is your will. Also I believe that one should always stay eager to learn and explore in life. One thing, I learned from my experience is that helping others and treating them well really pays off. You should always respect someone else the way you expect to be. As a professional designer, I have learned that accepting and welcoming the positive criticism is very much important to improve. The last thing I would like to share is that you should always try to stay humble and down to earth.

Having worked with typography so often, do you have a particular favourite quote or lyric?

Working with typography, I have been inspired by the alphabets often. The alphabets utter words and give life to them. So in a way, I feel them connected to poetry very strongly. My favorite poet is Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal and I have always been inspired by a range of his quotes. The most significant being: “Art is a sacred lie.” Any last words? As an artist, the last thought I would like to share is something that I believe very strongly. I believe that at every phase of life, one has to give a sacred sacrifice, a sacrifice that can lead you to attain what you want. So I think, one should always follow his dream. Even if it is tough to do so. Even if it take a lot of effort and time. But it is better to live a life that you want rather than living someone other’s life.

Contact at wolfoxattitude.com

good music In a showdown between labels G.O.O.D. Music has one decisive advantage over pretty much everyone. Kayne West. Not that Kayne is the best lyricist, or has the most technically skilled flow out there but what Kayne is among the best in is production. You can put mediocre MCs over a Kayne West instrumental and suddenly they sound like a hip-hop tour de force. So naturally it only makes G. O. O. D. Music that much stronger of a label when you put truly skilled MCs over a Kayne beat. ‘I ain’t here to argue about his facial features / Or here to convert atheists into believers / I’m just trying to say, the way school need teachers / The way Kathie Lee needed Regis / That’s the way I need Jesus.’ - Kanye West - Jezus Walks Kayne however, isn’t the labels only talented producer as G.O.O.D Music features coveted production from Hit-Boy, Keezo Kane, and longtime Cash Money affiliate Mannie Fresh. That collection of beat makers arguably makes G. O. O. D. music home to the best in house production team among any rap label. Mixing the labels superb skills behind the soundboard with a variety of quality artist G. O. O. D. Music is one of HipHop’s most successful labels. ‘I want a bitch that look good and cook good / Cinderella fancy, but she still look hood / Butt naked in the kitchen flipping pancakes / Plus she tricking from the dough that her man makes.’ Common - Ghetto Dreams That variety is a key point in the success of the label, as Kayne has put together a collection of artist that can offer every hip-hop fan something they enjoy regardless of where their taste gravitate. You have Common, a 20 year rap veteran whose politically conscious and thought provoking lyricism makes him a favorite among old school hip-hop heads. Pusha T provides the label with a Southern flare mixed with gritty, and raw lyrics describing the harsh reality of the drug trade in his native Virginia. Kayne went out in consecutives years (2007, 2008) and signed two of the labels more successful artist in Big Sean and Kid Cudi. Cudi bringing to the table an imaginative and inventive brand of hip-hop as well as plenty of weed induced lyrics that stoners everywhere can’t wait to smoke too. While Big Sean uses a whiplash, off the wall flow and an upbeat vibe that connects with the carefree nature of

teenage listeners. R&B superstar John Legend is the label’s resident crooner providing some of the best hooks in hip-hop aside from his own award winning solo work. Them niggas using you as a pawn / You see they never loaded they guns / Now you out here all by yourself / Ask Steve Jobs’ wealth don’t buy health - Pusha T - Exodus 23:1

Add in hip-hop legends like Mos Def and Q-Tip (formally of A Tribe Called Quest) who are anticipating their debuts with the label along with newcomer CyHi The Prince and their may not be many labels regardless of genre that has collected as much talent as Mr. West. Kayne clearly has all of his bases covered, and the record sales indicate it. According to RIAA classifications G.O.O.D. Music has moved over 7 million albums since its formation in 2004. Yo, check it one for Charlie Hustle, 2 for Steady Rock / 3 for the forthcoming live future shock / It’s 5 dimensions, 6 senses / 7 firmaments of heaven and hell, 8 Million Stories to tell - Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) - Mathematics

Those numbers are made even more impressive when learning none of Kayne West’s own record sales count in those numbers as West’s solo records are released solely under the Roc-A-Fella banner. Record sales alone however, don’t make a label. If that were the case Shady Records would be the best rap label in the game based on Eminem’s sales alone. No, what makes a label truly successful and able to go head to head with other labels in a head to head challenge is talent and diversity. Kayne West has found talent from all corners of rap and that makes G.O.O.D. Music a formidable opponent for all challengers. While G.O.O.D. Music may not be the home of your favorite artist its not hard to understand the labels success and why it doesn’t appear it will be slowing down anytime soon. G.O.O.D. is an acronym standing for “Getting Out Our Dreams”, it looks as if Kayne West will be getting out the dreams of his label’s artist long after he has put his own mic down.

by Justin Prince

top dawg entertainment

Black Hippy, a group comprised of four of the hottest artists around right now, all from California, all talented and all good friends. Kendrick Lamar, figurehead for the group, offers a calm Zen-like demeanour whilst he spits disjointed flows trying to make sense of the world he’s living in. Something made increasingly more remarkable when you consider that Dre, Snoop & Game have crowned him the new king of WestCoast hip-hop; an honour that quite easily could push other rappers over the edge.

‘See I’ve spent twenty three years on the earth searching for answers/ ‘’til one day I realised I had to come up with my own/ I’m not on the outside looking in, I’m not on the inside looking out/I’m in the dead fucking Wcenter, looking around. – Kenrick Lamar - Ab-Soul’s Outro

Next up we’ve got Jay Rock, in my opinion the most underrated member of the group. The veteran of the pack, Jay has the complete opposite approach to rapping to that of the current stock, choosing humility over braggadocio in order to connect with his audience, well aware that he’s from the projects and has been given an incredible opportunity for a better life with music. His vocals are the most striking of the four, cutting through beats and really placing emphasis on his lyrics; which, though aren’t of the complexity of his contemporaries Soul & Kendrick, are perhaps more poignant due to their clear cut nature, just check out ‘Lift Me Up’. ‘From the gardens where the grass ain’t cut, them serpents lurking, blood/ bitches selling pussy, niggas selling drugs but it’s all good/Broken promises steal your watch and tell you what time it is/ Take your J’s and tell you to kick it where a footlocker is’ – Jay Rock - Money Trees

Moving onto ScHoolboy Q, the least unique of all of the members in his lyrics, generally talking about slanging rocks and taking drugs while fucking hoes, though his delivery is particularly impressive, very rarely using the same flow on tracks and often purposely ignoring convention. His beats have clear electro influence, yet still maintain that grungy sound that you’d assume he’d make from just looking at him, and when

by jonathon bartlett a man’s wearing a floral bucket hat you can’t really dislike anything he’s doing. ‘Biggie and Nas put they ass in a blender/ sprinkle some 50 and came out this nigga’ – Schoolboy Q - Brand New Guy

Finally we’ve got Ab-Soul, if you take a look at our top10 lists in this issue most of his inclusion is down to me. I can’t stress enough how varied his beats are in comparison to most other artists right now, see ‘Still A Regular Nigga’ for example, He placed #20 in the Best Rappers 25 and under over at Complex earlier this year, and in the past year has worked with artists like Talib Kweli, Joe Budden and Twista, showing that his peers are viewing him as a big deal as well as critics.

And it’s hard to find God, when you ain’t never seen him/It’s pie in the sky and there’s bodies on the cement/And I know you lookin’ atm e like you don’t speak English/I bring the heat like a phoenix, a son under da Phoenix sun. – Ab-Soul - Turn Me Up There’s a natural chemistry between the crew which is unrivalled by every other rap-group, you can see that they genuinely enjoy spending time together, as well as rapping together. This is shown none more so than on the Black Hippy freestyle where each goes in for their own period of time, with droves of adlibs and laughter from the crew when punchlines come.

The best display of their lyrical prowess comes on the Swimming Pool Remix off Good Kid Mad City, where each one of them kills it, particularly Kendrick who comes in with the final conscious verse which I feel is one of the most concise yet empathic verses of 2012, ‘All I have in life is my new appetite for failure/and I got hunger pain that grow insane/tell me do that sound familiar? If it do then you’re like me/ makin’ excuse that your relief/ is in the bottom of the bottle/ and the greenest endo leaf.’

After Good Kid Mad City has been received positively by nearly everyone in existence, there’s a huge pressure on Q who will be the next to drop his album. I can’t see him making anything near that quality (wait for Ab-Soul on that one), in terms of social relevance as what Kendrick did was speak for an unrepresented generation with his music, but Q has that ‘I don’t give a fuck’ demeanour which can’t be said for any of the other artists, and if we get to see a track with ASAP/Danny Brown and any of the other Black Hippy members then I think the internet may well just shut down (How about Phantogram on the keys?)

There is no one else with the current hype that Black Hippy have, Kendrick is the new icon now that Kanye has seemingly slipped into the shadows with the failure that was Cruel Summer. AbSoul has grown a strong following with his conscious, personal raps, Q is that crazy guy whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always off his face and could potentially do anything on stage, and Jay keeps the trap element that is crucial for the American demographic. His team behind him all have individual qualities that make them a super-group, something YMCMB could have been should Wayne had not picked up the guitar/skateboard and Minaj accepted that ghost-written verses are more acceptable than an album produced by David Guetta and his equally greasy contemporaries.

There is no limit for Black Hippy, as they look to the future, with Kendrick and Ab both being more than comfortable on nearly any beat, and the increased blurring of genres of what is and is not acceptable, if one of the other three can step up to a level even remotely close to Good Kid Mad City with their first non-independent albums then we could have four hip-hop stalwarts that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afraid to make the music that they want to make. What more can you ask?

Versus Introduces: joey Bada$$ Joey, the quintessential answer to hiphop for every single youth growing up in the western world. He’s relatable, young, driven and most importantly talented. Many are saying that he’s trying to ride the resurging wave of the golden era of hiphop, as people like Guilty Simpson, M.E.D, Doom etc start to grow their fanbases once more. This is a completely valid assumption to make, as he uses beats from the 90s even though he’d of been no older than 5 at the time of the last track’s release.

Though if you actually check his flow, it’s nothing akin to those who dominated in the latter generation, there is no assumed status with Joey, at the time of making this he was a nobody, barely even being picked up by blogs. After it dropped, slowly but surely 1999 made a huge impact on the new scene of amateur writers and critics, much like myself. There was something refreshing, not being afraid to do what one wants as opposed to following the formulae of those in the past who have been successful, something very simple to latch onto in a world of Lamars, Rockys & Keefs. There’s much more to his character than the tracks on 1999 lead you to believe, Rejex – the tape which was put out afterwards containing those tracks which didn’t make it onto the now revered collection – contains tracks like Little Rachel & Silent Night which show the empathic, endearing side of Joey akin to Cudi and Frank Ocean.

In essence, he’s the perfect package, mixing the softer sides of both the conscious rappers and the money orientated

egocentric rappers that aspirational youths can look up to in the vain hope of some kind of similar success. His crew, ProEra are always behind him, something that has grown from a nuance of many rappers to something that’s almost integral for success, just look at Young Money, Good Music, Maybach Music Group, Black Hippy, ASAP; the list goes on.

On the 21st of December Pro-Era are putting out their first mixtape, something I’l pre-emptively say will be atleast twice as good as the ASAP Mob attempt with ‘Lords Don’t Worry’ back in August. The whole crew is young, Joey is widely renowned within the ‘golden’ scene (that being those who prefer the style of 90’s beats) and with his cool head and clear goals there’s a lot of potential for his peers like Captain Steeze, T’Nah & Chuck Strangers. It’s incredible that someone who is so new to the entire scene of performing and recording has made such a fantastic impact, recently being cemented as one of the names of current times by featuring on the new ASAP album on a track with the likes of Danny Brown, Yelawolf, Big KRIT, Kendrick Lamar & Action Bronson, he truly is a current heavyweight and has a plethora of untapped potential for the future. By Jonathon Bartlett

all is by my side Rappers turning actor, it isn’t exactly a short list. We’ve seen several MC’s jump from records to the big screen with varying degrees of success. Mark Wahlberg and Will Smith made the jump and are more well known for their work in Hollywood blockbusters than their chart topping singles. There have also been those who should have never put the mic down to pick up a script. Ja Rule has been particularly forgettable in every film he’s appeared in, and as much as I love Snoop Dogg (Um I mean Snoop Lion ) I’m pretty sure that his performances on screen could be topped by the run of the milll high school drama teacher.

With all that said I’m particularly excited to see another rapper take to the screen this time in a biopic. No, Eminem isn’t coming out with a sequel to 8 mile, I’m talking about Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in “All Is By My Side”. While 3 stacks isn’t new to the big screen and he himself has represented both sides of the rapper turned actor spectrum. He was particularly good in the action film “Four Brothers” but his performance in “Revolver” fell pretty flat. Still I’m excited to see what Benjamin can do with the Hendrix film. It may be the fact that I’m a huge fan of Jimi Hendrix’s music and find him as one of the most interesting characters in music history. But I don’t believe that alone is the reason I’m excited for this movie. Something about 3000 playing the Purple Haze hit maker intrigues me. Part of what was intriguing was seeing Benjamin playing Hendrix’s music. 3 stacks musical versatility has been well known for some time. On the “Love Below” he displayed his ability to step out of HipHop and still make quality music. Seeing what he could do with some classic Jimi Hendrix songs had me excited for the film. Unfortunately we will not see Benjamin playing any of Hendrix’s songs, for that matter we won’t even hear any Hendrix music in the movie at all. According to a report by Cinemablend. com, Experience Hendrix LLC that controls Hendrix estate wouldn’t grant the film’s producers permission to use any of Hendrix’s original music. “We would never lease Jimi’s original songs to a biopic without having full participation in the film making process” said Janie Hendrix who is Jimi’s sister and the head of Experience Hendrix LLC. Still we will get to see

Andre 3000 take on some classic rock songs such as the Beatle’s hit Muddy Waters and other songs that Hendrix was known to cover before finding fame according to “All Is By My Side” producer Sean McKittrick has said in previous interviews. “This is the story of Jimi being discovered as a musician and how he became the Jimi Hendrix we know,” McKittrick told Rolling Stone magazine. “Andre will be performing the songs Jimi performed before he really became Jimi.” So, Andre won’t be performing any Hendrix hits but how will he perform as Hendrix? According to reports from those close to the film this could be the role that transplants Benjamin as a true double threat. “He’s been Jimi for months now, the transformation has been incredible, he’s dropped a ton of weight I don’t even see Andre anymore,” McKittrick explained. “He walks like Jimi, he talks like Jimi, and right now he is Jimi.” That doesn’t mean that this has been a challenge for the Outkast member. 3000 has expressed the difficulty in playing an icon; especially one before he has became an icon. “Its hard because Jimi is a hero of mine, he’s a legend but I couldn’t look at him like an icon for this, because at the time your not aware that you’re an icon or that your going to become one,” 3 stacks told the Huffington Post in November. “I tried to look and find what Jimi would want people to know about him that they couldn’t figure out from YouTube.”

“All Is By My Side” is expected to premier at the Sundance film festival in early 2013 and then hit theaters some time toward the latter half of the year. Andre says he expects fans to be pleased with the film especially music fans. “Ohh they’ll enjoy it, they’ll be pleased,” Benjamin said. “If you enjoy music your going to love this movie, I mean its Hendrix man it doesn’t get much better than that. I’m excited to see it myself.” Andre 3000 has had an above average career in Hollywood for a rapper turned actor but he hasn’t been able to truly achieve status as a serious heavy weight on the silver screen. “All Is By My Side” could be the film that does it, I know I for one will be in the theater to see for myself when the movie finally opens. By Justin Prince

Versus end of year review 2012, what a year it was for hip-hop and music in general. We had some outstanding new artists like Joey Bada$$ and ANTHM come out of nowhere and drop brilliant EP’s and Kendrick Lamar did not dissapoint on his debut.

In our ‘End of year Review’ we give you an indepth analysis into the best albums, songs, videos of the year as well as looking forward to 2013, listing our 10 artists to look out for. Between us we spent many hours arguing and threatening each other until we settled on lists that we felt, not only were right, but also encapsulated the entire genre, not just focused on the biggest names in hip-hop. There will be names you might have never heard of, artists you might expect to see in our rankings but have them miss out or even be pleasantly suprised. That is the beauty of reviewing an entire year, having the oppertunity to look back at an entire year of music, with this year being one of the best in such a long time (with us potentially having 2 classics dropping in one year).

It’s time to flip the page over and either fall in love with our musical tastes or tear your hair out and call us all names; which you now can do on our brand spanking new website!

honourable mentions

Rapsody – The Idea of Beautiful The only female on our list only just misses out on the Top 10. Femcees are slowly re-establishing themselves as major players in the industry and Rapsody is as true to the art as you’re likely to find. Rapsody delivers A-list lyrics, brilliant production provided by 9th Wonder among others, as well as her unwillingness to sexualise her craft. The fact that fellow emcees like Ab-Soul and Childish Gambino are prepared to feature on her debut retail project shows the respect her grind has garnered in the industry.

Rapsody ft Raheem DeVaughn & Ab-Soul

My favourite track on the album features resident TDE member Ab-Soul, trading vocals with Rapsody over chilling production from 9th Wonder, with the hook provided by Raheem DeVaughn. My standout line delivered by Ab-Soul ‘Walking like an Egyptian, life ain’t fair oh’. By Konrad Ziemlewski

honourable mentions

slaughterhouse - welcome to our house The fearsome foursome’s major label debut may have under performed according to sales numbers. But true Hip-Hop heads won’t be disappointed in “Welcome To Our House” with plenty of punch lines and mind boggling lyrics that you expect from this crew this record also could be used to teach a technical lesson on who to spit. Each member has a track where they out shine the others but Joe Budden may provide the album and the year’s best verse on the melancholy track “Goodbye”.

Slaughterhouse ft eminem - throw that

Welcome to our House featured a number of radio friendly track’s, but on ‘throw that’ featuring label boss Eminem you knew what to expect, an excercise in expert lyricism. The track is essentially a free for all, centered around the theme of ‘fucking’, feauturing a number of crazy / freaky bars over the top of synth driven T-Minus production. By Justin Prince

Nas – Life is Good What Nas has delivered with ‘Life is Good’ is his best album since ‘Stillmatic’. In a period where substance is scarce, this album is extremely significant. Its great from the cultured art design to Nas’s potent delivery. The balance is there. The revered Queen’s emcee has had a weight of expectation lifted from him, with this album. Only legends can fall and rise again, Nas being a living legend of the genre.

Nas – Daughters

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The standout track from the album is his most personal, chronicling his Daughters life through he good and the bad. The strength of the song lies in the lyrics, with God’s Son lyrics being one of the most honest and powerful to ever be related one’s child ‘A box of condoms on her dresser then she Instagrammed it’. By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - album top 10

toby mac - eye on it Toby Mac is a Hip-Hop veteran and one of the most successful artist in the ‘Christian Rap’ genre. ‘Eye on It’ may be Mac’s best work yet. One of the things that makes ‘Eye on It’ so good is the fact you can throw it on and never realize that your listening to a ‘Christian’ record. ‘Eye on It’ quickly debuted at #1 which was a pretty big feat consider it dropped the same day as the Eminem backed project from Slaughterhouse.

Toby mac ft lecreae - forgiveness

Toby Mac teams up with Lecreae on ‘forgiveness’ a slower track melodically than we may be used to but one that holds true to his distinguishable style. The song is all about asking forgiveness no matter how bad the deed you have committed, with Mac showcasing a number of flows like a veteran swiss army knife user over a guitar driven beat. By Justin Prince

oddisee - people hear what they see Oddisee may not know how to spell but make no mistake he can rap. “People Hear What They See” is easily one of the best albums of the year fueled by tracks like “American Greed” and “Way in Way Out” the D.C. MC delves into perception vs reality and what motives an artist. If you haven’t heard the record then you haven’t really listened to Hip-Hop in 2012.

Oddisee - you know who you are

Oddisee is in the latest generation of genius lyricists, this song being a prime example of his talent. The songs narrative follows the ups and downs of a friendship, a somber subject in itself. But add the acoustic vocals by Olivier Daysoul, it gives the track an unparalled depth and soul. By Justin Prince

8 Lupe Fiasco – Food and Liquor II When Lupe announced F&LII could very well be his last album, I was rightly devastated but at the same time I knew if it was to be his last album, their was no way it could be bad. Having flown the ‘conscious’ flag for so many years in mainstream media, its no surprise FL&II is extremely controversial and dystopian. With tracks like ‘Bitch Bad’ highlighting the problem with explicit media and ‘Put Em Up’ showing his lyrical prowess.

Lupe Fiasco – Lamborghini Angels

7 end of year review - album top 10

Following his controversial release of ‘Around my Way’ Lupe followed up that single with ‘Lamborghini Angels’, a hypnotic affair, driven by a simple yet forceful beat. The emcee tackles issues ranging from religious abuse to materialism, with his wordplay aiming to stir up a discussion. By Konrad Ziemlewski

Joey Bada$$ - 1999 The man some are calling the saviour of hip-hop, though I use the term man loosely as he’s only 17. Sampling all of your favourite indie producers from the golden age, his flows seem effortless over the production styles of Madlib, Doom & Knowledge. Though I disagree that he’s the saviour, his newest mixtape will be dropping just before Christmas, we’ll have to see if he can make a similar impact with tailor made beats.

Joey bada$$ - Righteous Minds

Another beautiful sample, Joey takes us through the difficulties of living life as an outcast in essence. To quote Earl, too white to fit in with the black kids and too black to fit in with the white kids - sums his feelings on this track up in a nutshell. By Jonathon Bartlett

6 Ab-Soul - Control System Yet again we see a TDE member on the top10. My standout artist for 2012 without a shadow of a doubt, Ab-Soul weaves multisyllabic lines together like an artisan, using samples that other rappers would choke on their dirty sprite at.

ab-soul - Bohemian Grove

One of the best samples used this year in my opinion, his nonchalant flow seems almost symbiotic with the jazz-like piano in the background. ‘Motherfuck the government, motherfuck the system/ Motherfuck you i’m just livin’ how I’m livin’!’ By Jonathon Bartlett

5 ANTHM – Joy & Pain If I had to describe Joy & Pain, the best way would be to call it ‘a gospel rap album made by the devil’. The album deals with finding a voice, fighting for one’s soul and finding peace with yourself. Yet the extremely complex lyricism and dance driven soundtrack flip my statement on its head. Guess that’s the pure dichotomy ANTHM wanted to achieve.

ANTHM ft Freddie Gibbs – Joy & Pain

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Freddie Gibbs is something of a problem to me. I don’t normally like his music, but whenever he does a feature I cant get enough of his gritty, raspy voice, especially over this dancehall beat. This track acts as a closure to the EP but it represents the doors opening for ANTHM because of his brilliant EP, proving his ambition and ability is better then what a lot come with currently ‘I feel that joy & pain/ Through what I overcame’ By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - album top 10

Macklemore x ryan lewis - the heist The Heist is without doubt my favourite album this year, from a duo that is quickly becoming one of my favourite artists ever. The heist sold 75,000 in a week, an incredible achievement for an indepentent artist. What sets them apart is their ability to let the listener in to their deepest and darkest moments, then be able to switch up and show off their lighter side. Macklemore, one of the best storytellers alive, proves it numerously on this album, be it on ‘Wing$’, ‘‘Jimmy Iovine’ etc. With the genius, Ryan Lewis on the beats here’s hoping the duo stay around for years.

Macklemore x Ryan Lewis – Starting Over

I barely got forty-eight hours, treated like I’m some wise monk’, Macklemore spits on his most personal track on the album, called ‘Starting Over’. The song features a revelation about a relapse, while you have Rl providing an incredibly dynamic and soulful beat. By Konrad Ziemlewski

Frank ocean - channel orange While not technically a Hip-Hop album there is no way Ocean’s “Channel Orange” could be left off the list. Honestly this was looking like the album of the year regardless of genre until Kendrick Lamar dropped “Good Kid M.A. A. D. City”. Ocean who has one of the best voices in R & B blends his soulful sound with thoughtful and insightful lyrics that ensured that “Channel Orange” would go down as a classic.

Frank ocean - forrest gump

For me, the most powerful track of the year. The idea that someone revered as being one of the coolest men in the music industry could come out as bisexual, whilst chiefly being in hip-hop, is a scary one. This track has added to almighty buzz that he’d built with Novacane and his features on Watch The throne, and has cemented him as one of the mavericks of the music scene. By Justin Prince

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.a.a.d city There’s very little to say about this album that hasn’t already been said, huge acclaim from nearly every blog/paper/ magazine/suburban white kid in the world. Having just sold over 500,000 copies, that in itself is incredible for an album that barely strays from its relatively esoteric hip-hop roots (Swimming Pools being the only exception).

Swimming Pools (Drank), Black Hippy Remix

1 end of year review - album top 10

This track was only available if you bought the track from Target in the US, however that naturally hasn’t stopped anyone from getting it. This is a HUGE improvement on the original as far as I’m concerned, every member of the team kills it. Standout line has to be from Kendrick – ‘Makin excuse that your relief, is in the bottom of the bottle, or the greenest endo leaf’. Poignant as ever. By Jonathon Bartlett

10 Asaad - jumanji flow I really can’t tell you what it is I like about this song. Its 2 minutes of ASSAD just straight kicking bars and he does it so smoothly that every time I listen I nod my head. Even if I haven’t quite figured out the real point of this song yet, which is ok because somehow I keep hitting the replay button. By Justin Prince

9 macklemore x ryan lewis - cant hold us Can’t hold us is an exquisite example of the pairs undeniable chemistry between each other and their influence on each other. Macklemore shows his less somber side while Ryan Lewis crafts my favourite beat of his layering ivory keys, with a stunning brass section into an all mighty crescendo. John Legendesque signer Ray Dalton providing a stunning feature on the hook. By Konrad Ziemlewski

ANTHM FT BLU - POLARIS

MF Doom has had a UK exile for a few years now, but with ‘Winter Blues’ we have a homesick letter, that is one of MF Doom’s most intimate tracks ever; yet still funny and intimidating. Although MF Doom has adopted the darkness as well as The Dark Knight, it proves even he has the go into the light every once in a while ‘I need a handful of melanin, Feelin’ like the lamb’s wool beard on your tender skin’. By Konrad Ziemlewski

ANTHM could very well be the next big thing in Hip-Hop. If so Polaris will be the track we all look to and remember as when ANTHM arrived on the scene. The hook perfectly meshes with ANTHM’s verses and a feature from Blu does nothing to hinder the song, which is an ode to everyone’s one shot to shine like the greatest. By Justin Prince

kendrick lamar - the art slaughterhouse of peer pressure goodbye

The first time I heard this track, I lost my shit. The beat from Purity Ring is the most energetic i’ve heard over the course of the year. Danny spits fire as per usual regarding the factors that forced him to hustle in his youth in order to make money. Fantastic.

Kendrick has quickly supplanted himself as one of Hip-Hop’s best storytellers. The Dr. Dre protégé shows his skill for weaving together vivid imagery better than ever on this track. Just sit back and ride with Kendrick through his hood in that mini van while you nod your head to the background melody that Kendrick paints his picture over. By Justin Prince

jj doom - winter blues

Purity Ring ft danny brown - bellispeak

By Jonathon Bartlett

Joe Budden takes the first verse and sits the bar high as he describes his girl miscarrying his twins that never were. His pain comes across through the speakers and you can feel it with each line he spits, possibly being the most introspective and heartfelt verse of the year. Crooked I and Joell Ortiz come in on the 2nd and 3rd verses respectively sharing their own struggles with us. By Justin Prince

Ab-Soul ft Danny Brown - Terrorist Threats These two, my favourite rappers of the current time, the calm collected eloquent Ab-Soul joins with the brash, in your face Danny Brown to discuss the nature of the streets, in one scene even standing in the middle of a road facing oncoming traffic. By Jonathon Bartlett

ab-soul - nibiru

macklemore x ryan One of the most hard lewis - neon cathedral hitting tracks of this year, Ab-Soul discusses the possibility of an asteroid hitting the earth, wiping out the majority of humanity. A rather morbid topic A rather morbid topic admittedly, although Soul is one of the few artists who can tackle something poignant and challenging and still make it accessible for his fans. By Jonathon Bartlett

The emotional journey that Neon Cathedral puts a person through is earth-shattering. The solemn beat of the song is overlaid by a bereft guitar, accompanied by violins, in a song that moves from pulls on your heartstrings. Supported by Allen Stones haunting chorus this is not only a stand out from The Heist, but the stand out song of the year. By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - song top 10

10 9 8 7 6 50

2Chainz ft Kanye West - Birthday Song The collaboration between 2Chainz and Kanye West on ‘Birthday Song’ wont cause any major headlines, but the video treatment for the song, is one of the weirdest videos you’re going to watch all year. The video presents a creepy, mechanized vision of a birthday party – or at least it would if not for all the strippers. Having watched the video you’ll find that rarely has ‘what the fuck?’ ever been more appropriate. By Konrad Ziemlewski

macchiato music - d why Ok, this one is from a guy you probably haven’t heard of before. But don’t sleep on this video Macchiato music is one of the most well shot and edited videos you’ll find from 2012. Add the fact that an indie artist and his friends filmed the entire thing guerilla style in Italy with no permits and this is easily a top 10 video of the year. Plus the song has some pretty dope lines I suspect we’ll be hearing and seeing more of D-Why in the future. By Justin Prince

The Black Keys ft RZA - The Baddest Man Alive This track in itself was always going to be phenomenal, mixing two modern day legends together. The video adds another element to this already impressive collaboration, as RZA fights two of the members of The Black Keys for a fortune cookie… sound a little odd? The oriental owner doesn’t seem particularly happy about the mess they’ve caused, and tops off the video by well and truly outshining the musicians as the baddest man alive. By Jonathon Bartlett

m.i.a - bad girls The British bombshell M.I.A is pretty much the only one representing our meagre shores on the list, driving cars around Saudi Arabia pretty much says one thing to the audience; I do what the fuck I want. She walks down a street with a gang of middle-eastern counter parts all wiling out to the music, one of the few badly needed breaths of fresh air in this scene stagnated with blunt smoke. By Jonathon Bartlett

Drake ft Lil Wayne - HYFR The video for ‘HYFR’ portrays the passage into manhood during a Bar Mitzvah like never before, featuring a number of scenes; a huge overblown party, stuntin outside a synagogue to name a few. There are also many famous friends of Drake’s (some less so) in the video, while Lil Wayne wears a panda bear ski mask – cus that’s just how Weezy rolls. By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - video top 10

5 4 3 2 1 end of year review - video top 10

macklemore x ryan lewis ft mary labert - same love Hip-Hop really got in touch with its softer side in 2012, and in doing so started to take the first steps in accepting the homosexual community. Macklemore’s Same Love lead the charge in a series of songs about equality for everyone regardless of who you love. The video perfectly accentuates Macklemore’s poignant lyricism. By Justin Prince

Tyler The Creator - Sam is dead This isn’t a music video this is a mini movie, regardless of how you feel about Tyler the Creator you have to respect his creativity. With “Sam is Dead” Tyler took music videos back to a true film making experience that is on par with some of the ground backing stuff that Michael Jackson did for the music video genre. By Justin Prince

Action Bronson - The Symbol ‘The Symbol’ is a self-conscious homage to the hyper violent 70s B-movies, starring foodie rapper Bronson himself as a blonde-wigged ‘Black Dynamite’ that beats up or kills anything that movies. Also when your waiting for the big, fat man to drop down your chimney this Christmas make sure it’s the real Santa, not Bronson smoking a blunt, ready to stir up a storm. By Konrad Ziemlewski

A$ap Rocky - Goldie The epitome of braggadocio, Asap Rocky features in this video with token face Yams, cruising around the city in the sartorial equivalent of golden bullion. The mink and nudie jeans combo never fails to impress, this represents the ‘money over everything’ ideal that the videos for WTT failed to do. By Jonathon Bartlett

Danny Brown - Grown Up The Detroit MC has stormed the Hip-Hop scene sense his inclusion on the XXL cover, and with “Grown Up” Danny earns himself the # 1 spot on versus video countdown. The song is dope, the video is technically sound, and the mini Danny Brown complete with the “flock of seagulls” hair do and chipped teeth still the show. Remember this, you can’t go wrong with cute kids not even in Hip-hop. By Justin Prince

Freddie Joachim A recent find for me, and I must say how disappointed in myself I am for not have heard him earlier. His track Binoculars was one of those that cemented him as a fantastic producer for me, the loop of that French soul sample intertwined with the rnb snares and house style is incredible. Check out My People and his remix of Jill Scott’s Golden too. By Jonathon Bartlett

action bronson Action is fire in the kitchen and in the booth. In 2012 all he the ex New York City chef did was drop one of the year’s dopest mix tape’s with producer Alchemist entitled “Rare Chandeliers” and pick up a co-sign from Wu-Tang legend Ghostface Killa. 2013 should only bring more action Bronson’s way. By Justin Prince

shakka One of the most talented musicians I’ve heard come out from England in the past few years. After blowing up with his series of Shakkapella tracks, he’s put out his first proper single ‘Sooner Or Later’ essentially creating his own style of music somewhere between indie and rnb. Also check out Drivin’, one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard, one man one piano and a whole lot of imagery. By Jonathon Bartlett

anthm ANTHM hit the scene this year with one of 2012’s dopest tracks “Polaris” but something tells me he’s just getting started. Maybe because the Duke University grad left a job on Wall Street to pursue his musical dreams, I don’t think someone who walked away from that kind of job will be satisfied with just 15 minutes of fame. By Justin Prince

intuition Intuition in my opinion is one of the best, raw emcees in the game. In 2012 he began his assault on the music industry with a number of tracks, with the stand out being ‘Imagining’ an incredibly personal piece, focusing on his fathers Alzeheimers. Intuition has an EP coming out shortly with his good friend Equilibrium, where I hope he continues on his upward trajectory in the industry. By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - act to look out for 2013

joey bada$$ Joey made waves in Hip-Hop in 2012 with “Waves” and look for the up and coming MC to continue to ride the wave into 2013. Ok, I promise I’m finished with the wave puns but seriously this cat has some major potential to blow up in the year to come. By Justin Prince

skizzy mars Skizzy Mars is somewhat of an enigma, releasing music randomly here and there without any EP’s to speak of yet still garnering a huge following. Someone that clearly understands and respects numerous genres, having sampled from a range of acts such as Grouplove and The Killers. Having just a released a song with Versus favourite G-Eazy titled ‘Pay for you’, I am hoping for big things from Skizzy in 2013. By Konrad Ziemlewski

Wati heru A man of very few words, he got a little bit of fame from riding around with the Pro Era crew though he isn’t a member. ‘Damn Oh’ only features one verse, but that’s all you need in order to know that this guy’s got talent. Hopefully he’ll be dropping a mix-tape early next year to satiate our need for a different flow in the inundated market started by ASAP. By Jonathon Bartlett

g-eazy 2013 will be G’s year. A Nola native, producing beats out of his bedroom has his own brand of hip-hop, sampling and creating his own beats influenced by the early 1900s. With his first proper album ‘Must Be Nice’ reaching #1 on iTunes, and having just announced his first headline tour, supported by Skizzy Mars, 2013 looks like THE year for G-Eazy. By Konrad Ziemlewski

the kings dead The Kings Dead, formerly ‘The Dean’s List’, have reformed and created a much more mature sound then I was accustom to from them, but what an improvement! The trio new sound has Sonny Shotz with a point to prove, while Mendoza and Mik are capable of producing transcendent production. With their incredible work rate (focusing on fashion and videography as well), under the new name, I can only envision good things for the extremely talented The Kings Dead. By Konrad Ziemlewski

end of year review - acts to look out for 2013

Artist of the year

macklemore x ryan lewis The man of the moment in hip-hop, Ben Haggerty has created the same kind of furore that Mac Miller did earlier in the year, except with his conscious style of rapping. Admittedly, a lot of his hype has been overexensuated by the fact that he’s white, though this shouldn’t draw away from his amazing talents to story-tell through rapping, something that isn’t tapped into nearly as much as it should. After having a strong set of tracks already released before his debut album, such as Wings, Otherside & Life Is Cinema, The Heist let us see the full breadth of his working with Ryan Lewis, culminating in some fantastic tracks with great features, chiefly Ab-Soul & Schoolboy Q. The fact that he can reach out to people like this and for them to respect him enough to feature on tracks that probably won’t make it onto the radio says a lot about his exalted status within the scene.

Macklemore has already said what a huge deal being on the XXL freshman list was for him, though his performances for that were slightly lacklustre and wanting. I pray that he doesn’t let the fame taint his song-writing, because he truly has something special and unique and has been on his grind for so many years now, and has dealt with so many things. Should he choose to stay on the path he’s been on thus far, he could be making pieces that are praised worldwide, particularly with Ryan on the beats.

I thought before we go into who J.Nolan is, we could start off with you telling us a little about Jamar Nolan, the man behind the name?

Versus Interviews : j.Nolan if you dont know about J.Nolan, you better get familiar. This upcoming emcee from the ATL is ready to breakout with his provocative lyricsm, relentless delivery and uptempo flow. The fact that he is extremely dedicated to his craft and fans can’t hurt either. photography by james sims iv By Konrad Ziemlewski

I’m a regular dude with a gift, pretty much. If I’m not making music, I’m probably either reading or plotting my next move. It’s a lot of cats that aren’t active in the day-to-day grind behind the scenes and I’m one of the guys that had to take that initiative just to stay afloat. Outside of that, I’m a firm believer in God and Christ, so my lifestyle reflects that as well. In between it all, I’m just clowning with my family and friends. Every artist has their own unique story, how they got involved in the business and what drove them to try their hand at this incredibly competitive environment. Tell us yours. My older brother was rapping first and he challenged me to try it out when I was 8 years old. That pretty much sparked everything off and as I got older I got more serious with it. Once I got to high school, I noticed that I could actually compete with the professionals. My whole story is really just gradual progression and dedication.

Hip Hop unlike a majority of genres encapsulates so many mediums. Every rapper ends up with a label, be it gangsta rap, or whatever else. How would you describe your music?

are JusThoughtZ, Stevie Crooks, Turbo T Double, DPF, and ForteBowie.

I never used to be able to label what I do, but now I can honestly say it’s my imagination and thinking different from my peers. A lot of the things I talk about come from real events and me interpreting my surroundings in various ways. It can be humorous, celebratory, or somber...it all just depends on where my head is at.

Everyone has their own reasons for getting into the rap game, some do it for the dough another for the power, or as Tupac once put it “I may not change the world but I guarantee that I will spark the mind that will.” What do you want to achieve by being an emcee?

Listening to your music, you have already mastered a range of flows and tend to spit over quite a range of beats, which in turn must mean listen to quite an eclectic mix of music. Who are the artists that have influenced you so far? Are there any contemporary artists you’re really down with? My biggest influences are 2pac, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Lupe Fiasco, and OutKast. And that just comes from my listening habits and the people I felt I could relate to the most. I like a lot of the new folks that are out there, but I wouldn’t say they influence me. My cousin Yung B Da Producer is a large part of what I do. The people I just rock with musically and personally

I’m more on the ‘Pac side of things with my music, but of course I want money and my own definition of power as well. Financially, I want to introduce a different side of life to my future wife and kids. I don’t want my family to worry about where their next meal is gonna come from or if it’s safe to play outside in the neighbourhood, you know? That’s played out, man. But there’s also an influence that comes with being a notarized musician and I want to help people see things a bit clearer before my time is up. If I’m not willing to contribute to something greater than myself, I don’t deserve the position.

Recently I watched ‘The Art of Rap’ documentary by Ice-T and found the diversity in which emcee’s approach writing their rhymes, the oddest being Immortal Technique starving himself, to produce his best material. What process do you go through when writing your lyrics? Oh, wow...I don’t have what people like to call a ‘process.’ I work on way too much material to follow a specific code every time. Mainly, it comes from how I’m feeling and I’ll reach out to my team of producers for tracks that match that mood or create a concept around it. Once that’s laid out, all I have to do is express myself on paper. Could you give us a little insight to ‘The Manifest Movement’ that you are part of? Yeah, for sure. The Manifest Movement was started in high school. Yung B Da Producer, myself, and a couple other friends came together as a group called Manifest and we eventually branched off into other things as time went on. The group as we knew it dissolved. Instead of killing the idea, I decided to update the name and expand our reach into other things and create a platform that can be used for bringing our dreams to fruition. We have 2 new producers named oriJanus and Tuelv that are down with us and I’m looking to get into various forms of literature and film in the near future.

“that it’d be almost suicidal for an new artist to sign with a major” If you had the chance to potentially work with any artist and producer in the game, who would they be? I want to work with Black Milk, Freeway, Raekwon, Melanie Rutherford, and Esperanza Spalding. There’s a lot of others, but those are the names off the top of my head. With it being the end of the year, as you can imagine everyone is making their lists of their favourite songs, albums etc. The likes of Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore and Ab-Soul populated a lot of our lists, but what were your three favourite songs and albums of the year? I can’t pinpoint any 3 favorite songs, but I can pick a few projects that impressed me. Kendrick Lamar delivered, Robert Glasper made an incredible album with ‘Black Radio,’ and Honors English’s ‘State of The Art’ was probably the most pleasant surprise I’ve heard in a couple years.

You clearly have an eye for the visual side of the game, which more so than ever came to light with your recent video for ‘Can’t Stop’. What was the inspiration behind the video and the decision to use 3D? I haven’t really had the opportunity to showcase my creativity on the visual side just yet. I’ve helped come up with locations for my videos, but I really want to elevate my presentation going into next year. ‘Can’t Stop’ was Bloo Woods’ (the director of the video) idea to go 3D. He had this vision where he wanted to capture a couple settings and focus real heavy on effects, so that’s where we went with it. When I saw it in 3D, I was amazed, probably more than everyone else that’s seen the video. With the likes of Mac Miller and most recently Macklemore proving that the independent route is incredibly viable for hip hop artist, which route do you see yourself going down and why? They definitely proved me right with the success of their albums. I’ve believed the independent game was the way to go for a few years now, especially since I’ve had to adopt the “Do-It-Yourself” mentality. A couple years ago, I saw Young Guru say in an interview that it’d be almost suicidal for a new artist to sign with a major label and that played a bigger role in my perspective than what we’re seeing now. He’s the engineer for the biggest artist in our genre and has seen so much in his time. I had to take heed to that insight. This year has seen a massive seismic shift in the hip hops community with homophobia. With Frank Ocean being open about his sexuality and Macklemore dropping ‘Same Love’ what are your feelings on the subject? Everyone’s preference is their own and I have no right to infringe upon that. I commend everyone that’s stood up for gay rights and I think that’s a huge step forward in our community, but I don’t have an opinion in either direction. Let people do what makes them genuinely happy. If you could choose one track to describe who J.Nolan is as an artists, what would it be? One track to describe me is virtually impossible. There are too many aspects of my personality. The song that I’d pick is called “Cracked Cement,” though. It speaks about a lot of the situations I grew up around and how I felt about it. That song is a testament to my personal integrity and that’s something I feel is extremely important. Any last words? Look out for my project with Yung B Da Producer called “The Upbringing,” my next solo album “Distinction,” and everything else coming from The Manifest Movement. Thank you.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;that song is a testament to my personal integrity and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something I feel is extremely important.â&#x20AC;?

With all the new talent coming out and making a mark on the hip hop world in 2012, it’s about time the big dogs released some work to reinforce why they’re still classed as the greats. Enter Antwan André Patton; he’s back to deliver us ‘Vicious lies and Dangerous Rumours’ and maybe at the same time, give us a little hip-hop master class.

Not really sure what these Dangerous Rumours are but they better not be that Big Boi is getting past it because thinking that would definitely be dangerous that’s for sure. The album opens and prepares you with a build up using the track appropriately named “Ascending” and just like a roller coaster would things just get better from this point onwards. The album drops and instantly demands to be played out loud, with a Fat Joe “Lean Back” attitude. Try listening to it and stop yourself from bopping your head and leaning back, I’ve tried and it is impossible. The second half of Outkast returns on this album with a handful of well known artists like KiD CuDi, UGK, T.I. Ludacris, Kelly Rowland just to name a few. Each of these people have been chosen to add their own artistic twist to Big Boi’s flow and I like to think that careful choice was taken in picking who was going to feature. There’s also some new noteworthy talent coming from Bosko and Phantogram too showing that Big Boi also wants to give the upcoming artists a chance to get heard. Featuring artists are around the same count as on the last album but make no mistake, his flow is still up they’re as the focus and you shouldn’t forget it. No one seems out of place and all artists compliment each other well. The first thing any music lover would do is to search for more work from the featuring artist and this will happen a few times after listening VLADR.

Big Boi says, “Mama used to say take your time. Well I’m a pickpocket when I design rhymes” on Mama told Me with Kelly Rowland. This line sums up the whole album. Big Boi wants us to know just how much time, care and skill it takes to make a good rhyme, which in turn can make a great record. Little lyrical flourishes are scattered through out like a lyrical signature.

There is an overarching feel to the whole album. It’s a mixture of different styles; Big Boi brings his unchanged rapping style to every song, which is still what you would expect. Fast, fluid and clear and he don’t let up one bit. The whole album has this infectious energy, which starts making you want to leave the repeat button pressed. Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors is a great album from Big Boi because it’s a well-rounded mix of new sound with a little old school flavor. Although not quite reaching the heights of his Outkast day’s, any fan of Daddy Fat Stacks will be pretty happy with this effort, while the fans of the numerous features on this album will find VLADR is a great introduction to Sir Luscious Foot.

8/10 61